The reactions to Elon Musk’s billionaire status are evidence that far too many South Africans have not fully grasped the destructive consequences of inequality. Entrepreneur Musk was recently crowned the richest man in the world. The founder and chief of Tesla Motors sits on a total net worth of $195-billion. The rapid swelling of Musk’s […]
Bobi Wine and William Ruto set out to upend the political status quo in their respective countries
To those who lament the events at the Capitol on 6 January, saying, “This is not who we are”: unequal, undemocratic, duplicitous is precisely who we are
Despite fighting so hard for it, South Africans don’t seem to understand how democracy works
What started as hate speech ended in violence at the Capitol
COMMENT: Trump’s attacks on democracy grab the headlines, but the real story is one of democratic resilience
Tear gas, midnight arrests, threats and intimidation — the tactics employed every election cycle in Uganda are familiar to all who dare challenge President Yoweri Museveni’s 35-year grip on power
Attempts to discredit election outcomes can be dangerous and the United States would do well to heed the warnings from history
Good governance is not just about politicians, as Ghana’s elections demonstrate
The country needs to protect its democracy given that ashift to authoritarian rule is evident on the continent
The air force pilot and former president used extreme measures, including a coup, enforced ‘discipline’ through executions, ‘disappearances’ and floggings, but reintroduced democracy
COMMENT: Opposition candidates and party can increase their chances of success at the polls by putting aside minor differences and presenting a united front
A respected and robust United States — with all of our flaws, mistakes and missteps — can be good for the defence of democracy, not least in Africa
Many African countries modelled their political system on the United States. But given the flaws in the model, it may be time to reconsider
A narrow victory will mean that the election results won’t be settled anytime soon
Fear and loathing in Trump’s America, where every bit of news can be worse than no news at all
The mere fact that one cannot confidently predict who the next president of the United States will be tells you a lot about American society.
The pandemic will challenge international observation missions, but ensuring fair elections in an essential component of American democracy
The parliamentary candidates who won in the 2016 elections were those who spent the most
Covid has propelled citizens into feelings of a new shared identity in which the historical force of ‘whiteness’ is fading into irrelevance
Such campaigns can draw attention to the widespread presence of the very behaviour they are trying to stamp out — and subconsciously encourage people to view it as appropriate
As the country prepares for elections, the president is misusing state machinery to undermine, subjugate and repress citizens and civil society organisations
We need the eyes and ears of the international community to be alert to assaults on democracy as we run up to the election on 18 October
Citizens have for a year protested against the president seeking a third term in office despite a two-term limit. Many have been killed — and 90 more people died in this week’s crackdown
COMMENT: For this gay, white soldier there simply isn’t a good enough challenger to knock him off his perch
The United States has never been shy to pass judgment on African elections. What does it look like when Africa passes judgment on America’s chaotic vote?
Too often, governments talk the talk on gender equality, but fail to walk the walk
The president is trying to amend the Constitution and create a new voters’ roll in a bid to stay in power
COMMENT: My sons, I weep because Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought gender discrimination, has died and Donald Trump, under whom hardwon victories have been eroded, wants to be elected president again
Ahead of planned protests, Cameroon’s main opposition leader argues that change is more urgent than ever
Our economy may have doubled since 1994, but this growth has not trickled down to improve the livelihoods of the majority of South Africans
South Africa’s economic, racial and social divides invite unrest that will leave us all worse off