It looks as if COSATU has begun to forge its independent path in what is certain to be a rollicking succession battle within the ANC. I have long argued that the ANC will eventually find its greatest challenges from within, and that a viable opposition is most likely to emerge from a division within the […]
The following email is circulating in Zimbabwe and throughout the region. I cannot vouch for its origins, but I received it froma friend who, for reasons that ought to be clear, would prefer to remain anonymous. Even if it ends up being dubious or overwrought, the very fact that it seems viable speaks volumes: PLEASE […]
Yesterday I asserted the following: As long as there is progress, however tentative and cosmetic, an outside world that has been loath even to think about intervening in Zimbabwe is going to continue to stand pat. This is Thabo Mbeki's roll of the dice. If these reforms prove effective, he will deserve a large proportion […]
The proposed Constitutional changes to streamline (or consolidate ZANU-PF power, depending on your perspective) the political process in Zimbabwe have come to pass. Under the provisions of the legislation Zimbabwe will change its electoral boundaries, increase the number of MPs and accelerate by two years parliamentary elections. In a gesture that makes a virtue out […]
The Zimbabwe crisis continues apace. At this point it is not worth the time to determine whether the political crisis or the economic calamity is worse, as the two simply feed from one another. Robert Mugabe plans to live forever and rule Zimbabwe for the duration, but in case he proves to be mortal, he […]
In case you missed it, the Springboks gave England a sound thrashing on Friday, running away from the defending world champions by a humiliating 36-0 tally. Next up is a surprisingly game Tonga squad, which upset Samoa and has caused South African coach Jake White to rethink his approach to selection for Saturday's match. […]
Is there hope for real progress in Liberia? Ever since Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took office, there have been signs of progress. In Today's Boston Globe Carolyn Norris, West Africa Project director and Mark L. Schneider, senior vice president of the International Crisis Group, indicate that while there is much yet to be accomplished the small steps […]
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Steve Biko's death while in police detention. Newsweek has a story on the United States’ efforts to step up anti-terrorism activities in the Horn of Africa as embodied in Africom, the military's planned Africa Command. The United States lauds the role that South Africa played in helping to […]
Your faithful scribe is in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where I am participating in the US Army Combat Studies Institute's symposium on Warfare in the Age of Non-State Actors. I gave a presentation on policing in contested states using the South African security forces in the Apartheid era to explore implications for future policies across the […]
It appears that most of the Africa National Congress’ hierarchy is unwilling to grant Thabo Mbeki the option of a third term. This is categorically, unequivocally good news. Only bad things happen when African leaders try to manipulate their political syatems and constitutions to extend their time in power. the Big Man Syndrome derives from the belief […]
If's a busy news cycle right now in Southern Africa. here are a number of stories that caught my eye in today's chock-full Mail & Guardian and elsewhere: As the thirteith anniversary of the murder of Steven Bantu Biko at the hands of the security forces approaches different South Africans remember Biko's life and death differently. […]
Well, that probably seals the pending victory. Nelson Mandela stopped in France to wish the Springboks well on the eve of the opening of the Rugby World Cup. Mandela's embrace of the Springboks, historically the embodiment of Afrikaner Nationalism, proved one of the feel-good stories of transformation and reconciliation in 1995. Now the great man has […]
It seems that Nigerians are rather dissatisfied with their political system and their leaders. Nigeria in so many ways has the potential to be to West Africa what South Africa is to the southern part of the continent. But too many years of chaos and misrule have pretty much assured that Nigeria will be a […]
Mbuyiselo Botha, general secretary of the South African Men's Forum, argues in The Mail & Guardian that “President Thabo Mbeki stands at the centre of the struggle for the liberation and empowerment of women in South Africa.” Without diminishing Mbeki's administration much of the credit deserves to go to the South African Constitution which has […]
The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France later this week, with the hosts taking on Argentina in the tournament's inaugural game on Friday. The Springboks enter the tournament on something of a roll and are expected to contend for the title along with New Zealand, Australia, and local favorites, France. South Africa's Pool A, […]