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May
30
2023
By MACDONALD DZIRUTWE
Explainer: What to expect from Nigeria’s new president Bola Tinubu

Explainer: What to expect from Nigeria’s new president Bola Tinubu

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
NIGERIA'S new president Bola Tinubu faces a litany of problems, including widespread violence, double-digit inflation and industrial-scale oil theft. His victory is being challenged in court by his two main rivals in February's election, and analysts say he may need to reach out to opponents to help heal a divided nation. Here is how Tinubu proposes to address problems that many Nigerians believe worsened under his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, on whose party ticket he ran. HOW DOES HE PLAN TO FIX THE ECONOMY? Tinubu says he will build on Buhari's public infrastructure programme to create jobs and remove legal limits on government…
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May
27
2023
By KEITH GOTTSCHALK
Corruption in South Africa: former CEO’s explosive book exposes how state power utility was destroyed

Corruption in South Africa: former CEO’s explosive book exposes how state power utility was destroyed

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
ONE repeated theme of the memoir Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, by Andre de Ruyter, former CEO of South Africa’s troubled power utility, Eskom, is that “negligence and carelessness had become cemented into the organisation”. Dirt piled up at even the newest power stations until it damaged equipment, which stopped working – and some equipment disappeared beneath a layer of ash. Integrity had been displaced by greed and crime: Corruption had metastasised to permeate much of the organisation. As a political scientist who has, among other topics, followed corruption and kleptocracy, this book ranks among the more…
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May
25
2023
By KEITH GOTTSCHALK
60 years of African unity: what’s failed and what’s succeeded

60 years of African unity: what’s failed and what’s succeeded

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
AFRICA Day this year marks 60 years since the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The anniversary begs the question: How much of the vision of the OAU’s founding fathers has been realised 60 years on? What would not be there but for the efforts of the organisation and its successor the African Union? Author KEITH GOTTSCHALK, Political Scientist, University of the Western Cape There were two competing visions lobbying at the founding. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s president, in his Africa Must Unite speech, argued the pan-African case for continental federalism, for a Union of African States, with one…
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May
23
2023
By DR MATHEWS PHOSA
How students can contribute to building a better future for all

How students can contribute to building a better future for all

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
WE must never forget to celebrate the gains that we have made since that historic day of political liberation twenty-nine years ago in May 1994. We have a Constitution that is universally admired, we can all proudly bring out our vote, and we have a democratic and vibrant political system wherein Opposition parties utilize every inch of the leeway that parliamentary rules and the law afford them - to keep the government on their toes. Strides have been made with social upliftment and - in some cases - we have created excellent infrastructure. We have struggled, however, with the maintenance…
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May
23
2023
By The African Mirror
South African diamonds adorn the crown of King Charles – why they’re unlikely to be returned

South African diamonds adorn the crown of King Charles – why they’re unlikely to be returned

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
OPERA singer Pretty Yende and foreign minister Naledi Pandor were not the only South African presence at the coronation of King Charles III. Also, there were the stones cut from the Cullinan diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. The Cullinan, named after Thomas Cullinan, the chairman of the mining company that found it in South Africa, was mined in 1905 and was bought by the Transvaal colony’s government for presentation to King Edward VII in 1907. It was cut into nine stones and another 97 fragments. Author ROGER SOUTHALL, Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand The largest…
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May
22
2023
By MOSIBUDI MANGENA
Security is everything

Security is everything

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
THE public mood in South Africa is sombre these days, with many citizens getting that sinking feeling. On many fronts, be it economic growth, investment, employment, electricity supply or security of the person or business, the mood is not particularly sanguine. Young people, in particular, are not in a good space. Their unemployment rate is higher than most groups and those among them with good skills, are actively looking abroad for opportunities to advance their careers and rear and educate their children. So, we educate young people at great expense only to donate them to other countries. We all need…
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May
19
2023
By The African Mirror
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro: South Africa’s trailblazing defender of justice, human dignity and the constitution

Justice Yvonne Mokgoro: South Africa’s trailblazing defender of justice, human dignity and the constitution

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
MANY great legal minds have made important contributions to the development of the law, justice and constitutionalism in South Africa. One figure who stands out as a particularly influential jurist of the era is retired judge Yvonne Mokgoro. She was among the first justices of the country’s new constitutional court, serving from 1994 to 2009. Researchers at South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council have aptly described this remarkable jurist: As the first black African woman appointed to the Bench in 1994, she brought with her fresh scars of the oppressive system of apartheid that alienated and marginalised her as a…
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May
16
2023
By The African Mirror
Farewell Enoch Duma: Storyteller par-excellence and freedom fighter

Farewell Enoch Duma: Storyteller par-excellence and freedom fighter

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
MATHATHA TSEDU A detainee who spends time in solitary confinement devises ways of surviving. Some ensure they have painkillers which they swallow before they enter the den of torture. Some create communication means amongst themselves to share information about the torture and what the police already knew. The latter helps those still going to be tortured to know what one should not deny because the sole purpose of refusing to give information is to defend the gains of struggle. If they already know what is the point of suffering. Still others go the dangerous route of befriending some of the…
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May
16
2023
By The African Mirror
Most east African refugees are hosted close to borders – it’s a deliberate war strategy

Most east African refugees are hosted close to borders – it’s a deliberate war strategy

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
THERE are close to 4 million people living in refugee camps across Africa. Of the more than 300 camps, nearly 70% are situated within 30km-50km of an international border. They include some of the largest camps in the continent, such as Kakuma in northern Kenya, Nyarugusu in western Tanzania and Bidibidi in north-western Uganda. Author KARA ROSS CAMARENA, Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago The closer the camp is to an international border, the easier it is for people on both sides of the border to interact. What this means is that healthy refugees in Kakuma, for example, can walk across…
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