THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jun

26

2021

Small towns are collapsing across South Africa. How it’s starting to affect farming

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FARMING and agribusiness play a crucial role in sustaining the economies of small towns and rural areas. There is a lot of evidence of this in the economic literature and in the popular media. This dependency has its inherent risks. WANDILE SIHLOBO, Visiting Research Fellow, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand International literature tends to focus on the devastation of small towns in times of drought or when farming lobby groups argue for particular policies. In South Africa, a different pattern has emerged. This is when municipalities fail to provide basic services to their communities and businesses. These…

Jun

25

2021

By The African Mirror

An intellectual love letter to Bhekizizwe Peterson, a South African literary giant

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ISABEL HOFMEYR BHEKIZIZWE Peterson was one of South Africa’s foremost humanities scholars. Internationally renowned as an award-winning film writer and producer, he was a leading practitioner of community theatre, a literary and cultural critic and a public intellectual. His work straddled the academy and the community, foregrounding the knowledge of ordinary people. In a round table discussion on his award-winning and acclaimed film Zulu Love Letter, Peterson observed: It was created as a love letter to those who passed on and those still tasked with creating a better future for all. For him, black cultural production always stands athwart past…

Apr

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Precarious power tilts towards Ramaphosa in battle inside South Africa’s governing party

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IT appears, for the moment, that South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has won a key battle in the war for control of the governing African National Congress (ANC), of which he is also the head. SUSAN BOOYSEN, Research director at Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra), Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand This became apparent after a highly charged recent meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) – its highest decision-making body in between its five-yearly national conferences. The NEC brought a crucial tilt in the factional balance of power towards Ramaphosa. This matters because the…

Apr

21

2021

By The African Mirror

European Super League: why punishing the breakaway 12 could backfire badly

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE football world has been rocked by the announcement of a breakaway European Super League (ESL). The majority think it a bad idea, from governing bodies Fifa and Uefa through to national bodies such as the FA and English Premier League. ADRIAN R BELL, Chair in the History of Finance and Research Dean, Prosperity and Resilience, Henley Business School, University of Reading ANDREW URQUHART, Associate Professor of Finance, ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading CHRIS BROOKS, Professor of Finance, Henley Business School, University of Reading The same goes for the fan groups at the six English clubs that…

May

12

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa Goes Digital

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CRISTINA DUARTE IN rebuilding after COVID-19, policymakers must invest in innovative technology to leapfrog obstacles to inclusive development. Africa has enjoyed strong economic growth for most of the 21st century, mainly because of robust global demand for primary commodities. But the “Africa Rising” narrative that accompanied this growth is mostly a story of rising GDP, which is overly one-dimensional. In fact, Africa’s economic growth has failed to generate many good jobs—postponing, once again, the benefits of the demographic dividend of a large working-age population. Because there are fewer old and young people that require support than people of working age,…

Jun

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Mzilikazi Khumalo: iconic composer who defied apartheid odds to leave a rich legacy

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PROFESSOR James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932-2021), who has died at the age of 89, had a distinguished career as a linguist, which complemented a stellar career in music. THOMAS POOLEY, Associate Professor and Chair of Department: Art and Music, University of South Africa He was the leading composer and director of choral music to emerge from South Africa. His opera, Princess Magogo, was the first by a black South African. Today he is among the most widely performed of all South African composers. He achieved international recognition for performances of his major works in Europe and the US. This is…

Jun

23

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Use technology, enabling infrastructure to harness resources and build the Southern African economy’

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MATHEWS PHOSA OPPORTUNITIES for growth and development will always present themselves naturally, but economic dynamism is critical. As such, the key to real economic dynamism is about leveraging opportunities into real sustainable value. Value for our people, our neighbours, our region and our Continent. The real economic boons or revolutions have been based on converting opportunities into value. The Industrial Revolution was about effectively deploying vast amounts of capital for productive capacity to stimulate industry, goods and related services. Converting opportunity, which is access to capital, into real sustainable value, is the backbone of sustainable infrastructures such as rail, seaports…

May

10

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria has few women in politics: here’s why, and what to do about it

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

There are few women in political and leadership spaces in Nigeria. Currently only seven out of 109 senators and 22 of the 360 House of Representatives members are women. Ogechi Ekeanyanwu, from The Conversation Africa, asked Damilola Agbalojobi, political scientist and gender specialist, to explain the lack of representation, why it matters and how to remedy it. DAMILOLA AGBALAJOBI, Lecturer, Political Science, Obafemi Awolowo University Why are women so poorly represented in leadership positions? There are multiple factors. Some are related to the political party systems and structures. For instance, the high cost of politics prevents women from standing for…

Jun

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Death of Boko Haram leader doesn’t end northeast Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DULUE MBACHU ALTHOUGH a seismic event, the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last month after his base was overrun by a rival jihadist group is unlikely to end an 11-year insurgency in northeastern Nigeria that has upended millions of lives, analysts and aid workers say. Shekau, who led an uncompromising and brutal jihadist campaign, was cornered in his former Sambisa Forest stronghold in Borno State by rival fighters of the breakaway Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP). Although his body is yet to be recovered, both ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters have confirmed that he died after detonating…

Nov

19

2025

By FILIPPO GRANDI

The Courage to Welcome: solidarity in a divided world

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I come from a country which is familiar with churches, for bad and (mostly) for good, this is inscribed in our history, almost in our genes. All this to say, as different as Westminster Abbey might be from Italian churches, there is a comforting familiarity to being here. Perhaps the familiarity inspired by all houses of God. And in this familiarity lies a simple, yet powerful idea. That across geographies, across language and culture, across borders, we can find the familiar in the foreign. The courage to find the familiar in the foreign. That is the idea that I would…