THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jun

28

2023

“UNISA must become a truly African University in the service of humanity”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I believe that this occasion is indeed unique because I can think of no event that occurred 150 years ago in our country, in 1873, other than the birth of UNISA, which would be celebrated by all the people of South Africa together. Recently, I came across a Diary entitled ‘What We Did in South Africa in 1873’ by a British citizen, Edmund Byron. Concerning what brought him to South Africa, Mr Byron wrote: ‘For some time past I had been desirous of making a short excursion into the interior of South Africa, partly with a view of seeing something…

Jun

26

2023

By DR MATHEWS PHOSA

Lessons from South Africa to Empower SMEs as Key to Economic Growth & Jobs Creation

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WE are currently in a period of global turbulence where the balance and security of the geopolitical order is under stress. The conflict in various parts of the world does not take place in isolation, it has consequences for foes and allies alike and, unfortunately, for the economies of all the nations around the world. We are, in Southern Africa, proud of the political independence that we have achieved from our political and economic oppressors post the period of colonialization. Whilst we have not yet translated that independence into economic independence and broader local participation in wealth, I am of…

Jun

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Sierra Leone elections: survey reveals what voters care about most

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SIERRA Leoneans go to the polls again on 24 June, in the country’s fifth post-conflict electoral contest. For more than two decades following its civil war, Sierra Leone has experienced relatively free and fair multiparty elections. ROBERT NYENHUIS, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona MATTHIAS KRÖNKE, PhD student in the Department of Political Studies, University of Cape Town THOMAS ISBELL, Post-doctoral research fellow, University of Cape Town The 2023 presidential race features a 2018 rematch with incumbent president Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party squaring up against Samura Kamara of the All…

Jun

20

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s ruling party is performing dismally, but a flawed opposition keeps it in power

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS power cuts continue, the economy falters, unemployment rises and the currency tumbles, South Africa’s political commentators tend to agree that support for the governing African National Congress (ANC) will fall under 50% in the 2024 national and provincial elections. If the party avoids a defeat, it could lead to a coalition government. Authors COLLETTE SCHULZ-HERZENBERG, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Stellenbosch University ROBERT MATTES, Professor in Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, and Adjunct Professor in the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, University of Cape Town It’s only logical to expect that governance…

Jun

21

2023

By The African Mirror

African leaders in Sierra Leone played a key role in ending the transatlantic slave trade

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FREETOWN, the capital of Sierra Leone on the west African coast, was named for the freed slaves who were returned to Africa by British members of the movement to end slavery. Founded in 1787 by a group of 400 black Britons from London, the colony ultimately became a refuge for nearly 100,000 people resettled by the British Anti-Slavery Naval Squadron. As a historian focusing on the impact of abolitionism, I have studied this history and the founding of modern Sierra Leone. Author BRONWEN EVERILL, Director, Centre for African Studies, University of Cambridge There is a misconception that Britain was the…

Jun

18

2023

By The African Mirror

Mama Ngina Kenyatta at 90: the quiet power behind Kenya’s famous political family

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FEW witnessed the building of the young Kenyan state from within as did Ngina Kenyatta, the widow of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta. Mama Ngina, as she is known, will mark her 90th birthday on 24 June 2023. She was by her husband’s side when Kenya won independence 60 years ago and for many turbulent years thereafter. Although Kenyatta was polygamous, it was the younger Mama Ngina who took on the role of first lady. Authors ANAÏS ANGELO, Elise Richter Fellow, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, Universität Wien CATHELINE BOSIBORI N, Adam Smith Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University Ngina married Jomo…

Jun

15

2023

By NELVIS QEKEMA

Lessons from the June 16 uprising

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IT is now 47 years since the eruption of the June 16 Uprising in 1976. It is a fact of history that in the late 1960s, the young Bikos of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) had to reorganise the people and reignite the flames of the liberation struggle after the banning of the ANC and PAC in 1960. They were sacrificing and risking their lives to undo the political doldrums that set in as a result of the 1960 banning. Historians describe the ensuing fear and political inactivity as a political lull. The aftermaths of the 1960 banning saw mass…

Jun

15

2023

By The African Mirror

Senegal’s internet shutdowns are another sign of a democracy in peril

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SENEGAL’S government began blocking several digital platforms – including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube – in certain areas on 1 June. Days later, it extended the disruptions to all mobile internet and several television stations. The social networks were shut down for two days. This was followed by a four-day mobile internet shutdown. Author JEFF CONROY-KRUTZ, Associate Professor of Political Science, Michigan State University Given that nearly all Senegalese internet users access it through their mobile phones, these moves constituted a near-total block on digital communications and information. Internet penetration in Senegal has exploded in recent years. A decade…

Jun

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Rwanda genocide accused Félicien Kabuga is ruled unfit to stand trial: this will further erode trust in international justice

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals recently concluded a two-year court hearing on Félicien Kabuga. Kabuga is accused of crimes against humanity during the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994. The court ruled that he was not mentally fit for trial. Author JONATHAN BELOFF, Postdoctoral Research Associate, King's College London The court proposed that the tribunal judges find an “alternative procedure that resembles a trial as closely as possible but without the possibility of a conviction”. What this “alternative procedure” will look like is still not fully known. Rwanda’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Olivier Nduhungirehe, has suggested…

Jun

12

2023

By PALI LEHOLHLA

“Those who lack empathy cannot out of nowhere imbue political will”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE Bapedi have a saying to those not yet born and to be born that Kgaka Kgolo sena Mabala, ha e fofa e nts’o, Mabala a na le Likgakana which means success of a leader is not in herself or himself. Success is seen in their succession. This Sepedi idiom places the burden of trust on future generations. How those not yet born manage public affairs. My lecture embeds this Kgaka Kgolo philosophy as a principle and hope to guide us in our current as we reflect on our management of public affairs. For Tsietsi Mashinini was a man of…