THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jan

26

2021

A tribute to Thivhileli Mutobvu

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

RUDZANI NEMUTUDI HE was the archetypical example of someone you could confidently describe as quiet, cool, calm and collected; with all the adjectives perfectly justified. Like a thief under night-cover, the cruel sting of death has once again caught us off-guard to rob us of one truly committed and deeply inspirational of our leaders. In Thivhileli Mutobvu we have lost a shining beacon of our hope, one whose well-rounded character embodied those finest of elements that we should always remain proud of as a people. Honesty, humility, hard-working ethic, and respect can all be employed to describe Mutobvu without a hint of…

Sep

10

2021

By The African Mirror

Guinea has a long history of coups: here are 5 things to know about the country

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ON September 5, officers of an elite special forces army unit overthrew the 83-year-old Guinean President Alpha Condé in a coup. The nation of 13 million is now under the control of junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who has dissolved the government and made a series of pronouncements. These include an assurance of calm to the vital mining sector. SUSANNA FIORATTA, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr The coup was greeted by celebrations on the streets. It has also received the backing of opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo. But there is a lot of uncertainty as to what happens next.…

Jan

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Tribute to a friend and Comrade

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

RAPU MOLEKANE RAPU MOLEKANE A lot has been said about the character, stature and values that Comrade Jackson Mthembu emulated, lived up to and embraced. A lot of these traits has to do, I dare say, with our upbringing and training. Growing up within the Christian families and finding training, exposure and been steeped in the Contextual and Liberation Theology which was tempered with the Marxist theory. It became very clear very early on that something was very wrong with the society, the community and country we lived in, and that something needed to be done to change it. It…

Sep

09

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Our call-to-action to every South African is to vaccinate to reduce the rates of infections, hospitalisation and deaths’

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DAVID MABUZA WE are honoured to be joined by leaders in business, sport, and the creative sectors in our society in a collaborative partnership to encourage and mobilise our communities to vaccinate. As we navigate the tribulations and devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are inspired by the voices and messages from our artists, our sporting heroes and heroines, as well as leaders of various sporting bodies and cultural organisations. In unison, they are all calling on everyone to vaccinate. We have partnered in our collective commitment to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring that we reach out…

Sep

08

2021

By The African Mirror

What it will take to end civil war in the Central African Republic

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN recent months, Central African politicians and journalists have shared images of the military posing in front of different town signs – seemingly as proof of the state regaining control over a country caught up in civil war for almost a decade. TIM GLAWION, Research Fellow, German Institute of Global and Area Studies The civil war commenced when rebel groups in the country’s northeast formed a coalition in 2012 to topple President François Bozizé. Their declared interest was the defence of a marginalised population’s demands for development. However, the more likely trigger for the rebellion was Bozizé’s attempt to take…

Jan

23

2021

By The African Mirror

South African minister’s COVID-19 death unites friends and rivals in tribute

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KEITH GOTTSCHALK THE death of Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu, Minister in the Office of the President of South Africa, has been met with sorrow across the country. Tributes have come from across the political spectrum for the country’s first government minister to succumb to COVID-19. He was 62. Mthembu’s integrity, dedication to his job and sense of humour explain the response to his death. President Cyril Ramaphosa said: Minister Mthembu was an exemplary leader, an activist and life-long champion of freedom and democracy. He was a much-loved and greatly respected colleague and comrade, whose passing leaves our nation at a loss.…

Sep

06

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Unattainable power’: the frustrations that drove Guinea’s coup leader

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DAVID LEWIS, EDWARD McALLISTER and SALIOU SAMB IN 2016, Mamady Doumbouya, a commander in the Guinean army, asked his superiors if he could have ammunition to train his troops in marksmanship. He never received it, he said, because they feared he would use the rounds to launch a coup. Five years on, Doumbouya did just that. On Sunday, after hours of gunfire in the capital Conakry, the 41-year-old appeared in an online video in army fatigues and wrap-around sunglasses to declare President Alpha Conde ousted and the government dissolved. "We call on our brothers in arms to unite in order…

Sep

07

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Being a public servant is a noble calling and the greatest of all professions’

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AYANDA DLODLO IT is indeed significant that the theme of this year’s Public Service Month in South Africa is: “The Year of Charlotte Maxeke – a resilient public service responsive to the coronavirus pandemic”. Honouring the life of Ma-Maxeke is particularly befitting during this time of socio-economic distress, and uncertainty since her life’s journey shows us the true meaning of resilience and what it means to selflessly commit to a life of service to the people. This year’s Integrated Public Service Month reminds us that as we join our efforts to combat corruption, build the capacity of the State, fight…

Sep

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Successes of African Human Rights Court undermined by resistance from states

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Human Rights Court) holds great promise in protecting human rights and ensuring justice on the continent. But it operates amid resistance by states and this threatens its effectiveness and very existence. LILIAN CHENWI, Professor of Law, University of the Witwatersrand The idea of a regional human rights court surfaced at the 1961 African Conference on the Rule of Law held in Lagos, Nigeria. African jurists at the conference called on African governments to create “a court of appropriate jurisdiction” that would be “available for all persons under the jurisdiction of the…

Sep

03

2021

By The African Mirror

My vision for the University of South Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PULENG LENKABULA AS the spectre of inauguration into the position of Principal & Vice-Chancellor looms large, with me standing at the precipice as the first female and black female Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in its147 year history/herstory, I am at once humbled and affirmed. It is an herstorical moment that recalls the words of Michelle Obama, famously recorded in her memoir titled BECOMING, where she laments that on the occasion of the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black President of the United States, that “there is no handbook for incoming First Ladies…