Floyd Shivambu’s redeployment from the position of secretary general of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party to a seat in parliament is not simply a procedural shift. It is a symbolic
Continue readingMK party’s power problem: The fragility of proximity politics
Tanzania has made great progress in saving the lives of mothers. In just seven years, the country’s maternal mortality rate has been reduced by more than 80% — from 556
Continue readingTanzania leads the fight to end maternal deaths
The Oval Office encounter between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump was no ordinary diplomatic engagement. It was a geopolitical theatre — a collision of clashing
Continue readingReimagining SA-US relations in the aftermath of the Oval Office spectacle
In this series on Zambia, Part II looks at legalising the use of public resources for election campaigns. (Part 1 here) The second benefit that Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema seeks to
Continue readingUnpacking the dangers of the proposed amendments to Zambia’s constitution, Part II
I decided to rewatch the movie Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema. Besides being an excellent film directed by Ralph Ziman, I started examining the fictional protagonist Lucky Kunene. He is a symbol
Continue readingAsk Ash | Johannesburg’s housing crisis is like a movie on loop
The anti-migration regulations in Europe and the US against Africans continue to affect the sociopolitical and economic development of Africa. Thousands of Africans who apply for visas continue to have
Continue readingIt’s time to talk about weaponising visas against Africans
When we talk about what school must teach young people to be, we often fall back on buzzwords: entrepreneurs, forward-facing leaders, innovative thinkers, team players. But what do these labels
Continue readingLess testing, more thinking: The case for project-based learning in schools
Draft regulations under the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act may be prioritising oil and gas development and disregarding the imperative to shift away from fossil fuels and the risk of
Continue readingDraft oil and gas regulations spark climate justice concerns
South Africa’s industrial decline is accelerating. State-owned enterprises that once drove economic transformation now epitomise institutional failure. Eskom’s power cuts cripple manufacturing. Transnet’s rail network deteriorates while ports struggle with
Continue readingSouth Africa must revive its industrial ambitions
For the past four centuries, corporations have exploited — butchered — the African continent, leaving behind scars, open wounds and entrails which can be seen from space. The history of
Continue readingPut an end to four centuries of corporate plundering of Africa