Zimbabwe’s suffering and lingering land crisis
With the Zimbabwean economy in free fall, the government has agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to White farmers. The land, which was originally attained by the White settler colony under British colonial rule, was expropriated by the Robert Mugabe government to resettle displaced Black families. The agreement...
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia battle for Nile River rights
During recent talks by phone between Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa—current chairperson of the African Union (AU)—El-Sisi reiterated concern about Ethiopia’s filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). El-Sisi said he seeks a fair and balanced agreement and rejects any unilateral filling...
Libya’s unclear future marred by internal, external conflict
Civil war is currently ratcheting up in Libya as internal saber-rattling escalates and foreign actors involved take sides and add to heightened threats of military action. Libya has been absent a cohesive government since a United States-led overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi and the Great Jamahiriya government in 2011. Since the U.S. and NATO (North...
Challenging cultural norms and removing stigma is key to confronting Lesotho’s rape culture
Commentary THABA-TSEKA, Lesotho—The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and given rise to a new, deeply concerning wave of rape culture in Lesotho. Although the true extent is not known yet, we have noticed concerning reports that the onset of the pandemic has worsened sexual violence with more women and girls being confined to small...
U.S. entertainment, music industry exploits South African musicians
Copyright is the most important type of protection available to musicians. It has even been boldly asserted that “the recording industry is built on copyrights.” Without copyright, wrote Stellenbosch University professor Owen Henry Dean in a 2015 study, “there is very little protection available to musicians and producers.”
Zindzi Mandela, an offspring of struggle, dies at 59
There is no doubt, the name Mandela is synonymous with a legacy of struggle for the soul and transformation of South Africa. Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela was an offspring in that line who continued that legacy of service into the 21st Century. Ms. Mandela, the youngest daughter of the late iconic figures Nelson and Winnie...
U.S. seeks to use Africa as pawn in war of influence against China and Russia
In a speech unveiling U.S. strategy to counter Chinese and Russian influence in Africa, National Security Advisor John Bolton, a “notorious hawk who advocates the unilateral wielding of U.S. might,” accused Beijing and Moscow of “deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage over the United States.” Delivered at the American conservative public policy...
Pandemic shaping economic, social climate of East and Southern Africa
In many East and Southern African countries, local, regional and national lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been extended, reported Equinet. “Their impacts raise questions on their sustainability. The conversation inevitably turns to when and how countries will exit them. South Africa’s President Ramaphosa said recently in introducing their risk adjusted strategy: ‘We cannot sustain a...
South Africa wants proof of Africa-Iraq nuclear connection
***image1***JOHANNESBURG (IPS)—The government of President Thabo Mbeki has raised strong objections to a British intelligence dossier that suggests that an African country may have discussed selling uranium to Iraq for use in its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently released an intelligence dossier on Iraq’s alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons. The report says: “There is...
