THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Aug

30

2025

A thousand wrongs…

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

A friend of mine is one of those (annoying?) people who seem to know everything and have the facts to back it up. Over the years, we’ve had many debates where I relied on what felt obvious, what was everywhere around me. He would patiently listen, then remind me of the old saying: “A thousand wrongs don’t make a right.” And often, annoyingly, he was right. In other words, just because something is repeated, reinforced, and accepted doesn’t mean it is true. His words have never felt more relevant than when it comes to how we see the world -…

Aug

29

2025

By The African Mirror

A Tribute to Tshidi Madia: Voice of truth and accountability

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JOVIAL RANTAO THE airwaves have fallen silent where once a powerful voice rang out with clarity, conviction, and unwavering integrity. Tshidi Madia, whose name became synonymous with fearless journalism and incisive political analysis, has left us after a brief illness, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through the corridors of South African media for generations to come. In a profession where many chase headlines, Tshidi chased truth. Her voice on the radio was more than just sound waves cutting through the static - it was a beacon of clarity in the often murky waters of political discourse. When she…

Aug

28

2025

By POPPY CULLEN

Christians and the British empire: how a church NGO got entangled in colonial violence in Kenya

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN the 1950s, Kenyans fought against colonial control in what came to be known as the Mau Mau rebellion. In response, the British government announced a state of emergency in 1952 and engaged in a brutal counter-insurgency campaign to secure control of colonial Kenya. During the emergency, tens of thousands of Kikuyu, Embu and Meru – tribal groups predominantly from central Kenya – were detained without trial in camps. These detention camps relied on torture sanctioned by the government to get detainees to renounce their nationalistic ambitions. More than one million other Kenyans were forcibly relocated into new and controlled…

Aug

26

2025

By HENNING MELBER

Namibia celebrates independence heroes, but glosses over a painful history

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NAMIBIA celebrates 26 August as Heroes’ Day. It recalls the first military encounter between the South African army and members of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), Namibia’s liberation movement, in 1966. Initially a German colony (1884-1915), the country was then administered by South Africa, which refused to give up the occupation. Since independence in 1990, the heroic Swapo liberation narrative has also been inscribed in Heroes’ Acre, a monument built by North Korea. The institutionalised public commemoration in Namibia today – rightly – recalls the sacrifices of those who were willing to fight for self-determination. At the same…

Aug

23

2025

By PETER J. BROWN

Enslaved Africans, an uprising and an ancient farming system in Iraq: study sheds light on timelines

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WRITTEN accounts tell the story of the Zanj rebellion – a slave revolt that took place in the late 9th century in southern Iraq. Some of the rebels were enslaved Africans working in various sectors of the local economy. Thousands of ridges and canals still stand today across a floodplain in southern Iraq. They’ve long been believed to be the remains of a massive agricultural system built by these enslaved people. Creating them and farming here could have been what drove the rebellion that’s often thought to have led to the rapid decline of the historic city of Basra and…

Aug

22

2025

By TEMITOPE MUYIWA ADEBARA

Nigeria’s public spaces neglect the country’s rich cultural traditions – why this matters

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OPEN spaces such as parks, gardens and public squares play an important role in city life. They offer places where people can relax, meet others, and take part in community activities. They are key to building strong and sustainable communities in growing urban areas. As cities expand and global landscape design styles become more common, however, the bond between people and their everyday environments is weakening. In Nigeria, the design of contemporary public open spaces has often put visual appeal ahead of the socio-cultural values that give meaning to community life. Landscapes tend to follow western garden aesthetics, marked by…

Aug

21

2025

By DIRK KOTZE

Young South Africans don’t bother with elections: would lowering the voting age make a difference?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOUTH Africa is due to hold local government elections in 2026. In the last election in 2021, only 15% of the eligible voters aged 18 to 21 registered for the election. In view of this, it’s worth considering whether the minimum voting age of 18 years should be reduced to increase participation. What are the main driving forces for such a consideration? Based on international comparisons, how advisable would it be? What would be some of the implications of such a change for elections in South Africa? The South African Constitution does not state explicitly that the voting age is…

Aug

20

2025

By ADAM HABIB and IMRAAN VALODIA

South Africa has chosen a risky approach to global politics: 3 steps it must take to succeed

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOUTH Africa finds itself in a dangerous historical moment. The world order is under threat from its own primary architect. The US wants to remain the premier global political power without taking on any of its responsibilities. This dangerous moment also presents opportunities. South Africa’s response has been one of strategic autonomy. This involves taking independent and non-aligned positions on global affairs to navigate between competing world powers. But South African policymakers lack the political acumen and bureaucratic ability required to navigate this complex global order and to exploit the new possibilities. Strategic autonomy is not the norm in global…

Aug

18

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Stop Talking, Start Enforcing: Why South Africa Needs Law, Not Another Dialogue

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THIRTY years into our democracy, South Africa stands at a crossroads. Not the kind that requires more committees, consultations, or clever conversations. The kind that demands a choice between order and chaos, between the rule of law and the law of the jungle. And right now, we're choosing badly. President Cyril Ramaphosa's national dialogue represents everything that's wrong with our current approach to governance: when faced with a crisis, talk about it. When confronted with lawlessness, commission a study. When communities are burning with rage over service delivery failures, organise a workshop, call it a national dialogue. Enough. South Africa…

Aug

16

2025

By MICHELLE MOYD

Tanzania’s independence leader Julius Nyerere built a new army fit for African liberation: how he did it

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TANZANIA has long enjoyed a reputation as a peaceful country. In contrast to most of its neighbours, this East African nation of 67 million people has largely avoided large-scale violence within its borders. That didn’t seem likely in the early years after independence from Britain in December 1961. A little over two years into independence – in January 1964 – the founding president, Julius Nyerere, faced two political crises. The first started on 12 January 1964 in the form of the Zanzibar Revolution. Weeks of violence and destruction by Afro-Shirazi Party members followed. As many as 16,000 Zanzibaris were killed…