Thursday, May 23, 2013
Opinion & Analysis (314)
Tuesday, 21 May 2013 18:44
South Africa should leverage the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI)
By Oladiran Bello
Increasingly assertive in continental politics and highly visible in a number of key global regulatory frameworks for the extractive sector, observers continue to wonder why South Africa (SA) remains conspicuously absent from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This year marks the tenth anniversary of the framework as it does the Kimberley Process, another high-profile international regulatory scheme in which South Africa plays an instrumental role in preventing conflict minerals from entering the international diamonds supply chains through certification.
Monday, 20 May 2013 04:42
The significance of Africa hall to the APRM +10 Anniversary Celebrations
By Matshaba Mothiane
Built in 1961 by the Ethiopian government, Africa Hall continues to stand today as a monument of African unity. A stained glass window in the lobby created by Ethiopia’s most well-known artist Afewerk Tekle depicts Africans of yesterday, today and tomorrow in their struggle for freedom and progress. It is in this hall that 32 Heads of State and Government of the newly independent states of Africa met on 25 May 1963 to sign the Organisation of African Unity Charter resulting in the formation of the Organisation African Unity (OAU).
Sunday, 19 May 2013 20:08
African unity after 50 years: building solid foundations for the future
By Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari and Yarik Turianskyi
One of the highlights of the upcoming 21st Summit of the African Union (AU) is the 50th anniversary of the founding in 1963 of its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 2013. This occasion will be celebrated under the theme of ‘Pan Africanism and the African Rennaissance’, providing a fitting moment to reflect on Africa’s achievements and shortcomings under the aegis of the OAU since 1963, and the AU since 2002.
Thursday, 02 May 2013 09:53
Revamping Nigeria-South Africa relations key to continental progress
By Oladiran Bello and Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari
Since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, Pretoria’s relationship with Nigeria has been a mix of rivalry, tension and cooperation. The pattern of interaction has oscillated from President Mandela’s principled stance against General Sani Abacha’s dictatorship in the late 1990s, to close and effective engagement between Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo during the last decade. Under Presidents Jacob Zuma and Goodluck Jonathan, relations reached a low-point with the two continental powers unable to reach agreement on the chairmanship of the African Union Commission in 2012.
Monday, 22 April 2013 18:38
South Africa after the Central African Republic: saving the African agenda
By Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari
When the bodies of United States army rangers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu in 1993, American public opinion could not comprehend why their compatriots had to die for Somalia. Somalia was seen to be far from the ‘American national interest’. In the wake of domestic pressure and the debate about the national interest, Somalia marked a turning point for American involvement in African conflicts. Similarly, the death of 13 South African soldiers on 23 March 2013 in battle between Damara and Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR) left South African public opinion in a state of incomprehension.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013 08:25
Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR
By Oladiran Bello
The South African deployment in the Central African Republic (CAR) which created a political firestorm at home, came to a precipitous end when President Zuma announced the forces’ withdrawal on 3 April. Beyond the official explanation which centred on a bilateral military cooperation agreement, unpacking the real rationale behind South Africa’s involvement requires a closer reading of a new African geopolitical script of which Pretoria is very much a part. Such a reading must consider the economic (largely resource) interests that forced the long unstable central African country back into the global media spotlight this past month.
Don't talk to me about giblets," International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane reportedly said during last week’s Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) business summit. This remark reveals several things about the nature of the Brics forum, and co-operation on trade matters in particular.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013 20:00
Unpacking South Africa’s BRICS in Africa equation
By Memory Dube and Mzukisi Qobo
In a move that has generated much excitement, South Africa has invited representatives from various African continental institutions, including regional economic blocs to the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit (26-27 March 2013). BRICS leaders will meet them to discuss Africa’s infrastructure development priorities under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) framework. This is in line with the Summit theme, “BRICS and Africa - partnership for development, integration and industrialisation”.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013 07:26
5th Annual BRICS Summit: Not a new case of club diplomacy
By Catherine Grant-Makokera
There has not been a group of countries who have come together in recent years and quite captured the imagination like the BRICS. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa would have seemed like unlikely bedfellows in the not-too-distant past but they are now actively pursuing a common agenda that covers a wide range of political, economic and social issues. The potential collective power that these countries could wield in global governance terms is causing some consternation in the traditional powers of Europe and the United States of America. This is reflected by academic commentators and popular media who cynically…
Wednesday, 20 March 2013 06:57
A regional approach to national development priorities in Mozambique?
