Ivory sales by Zimbabwe and Namibia could ‘create demand spike’
In early May, the governments of Zimbabwe and Namibia took the unusual step of petitioning the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) to remove their elephants from CITES protection, which currently prohibits them from selling elephant ivory.
Land in Africa: Property Rights Needed
The ‘Land Question’. From legislation under consideration – such as the new Expropriation Bill – to a reopened land claims process, to violent evictions in Hammanskraal, to emotive rhetoric around current landholding patterns, the politics of land is shaking South Africa.
Where Africa Meets Asia: Chinese Agricultural and Manufacturing Investment in Madagascar
Madagascar’s abundant natural resources, low labor costs, and geographic location make it a potentially attractive destination for Chinese outward investment as rising wages in China and domestic competition increasingly drive firms to ‘go out.’
The Hissène Habré trial: a triumph for victims and civil society
Nearly 26 years after he was forced out of power, former Chadian president Hissène Habré has been found guilty of crimes against humanity, torture (including sexual violence) and crimes of war committed under his rule from 1982 to 1990.
Wage strikes loom in a sector that cannot afford it
Mining production has declined 18% year-on-year to May and job losses are growing.
The demise of African unity?
People of Africa have shared interests and should be united around common goals. This is the main idea behind Pan-Africanism.
Enhancing biotrade in an era of biodiversity mainstreaming
The 2016 International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) will be commemorated on the 22nd of May with the theme of ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity: Sustaining People and their Livelihoods’.
Making Sustainable Development the Key Focus of the BRICS New Development Bank
The paper explores definitions of sustainable development that the New Development Bank of the BRICS could use in identifying and implementing projects in South Africa and on the African continent.
The EU-Turkey migrant deal: Will it work, and at what cost?
Looking back at the events of Europe’s migrant and refugee crisis in 2015, it is tempting to quote Dickens: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’.
‘The Africa We Want’: Unpacking the primacy of Africa in South Africa’s foreign policy
The importance of international relations to a country’s well-being is not always apparent to the ordinary person in the street. Often regarded as an unnecessary expense when a country such as South Africa faces significant economic and social challenges, ministries of foreign affairs easily fall prey to the fiscal austerity knife.