Shared costs, big gains

Ivorian President Alassane Outtarra took some hits last week as I criticised Zimbabwe’s decision to splash $200-million on luxury villas and other infrastructure ahead of the Southern African... 

Bling over basics

Imagine a country rolling out the red carpet for foreign guests while its citizens grapple with severe food shortages. In Zimbabwe, this contradiction is illustrated by the decision to spend... 

Olympic oops in Paris

As the 2024 Summer Olympics spin towards their grand finale on August 11, Paris is set to be remembered for more than just record-breaking performances and emerging stars. Besides the dazzling... 

African ratings quest

The call for ‘African solutions for Africa’s problems’ resonates strongly in discussions about our continent. Cunning autocrats have also invoked it, wielding it as a shield to deflect... 

South Africa’s crime epidemic

In South Africa’s cities, caution is the currency, and being labelled ‘among the unsafest in the world’ isn’t just a statistic – it’s a stark reality. This sentiment is underscored by Numbeo’s... 

UK-Rwanda refugee plan sinks

Rishi Sunak’s tenure as UK Prime Minister has clocked out, following his Conservative Party’s electoral drubbing earlier this month. Also consigned to the dustbin of history is his government’s... 

From ‘Dear John’ to unity

After the dear John letter that never was, five Democratic Alliance (DA) members have taken up their positions in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet alongside their counterparts from the African... 

Dissecting elephant voices

Elephants possess a diverse communication repertoire, encompassing everything from resonant trumpeting and deep, reverberating rumbles to menacing growls, soothing purrs and plaintive squeals.... 

Fragile unity test

We ought to give the African National Congress (ANC) props. Thanks to its political sleight of hand, the party is poised to continue its dominance of South African politics for the next five years,... 

Despite big obstacles, AfCFTA viewed as key to weaving new trade and industrial tapestry

In the grand tapestry of international commerce, Africa’s 55 nations have stood as individual threads rather than a unified fabric of economic opportunity. But a new era of collaboration being... 

Despite big obstacles, AfCFTA viewed as key to weaving new trade and industrial tapestry

In the grand tapestry of international commerce, Africa’s 55 nations have stood as individual threads rather than a unified fabric of economic opportunity. But a new era of collaboration being... 

Politics of vengeance

African politics has always been a big theatre where a recurring spectacle, one that never fails to captivate and intrigue, is the age-old saga of former Presidents clashing with their successors.... 

A misunderstood prophecy

The year was 2008, in the month of September. Back then, a seer from the rugged hills of Nkandla in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal prophesied that the political party he led, the African... 

Steadfast hold on power

In the intricate tango of politics and military might, one undeniable reality emerges: once soldiers seize State control, they seldom relinquish it willingly. Ibrahim Traore, the 36-year-old... 

Stevie finds rhythm in Ghana

I’m not a great music fan, but I would not be completely honest if I did not own up to my partiality towards Stevie Wonder, the US-born virtuoso of soul who has created music that has reverberated... 

Myth of arbitrary boundaries

Conventional wisdom has it that the political map of Africa as we know it today was solely determined at the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885 by European actors who knew little about conditions on... 

The great business retreat

The announcement last week by oil giant Shell that it is to divest from downstream operations in South Africa seems to have been a godsend to the political opposition, which did not waste time in... 

Slipping influence

Africa may be the world’s poorest continent – hosting 33 of the 46 economies designated by the United Nations (UN) as the least developed – but it remains the target of courtship by the major... 

A titbit about Tanzania

That the way many of Africa’s countries turned out had less to do with fate than the meddling of external players, especially during the Cold War years, has been well documented by many a scholar.... 

What the voters want

As election day draws ever closer, political parties are pulling out all the stops in their quest to win the hearts and minds of South African voters. All manner of promises are being made – from a... 

Rhian Capostagno

This we profile Rhian Capostagno, a partner at Partners in Performance, a firm of management consultants 

Will the Zimbabwe Gold, or ZiG, restore currency confidence?

The heightened sense of urgency within Zimbabwe’s government to act as the country’s currency crashed – losing 90% of its value since the beginning of the year – was there for all to see in the... 

Rwanda’s rebirth

The 100-day period from April 7 to July 15, 1994, will forever be etched on the memory of Rwandans and indeed the rest of humanity. That’s when armed militia from the majority Hutu ethnic group... 

Will the Zimbabwe Gold, or ZiG, restore currency confidence?

The heightened sense of urgency within Zimbabwe’s government to act as the country’s currency crashed – losing 90% of its value since the beginning of the year – was there for all to see in the... 

Spiral of silence around GBV

President by default

It was a birthday present Bassirou Diomaye Faye would not have dreamed of – being announced the President-elect of Senegal on March 25, the day he turned 44, and only weeks after his release from... 

Tertius Zitzke

This week we profile Tertius Zitzke, CEO of 4Sight Holdings, a diversified technology group whose strategic vision is digital transformation for businesses through seamlessly integrating the... 

Fake but believed

It’s surprising how easily news consumers fall for disinformation, or fake news, as it is now widely known since Donald Trump popularised the phrase during the US Presidency campaign in 2016. I say... 

South Africa’s brain regain

East or west, home’s best. Many South Africans who have emigrated to foreign climes in the past two decades to escape the ills besetting this country can vouch for that. Some are coming back. And... 

Fatima-Joyce Packery

This week we profile Fatima-Joyce Packery, CEO of PF Africa Mining, which operates ferrochrome recovery plants 

Fare thee well, Prez Mwinyi

Our neck of the woods, the Southern African Development Community region, last month lost two high-profile personalities, a sitting head of State and a Presidential has-been. While the former,... 

Beasts of burden under siege

Rhino and elephant poaching afflicts many African countries that are home to these endangered species, and the main driver behind this scourge is seemingly insatiable demand by the Chinese and... 

Flying Presidents

What’s the common denominator between Kenyan President William Ruto and his Nigerian opposite number, Bola Tinubu? They both have a remarkable penchant for air travel. This has incurred the ire of... 

West Africa’s Brexit moment

In a televised announcement on January 28, the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger let it be known they had ceased to be members of the regional bloc in that neck of the woods with... 

Proudly artisan

Mention of the word ‘welder’ conjures up images of someone wearing heavy-duty protective gear such as a big steel helmet to shield the face from sparks. You wouldn’t think the person behind the... 

Fake news and Elections 2024

Disinformation by political actors is not a new phenomenon to South Africans. Six short years ago, Bell Pottinger, the Guptas’ now defunct UK communications consultancy, executed a spirited... 

Malaria milestone

Unless one is a football fan or a lover of the music of the late Manu Dibango, one will be hard pressed to say much that is positive about Cameroon, a 475 440 km2 country straddling Central and... 

Ructions in the Horn of Africa

Ructions in the Horn of Africa Martin Zhuwakinyu 

Crystal-ball gazing

It’s difficult to tell with any degree of certainty what lies in store for Africa this year, but there seems to be broad consensus that our continent will experience better fortunes on the economic... 

Rethabile Melamu

This week we profile Rethabile Melamu, CEO of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association, a not-for-profit industry association that represents close to 700 actors along the solar...