Latest Opinions
Five worrying signs of Africa’s poor election quality
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 7th May 2024 Globally and in Africa, many electoral processes suffer from a lack of transparency, trust and oversight. This is a crucial election year for... →
Get gender equality right in Africa, and prosperity will follow
7th May 2024 Realistic reductions in gender inequality could produce a US$259 billion larger economy in 2043 than current path forecasts. Rising global... →
Life under the DA in the Western Cape: fact-checking South African opposition party’s claims about governance
By: Africa Check 7th May 2024 The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s opposition party, has governed the Western Cape province since 2009. Ahead of national elections... →
South Africa’s national student financial aid scheme has helped millions but is in trouble: here’s why
6th May 2024 The board of South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has been dissolved by the country’s higher education and training... →
African countries can’t resolve their debt crisis under a system rigged against them
6th May 2024 The debt situation in many African countries has escalated again to a critical juncture. Twenty are in, or at risk of, debt distress. Three... →
Waste pickers play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution – insights from South Africa into how their voices can be heard
3rd May 2024 Our addiction to plastics is trashing the planet, exacerbating global heating and threatening our very survival. Since 2022, the UN has been... →
The challenges African election bodies face go beyond ‘democratic backsliding’ – analysis
3rd May 2024 Election management bodies are essential democratic institutions. To deliver national polls effectively, they need to be properly resourced,... →
Ukraine steps up its charm offensive in Africa
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 3rd May 2024 Ukraine has opened several new African embassies, still hoping for a better return on its investment. While struggling ever harder to prevent... →
In the weeds
By: Terence Creamer 3rd May 2024 South Africa has gone some way in starting to reform its electricity industry, which has been failing the country visibly for nearly two decades.... →
South Africa’s media have done good work with 30 years of freedom but need more diversity
2nd May 2024 In 1992, two years before the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela bemoaned the state of South Africa’s print media. He said the media’s domination by... →