By Aditi Lalbahadur
When Mozambique’s ruling party, Frente de Libertação de Mozambique (Frelimo) announced the unanimous re-election of President Armando Guebuza as party president for a third term in October last year, the news was met with wide-spread surprise. This was because the Mozambican constitution sets a two term limit on the presidential office and the party head has traditionally also been the head of state.
Monday, 11 March 2013 00:02
South Africans have yet to discover the real power of social media
By Yu-Shan Wu
Wireless communication and social media platforms have provided citizens with previously unimaginable possibilities to engage politically. For example, during the 2012 United States presidential elections, the Barack Obama campaign launched a smartphone app so users could register, donate and link up with like-minded supporters. The use of online communication is also reaching beyond open democracies to places where fewer political avenues exist. China’s retiring premier Wen Jiabao has had live web chats with the public since 2009. When public sentiment rose against Iran’s leadership, its government, in response, began promoting patriotic ideals online. South Africans are also increasingly using new…
The furore surrounding the mislabelling of meat products in Europe has now also reached South Africa’s shores, with a recent study finding that 99 of 139 meat samples from South African wholesalers and retailers contained species not declared in the product label. The samples included donkey, goat and water buffalo meat. The research institutions responsible for the report also published a 2012 study into mislabelling in the seafood industry, which revealed that the practice is widespread in South Africa.
Sunday, 03 March 2013 15:10
2013 Kenyan Election Outlook – What will the future hold?
By Matshaba Mothiane
The presidential elections in Kenya on 4 March will test the progress Kenyan society has made towards peace and stability after the highly contested and violent elections of 2007. The elections are taking place in an environment of uncertainty. A number of key political contenders face International Criminal Court (ICC) charges for their alleged role in the displacement, torture, persecution and killing of civilians in the aftermath of the 2007 elections. Since Kenya's first multi-party elections in 1992, elections have repeatedly triggered unrest and sometimes violent clashes between ethnic groups. Ethnically-based politics combined with a struggle over access to resources…
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 06:15
The Platinum Sector Peace and Stability Accord: Solution or Reprieve?
By Alex Benkenstein
On 25 February 2013 Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu announced that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) had acceded to the Platinum Sector Peace and Stability Accord, an agreement signed the previous week between government, mining houses and labour aimed at bringing an end to the turmoil in South Africa’s platinum sector. With all major stakeholders now signatory to the agreement, is this the beginning of a return to normality in the platinum sector?
Monday, 25 February 2013 00:47
Africa Energy Indaba: Empowering Renewable Energy Sources?
By Agathe Maupin
2013 sees South African cities play host to a number of international events. The African Mining Indaba was held in Cape Town earlier this month, and Durban will soon host the much anticipated BRICS Summit this coming March. This week its Johannesburg’s turn to host the Africa Energy Indaba (19 – 21 February 2013), a regional event of the World Energy Council (WEC). The Indaba brings together leading decision makers, role players and experts to discuss how best to plan and develop Africa’s energy future.
Monday, 18 February 2013 02:49
State of the Nation 2013: Implications for Business
By Catherine Grant-Makokera
President Jacob Zuma addressed a somewhat distracted South African population in his State of the Nation speech. He started and finished the lengthy presentation by reaffirming the commitment of government to the vision set out in the National Development Plan. Unsurprisingly, this was one of a number of echoes of policy decisions made at the ANC's National Conference held in Mangaung in December 2012. Among them were the categorical dismissal of the nationalisation debate and a strong defence of the supremacy of the constitution. These are things investors want to hear and the reaction of the rand reflected a certain…
Wednesday, 06 February 2013 11:29
SA faces a difficult test as it seeks to change its image
By Peter Draper
DAVOS is important for at least three reasons: it plays a critical role in setting an agenda for global discussions throughout the year; provides networking opportunities of the highest order; and offers countries opportunities to brand themselves with an elite, powerful investor community. It is thus appropriate that South Africa is properly represented. But what can we expect? The global agenda revolves around the major powers’ strategic postures. US politicians continue to edge away from their fiscal cliff while the economy grows, if anaemically. President Barack Obama is consolidating his "diplomacy first, shoot later" foreign policy thrust, whilst extricating the…
Sunday, 03 February 2013 22:58
Resource nationalism threatens Africa’s mining boom
By Oladiran Bello
On the eve of the 2013 Mining Indaba, resource nationalism remains a serious investment risk which threatens both foreign investors and resource-producing states alike. With growing attention devoted to the subject, it appears that assertive resource-exporting countries in Africa risk alienating international capital. In newly resource-rich states and older producers alike, some proposals ostensibly aimed at maximising society’s benefits from resource extraction have spooked investors. Much discussion at the Indaba this week will touch on the disparate experiences often termed resource nationalism, but it is worth reflecting on what the term really means.
