THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Apr

02

2025

Honouring the “Insurgent Diplomat”: South Africa Reaffirms Commitment to Peace, Multilateralism and African Unity

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE current generation of South Africans must deepen the foundations we have inherited from previous generation stalwarts, such as the former Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Aziz Pahad, a true servant diplomat. Known as the "Insurgent Diplomat," as the title of his biography suggests, Aziz Pahad will be remembered as a man of deep conviction and principle. He was steadfast in his belief in anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and the protection and promotion of non-racialism, genuine partnership - not paternalism - solidarity instead of unilateral enforcement, multilateralism, and genuine international cooperation. Just as we stand for peace and peaceful settlement…

Apr

01

2025

By JEFF RAMSAY

“I want to stay at the border and bark at Verwoerd”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BORN in Kanye, Ntwaesele Thatayaone “Fish” Keitseng was one of the most remarkable persons I have had the privilege to know. An ordinary man by origin, he left an extraordinary legacy through his tenacious commitment as a freedom fighter for the dignity and emancipation of Africa as a leading member of the African National Congress (ANC) and pioneer local nationalist. In the latter role, he was a founder member of the Bechuanaland Peoples Party (BPP) and Botswana Independence Party (BIP) before helping to facilitate the formation of his ultimate political home, the Botswana National Front (BNF). At the same time,…

Mar

28

2025

By CARLOS EDUARDO MACHADO SANGREMAN PROENÇA

Guinea-Bissau’s political crisis: a nation on the brink of authoritarianism

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GUINEA-BISSAU faces a deep political crisis. For several years, the small West African nation has endured growing tensions between political institutions and there’s now a strong climate of uncertainty. Guinea-Bissau’s general elections had been scheduled for November 2024, but President Umaro Sissoco Embaló postponed them citing political instability, logistical challenges and disputes over presidential term limits. He has since announced 30 November 2025 as the new date for elections. Embaló has been president of Guinea Bissau since 27 February 2020. The opposition and the Supreme Court argue that his presidency should have ended on 27 February 2025. Embaló however insists…

Mar

26

2025

By DAVIES BANDA

Who is Kirsty Coventry and how did she become the most powerful person in world sports?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected a woman as its president for the first time ever. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry is also the youngest-ever IOC president and the first from an African country, becoming a symbol of the IOC’s drive to diversify its leadership and image. Sports management scholar Davies Banda was part of a global research team that compiled an IOC-commissioned report on the roles of women in the organisation. He traces Coventry’s journey as a swimming star, politician and sports administrator. Who is Kirsty Coventry? She is Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. She won seven medals…

Mar

24

2025

By MATHEWS PHOSA

What leadership does Africa need, and how do we achieve It?

BRICS NEWS, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE face of geopolitics changed dramatically following the Presidential election in America. Africa is clearly not a priority for the current leader of the free world, and Europe is gearing up to become an even more substantial voice in global politics. South Africa's current alignment with the BRICS family presents both opportunities and challenges. On the continent, government debt, slow economic growth, and corruption hinder forward economic mobility. Against this backdrop, we as leaders should consider the following strategies: Prioritize boosting economic growth by "throwing off the chains" of regulation Fight corruption through actions, not just words Avoid populist and…

Mar

25

2025

By BUSANI NGCAWENI

South Africa has a problem with people in the public service lying about their qualifications: what needs to change

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE persistent challenge of falsified or misrepresented qualifications in South Africa exposes serious shortcomings in recruitment and appointment processes. Although the scale of the problem is difficult to quantify, it’s considered to be reaching “pandemic” levels. It is worse in the public sector. The problem became so serious that the government introduced the National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act in 2019, making it a criminal offence to misrepresent qualifications. It is punishable by up to five years in prison. Yet the scourge continues, despite severe personal and professional consequences for some. The alarmingly high number of individuals pretending to be qualified…

Mar

22

2025

By THABO MBEKI

Farewell to a man of integrity.

HEADLINES, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ON 14 March 2025, many of us gathered at one of the Johannesburg cemeteries to bury a South African whom many speakers hailed as a person of integrity, who dedicated his life to the betterment of his fellow human beings. This was the businessman, Khomotso Jacob Bobby Makwetla, who, among other engagements, was a distinguished member of the well-known National African Federated Chamber of Commerce, NAFCOC. The homily at the funeral service preceding the burial was delivered by a patriot and liberation fighter, now Rev Molefe Tsele, who based himself on two verses in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy. These…

Mar

21

2025

By DR THEOGENE RUDASINGWA

General Kagame’s last gamble: War, deception, and the unravelling of a regime in freefall

HEADLINES, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

GENERAL Kagame, the Rwandan autocrat who has ruled with an iron fist for nearly three decades, is once again banking on war, deception, and sheer ruthlessness to prolong his grip on power. Faced with mounting international isolation, economic pressure, and an unravelling facade of legitimacy, he has abandoned any pretence of diplomacy, withdrawing from the much-hyped peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a last-ditch effort to consolidate military control over eastern Congo. This move is not an aberration but a pattern—one that has defined Kagame’s reign from the days of the Arusha Peace Talks in the…

Mar

21

2025

By ASSEFA LEAKE GEBRU

Ethiopia’s war may have ended, but the Tigray crisis hasn’t

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FOR over 20 years, Ethiopia was led by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, a coalition of four ethnic-based political parties representing Tigray, Amhara, Oromo, and Southern nations, nationalities and peoples. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front was the most influential party within the coalition. However, in 2018, when the Prosperity Party came into power, the front lost its important role in government. On 4 November 2020, the federal government launched an attack on Tigray, terming it a military offensive against political aggression from the Tigrayan front. This sparked a war that lasted two years and caused severe damage to people…

Mar

20

2025

By JAN POSPISIL

Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

HEADLINES, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

A rise in political tensions in South Sudan and an escalation of violence in the Upper Nile State have raised fears of a return to civil war in the world’s youngest nation. In early March 2025, neighbouring Uganda sent troops to South Sudan at the request of the government, and was involved in aerial bombardments. South Sudan’s opposition groups took issue with the Ugandan intervention and stopped taking part in discussions to create a joint military system in the country. These developments risk unravelling the 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir, First Vice-President Riek Machar and other opposition leaders.…