SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

May

2024

Togo has adopted major constitutional changes to give parliament more power: how it will work

ON 25 March 2024, Togo adopted a new constitution that transforms its presidential system into a parliamentary one. Under this new system, parliament has the authority to elect the president of the republic. This major change will likely enable President Faure Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, to extend his 19-year tenure by another term. This reform, adopted on first reading by MPs, sparked protests among opposition leaders who have denounced it as a constitutional coup. The law passed its second reading on 19 April. Koffi Amessou Adaba is a lecturer and researcher who has worked on the…

May

2024

By Hajooj Kuka

A mutual aid volunteer reflects on a year of war in Sudan

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ONE year into a devastating war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly nine million, there is one thing flourishing in Sudan: mutual aid. Since 15 April 2023 – when the Rapid Support Forces and the regular army began fighting each other – we have seen our dreams of a democratic, prosperous nation destroyed, and we have lived through a year of unrelenting atrocities and loss. Yet at the same time, millions of Sudanese have remained in war-torn areas outside the reach of international aid agencies, finding ways to support each other using local resources and diaspora…

May

2024

By NOAH TAMARKIN

South Africa’s Lemba people: how they view their Jewishness challenges Zionist ideas that identity is linked to one homeland

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A man wearing a yarmulke stands on the edge of a hill, quietly taking in the landscape below as he considers his ancestors and their histories in this place. This isn’t Israel. It is Mapungubwe Hill, a Unesco World Heritage Site in the north of South Africa’s Limpopo province. The man in the yarmulke is one of around 100,000 Lemba people, Black Jews who live in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Lemba people have long held that they are Jews by descent. In the 1990s and early 2000s, scientists set out to determine whether this could be genetically substantiated. Those studies…

May

2024

By MAYA MISIKIR

Weighed down by war and drought, Tigray struggles to get back on its feet

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SEVENTEEN months since the fighting stopped in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, people are still trying to rebuild what was deliberately destroyed – a mammoth task for a population and local government left destitute by the two-year conflict. Every facet of life in the region – from jobs to social services to security – has been impacted by the scorched-earth war, in which as many as 600,000 people may have been killed. It ended with an African Union-brokered peace agreement in November 2022, but the bill for reconstruction has been calculated at $20 billion. The climate has also taken its toll in Tigray. A drought…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

BMW SA honours legendary artist Esther Mahlangu

MOTORING NEWS

BMW - one of the world's most iconic motoring brand has honoured an international venerated artist - Esther Mahlangu. BMW Group South Africa has presented Mahlangu with the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural South African Creative Arts Awards (SACA). According to BMW, the honour on Mahlangu recognised her exceptional contributions and accomplishments over her 50-year career as a contemporary artist. Zizi Kodwa, the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture announced the introduction of the all-encompassing awards celebration in 2023 to recognise individuals who show outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the arts and culture sector. Alongside the rest…

Apr

2024

By JONNY STEINBERG

How the Mandela myth helped win the battle for democracy in South Africa

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

POLITICAL history scholar Jonny Steinberg’s 2023 book Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage is a double biography of South Africa’s most famous political figures – Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela Mandela – and their role in the country’s struggle for democracy. It’s also a book that shatters countless myths about the couple and the liberation struggle that have been formed in popular culture and even academic tellings of history. As South Africa commemorates 30 years of democracy, we asked Steinberg for his views on how and why these historical myths are formed. How did Winnie and Nelson become so…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

JAC Motors introduces new T8 2.0L CTi

MOTORING

JAC Motors announced the expansion of its T-Series double-cab range by introducing a T8 2.0L CTi 4x2 Lux derivative priced at R399,900. This expansion addresses intensified competition in the double-cab bakkie market, with new brands entering the local market facing significant competition from established competitors. "As the market shifts towards lifestyle double-cabs, and with new brands entering the market, bakkie buyers now have additional options they can choose from," says Karl-Heinz Göbel, Chief Executive Officer of JAC Motors South Africa. "Market research indicates that prospective double-cab buyers prioritise established local brands with extensive dealer networks and competitive pricing." Since its…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Seven down, one country to go for Nissan Daring Africa 2024

MOTORING NEWS

DARING Africa 2024, Nissan’s overland adventure across eight countries with four Nissan Navara pick-ups and an X-Trail SUV, has completed its Kenya leg, the expedition’s penultimate stop before transitioning to Egypt. “It has been an amazing journey so far,” says Nissan South Africa and Independent Markets Africa’ managing director, Maciej Klenkiewicz. “We set out to celebrate our African footprint and our 60-year-old light commercial vehicle (LCV) legacy on the continent through this incredible vehicle which, of course, was designed for Africa and is built in Africa by Africans. All that remains now is the final instalment of this odyssey, in…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Opel Unveils Stunning Next Generation Grandland SUV

MOTORING

Stylish and dynamic, spacious and versatile with a fully electrified drivetrain portfolio – this the new Opel Grandland that has been unveiled by the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker. The newcomer brings many design features first seen on the Opel Experimental concept car to life for the first time on a serial production model. These features include the 3D Vizor with illuminated Blitz logo proudly sitting at the centre and the permanently illuminated “OPEL” lettering at the rear. Further highlights include the Intelli-Lux Pixel HD lighting system with over 50,000 individual elements, plus the BEV-native STLA Medium platform and new flat battery packaging design which…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country’s governing structure that’s been present since it gained independence from the British in 1956. Since independence, the Sudanese have experienced 35 coups and attempted coups, more than any other African country. In the country’s southern region a 56-year rebellion eventually led to the creation of South Sudan in 2011. A Darfurian uprising in 2003 was sparked by accusations that the central government was discriminating against the region’s non-Arab population. It led to ethnic killings and continues to…