THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jul

06

2023

Senegal: behind the protests is a fight for democratic freedoms

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN a late evening announcement on 3 July, President Macky Sall put an end to speculations that he would seek a third term in office by contesting in 2024. Prior to that announcement, Sall’s unwillingness to confirm he would not run for a third term, and the targeting of political opponents, created a political powder keg in Senegal. Authors RACHEL BEATTY RIEDL, Professor of International Studies, Cornell University BAMBA NDIAYE, Assistant Professor, Emory University Protests broke out in many cities across the country on 1 June 2023, following the conviction of leading opposition figure Ousmane Sonko for “corruption of the…

Jul

04

2023

By THABO MBEKI

MME SALLY MOTLANA, farewell to an outstanding South African heroine

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NOT for the first time, the cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe borrowed a hymn and transformed it into a liberation song. And so they sang with great passion about the day they will report to their Commander: Nxa e bizwa amagama amaqhawe,ngobe lam ngolifica likhona;Koba njani sesihlezi noTambo,Sesimtshela ngamaBhul egingqika? When the role of the heroes and heroines is called, Will my name feature among these;How will we feel the day we sit with Tambo,And tell him of the enemy biting the dust? We meet here today to say farewell to one who I am absolutely certain never doubted that…

Jun

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Wagner debacle in Russia raises red flags for African states and how they manage their security

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE brief rebellion led against the Kremlin by the head of the Wagner mercenary forces in Russia last week sent shock waves across the world. This was no less true in Africa, where some countries have, over the last decade, turned to the Wagner group for security support. OLUWOLE OJEWALE, Regional Coordinator, Institute for Security Studies Many states in Africa are contending with multidimensional insecurity. This includes violent extremism, terrorism, insurgency, banditry, communal clashes, sea piracy, separatist violence, kidnapping and oil theft. Non-state actors have entered the scene as security providers. As a coordinator of observations of organised crime in…

Jun

28

2023

By THABO MBEKI

“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…