In their article India’s tech CEO boom: What Africa can learn (IOL 25/08/2024), Phapano Phasha and Redge Nkosi explore India’s significant growth as a hub for global talent and economic partnerships, particularly in the technology and innovation sectors. They highlight how India, under PM Narendra Modi, is positioning itself as an emerging superpower, projected to become the world’s third-largest economy in the coming years. Central to their argument is what they call a “CEO boom” and Indian tech skills. They…

The discourse surrounding the energy transition has taken on a narrative that is both compelling and, at times, misleading. As we delve deeper into the complexities of this transition, it becomes increasingly clear that the optimism prevalent in many industry circles may gloss over critical challenges, as underscored by the Amsterdam-based Transnational Institute (TNI) analysis in 2023. Unjust energy transition is shrouded in myths, primitive accumulation and deceit. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that global investments in low-carbon technologies surged…

Many people already predicted the EFF’s failure when the news surfaced that its deputy president Floyd Shivambu was going to leave the party. It was widely reported that he had decided not to renew his membership and had stepped down from all his roles in the party. On Thursday, 15 August, the EFF called a media conference where Shivambu tendered his ‘resignation’ from the party. Floyd Shivambu has decided to hitch his wagon to the MK party. Suddenly, there is…

Academic Mary de Haas of UKZN has long studied the prevalence of violence and its intersectionalities in Natal. She examines the complex relationships between violence and other social, political, and economic factors within the provincial context. The Moerane Commission later confirmed that Glebelands, townships, municipalities and taxi ranks are killing fields. Although the Moerane Report has been widely criticised for not being implemented effectively, it remains crucial for understanding the root causes of political violence in the province. Many reports…

In the 1970s, Capital owners, led by the Randlords under Oppenheimer, initiated a political strategy to protect their economic interests amidst growing discontent from the black majority. Despite clashing with apartheid’s segregation, the Randlords’ economic power steered the path to the ‘political miracle’ of 1994. They foresaw the need for a strategic shift to maintain economic control while appeasing international pressure, engaging in behind-the-scenes negotiations, lobbying and forming alliances to influence favourable political outcomes. The Randlords’ interventions mastered a ‘soft’…

Climate change is often described as a crisis that affects everyone, demanding urgent action to prevent widespread devastation from storms and rising seas. However, a significant concern is that climate change discussions are not open to everyone for engagement or inquiry. This exclusion is not accidental but a deliberate tactic to promote specific agendas and achieve predetermined political and economic goals. Despite claims of equality and justice, the reality is that the world operates on hierarchical structures that marginalise the…

The search for emancipation for scores of South Africans who continue to be denied justice is becoming extremely frustrating, partly due to the courts and conservatism ruling them. The justice system unfairly prioritises those with resources over indigents. This is evident as courts rush to entertain multi-million rand cases involving companies and individuals with political influence. The rapid response to these litigations conceals the dark side of justice in South Africa: the inefficiency of courts and inaccessibility to courts for…

Following the ANC’s underwhelming election performance, South Africa is currently embroiled in a gruesome process of coalition-building. Although this is not necessarily a new problem as it is often portrayed, there was ample time to develop rules and guidelines seeing huge problems the coalition created at the local government level. However, the primary concern now is how political parties are approaching the task of forging working relationships, whether they term them as coalitions or as a ‘government of national unity’…

In public discourse, there is a tendency to incorrectly equate fundamentally dissimilar entities in nature and purpose. The governments of national unity (GNU) established in 1910, the 1990s and 2024 only share a name but are vastly different in context and outcome. Some commentators’ insistence on justifying this ‘sameness’ is intellectually dishonest and misleading.  It is akin to comparing Newcastle in Natal with Newcastle in the UK; they share a name but are distinctly separate places. In mainstream political literature,…

In the aftermath of the 2024 elections in South Africa, there is a pressing need to reconsider the political landscape and chart a course that genuinely serves the interests of the marginalised and downtrodden. Analyst Nco Dube believes that a coalition between the ANC, EFF, and MK is now a possibility and that it “would represent a significant shift in South African politics.” Dube further contends that the potential coalition between the ANC, EFF and MK Party is grounded in…