Politics

They say information is power. Surely it is; that can never be disputed. No wonder the media plays an important role to development. This is no expert piece, but just an attempt to open minds so we wake up to this reality. Happy reading. State Ownership model Every state has a national broadcaster controlled by government. But the levels of control differ basing on the governance inclinations of those in power. However, the goal is to ensure that there is a means of communication between the state and the people. And in most jurisdictions, if not all, citizens pay licences to keep the national broadcaster on air. All this from an understanding that the media plays an important role to development. Media abuse and bias It is sad that the media has been abused by those in au...

As we discussed in a previous instalment, SADC is proving to be useless. As each day passes, the body is losing relevance. Surely, the little that is left of its credibility is under serious threat. Relevance of SADC SADC was founded on the pretext of facilitating regional integration and development, this after attainment of independence by all member states. And that is some years ago. As stated earlier, peace and security is key to development. It is in the best interests of the regional body to foster and promote the same. War in Cabo Delgado The war in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado pose a serious challenge to SADC's mandate. Interestingly, the body has an organ responsible for defence and security. Sadly, it has done virtually nothing to help Mozambique. As discussions go...

Africa is now full of educated personnel in all fields. We have seen an expansion of government spending on infrastructural development, research and knowledge acquisition, and this is commendable. Ideally, an educated populace is expected to take the lead in fostering and championing development of the continent. Education has not helped Africa develop at the right pace. Educated but poor However, we seem not to have anything to show for all that investment. We are able to read and write, but standards of living are even plummeting by all standards. Poverty reigns supreme, and our educated populace cannot proffer solutions. Our scientists would rather seek employment in foreign lands that proffer solutions of challenges our motherland faces. We know necessity is the mother of...

SADC is a useless, worthless regional body after all. We all thought it was established to spearhead development in the region anchored on peace and stability. But alas, we were very wrong. No development without peace. There cannot be development in the face of political instability. Surely, a nation at war stagnates. Furthermore, SADC countries are closely tied and share borders. Therefore, any conflict in one country will inevitably spill into neighbouring countries. On this understanding, the founding fathers of Africa and the region premised their foreign policy positions. Precedents set After attaining Independence, Mozambique gave a base to liberation forces from Zimbabwe to launch the guerrilla warfare that culminated in her own independence. The same applies to Za...

Africa is our motherland, and we can never have any other. We are Africans, and we are proud of who we are. Or is that so? Do we love whatever we are known for? Ideally we should have self-love. However, owing to a plethora of reasons, we are ashamed of ourselves. We are plagued by many challenges, most of them not insurmountable after all. War Africa is characterised by senseless wars. Ethiopia fights Eritrea, there is unrest in Somalia, Mozambique, Eswatini, the whole great lakes region and so forth. And this is a case of brothers on each other's throat. Pathetic, isn’t it. Interestingly, most of these conflicts are foreign sponsored. As we fight, the enemy loots our resources, as we see in the DRC. Thus we spend time fighting, all at the expense of developing. Witless us! ...

In one of his most iconic speeches, Robert Mugabe threatened to take action on United Nations reforms. Understandably, his main focus was on the Security Council organ. This happens to be the most powerful of all. We must take a closer look and put his sentiments into perspective. Ultimately, we will appreciate where he was coming from. How the League of Nations failed The United Nation is the successor organisation to the League of Nations. The league had been formed in the aftermath of the World War 1 bloodbath. Ideally, it was supposed to foster and promote world peace and stability. Spectacularly, that plan failed. Inevitably, the world plunged into chaos again: World War 2. From the resultant plunder and destruction was birthed the UN, another world body as we are made to b...

SADC regional integration talk has been going on for years. To that end, free movement of people across borders is key. On 8 July 2021, Zimbabwe announced the scrapping of Visa requirements for all persons from the SADC region wishing to visit. This shocked me. Surely, why had this been a requirement after all? Why would someone need a visa to visit a neighbouring country in the same region? All this flies in the face of regional integration sentiments we hear from our leaders. SADC Regional Integration Indispensable. It is sad that policies pursued by most political leaders are ridiculous. Africa is one, and we all accept that. However, we keep putting in place useless restrictions on our own people for no reason. Apparently, stupid and selfish reasons are at the root of this. ...

State capture in South Africa is a hot topic. It is a much talked about subject there. And there seems to be no end in sight. As we speak, Jacob Zuma is in prison owing to his refusal to attend the state capture hearing. State Capture or Guptarisation During president Zuma's reign, state capture was more topical. Interestingly, it still is a hot [topic after his reign. Under him, the Guptas did what they wanted, and many suspect they had Zuma in their pocket. They literally could do as they liked. Inevitably, lots of corruption scandals are suspected to have occurred under his watch. They say Zuma was not his own man but was leashed somewhere. Thus his handlers did as they pleased. And one can hardly dispute that. State Capture Real? It is true that Zuma was captured, and ...

Zuma was incarcerated, and the nation reacted angrily. The past few weeks have been eventful for South Africa. Indeed, the nation has been trending, and for wrong reasons. Only that this time it was not about xenophobia but deadly protests. These were far from being peaceful; violence and senseless looting were characteristic thereof. Jacob Zuma’s Ill-advised defiance. Former president was supposed to appear before the commission of enquiry on state capture. And this state capture was characteristic of his reign. Somehow, the Gupta family got Zuma into their pocket and they leashed him. Resultantly, they did as they pleased during his reign. Inevitably, lots of corruption scandals occurred, prejudicing the state in the process. When Zuma was summoned, he refused to appear before...

Eswatini is on fire. Atrocities are being committed in the small kingdom, and no one seems to care. The monarch has shut down the internet, and we can all guess what the intention is. Surely, there are serious atrocities and human right violation going on. Let us pray for Swazis. King Mswati Eswatini Demands Accountability It all began with demands for accountability and transparency by citizens. Corruption is endemic in the kingdom, and the royal family lives large in the midst of apparent poverty. Am even told the kind controls the national brewery, and anyone who brews anything in the neighbourhoods will have their homestead razed to the ground. Am speaking literally here. Senseless brutality. But this has just been a question of time. Protests that began as a demand for ac...