May 06
South Africa: South African Elections - Research Explores How Disillusioned ANC Supporters Might Use Their Vote
The African National Congress (ANC) has been in power since South Africa became a democracy in 1994. The party has been electorally dominant since then, reaching a peak of 69.7% of… Read more »
May 02
Africa: The Challenges African Election Bodies Face Go Beyond 'Democratic Backsliding' - Analysis
Election management bodies are essential democratic institutions. To deliver national polls effectively, they need to be properly resourced, impartial and free from government or… Read more »
May 01
South Africa: South Africa's Media Have Done Good Work With 30 Years of Freedom but Need More Diversity
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 middle class males from the… Read more »
April 30
Togo: Togo Has Adopted Major Constitutional Changes to Give Parliament More Power - How It Will Work
On 25 March 2024, Togo adopted a new constitution that transforms its presidential system into a parliamentary one. Under this new system, parliament has the authority to elect the… Read more »
April 29
South Africa: How the Mandela Myth Helped Win the Battle for Democracy in South Africa
Political history scholar Jonny Steinberg's 2023 book Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage is a double biography of South Africa's most famous political figures - Nelson… Read more »
April 26
South Africa: South Africa's Constitution Was Set Up As the Bedrock of Its Democracy - It's Been Challenged Over Last 30 Years, but Has Held Firm
There was a moment during the state capture years of South African president Jacob Zuma's term in office (2009 to 2018) when the veil finally slipped. There had been quiet… Read more »
April 25
South Africa: South Africa's Youth Are a Generation Lost Under Democracy - Study
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently painted a rosy picture in which the country's youth - "democracy's children" - had enormous opportunities for advancement, all… Read more »
April 24
Rwanda: Rwanda's Post-Genocide Model Prioritises Security Over Freedom and Equality - a Risk to Future Stability
Rwanda, a small and landlocked central African country, has made remarkable socio-economic progress since the 1994 genocide in which an estimated 500,000 people died. But the… Read more »
April 23
Chad: Chad's Election Outcome Already Seems Set - 4 Things Mahamat Déby Has Done to Stay in Power
Chad's presidential election campaigns officially kicked off on Sunday 14 April 2024 in the capital city, N'Djamena. Read more »
South Africa: History for Sale - What Does South Africa's Struggle Heritage Mean After 30 Years of Democracy?
One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening… Read more »
April 21
South Africa: South Africa's Security Forces Once Brutally Entrenched Apartheid. It's Been a Rocky Road to Reform
One of the important tasks that faced South Africa's democratic government after 1994 was to reform the apartheid-era security apparatus. Read more »
April 15
Tanzania: Tanzanians Go to the Polls in 2025 - President Samia Has Changed the Landscape, but Magufuli's Legacy Persists
It's been three years since the death of Tanzania's president John Magufuli and the rise to power of current president Samia Suluhu Hassan. Read more »
April 11
South Africa: South Africa's First Election Was Saved By a Kenyan - the Fascinating Story of Washington Okumu, the Accidental Mediator
What's sometimes forgotten about the 26-29 April 1994 vote that installed the African National Congress (ANC) government in South Africa is that, until the last minute, it looked… Read more »
Rwanda: Rwanda Genocide - 30 Years On, Why Tutsis Are At the Centre of DR Congo's Conflict
The Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994 has in complex ways fuelled violent conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past 30 years. At the centre of… Read more »
South Africa: After the Euphoria of Nelson Mandela's Election, What Happened Next?
It was a moment many South Africans never believed they'd live to see. On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of a democratic South Africa, ending the deadly… Read more »
April 10
South Africa: What Happened to Nelson Mandela's South Africa?
When Nelson Mandela stood in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria in May 1994 as South Africa's first democratically elected president, my country was brimming with optimism… Read more »
April 09
Rwanda: Rwanda's Genocide Could Have Been Prevented - 3 Things the International Community Should Have Done - Expert
As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda, it is important to understand what the international community could have… Read more »
April 07
West Africa: Conditions 'Ripe' for Replacement of Colonialist CFA Franc
At no point in history has the CFA franc - the name of a colonial currency used in west and central African countries belonging to the franc zone - been closer to its demise. Read more »
April 02
Kenya: Kenya's Mission to Haiti - How the 1,000-Strong Force Is Preparing for Planned Intervention
Kenya has temporarily halted controversial plans to send a specially trained contingent of 1,000 police officers to Haiti, where armed gang violence recently took a turn for the… Read more »
April 01
Africa: El Niño Disasters - Govts Know What's Coming, but Are Unprepared - What Must Change
Drought disasters in southern Africa are mainly attributed to a lack of preparedness, inadequate response and mitigation and poor risk reduction measures. With little to no… Read more »
March 28
Senegal: Bassirou Diomaye Faye - From Prison Runner-Up to President of Senegal
Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected as Senegal's fifth president on 25 March 2024. Incumbent president Macky Sall and his candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba, were both quick… Read more »
March 25
Senegal: Macky Sall's Reputation Is Dented, but the Former President Did a Lot At Home and Abroad
Macky Sall's legacy as Senegal's president since 2012 became more complex in his last year in office. The year was so filled with transgressions that they appeared to have… Read more »
South Africa: South Africans Fighting for Israel in Gaza - What Does the Law Say?
South Africa's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, said the country's citizens fighting for the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza faced prosecution upon their return. This statement… Read more »
March 22
Nigeria: Hundreds of Nigerian Children Are Being Kidnapped - the Govt Must Change Its Security Strategy
School abductions have been a trend in Nigeria. The latest took place in Kaduna and Sokoto states, both in the north-west region, when over 300 children were abducted at different… Read more »
March 21
South Africa: This Is How President Ramaphosa Got to the 25% Figure of Progress in Land Reform in South Africa
Nearly three decades into democracy, land reform remains central to South Africa's transformation policies and agricultural policy. Read more »