THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Nov

19

2024

The stand-off at Stilfontein must be resolved peacefully and safely

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS Government, we have made a clear determination to deal with acts of criminality, whether they be cash-in-transit heists, extortion, illegal mining, gang violence, or related crimes. Illegal mining is a form of criminality that has caused a great deal of anger and anguish in communities. To address this problem, we set up an illegal mining task force involving various parts of the security cluster. We also deployed personnel from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support the work of the police. For over a month now, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other Government agencies have…

Nov

18

2024

By HARRO VAN ASSELT and ANNALISA SAVARESI

Shell’s legal victory is disappointing – but this is not the end for corporate climate litigation

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN the first ruling of its kind, the Dutch Hague District Court in 2021 ordered a fossil fuel company, Shell, to slash its emissions. This decision would have required the oil and gas giant to cut its emissions by 45% by 2030 (compared with 2019 levels) across its operations and beyond, including so-called “scope 3 emissions” – those arising from burning the fossil fuels Shell has sold. However, this landmark ruling – which inspired similar lawsuits worldwide – has been overturned. Shell appealed the decision and on November 12 2024, the Hague Court of Appeal found that no emission reduction…

Nov

17

2024

By ROUKAYA KASENALLY

Mauritius elections landslide – why voters were determined to get Jugnauth’s government out

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MAURITIUS’ opposition coalition – the Alliance of Change – won the country’s 10 November 2024 election by a landslide, taking all the seats in parliament. Its leader, Navin Ramgoolam, has been appointed prime minister. Mauritian politics scholar Roukaya Kasenally spoke to The Conversation Africa about what drove this outcome. What’s behind the opposition’s landslide win? The win by the opposition coalition was a clear sweep. No candidates from the outgoing government were elected; it’s what’s referred to as a 60-0. Mauritius uses the “first past the post” electoral model, where candidates with the highest number of votes are elected. Each…

Nov

15

2024

By SAM JONES

Mozambique in post-election turmoil: economic policies that could make a difference

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TURMOIL following presidential and parliamentary elections in Mozambique has been severe. Preliminary official results from the 2024 elections indicated a landslide win by the ruling party, Frelimo. These results are widely contested, with various reports of irregularities. Post-election squabbles are not new to the country. But this time feels different. The current protests have been more sustained and widespread than ever before. A week-long paralysis of economic activity called by Venâncio Mondlane, one of the opposition presidential candidates, has received widespread support, especially in the capital city, Maputo. Virtually all socioeconomic strata have participated, with up-market neighbourhoods adopting the panelaço,…

Nov

13

2024

By CHRISTIAN JOHN MAKGALA

Botswana’s election shock: analyst reflects on why voters kicked the ruling party out after 58 years

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE dramatic loss of power by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which had governed Botswana since independence in 1966, will go down in history as one of the biggest electoral upsets in Africa. Duma Boko (54), of the Umbrella for Democratic Change coalition, has replaced Mokgweetsi Masisi as the southern African country’s president. The Botswana Democratic Party’s share of support dropped to 31% in the October 2024 elections, giving it only four out of 61 constituencies. The Umbrella for Democratic Change claimed 36 seats. We asked University of Botswana historian and political economist Christian John Makgala for his insights. Briefly…

Nov

11

2024

By MPHO MATHEBULA

Being black in the world: a tribute to pioneering South African psychologist Chabani Manganyi

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PROFESSOR Noel Chabani Manganyi, who has died at the age of 84, was a torchbearer in psychology, literature and African intellectual thought. He was the first registered black clinical psychologist trained in apartheid South Africa, and among the first black South Africans to achieve this level of academic qualification in psychology. At the time, access to higher education for black South Africans was severely limited. Manganyi was known for his commitment to the advancement of psychological sciences and fight for justice during apartheid. Apartheid was the South African government’s policy of racial oppression, enforced from 1948 to 1994. It entrenched…

Nov

08

2024

By RANGWEZI NENGWEKHULU

Farewell to Professor Chabani Manganyi: Literary giant, guardian of national memory

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PROFESSOR Chabani Manganyi’s last days were filled with virtual silence. Silence because he suffered from a form of dementia and had lost the ability to both recognise a lot of people and things, and also, at times, the ability to speak. Visiting him, which I did religiously every two months or so, took an effort. The recognition that I had to make, that the brain that gave South Africa such a rich heritage in terms of writings, academic work and leadership, was withering infront of our eyes, was hard to accept. Many of his colleagues simply stopped going to see…

Nov

08

2024

By The African Mirror

Botswana’s new president: who is Duma Boko and what does he stand for?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE electoral defeat delivered to the Botswana Democratic Party led by Mokgweetsi Masisi was met with incredulity in neighbouring states. Not many expected the party that had run the country comfortably since independence in 1966 to be so roundly defeated in national elections on 30 October 2024. Of the 61 seats in the national assembly, the Umbrella for Democratic Change coalition won 36 seats, the Botswana Congress Party 15. The Botswana Patriotic Front won five seats, the Botswana Democratic Party four, and an independent candidate won one seat. Batswana cast their ballots for opposition leader Duma Boko, who is largely…

Nov

07

2024

By GIBSON NCUBE

Zimbabwe’s public historian Pathisa Nyathi has died – he restored the erased history of the Ndebele people

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

WHEN an elderly person dies, a library has burned down – the saying is a cliché but has never been truer than in the case of Pathisa Nyathi, who passed away at the age of 73 on 2 November. Nyathi was a living library and archive of Zimbabwean history, cultural practices and African philosophy. Through his work, he documented and preserved the customs and traditions of Zimbabwean people, especially the Ndebele. As a scholar of African literature and cultural production, I had the opportunity to interact with him. We were preparing a co-edited book called Power, Politics & Production: Essays…

Nov

01

2024

By CHRISTOPHER ISIKE and SAMUEL OYEWOLE

US-Africa relations under Biden: a mismatch between talk and action

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN his first year in office, US President Joe Biden committed to resetting US-Africa relations based on a doctrine of equal partnership. He sent his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, to Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria. The visit was used to outline the administration’s policy outlook towards Africa. It laid the ground for the official US-Africa policy commitment that Blinken launched the following year in South Africa. Since then, there have been high-level engagements between the US and African countries to deepen ties. They included visits by top cabinet members of the administration: vice-president Kamala Harris, secretary of Defence Lloyd…