Africa’s unfinished reckoning

All voter education must include democratic civic education, an understanding of key aspects of democracy, including the Constitution, human rights, democratic moral values, diversity, gender equality and the responsibilities of democratic citizenship

The new whistleblower Bill is progressive but the consultation period (which closes on 14 May 2024) should be used to push for improved legal aid access, stronger independent support structures, robust data security, additional support measures and pre-emptive protections

Universities now operate amid electricity instability, water risk, municipal decay, crime, cyber vulnerability and public distrust

A country that exports minerals but imports industrial dependence is not sovereign in any deep sense. A country that sits on energy resources but cannot convert them into stable power, strategic reserves, industrial feedstock, jobs and technological upgrading is not sovereign in any deep sense

In an era when cynicism too often dominates public discourse and doubt easily overshadows progress, the facts speak volumes. South Africa is attracting capital, rebuilding confidence and laying the foundations for a new era of industrialisation, energy security and inclusive growth

New and emerging technologies should serve peace, not conflict

Previous councils failed to act and hold the vice-chancellor accountable. They bear responsibility for many of the challenges now facing Fort Hare

I remain close to the places where ordinary black life meets the police, the farmer, the mine and the state face to face. That ground has no patience for fashionable radicalism. That ground exposes every counterfeit. Speaking from the safety of a donor-funded human rights NGO is ‘Butlerism’ on steroids. So is abandoning the Black Land First formation for the security of a career in Parliament

From forged documents to double sales, property fraud is a growing concern in South Africa. Even registered homes aren’t always safe

For all we know, the higher education sector might even have some senior managers who aid and abet institutional capture, just like the Madlanga Commission has outed some high-ranking police officers alleged to have facilitated police capture

This influence goes beyond funding. It shows up in how systems for decision-making are designed, how public policies are shaped and even who sits at the table. Over time, this creates a situation where African initiatives remain African in name but are partly shaped by external actors in how they function

African public intellectuals have repeatedly concerned themselves about how African societies can act with purpose and autonomy in a global system that has historically limited their choices