How the IMF squeezes Africa to keep Ukraine’s war economy alive
The World Bank and IMF have exposed the political nature of scarcity. Deficits receive permission when they serve Western strategy.
opinion
Africa should use more of its own capital to build its future
But the continent will not be able to do this at scale without having credible rules, institutional independence and effective supervision in place
The hidden costs of AI’s data-centre boom’
By 2023, the major hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta) operated close to 992 data centres globally, with capacity having doubled in just four years
Queer Pride in (South) Africa – from Stonewall to ‘stonewalling’
While Pride Month is commemorated at different times across South Africa, the month of June carries particular significance as the original Pride Month in the Northern Hemisphere. It is rooted in the commemoration of the Stonewall protests of 1969 in New York, which served as a catalyst for the modern global LGBTQIA+ rights movement
The Left that is not left at all
The general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), Irvin Jim, was candid in claiming that he did not view the MK Party as a socialist-oriented party. He argued that a true understanding of socialism required a strict Marxist-Leninist framework, something he wished all participants would understand
Letter to the Editor concerning “Parliament probes Stellenbosch University as cracks in system show”
Stellenbosch University (SU) notes with concern the article “Parliament probes Stellenbosch University as cracks in system show” published in the Mail & Guardian on 11 May 2026.
Arsenal’s season was no failure; it was a triumph deserving respect amid champions league heartbreak
Fans have every right to feel proud. A Premier League title and a Champions League final appearance constitute a successful season, undiminished by events in Europe
Court puts municipality in its place
Other local government had better take note because the precedent has been set: as tempting as it might be, property owners are not an inexhaustible revenue source
South Africa’s double defeat – smoking up, vaping unchecked
The industry has learnt to reinvent and repackage its products to hook the young
Responsible offshore development starts with science
As global energy systems face increasing strain, South Africa’s offshore resources represent a strategic opportunity. Realising it responsibly requires transparency, scientific rigour and continued oversight, standards that are embedded in how the industry operates
Illegal initiation schools, be warned: we will hunt you and close you, with consequences to follow
The full might of the law will be applied because we do not want to see yet another loss of life
Stable energy supply key for Africa’s industrial growth
For Africa, energy is not simply a development issue. It is the foundation of industrial growth, and competitiveness.
Reflecting on xenophobia in South Africa
Some of the influx into South Africa of migrants from failing African countries has been self-inflicted by the ANC government. In its long-standing foreign policy, the party has supported autocratic African governments misgoverning their countries, forcing citizens to search for food and jobs elsewhere
The beautiful game stops at the border
Three dozen countries are banned from entering America in the year it is hosting the World Cup. Twenty-six of them are African. That’s half of Africa
Why the media should stop calling white South Africans ‘refugees’
Mzansi is many things: unequal, violent, frustrated, politically volatile and economically strained. But it is not a war zone. Dissatisfaction with governance, fears about crime, frustration with taxation or discomfort with transformation policies do not automatically amount to persecution
Denying SA is xenophobic: sounds like Trump’s Maga
The two are a mirror of one another.When democracy declines, societies become divided by race, religion and ethnicity. Leaders tolerate or encourage violence to further their own interests
The country’s shame and Africa’s failure
The images are painfully familiar. A mob storms into a tiny spaza shop in Soweto. Shelves are inspected like contraband checkpoints. Foreign shopkeepers are interrogated by self-appointed patriots masquerading as law enforcers. Threats are issued. Deadlines are given. Leave, or else. This is not law enforcement. It is political thuggery. But if Africa wants an […]
Measuring dignity in conditions of captivity
Nakba Day invites all of us to think about belonging, about how we treat those who we think do not belong and about the importance of rules in the negotiation of spaces of belonging. Every 15 May the world marks Nakba Day, when mass displacement of Palestinians and the destruction of Palestinian life and homeland […]
Hope for vital Zambian wetland
Over the years working with communities across Zambia’s expansive Kafue Flats, I have seen first-hand how deeply people’s lives and culture are tied to this vast wetland. Families depend on its waters for fish, grazing land for livestock and fertile soils for farming that sustain livelihoods and economies. While it is home to the endangered Wattled […]
Africa’s AI future won’t be borrowed
African governments generate vast quantities of citizen data, from health records to tax filings, land registries and school enrolments. Much of it leaves the continent to be processed, modelled and monetised on foreign infrastructure. The insight comes back at a premium, while the economic value remains elsewhere — and AI is accelerating this. However, this […]
CAF complicit in South African football suffering continental gamesmanship, often off-field
Football should reward skill, not survival of the shrewdest. South African teams offer professionalism and infrastructure that uplift the continent. Allowing gamesmanship to thrive diminishes all of that. CAF owes African football’s integrity a level playing field. If not, South African sides have every right to fight fire with calculated, rules-based fire
Bafana Bafana: A squad built for more than just participation
The current squad stands out as one of the most impressive in recent memory. Its strength draws heavily from the domestic powerhouse clubs
From migration pressure to development architecture: Why Africa needs an economic diplomacy framework
At present, most policy responses remain fragmented. Governments focus on border enforcement, documentation systems, policing and short-term political responses. Yet these interventions rarely address the structural drivers behind migration flows
Ending hunger in Africa needs Africa-led science and the governance to match
On World Hunger Day on 28 May, it is important to point out that more than one in five people in Africa go hungry today, and nearly six in 10 face moderate or severe food insecurity.
Pope Leo’s AI encyclical and the urgent need for human leadership
He warns against reducing people to measurable outputs, predictive profiles or behavioural categories. Once technology becomes the standard by which human beings are judged, it no longer serves human development; it begins to reshape society according to its own logic
The brilliance of Iran’s governance structure
The sheer brilliance of Iran’s three-tiered governance structure
Africa Day and the measure of a continent
Africa Day should not be observed merely as a ritual of speeches and nostalgia. It should be approached as a test.
Africa at the forefront: The urgent need to diversify energy supply
The African continent has long played a secondary role in shaping global events, energy being one of the main characteristics of this subsidiary role. We now can play a role in helping to choose the direction of global decision-making
The architecture of protection: Moving from technical fixes to systemic whistleblower reform
By shifting our focus towards the establishment of a Public Whistleblower Authority, aligning this architecture with any future anti-corruption agency, introducing real monetary incentives and convening an immediate national engagement to iron out these mechanics, we can ensure that the state finally shares the risk borne by those who speak the truth.
UAE ramps up African infrastructure investment as Gulf states compete for trade influence
The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development is accelerating oversight of large road projects in Togo, Madagascar and Nigeria as Gulf states expand strategic infrastructure investments across Africa amid rising geopolitical tension and global trade disruptions
PAP, Traoré and the farce of Pan-Africanism without power
The farce lies in the performance of Pan-Africanism without power. It lies in institutions that speak of unity while African economies remain exposed to rating agencies, foreign currencies, creditor punishments and donor instructions. It lies in regional bodies that discipline disobedient states while tolerating client regimes that sell their people into permanent dependency
Agency, autonomy, and the African Union
Until the AU can fund a much greater share of its own agenda and use Africa’s financial institutions more strategically, its agency will remain constrained
