Corrupt contestants

As Kenyan-born public intellectual and pan-Africanist PLO Lumumba often reminds us, there is something distinct about Africans – we are too tolerant of corruption among those who govern us, unlike... 

Bizarre obesity premium

A couple of weeks back, I disclosed in this column how a nutritionist-designed diet and engaging in physical exercise daily had helped me shed tens of kilos, in the process taming my rampant blood... 

Minister highlights Zimbabwe mining sector’s growth potential

By bringing previously unregulated small-scale miners into the formal fold and introducing incentives for established producers, Zimbabwe has boosted its gold output from about 20 t to 35 t a year... 

Embarrassing talk shop

Much as one may try, it’s not always possible to be charitable towards some of Africa’s institutions. The very unexceptional and scandal-prone Pan African Parliament (PAP), which has been hosted by... 

AI’s antimalaria promise

I recently read a magazine article where the writer remarked that he could not remember the last time he had phoned a company and was answered by a human being. This is but one illustration of how... 

Andile Africa

This week we profile Andile Africa, CEO of the Automotive Industry Development Centre, which was established to develop and transform the automotive industry in South Africa into a globally... 

Uncivilised asylum plan

I have never made any bones about my dislike for former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – not after the racist comments about Africans that he made in newspaper columns during his time as a... 

Jurie Bezuidenhout

This week we profile Jurie Bezuidenhout, MD of The Capital Hotels, Apartments & Resorts, a hospitality group 

How I beat cholesterol

A frequent experience for me during the past 18 months is acquaintances I haven’t seen in a while stealing furtive glances at me in a manner that betrays concern on their part about the state of my... 

Inequality explosion

South Africa has the unenviable distinction – nay, infamy – of being the most unequal country in the world, with a Gini coefficient of 0.65. This is little wonder, given the country’s unemployment... 

A Covid reminder

The ubiquitous face mask is now gone. So too have the rigid lockdowns that saw many of us work from home for the better part of the period from 2020 to early 2021. But not all reminders that our... 

Enduring hope

Following the sluggish 1990s, the early years of this millennium witnessed spectacular growth in sub-Saharan Africa, giving rise to the Africa Rising narrative – the notion that it was inevitable... 

Themba Baloyi

This week we profile Themba Baloyi, MD of Voith Turbo South Africa, which is engaged in the marketing, assembly, service and sales support of engineering products in mining and metals, paper, rail,... 

Climate apartheid

The term ‘climate apartheid’ has been bandied about to refer to wealthy nations’ ability to pay to escape the overheating, hunger and conflict that ensue from climate change while the rest of the... 

Creeping misery

Inflation, unemployment and punitive borrowing costs – read interest rates – are said by those in the know to be sure-fire determinants of whether the citizens of a nation are a miserable lot. With... 

Misplaced obsession

There has been much debate of late – in the media and elsewhere – about whether new Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda is capable of leading a city with a R70-billion-plus yearly budget, given his... 

Africa Day – 60 years on

Assuming you are reading this article on this edition’s publication day, the odds are you are nursing a hangover, unless you live in South Africa or in the other countries where Africa Day – May 25... 

Humanoid’s exciting journey

It must be five years ago now. Or slightly longer. But whatever. Back then, I wrote in this column about a latter-day Melchizedek of sorts, who, unlike the Old Testament character, is female. I... 

Coalition era beckoning?

I did not know of Thapelo Amad at all prior to his short-lived tenure as the mayor of Johannesburg. Just as I was beginning to form an opinion of him, he resigned, but that was not before I had... 

Staggering news illiteracy

Achraf Hakini, a star defensive midfielder for French football club Paris Saint-Germain, should have significant name recognition in a football-loving country such as South Africa, given his... 

Brazen and endemic

Thabo Bester’s soapy-like prison escape in May last year and his equally dramatic capture in Tanzania this month are decidedly among the biggest talking points now – not only in South Africa but... 

Matt LiVigni

This week we profile Matt LiVigni, MD of tyre manufacturer Continental Tyre South Africa  

Absurd territorial claim

A rather curious motion has been introduced in Lesotho’s Parliament. It seeks to reclaim all of South Africa’s Free State province, as well as parts of Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape... 

SADC’s bounded awarenesss

That Zimbabwe is one of the problem children of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is not in doubt. It’s also beyond question that, despite this dubious honour, leaders of the bloc’s... 

Yolisa Tshabalala

This week we feature Yolisa Tshabalala, co-founder and director of Imizizi, a provider of transformative people management, advisory and consulting services – from hire to retire 

It’s okay to want to lead

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA's) federal congress, held last week, included a two-way leadership contest that pitted the incumbent, John Steenhuisen, against former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and... 

Better English, better GDP?

Conventional wisdom has it that our kids attaining a high degree of proficiency in the so-called STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is an absolute must if this... 

Kennedy Chinganya

This week we profile Kennedy Chinganya, MD of telecommunications company Altron Nexus  

Madame Prez-in-Waiting

Namibia is something of a rarity in Southern Africa. I mean ‘southern’ as defined in the dictionary, not as the word is understood by the fellows at SADC House, in Gaborone, Botswana, to whom... 

Chris Norton

This week we profile Chris Norton, the Johannesburg-based regional director for Africa at Veeam Software, a global leader in backup, recovery and data management solutions  

Mampara Number 2

Tunisia, a small North African nation, has had a lot of bad press of late. This comes on the back of a campaign against immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, with reports rife of random identity... 

Logan Naicker

This week we profile Logan Naicker, CEO of Alstom Ubunye is involved in the manufacturing, servicing and maintenance of rail products and components for the local and export markets 

Aged face of governance

At the time of writing, Bola Tinibu had just been named Nigeria’s President-Elect, after the wizened former governor of Lagos, Africa’s largest city, had shrugged off challenges from contenders who... 

Carlo Bolzonello

This week we profile Carlo Bolzonello, country leader of Trellix South Africa, a cybersecurity solutions provider 

Beware of political scammers

A disclaimer first: this piece is not exactly original, as it draws heavily from a recent Twitter thread by Zakes Mda, the acclaimed South African novelist, poet and playwright who currently lives... 

Pule Mothibe

This week we profile Pule Mothibe, incoming CEO of Entsika Consulting, which provides services ranging from business consulting and advisory to internal audit, engineering and construction, power,... 

Emigration silver lining

Alan Knott-Craig Jnr, the namesake son of the former boss of telecoms giant Vodacom, wrote in his 2008 book that emigration will never beat living and working in one’s own country. As an... 

Anabel Vieira

This week we profile Anabel Vieira, FD of Octodec Investments, a JSE-listed real estate investment trust with a diversified portfolio of 250 residential, retail, office, industrial and specialised... 

Forced return to the office

Loadshedding has become a new normal in South Africa, with the intensity having worsened in the past two years, and word is that we should brace ourselves for this scourge for at least the next 18... 

Corruption-accused contenders

Apologies in advance: for the umpteenth time, I cite Kenyan public intellectual, anticorruption crusader and pan-Africanist PLO Lumumba’s take on Africans’ attitude to corrupt politicians, which,...