In a debate at the University of the Witwatersrand on Tuesday night Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool drew a link between the recent wave of xenophobic violence and larger currents of intolerance in the country. “Xenophobia, racism, sexism, in fact all fundamentalism, all acts of intolerance belong to one family and if you are to […]
On most days I could probably just cut and paste one of my other assessments of Zimbabwe, replete with links to grim and unremitting stories, and not only would most people not notice, but the old narrative would more than likely hold. Following this campaign is endlessly frustrating and at times a bit soul sucking. […]
The runoff election approaches in Zimbabwe and three trends are beginning to emerge: Robert Mugabe and his supporters are continuing to dig in their heels. The outside world is increasingly vocal about concerns but still short on tangible action. And the runoff appears set to go on as long as the Movement for Democratic Change […]
When inflation skyrockets, business confidence plummets. Economics do not work quite that simply, but the correlation is pretty clear in South Africa right now.
Dave Zirin of The Nation has a fascinating take on the intersections of xenophobia, violence, ubuntu, and sport in South Africa today. Here is a taste: Criticism has been widespread about the lack of response by South African, not to mention Western, leaders. But there is an important, overlooked and–we can only pray–decisive tide of […]
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has declared that because of the fragile and violent conditions in Zimbabwe the time is “not at all” right to hold the run-off elections. Erstwhile challenger Simba Makoni has similarly argued that because a free and fair election cannot be held, the runoff must be canceled. And yet that violence that […]
It was a good weekend to be a South African sports fan as both Bafana Bafana and the Springboks won big international matches. Bafana Bafana defeated Equatorial Guinea 4-1 in a game that serves as a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations. It also was part of the World Cup Qualifying process, but […]
Let's say that you want to be a dictator. You’re not Stalin or Hitler or Mao: You are not above some killing and even mass bloodshed, but you also are not planning on killing millions in five year plans or final solutions or great leaps forward. You just want a state you can control, steal […]
It was easy for upper-middle-class South Africans to wring their hands over the xenophobic violence that seized townships in recent week. But now that some of those victims are being treated as internal refugees and are being settled near leafy suburbs? Not in my back yard.
The number one rule of effective despotism? Crush the enemy before the election so that you don't have to crush them during the election. These are the rudiments. And Robert Mugabe is very, very good at the rudiments of despotism. Zimbabwean elections have appeared to be relatively clean in recent years because Mugabe and his […]
Thabo Mbeki is receiving criticism from just about all sides these days. His reactions to the xenophobic violence are being called “too little, too late.” The country's manufacturers fear that rising costs will cut into competitiveness, and heads of state always suffer when their economies falter. Morgan Tsvangirai has asserted that Mbeki is unfit to broker […]
How does a country reconcile itself after horrific paroxysms of violence? Numerous countries have had to deal with precisely this dilemma. South Africa, through its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), did so most famously and most extensively. And the TRC process has served as a model, an inspiration, and as a template for several other […]
The costs of food and fuel are hurting Africa perhaps more than any other continent, and of course on the whole Africans can least afford the economic disruption. South Africa's Mail & Guardian has a feature revealing the myriad ways Africa is effected and how different countries are responding to the newest global economic crisis to disproportionately […]
Bad news tends to follow on bad news in Zimbabwe. The latest blast comes from Zim's battered agricultural sector. Experts believe that the winter wheat season is set to be a failure, with only 13% of the planned wheat crops having even been planted. Food shortages are already acute across Zimbabwe and especially in the urban areas. […]
IRIN has this important “Backgrounder” feature (with lots of useful links) on the Sahel, the poorest region in one of the poorest parts of the world. Global climate change is only likely to exacerbate matters.