THE GOVERNANCE REPORT
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The Wicked Conversation
Meaningful consultation with communities: what does it mean?
The recent High Court case that interdicted Shell’s seismic blasting campaign off South Africa’s Wild Coast demonstrates how indigenous communities are using the courts to protect their constitutional and customary rights. Representatives of various indigenous fishing...
Expert analysis
Mswati’s hand seen in Eswatini’s removal from SADC agenda
As the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique nears the end of its term, South Africa, as chair of SADC, called for a summit to be held on 4 and 5 April. Initially, Eswatini was included but its subsequent removal raises questions. King Mswati...
Mitigating Covid-19 during elections in SADC countries
The Covid-19 pandemic has become part of our reality since 2020. Several elections are planned for the SADC region in 2022. With a surge in cases and emerging variants, it is imperative to ensure that elections do not become Covid-19 spreaders. For these Covid-19...
Botswana’s backsliding: A story of governance demiseÂ
Trust is difficult to build and easy to destroy. The same is true of democracy and good governance. Botswana has, relatively speaking, been a shining light of democracy on the continent. Until now, that is. Its recent democratic backsliding appears to have gone...
A snapshot of the roots of instability in West Africa
Over the last two years, military-led coups have afflicted the West Africa region, particularly in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali (twice). While the individual causes of these coups differ greatly, they exemplify a trend in which governance failures such as corruption,...
A bloody road to Zimbabwe’s 26 March by-elections
On 26 February, Zimbabwe’s vice-president, Constantino Chiwenga, warned the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) and its leader, Nelson Chamisa, that Zanu-PF will crush the party like lice. AllAfrica reported that he told a Zanu-PF rally in Kwekwe: “Let me assure you...
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Election tracker
Elections 2021: How does your municipality rank?
Monday is voting day in South Africa's local government elections. If you're still thinking about where to place your X, take a moment to better inform yourself about your municipality with GGA's Governance Performance Index (GPI), which measures how well, or poorly,...
SA municipal elections – Unpacking the coalition puzzle
As the 1 November 2021 date for the local government elections (LGE) draws closer, calls for coalition politics are gaining momentum. Political analyst William Gumede predicted before the 2019 general election, “It could be the last time the governing ANC wins an...
Navigating uncharted waters: Â the road to Local Government Elections
Following the impasse and uncertainty over the constitutionality of moving local government elections to 2022, and the consequent Constitutional Court decision, South Africa will hold Local Government Elections (LGE’s) on 1 November 2021. The country is grappling with...
South African local government elections 2021 timeline
Zambia’s new day – the hard work begins
To paraphrase OR Tambo’s seminal speech in 1977: Zambians, you might think it is very difficult to wage an election struggle. Wait until you are in power. At that stage you will realise that it is actually more difficult to keep the power than to wage an election war....
Zambia election day 2021: Summary
While we wait for the official results to be verified and released, the following will provide a summary of events that took place on election day in Zambia. Introduction For the 2021 Zambian elections, there were over 7 million registered voters. The day passed...
Podcasts
PODCAST: Africa’s divided response to the war in Ukraine
Ukraine: Africa's divided response We look at Africa's perceived lack of...
PODCAST: West Africa Coups
West Africa Coups In recent years, West Africa has seen a spate of coups and...
PODCAST: AiF – Issue 60
Sink or Swim - COP 26 The first issue of Africa in Fact (AIF60) this year...
News feed
Ramaphosa exercises good governance in appointing Zondo
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Raymond Zondo as South Africa’s Chief Justice. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this appointment for upholding South Africa’s constitution and its primary precept, the rule of law. The president has shown strategic...
Ukraine conflict – implications for Africa
As the world watches in disbelief as the war in Ukraine evolves, the adage comes to mind: in every crisis there is an opportunity. As Africa prepares for the inevitable political and economic fallout, it may be an opportune time for some African countries to formulate...
Political violence in South Africa’s municipal councils – a perpetual cycle?
South Africa has a history of political violence, including a culture of violent protests and political killings. Historically, the violence is rooted in diverse drivers such as ethnic and tribal differences, and political intolerance. These drivers were fuelled by...
How committed is SA to reducing fossil fuel dependence?
Last year’s court judgment against Shell to suspend seismic blasting off the Wild Coast was hailed by local environmental and tourism groups as a victory in the protection of one of the country’s most beautiful coastlines. Moreover, the case served to bring...
