At the launch of the Reading and Literacy Strategy 2026–30, reading was framed as fundamental to the entire schooling experience. The notion that reading is the air that we breathe captures this succinctly.
Our leaders are not furniture. Furniture does not loot diamonds, mismanage treasuries or unleash militias. Furniture does not cling to power with brazen arrogance. But in Zimbabwe, officials behave as if they were carved into the mahogany of government itself
This is a familiar pattern. External intervention reframes political identity from internal contestation to collective defence
The idea of sleeping in former Robben Island guard houses feels like a line we shouldn’t be crossing — not because of what it could earn but because of what it risks eroding
It is a really bad idea for a number of reasons. It can damage infrastructure, result in inequitable access to water and contamination of the water supply
The LNG shock was underestimated. The foreign exchange and inflation feedback loop has proved more challenging than anticipated
The real problem with the UN Sustainable Development Goals is not that they lack ambition. It is that they lack credibility
During the same parliamentary hearings, the Reserve Bank of Malawi disclosed that investigators had traced 72.6 billion kwacha linked to financial flows associated with the Amaryllis deal
When we condemn Israeli apartheid but remain silent on Indian occupation, we fail to recognise that these are not separate struggles but part of a shared architecture of domination — one that specifically targets women who resist
When actors within a state engage with a foreign power and that engagement produces economic pressure on the state, the law must determine how such conduct is understood
The call for freedom of expression, including LGBTIQ+ rights, is a fundamental human right vital for safety and dignity
The family who sheltered me was, by any measure, participating in genocide: they were killing Tutsi every day. They were also, in their own logic, maintaining a family, going to work, returning home, sitting down to eat. These things coexisted
The question is not whether the world recognises the genocide against the Tutsi. It does. The question is whether the continent has claimed it — intellectually, historically and in its understanding of itself
Reliable and affordable energy, with predictable tariffs, is indispensable. Even so, it is significant that Eskom’s leadership recognises the central role it plays: without this backbone, large-scale manufacturing and job creation cannot exist
Can the party construct a narrative that acknowledges its past while speaking to the aspirations of a diverse and changing society? Its ability to do so may depend on its willingness to engage with the discomfort of its own history and the expectations of its evolving constituency
Each unaddressed attack undermines the UN’s legitimacy and reinforces perceptions of impotence
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
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
Presidential terms are to be extended to seven years, with Mnangagwa’s current tenure lengthened by two, while parliament and local government terms are similarly prolonged
The South African government has navigated this period remarkably well. It has not capitulated to any of the stronger blocs, whilst retaining its dignity and independent views
Political entrepreneurs, while integrated and integral to both sides, are in the unique position in which they are neither. accountable to an electoral constituency nor the ground soldiers pulling triggers and exchanging envelopes
In the ruins of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Nelson Gashagaza survived by becoming someone else’s child. In this two-part series as Rwanda commemorates Kwibuka32, he tells a personal story on a performed kinship, ordinary horror and the meaning of belonging
As the global order becomes more multipolar, opportunities for African agency are expanding. Yet these opportunities will only translate into meaningful influence if African states strengthen their coordination, develop sophisticated negotiating strategies and engage proactively in shaping the rules of global governance