THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Feb

13

2025

Why conflict mineral narratives don’t explain the M23 rebellion in DR Congo

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel THE capture of North Kivu’s provincial capital, Goma, by the M23 armed group last month has multiplied international coverage of the forgotten crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet most reporting on the conflict is using mistaken framings, suggesting it is purely driven by a desire to plunder the region’s rich mineral resources. The conflict minerals narrative contains several tropes: Proponents claim that the M23 and its Rwandan allies launched the insurgency to loot large quantities of minerals from neighbouring DRC; that Western…

Feb

12

2025

By MAMOLOKO KUBAI

“We shall not compromise on protecting the rights of all South Africans, in the fight against corruption at all levels.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THIS year marks 70 years since black people were forcefully removed from their homes in Sophiatown to be resettled in Meadowlands, Soweto. It also marks 30 years since the inception of the constitutional court whose current building, at Constitution Hill, was partly constructed using bricks from the demolished awaiting-trial wing of the former number 4 prison. This is a stark reminder especially to those who now have selective amnesia that the South Africa we live in today and its challenges were born out of apartheid regime’s forced displacements, deliberate impoverishment and oppression of black people. Since the dawn of democracy,…

Feb

12

2025

By TIM GLAWION

Central African Republic: listening to people’s stories about foreign forces could help bring peace

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SINCE it became independent in 1960, the Central African Republic has grappled with poverty, instability and governance challenges. A decade into former president François Bozizé’s corrupt rule, a rebellion broke out and toppled the president in 2013. What followed was a devastatingly violent civil war with thousands of people killed and a fifth of the populace displaced. To halt violence against civilians, numerous international actors intervened, including the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and France. From 2014 onward they put thousands of boots on the ground and pushed rebels from most towns while protecting and supporting the…

Feb

11

2025

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Historic summit brings hope for peace in the DRC

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I have just returned from a Heads of State summit in Tanzania on the conflict in the eastern DRC. The outcomes of the summit provide a beacon of hope for the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The historic joint summit brought together the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to consider the deteriorating security situation in the eastern DRC and to find a sustainable political solution. As a member of SADC and the African Union, we have a responsibility to support all efforts to bring peace and stability to our fellow African nation, which…

Feb

09

2025

By The African Mirror

Understanding America’s hard stance against South Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KEDIBONE PHAGO US President Donald Trump has already signed over 50 executive orders within two weeks in office. This is unprecedented for a US president in a 40-year period. The US Constitution makes provision for the president to exercise executive power over their government to ensure implementation of public policies. This is often processed through a written directive that instructs a particular government department to implement a law with clear specifications. Through executive orders, the president intervenes to enforce implementation of a specific law or even fine-tune certain policy parameters of an existing law. Executive orders may be required during…

Feb

08

2025

By PATRICK HAJAYANDI

DRC conflict: talks have failed to bring peace. Is it time to try sanctions?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) escalated at the end of January 2025 when Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu, fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The civilian population is paying a heavy price as a result of ongoing violence, despite a series of initiatives aimed at creating conditions for peace. Since the re-emergence of the M23 in November 2021, violent clashes with the Congolese army have led to thousands of deaths and displaced more than one million people in North Kivu province alone. Patrick Hajayandi, whose research focuses on peacebuilding and regional reconciliation,…

Feb

06

2025

By BRANDON MARC FINN and PATRICK BRANDFUL COBBINAH

DRC: history is repeating itself in Lubumbashi as the world scrambles for minerals to go green

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LUBUMBASHI is a city in the mineral-rich Katanga region in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Many people might not have heard of it, but Lubumbashi and its surrounding region have been at the centre of global geopolitics since the start of the 20th century. The area provided immense sources of copper, a metal that helped electrify the planet in the 1900s. It was also the source of all the uranium for the atom bombs used in the Second World War. The global demand for these minerals came at a great price. Lubumbashi grew as a divided…

Feb

04

2025

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Violence and conflict in Africa is the business of all Africans

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN the last two weeks, 14 of our soldiers have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after coming under attack. They were killed in violation of a ceasefire agreement between the DRC and Rwanda facilitated by President João Lourenço of Angola. South African soldiers are in the DRC as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). The UN Security Council has roundly condemned the attack, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes. As a nation,…

Feb

05

2025

By DANIEL LEVINE-SPOUND

Fall of Goma: Why Rwandan aggression in DR Congo must be stopped

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Daniel Levine-Spound ON 27 January, the Rwandan military and an armed group known as the M23 seized Goma — the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and a key humanitarian relief hub — in a lightning offensive that has imperilled more than a million civilians. While the two forces' intentions remain uncertain – evidence points to the possibility of long-term occupation or even annexation – one thing is clear: none of this would have been possible without the complicity of a range of Western and African states.…

Jan

31

2025

By ZSA-ZSA TEMMERS BOGGENPOEL

Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation law: scholar weighs up the act

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOUTH AFRICA has a new law to govern the expropriation (or compulsory acquisition) of private property by the government for public purposes or in the public interest. The passing of the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 followed a parliamentary process that began in 2020. The act repeals the apartheid-era Expropriation Act 63 of 1975 and aims to align expropriation law with the constitution. It sets out the procedures, rules and regulations for expropriation. Besides setting out in quite a detailed fashion how expropriations are to take place, the act also provides an outline regarding how compensation is to be determined.…