THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Nov

30

2023

A legacy of love, laughter and dedication to the education of the masses

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SEBOTJA, or Jerry, as everybody called him, was a man of many characters and nicknames. Some called him Mahobe, Jacky Meier, Mjerere and many other names because he was many good things to many people. Affable, always ready with a smile, and speaking with a level of emphasis that made his contribution to any discussion difficult to ignore, you had to hear Jerry’s view, whether it was him explaining why the Buccaneers (Orlando Pirates Football Club) would win the league despite losing a string of games, or lately on the golf swings in the Limpopo fairways. Whether it was back…

Nov

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Umaru Shehu: Nigerian public health giant who played a major role in polio eradication

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PROFESSOR Emeritus Umaru Shehu, who died on 2 October 2023, was born in Yerwa (Maiduguri), Nigeria, in 1930. Widely regarded as one of the country’s early leaders in public health policy and practice, he was the first public health physician in the northern region and remained active all his life. IDRIS MOHAMMED, Professor Emeritus, Gombe State University He will be remembered for his great work in eradicating poliomyelitis from Nigeria. He started the National Programme on Immunisation in 1995 and was the agency’s first chairman. His efforts, with others, culminated in Nigeria achieving polio-free status on 18 June 2020. The…

Nov

29

2023

By The African Mirror

John Hlatywayo: remembering a great Zimbabwean artist who was woefully neglected by history

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

JOHN Hlatywayo, who has died at 96, was a great painter, sculptor and mentor. However, he is woefully neglected in the art history of Zimbabwe and southern Africa. Belonging to an early generation of Zimbabwean artists, Hlatywayo was overshadowed by international interest in the nation’s mainstreamed stone sculptors. Yet he was one of Zimbabwe’s most versatile artists. He could work with different media and produce intriguing conceptual pieces. But he was mainly drawn to portraying aspects of people’s daily lives. BARNABAS TICHA MUVHUTI, Postdoctoral Fellow with the NRF/DST SARChI Chair Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa and Global Souths research…

Nov

25

2023

By ABBEY MAKOE

A visa waiver policy for Chinese nationals will benefit sa more

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

METHINKS it is now time for South Africa to offer a new visa waiver policy for Chinese citizens, just like we did with Kenya and more recently, Ghana. I raise the two African nation’s examples to illustrate that a visa waiver policy can be implemented without hindrance whenever the political will exists. Bilateral relations between Pretoria and Beijing have developed exponentially since they were established 25 years ago by the Mandela administration following the dawn of democracy. Diplomatic ties between China and SA have since achieved leapfrog development. For example, there is ample evidence of increased political mutual trust between…

Nov

25

2023

By EDWARD MCALLISTER

The big topics that will define Congo’s election

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

As the Democratic Republic of Congo heads to the polls in December, much will come down to President Felix Tshisekedi's perceived performance running the giant Central African country of nearly 100 million people since 2019. Below are the key topics on voters' minds. THE ECONOMY Congo's economy grew 8.5% in 2022, one of the fastest in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by stronger mining output, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Tshisekedi successfully negotiated a $1.5 billion programme with the IMF in July 2021, the first since the IMF broke ties with Kinshasa in 2012 under Tshisekedi's predecessor Joseph Kabila. But despite its…

Nov

22

2023

By THABO MBEKI

“Put the Sudanese people first, silence the guns, and seek a negotiated end to this needless war.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SUDAN is no stranger to humanitarian crises. Indeed, its recent history has been punctuated by episodes of drought, famine, and war-induced starvation. But never before have we witnessed a crisis at this scale. The African and international response to this disaster has been woefully inadequate. However, as all of us know, the African Union and the United Nations have a history of engagement in humanitarian crises in Sudan and in seeking to end violence against civilians. As long ago as 1989, the United Nations set up its first-ever humanitarian operation that crossed the frontline of an active war, to bring…

Nov

22

2023

By The African Mirror

300,000 Tanzanians were killed by Germany during the Maji-Maji uprising – it was genocide and should be called that

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

POLITICAL actors in Tanzania have in recent years demanded compensation from Germany for colonial atrocities committed in the early 20th century. In early 2017, the National Assembly of Tanzania stopped short of putting the label of genocide on the atrocities committed by German troops during the Maji-Maji uprising (1905–1907). KLAUS BACHMANN, Professor of Political Science, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities GERHARD KEMP, Professor of Criminal Law, University of the West of England During a visit to Tanzania recently, the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, asked for “forgiveness” and expressed “shame” for the colonial atrocities committed in what was then…

Nov

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Henry Bredekamp and the Khoisan: the living legacy of a renowned South African historian

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN Professor Henry Charles “Jatti” Bredekamp began his career as a historian of early Cape Town in South Africa, there was still a commonly held myth that the region’s native people, the Khoisan, had “all but disappeared”. This was in the wake of slavery, colonialism and apartheid, a system of racial segregation by white minority rule. RAFAËL VERBUYST, Postdoctoral Researcher in History, Ghent University Bredekamp, who passed away in September 2023, was central in debunking this myth. Aside from his scholarship, he will be remembered for his influential role as a public historian and a conduit for the revival of…

Nov

21

2023

By MBALI HLOPHE

Managing climate change is our collective responsibility

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MANIFESTATIONS of climate change, such as global temperature increases, have been observed for many decades. The effects of climate change are being felt in South Africa, the rest of the continent and the world. As with most parts of the world, Gauteng can expect to become warmer as global atmospheric and sea surface temperatures rise, with regional variation among the different municipal areas. In addition to Gauteng being vulnerable to the effects of climate change, Gauteng also represents a significant portion of the national carbon footprint. A revised carbon footprint for Gauteng indicates that the province contributes 33 per cent…

Nov

19

2023

By CARIELLE DOE and EDWARD MCALLISTER

After decades in the wings, Liberia’s quiet man Boakai set for presidency

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN Joseph Boakai won a place at Liberia's prestigious College of West Africa in the 1950s, he helped pay his fees by working as the school janitor, cleaning floors and toilets at night and studying by day, his spokesman Amara Konneh told Reuters. Now Boakai, a 78-year-old political veteran, is set to become Liberia's president after a narrow victory in Tuesday's run-off vote over former soccer star incumbent George Weah, who conceded defeat late on Friday as the streets of the capital Monrovia erupted in celebration. Boakai's win marks the high point in a long career, much of it spent within touching…