THE GOVERNANCE REPORT
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The Wicked Conversation
The July 2021 unrest a year later – have the lessons been learned?
On 7 July 2021, former President Jacob Zuma began serving a 15-month prison sentence. His arrest stemmed from an unprecedented judgment by the Constitutional Court, which called for his imprisonment for failing to appear before the State Capture Inquiry. The following...
Expert analysis
The precarious balance between development, human rights and protecting the environment
The impact of climate risk on investment portfolios is overblown, and investors should not worry. After all, some madman always screams about the world's end, which has not ended yet. Stuart Kirk, former Global Head of Responsible Investment at HSBC Asset Management,...
The July 2021 unrest a year later – have the lessons been learned?
On 7 July 2021, former President Jacob Zuma began serving a 15-month prison sentence. His arrest stemmed from an unprecedented judgment by the Constitutional Court, which called for his imprisonment for failing to appear before the State Capture Inquiry. The following...
José Eduardo dos Santos – a legacy of kleptocracy
After a brief two-year retirement in Barcelona, and a battle with ill health, Angola’s former president – José Eduardo dos Santos – has died at age 79. Dos Santos ruled with an iron fist for 38 years, treating one of Africa’s richest countries as his personal fiefdom....
Surviving childhood in Africa
Policymaking lessons we can learn from Africa’s experience with reducing child mortality A persistent theme within commentary on policymaking across Africa is an emphasis on the “negative lessons” we can draw from policymaking failures. Questions are asked about what...
State Capture Report: The implicated and the charges against them
On 22 June 2022 the Presidency released the final instalment of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report. This timeline highlights significant findings in the reports. It looks at the key dates, actors, institutions, and individuals and the...
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Election tracker
Upcoming Angolan elections – the most competitive yet
Introduction Political commentators predict that the Angolan 2022 electoral contest is set to be one of its most competitive yet. Opposition parties hope to address grievances like unemployment, poverty, inadequate housing, and public services in electoral votes this...
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: 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....
Podcasts
ESG is good for everyone, including the extractive industries
Why is good Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) in fragile...
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...
News feed
Russia in Ukraine: South Africa’s unprincipled stance
The South African government’s policy on Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine comes in the context of its record on human rights internationally, which is a sorry tale. In the pursuit of its own agenda internationally over the past 15 years, the ANC has conflated...
Glencore case: Are fines enough for real accountability?
Last month, Glencore, a multinational mining and commodity company, pleaded guilty to long-standing charges of systematic bribery, corruption, and market manipulation to authorities of the United States (US), Brazil, and the United Kingdom (UK). Glencore was...
Youth unemployment betrays the promise and sacrifice of 1976
Six years ago, Julian Brown wrote The Road to Soweto: Resistance and the Uprising of 16 June 1976. In a 2017 review of that book, Toivo Asheeke wrote that Brown “successfully expands our understanding of the Soweto uprising as an event marking the culmination of...
New patterns of political violence in SA
The nature of political violence in South Africa has changed over the decades since the first democratic election in 1994, becoming more intense and also concentrated in the local municipal landscape. The assassinations of counsellors in KZN last year show how those...
