Not many people thought it would come to this. I did not. Most of us who assumed that Robert Mugabe would steal the election simply assumed that he would do so early enough to make the theft seem obvious if a bit more difficult to prove. I still expect Mugabe to keep his grip on power, but […]
I am leaving the country for a few days and almost surely will not have a chance to write here. I will return Tuesday (or possibly Monday night). In the meantime, you can ponder the following: is South Africa looking at imminent and enduring inflation?
I am leaving the country for a few days and almost surely will not have a chance to write here. I will return Tuesday (or possibly Monday night) when the fodder for conversation will be the aftermath of the Zimbabwe election. Until then you should check out the following: Mary Ndlovu and Pambazua News is […]
The Thabo Mbeki-Jacob Zuma divide in the party has mainly revealed political, ideological, and personal fissures within the African national Congress. But one area in which Zuma could significantly undermine Mbeki (and in the process do serious harm to the country) could be in the area of foreign policy. Zuma's recent trip to Angola clearly […]
So, how does one assess Jacob Zuma's first 100 days as ANC President? As with so much in politics in South Africa and elsewhere, where one sits determines where one stands on this question. While the general assessment seems to be that he has experienced a stormy first few months, survey data indicates that support […]
Two high school sisters in the Boston area have helped begin a program to bring sturdy, inexpensive laptop computers to underprivileged students in South Africa. What is most remarkable is the way that this small idea is already beginning to grow and how two people have been able to make a difference. Some might argue […]
Last week Roger Cohen wrote a column in The New York Times in which he used his childhood in South Africa as a way to frame his thoughts about Barack Obama's (to my mind pitch-perfect) speech on race last week. I am afraid that in the United States right now we are going to start […]
There are those who say that there is no place for politics in sport, or for sport in politics, but such people are knaves or fools. Sports and politics have always been linked, and those who decry the politicization of sport tend to have their own political axes to grind. Opposing the global boycott of […]
At Pambazuka News Yav Katshung Joseph, a Human Rights lawyer and Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo has an in-depth article on Truth Commissions and their historical, political, judicial, and cultural purpose. I have written quite a lot on truth commissions, and I believe […]
I hope every one of you had a wonderful Easter. I especially wished for a safe holiday for my South African readers on this, the most dangerous and deadly weekend every year on the country's roads.
The Mail & Guardian has posted a Special Section on Zimbabwe that basically consists of new and recent coverage of the election campaign. This should keep you busy while I partake of the secular American holiday known as “March Madness.”
I was as surprised as anyone to read this morning that Robert Mugabe trails in recent polls taken in Zimbabwe. And I was especially stunned to see that Morgan Tsvangirai, longtime opposition stalwart and largely overlooked (by me included) Movement for Democratic Cchange candidate also running against Mugabe and operating in Simba Makoni's shadow. But […]
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