Zimbabwe’s Election Year
January 10, 2013 4 min. read

[Image From SW Radio Africa] Zimbabwe no longer occupies a great deal of space in international media coverage. Even in South African media the neighbor north of the Limpopo has returned to secondary status, on the backburner but not on the boil. And it is true that things in Zimbabwe are not what they were […]

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Racial Inequality in South Africa at the Heart of Workers Strikes
January 10, 2013 4 min. read

On January 9, 2013, violent clashes between farm workers and police broke out in De Doorns town, South Africa, resulting in the use of rubber bullets and approximately 50 arrests. De Doorns is a major grape producing area nestled about two hours northeast of Cape Town. It is part of a region that is home […]

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South African Miner’s Strike: When Will the Government Step In?
October 8, 2012 5 min. read

News over the weekend that platinum-producing giant Anglo American Platinum (Amplat) had fired 12,000 workers from its mining operations in Rustenberg, South Africa, just north of Johannesburg, added fueling to an already highly combustible situation. The workers are striking in hopes of obtaining higher wages and improved working conditions from the world’s largest platinum producer. This comes shortly […]

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What Do You Do About a Problem Like Malema?
September 27, 2012 2 min. read

  In the latest twist of the saga in current South African politics former ANC Youth League President Julius Malema has been charged with money laundering. Malema, once an ally of President Jacob Zuma now counts himself as Zuma’s chief foe. “We must make sure Jacob Zuma does not become president of the ANC…. Remove […]

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Of Marikana, Malema and Mangaung: South Africa’s Faultlines
September 19, 2012 5 min. read

[Protesting mineworkers at Marikana mine in South Africa, September 5, 2012. Photograph by Mike Hutchings/REUTERS.] The Marikana Massacre, which pitted police against striking miners, labor against capital, and in the minds of many the state against the people, serves as a brutal and grim reminder of just how divided post-Apartheid South Africa is. The Mandela […]

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South Africa Invokes Apartheid Law against the Striking Marikana Miners
September 6, 2012 3 min. read

What a bizarre turn of events! The Marikana miners’ case took yet another twist as media reports that all charges against the 270 South African miners arrested for murder following their clash with the South African police two weeks ago were dropped this week. Initially, after having 34 of their colleagues killed and many more […]

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The Sentencing of a Killer and Odd Progress in South Africa
August 28, 2012 3 min. read

[Eugene Terre’Blanche against the backdrop of an AWB flag, From The Guardian via Google Images] I hope you will all forgive my recent break from blogging. But I am back and plan to resume regular posting starting now. Obviously a great deal has transpired across the continent in recent weeks. And nowhere has seen fissures […]

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U.S. must tread carefully in Zimbabwe
August 22, 2012 6 min. read

Council of Foreign Relations senior fellow Ambassador John Campbell recently released a policy innovation memorandum entitled, “Zimbabwe: An Opportunity for Closer U.S.-South Africa Relations.” It is heartening to see analysts writing on topics they perceive as beneficial to closer relations between the United States and South Africa. Campbell, a former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, makes […]

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Graceland (And Its Controversies) At 25
May 16, 2012 3 min. read

  Twenty-five years ago Paul Simon released his album Graceland, an album that not only became a worldwide hit, but massively expanded the audience of his collaborators, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and simultaneously provided exposure to South African music to millions around the globe. A new documentary (which I have as of yet been unable to […]

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Dear President Mugabe
April 18, 2012 3 min. read

What a pity that the people of Zimbabwe and the world made hoopla about your recent trip to Singapore, which turned out to be an ordinary trip for you to attend to your daughter’s post graduate studies in Hong Kong. But can you blame them for believing that your trip was nothing but that of […]

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When Mugabe Goes Does The Fantasy Become a Nightmare?
April 17, 2012 2 min. read

[Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo] Last week there was a mini Twittersplosion. Rumors began to fly that Robert Mugabe, who had recently traveled to Singapore, was gravely ill. Some asserted that he was on the verge of death. Te response was not exactly joy — most African observers are much like I am, they would like Mugabe to […]

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KONY 2012 Great, But Target These Two African Rebel Groups Next
March 16, 2012 3 min. read

Eighty million views in such a short period of time. What a world we live in. Fantastic video. Fantastic initiative. However, for those who follow conflict and terrorism in Central Africa like myself, we know Joseph Kony as only one rebel leader of many; the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) as only one rebel group of […]

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