Thought Leader

IFC’s new gas projects will destroy Africa

IFC’s new gas projects will destroy Africa

This is a familiar pattern. International financial institutions socialise risk and privatise profit, while invoking development rhetoric to justify fossil fuel expansion in the Global South. Similar projects would be politically untenable in the Global North

A glance beyond the 6 July presser

The public confrontation between senior officials, the establishment of inquiries and the intense public debate surrounding the allegations all indicate that accountability mechanisms, although imperfect, are still functioning

Africa’s data, the new sovereignty frontier

Data sovereignty refers to the principle that all data is subject to the laws and regulations of the nation state or jurisdiction in which it is collected. This concept gained prominence in the early 2010s following the Edward Snowden revelations about mass surveillance by the United States

Democracy’s promise delayed

Democracy’s promise delayed

More than three decades after apartheid ended, the land question remains one of the most unresolved and contentious issues

Academic freedom  entails free speech

Academic freedom  entails free speech

The Srila Roy controversy exposes the fragile balance between free inquiry, public accountability and institutional power in South African universities

The second scramble for Africa

The second scramble for Africa

It is urgent that Africa invests in adding value to its minerals. If it fails to seize this moment, it will be difficult to shake off its historical status as an exporter of cheap raw materials and importer of expensive finished products

Rethinking the value of commissions

Rethinking the value of commissions

Any objective analysis must proceed from the premise that commissions of inquiry are not criminal courts. They neither prosecute nor sentence. Their constitutional purpose is to establish facts, identify systemic weaknesses and recommend structural changes

Africa and the health data gambit

Africa and the health data gambit

In place of multilateral cooperation, Washington has introduced bilateral agreements where the balance of power is unequal and where American interests dominate, undermining the spirit of shared global health governance

Iran only needs to survive this war

Iran only needs to survive this war

There is no doubt that difficult days lie ahead of the global order as we know it since the end of World War II. Clearly, the USA has set a very dangerous precedent in terms of not abiding by international law, the rules-based order and respect for international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court

Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota, the family man

Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota, the family man

Like many of our struggle heroes, the many years he spent serving prison terms denied him a stable family life. This left his wife Cynthia, to raise their children largely alone as a single parent. He often expressed regret about not being present during his children’s upbringing and missing many of their important developmental milestones