THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

May

22

2026

THE VALLEY REMEMBERED HER…

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

A Farewell to Florence “Florah” Tsedu, returned to the earth at Tshavhalovezhi The rain knew. It came softly, in quiet intervals, as though the sky itself had been briefed - as though heaven was preparing the earth to receive something precious. At Tshavhalovhezhi, in Venda, Limpopo, beneath those rolling skies and above that valley whose memory is long and whose soil does not forget, we laid to rest Florence “Florah” Tsedu: a beautiful soul, a magnificent woman, a presence that had coloured this world in ways that no single telling can fully contain. Heartbreak and celebration moved together on that…

May

21

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Mansions, a Rolls-Royce and a paper trail: The unravelling of Uganda’s most powerful Speaker

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ON the morning of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, forensic investigators and armed detectives sealed off the fifth floor of Uganda's Parliament building, turning the former Speaker's chambers into an active crime scene. Evidence collection vans were parked on the forecourt. Senior CID officers carried document cases inside. Outside, an institution that is constitutionally the guardian of public accountability had become, for a morning, the subject of it. The lockdown came less than 48 hours after Anita Annet Among made a stunning political retreat - officially withdrawing from the 12th Parliament speakership race following weeks of mounting executive and public pressure.…

May

20

2026

By TENDANI TSEDU

Nelson had Winnie, Steve had Ntsiki and Chris had Limpho, Mathatha had Flora.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE are people whose names never make headlines, whose faces are never splashed across newspapers or television screens, but whose lives hold together families, communities, and even history itself. My aunt, Flora Marubini Tsedu, was one of those people. I have struggled to write this tribute because she was not someone who demanded attention. She was quiet. Gentle. Reserved. In many ways, she and I were alike; we have our own subtle way of making our presence felt and not through loud words, but through kindness, consistency, and strength. You always knew she was there. At home and in our…

May

20

2026

By SALAH BEN HAMMOU and HIBA NACIRI

Mali’s military leader is consolidating power. Why this is dangerous

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MALIAN officials announced on 4 May 2026 that junta leader General Assimi Goïta would take on the post of defence minister after the killing of General Sadio Camara a week earlier. Camara’s death occurred amid an offensive by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which launched attacks across Mali. Insecurity persists in Mali despite years of military rule, which was justified on promises of restoring order and defeating insurgent violence. On the surface, Goïta’s decision to absorb the defence portfolio appears to be a pragmatic wartime measure, aimed at ensuring continuity within the armed forces during…

May

19

2026

By ADRIAN HADLAND

Mandela and De Klerk’s tempestuous relationship

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OCTOBER 8, 1995 If ever there was a symbol of the birth of the new South Africa, and of its subsequent trials and tribulations, it is the personal relationship between Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk. It has been an epic affair: tumultuous, angry, respectful, bitter, and forgiving. It has run the gamut of emotions from triumph to despair, and by surviving, it has inspired the nation and intoxicated the world. Following the latest recent spat in downtown Johannesburg on a warm September night, it is easy to forget how frequently the two statesmen have clashed - and how, usually…

May

18

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

She was the wings beneath his wings

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE is a particular kind of greatness that the world rarely stops to celebrate. It does not announce itself with fanfare. It does not seek the spotlight or linger near the podium waiting for applause. It works, instead, in the warm hush of a kitchen at dawn, in the steady reassurance of a goodnight kiss given to children whose father is somewhere far away, filing a story, chasing the truth. It speaks in the language of sacrifice — fluently, generously, without complaint. Florah Marubini Tsedu spoke that language better than anyone. Florah has departed this earth, and in doing so…

May

16

2026

By TSWELOPELE MAKOE

Africa is not a data mine

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GHANA has outrightly rejected a United States-backed health agreement over concerns about privacy, oversight and foreign access to sensitive national health data. According to reports, the deal would have allowed multiple US entities broad access to Ghana's health information systems as part of a wider funding arrangement tied to healthcare support. Ghanaian authorities raised concerns about sovereignty, consent and the lack of sufficient control over how citizens' data could be accessed and used. Ghana is not alone. Zimbabwe has reportedly rejected a similar arrangement, while Zambia has also raised objections rooted in privacy and data governance concerns. Across the continent,…

May

16

2026

By ONGAMA MTIMKA

Julius Malema: South Africa’s performative revolutionary is facing his biggest battle

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JULIUS Malema, the leader of South Africa’s fourth-largest party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is a divisive figure: loved by some, hated by others. Malema made headlines in April 2026 after a lower court found him guilty of illegal possession and discharge of a firearm and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment. He is appealing the conviction and sentence. Within a few weeks, he made headlines again when the country’s Constitutional Court ruled in a case the EFF had brought before it. The case was about the alleged theft of a large sum of foreign currency from President Cyril Matamela…

May

13

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Those who govern must listen: why power without wisdom is a path to ruin

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE is a particular species of political tragedy that is worse than the tragedy caused by enemies. It is the tragedy caused by leaders who had the wisdom of counsel at their disposal and set it aside in favour of factional comfort and institutional self-preservation. It is the tragedy of the avoidable. Thabo Mbeki's March 2023 letter to ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile, sent to him in his capacity as Leader of Government Business, belongs in the canon of South African political documents that its recipients would prefer history to forget. It will not be forgotten. Not because Mbeki was…

May

12

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The long game: How Ramaphosa’s review gambit could outlast his presidency

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE is a particular South African political art form - born of a constitutional democracy that is simultaneously robust and deeply contested - of turning a legal instrument into a clock. Cyril Ramaphosa, a man who has spent his political life reading rooms, calendars, and constitutional texts with unusual precision, appears to have reached, once again, for that art form. His announcement that he will review the findings of the Section 89 Independent Panel, chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, is not the act of a president in panic. It is the move of a political survivor who understands,…