On Sunday 16 December 2012 the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s governing party, will descend on Mangaung to begin its 53rd National Elective Conference. Much of the discourse in the run-up to the anticipated meeting has centred on South Africa’s political economy and what, if anything, the conference can do to address the political quagmire, economic malaise and social instability now besetting the country.
Thursday, 13 December 2012 18:00
SA's global relations stance directly affects its economy
By Elizabeth Sidiropoulos
Mangaung is consumed by the leadership succession debate. But while some aspects of the policy proposals going to Mangaung have been debated very publicly, others, such as international relations, have not. After all, jobs and the economy, not foreign policy, tend to be the deciding factor in most elections. Yet how a country tackles its global relations has a direct impact on these very real domestic issues.
The nationalisation of resources has been the subject of heated debate in recent months, both within Africa and beyond. Abroad, the Canadian government’s recent refusal to accept a foreign buy-out of a locally-owned gas exploration company has raised eyebrows. At home, emotive exchanges over the possible nationalisation of the mining sector have dominated the public discourse in the run-up to Mangaung.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012 05:44
South Africa and France in Africa: exploring new avenues for pursuing the African Agenda
By Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari
After ill-tempered Franco-African relations under Nicolas Sarkozy, a new relationship is expected to emerge between France and Africa following François Hollande’s first visit to the continent as President of France in October 2012.
Monday, 26 November 2012 04:26
South Africa’s “exceptional unemployment”: is tax the silver bullet?
By Catherine Grant-Makokera and Itumeleng Rantao
In August, economist Chris Hart made headlines by classifying South Africa’s unemployment levels as “exceptional”. As reported in this paper, he compared the unemployment situation here to the employment success story of Brazil, and counseled that taxation policies, not labour laws, were to blame for our persistent unemployment problem.
International climate change talks will kick off in Qatar today (26 November). The next two weeks will witness intense negotiations at the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) between the UN and leaders from around the globe about the future of the climate change regime.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012 20:00
From Orange to Green: An Assessment of Lesotho’s Elections
By Nchafatso Sello and Yarik Turianskyi
How much difference does one year make? In September 2011, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP) jointly launched a report examining governance in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, through the prism of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The report was entitled Implementing the APRM: Views from Civil Society: Lesotho Report.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012 08:05
Mining and Minerals for development: Making the case for Africa
By Ichumile Gqada
Minerals as a catalyst for growth and development was the key focus of the Eighth African Development Forum, 23-25 October 2012. Under the title "Governing and Harnessing Natural Resources for Africa’s Development", the meeting sought to highlight the role that Africa’s natural resources can play in the continent’s economic transformation and socio-economic development.
Monday, 12 November 2012 03:03
What Does the Obama Victory Mean for Global Economic Governance?
By Peter Draper
The jubilant reaction in some South African quarters to Barrack Obama’s re-election as US President is understandable. Unlike his Republican counterparts Obama represents social inclusion, a fact borne out by the multi-ethnic constituency the democratic party sewed together, and which looks set to strengthen as the demographic balance in the US swings inexorably away from the white majority.
Sunday, 04 November 2012 20:00
WTO Director General: Time for Africa?
By Catherine Grant and Peter Draper
During the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum held in Geneva recently, the corridors and coffee shops were abuzz with speculation about the race for the position of Director General. Pascal Lamy will end his second term in August 2013. The official process to find a replacement will begin with nominations of candidates by member countries of the WTO in December 2012. Informal jockeying for position has already begun.
South Africa's oft-repeated role as a “gateway” to African markets was given renewed impetus by President Jacob Zuma during last year's summit of Brics countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—in China. But so far, the gateway role of South Africa has not been analysed systematically.
Tuesday, 30 October 2012 20:00
Eighth African Development Forum Emphasises Improved Resource Governance
By Alex Benkenstein
The African Development Forum (ADF) is a biennial event hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with the AU Commission, the African Development Bank, and other partners. The theme of the eighth ADF, concluded recently in Addis Ababa on 23-25 October 2012, was “Governing and Harnessing Natural Resources for Africa’s Development.” The forum focussed on key natural resource sectors on the continent, namely mining, forestry, fisheries and land.