Latest Opinions
Did Uganda’s internet shutdowns during elections backfire?
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 27th January 2026 The state cited the need to prevent disinformation – but the ban may have increased citizens’ mistrust instead. As Uganda emerges from an internet... →
Africa’s critical minerals are a huge economic opportunity: G20 framework sets out ways to seize it
26th January 2026 As the world shifts to clean energy, minerals such as lithium, cobalt and manganese have become as important as oil once was. Africa holds large... →
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland: the strategic calculations at play
26th January 2026 Somaliland is not internationally recognised as a sovereign state, though it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. A territory becomes a... →
Madagascar’s ‘coup’ prompts contrasting responses
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 26th January 2026 Whether or not Andry Rajoelina’s toppling was a coup, the key is how long it takes to restore democratic civilian government. Coups have once again... →
Colonial tax records hold 3 lessons for South Africa today – economic historian
23rd January 2026 In 1825, a tax collector compiling a census in South Africa’s Cape Colony paused to write a poem in the margin of his work. In it, he complained... →
SA’s naval-gazing reflects a deep defence and foreign policy disconnect
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 23rd January 2026 Exercise Will for Peace exposed a disjointed maritime approach that could cost the country dearly. Exercise Will for Peace, the multinational naval... →
Stability versus resilience
By: Terence Creamer 23rd January 2026 The revised Eskom unbundling strategy announced is emerging as something of a touchstone for government’s commitment – or otherwise – to reforming... →
Good State and community-based development
By: Saliem Fakir 23rd January 2026 One must be guided by several precepts when considering community-based development. The first is that if you do not know something, do something.... →
Mpumalanga at the turning point: Building a future beyond survival
22nd January 2026 The story of Mpumalanga has always been told in images of contrast. A province of soaring escarpments and deep coal seams. A place of the rising... →
Trump’s Africa policy: strategy or shakedown?
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 21st January 2026 The 2025 US National Security Strategy recasts Africa from partner to price tag in a transactional, resource-driven era of great-power rivalry.... →
