The Wicked Conversation
South Africa’s worsening water security crisis
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the United Nations General Assembly on 19 September. He rightly said that many developing nations are unlikely to meet sustainable development goals. To address development challenges, he said, we “require targeted investment,...
Expert analysis
Understanding South Africa’s coalition landscape
Ahead of the 2024 elections, debate about coalition governments and their effect on political stability is proliferating because the ANC appears to be at risk of losing its majority of voter share both nationally and locally. We can therefore expect to see an increase...
The hidden (and not so hidden) injustice of coal
A new class action lawsuit being brought against Exarro puts the role of coal in our society firmly in the spotlight. Depending on how one measures it at any given time, South Africa depends on coal for over 80 percent (or 42GW) of its electricity needs. The national...
Anticipating COP28 and its implications
The United Nations COP27, which concluded in November 2022, left behind mixed outcomes. Although there were some advancements, such as establishing a loss and damage fund, the overall progress fell short of the urgent action required to address the climate crisis as...
SA private sector boosts renewables
Another Energy Action Plan progress update was delivered by South African Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, this month (Nov 2023). It has been reported that policy and technical milestones have been achieved, particularly regarding financing to expand...
Thinking leftfield to solve democracy dissatisfaction
Youth unemployment is a significant global concern. It is especially concerning across African economies, given relatively high fertility rates and declining employment prospects. According to the United Nations, Africa will be home to four billion people by 2100. The...
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COP26: What should be at the top of Africa’s agenda?
In November, the United Kingdom will host the 26th annual United Nations (UN) global climate summit – called COP – or “Conference of the Parties” in Glasgow. COP26 (delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic) has a unique urgency and could prove to be one of the most important conferences of our time. Most experts agree that the…
The Africa Governance Papers
Podcasts
GGA’s Pranish Desai appears on The Citizen’s podcast
On 15 February 2023, GGA’s Pranish Desai appeared on the podcast The Citizen’s...
GGA’s Pranish Desai on coalition issues in municipal councils
On 14 February 2023, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke to SAfm's Songezo Mabece about...
GGA’s Pranish Desai on corruption in local government
On 12 January 2023, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke to Radio 702's Thabo...
News feed
How will South Africans vote in 2024?
The 2024 national and provincial South African elections will likely prove the most important elections since the seminal 1994 elections. The country faces mounting socio-economic challenges including high unemployment, an energy crisis, water scarcity, high crime...
Why data matters for governance
Data is becoming increasingly central to our daily lives, influencing both personal choices and broader societal decisions. From a governance perspective, improved access to and understanding of data can pave the way for evidence-based policymaking. While Africa does...
The keys to solving the legacy issues in SA’s mining sector
May 2023 marked five years since the largest and most expensive class action lawsuit in South African legal history was brought by mine workers against six mining companies operating in South Africa. The lawsuit was for compensation for having contracted silicosis or...
Eswatini post election: Time for a national dialogue
The Kingdom of Eswatini held its 2023 General Elections on 29 September. As the kingdom is an absolute monarchy under the rule of King Mswati III, elections do not considerably change the political landscape. Eswatini is the last absolute monarchy in Africa, where...
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