Politics

During the struggle to end the institutionalized racial segregation and promotion of white supremacy in South Africa under the apartheid government, the African National Congress (ANC) was the leading political party that championed the movement, much to the detriment of most of its members. By 1994, apartheid became a thing of the past and the ANC rose to become the ruling party as Nelson Mandela was elected as the...

Baleka Mbete is a South African politician who has twice served as Speaker of the National Assembly and then as Deputy President of the country under Kgalema Motlanthe. For about one decade, the African National Congress (ANC) stalwart also served as Chair of her political party, a role through which she was able to orchestrate some of the most historic and controversial moments in SA politics history. Biography of Baleka...

Cyril Ramaphosa is a South African politician, activist, renowned businessman, and President of the Republic of South Africa. Ramaphosa became South Africa's fifth President on February 15, 2018, following the resignation of his predecessor Jacob Zuma and a subsequent vote of the National Assembly. By May 2019, he was elected into his first full term as president. The majority of the people know him for obvious reasons, which are politics...

Women's participation in politics they say has become the key to meaningful and sustainable development, as well as a flourishing democracy. One woman who is a testament to this fact is Lindiwe Sisulu, a South African politician who serves as the country's Minister of Human Settlements, Water & Sanitation. Sisulu has made an exceptional impact in the Rainbow nation's political arena, and her resume speaks for itself. Beyond her current...

Alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, and Govan Mbeki among other African National Congress (ANC) members, Ahmed Kathrada was one of the famous prisoners of Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prison who were locked up after being sentenced to life imprisonment at the now infamous Rivonia Trial. After gaining freedom in 1990, the former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist served as a Member of Parliament. At his long-time friend’s behest,...

In a government that has been tainted by various scandals from some of its very high political office holders, Malusi Gigaba appears to be no different than his colleagues even though he was once hailed as a breath of fresh air. The South African politician, who has served as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Public Enterprises, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Home Affairs of The Republic...

Robert Mugabe was a black nationalist and the former leader of independent Zimbabwe. As a politician, he served as the country's prime minister from 1980 to 1987, and as president from 1987 to 2017. Although his leadership has been full of turns and twists, which made him a controversial figure, it is imperative to note that Mugabe was indeed the nation's icon of liberation. He played a vital role...

One would not be mincing words when they say that the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) was the main reason why the African National Congress (ANC) as a political party was able to become the political force it is today; first playing a significant role at the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggle before becoming the ruling party of a Democratic South Africa. In recent times, however, the ANC youth...

Ahead of South African Elections coming up on the 7th of May, 2014 during which the country will elect a new president, a new set of national assembly members and legislators for various provinces in South Africa, various political parties are gearing towards this day and many are hoping that they would produce candidates that would be privileged to win the coming elections and lead the citizens of this...

Do you really need the academic qualification to run a country or head a large organisation? South Africa is a country situated in the southern part of Africa, a multi-ethnic society consisting of people with different religions, cultures, and languages. South Africa has had its own fair share of racial clashes between the white minority and the black majority which lasted for quite some time and will remain in...

Have you ever wondered the academic qualifications of the presidents of Zambia? The country has really taken a long stride since the it gained independence from the hands of her colonial masters in 1964. We all know how big an effort has been put down to keep the country going. Zambian leaders have so far proven to have the capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common...

The "salary-gate" scandal in 2014  which was a result of the media's exposure of the outrageous salaries earned by Zimbabwean politicians and parastatal bosses in Zimbabwe, led to a huge expectation that the Government would act quickly on corruption. While the Government didn't fail the public as it capped the salary of the Government parastatal bosses at US$6,000 from over US$500,000 which was of course well received by the public, the...

Following Michael Sata's death on 28th October 2014, the Vice President became the interim President of Zambia until the recent elections, making him (Guy Scott) the first white African president since South Africa's in 1994. With the recently concluded presidential elections in Zambia which most people believe was a wake-up call to all Zambians to avoid mistakes of the past, Edgar Lungu was elected President to hold office until September...

If corruption has a home, its South Africa. For it's plainly impossible to give an adequate description of the corruption, embezzlement and corporate fraud pervading the country. The government parastatals are virtually out of control, bloated and infested with fraud, deceit, corruption, and abuse of power just as the masses are increasingly losing the beauty of their souls in exchange for the money that comes with corruption. In the words of Ray...

The salary of top South African politicians holding senior government offices is quite overwhelming, making it one of the best places in the world to be a politician. Our head of state is currently one of the politicians topping the salary scales worldwide. Almost all the time, a new figure appears suggesting that those benefits supplied to President Zuma and other top politicians are deeply costing the taxpayers a...

Despite receiving many backlashes and opposition from a handful of political parties, the South African Politician Awards finally held, as earlier announced, on the eve of the State Address. The event, which was organized by a company called Jozi Media, held at Cape Town's Cape Sun Hotel on Wednesday night. Politicians were nominated to different categories including the Parliamentarian of the Year, Best Dressed Politician, Woman in Politics and Best...

It’s been a tumultuous ride over here of late – with the economy taking a beating and echoes of corruption swirling around President Zuma. Whether the dumped motion of no confidence against Jacob Zuma will lead to more stability or less in South Africa still remains to be seen. After no less than eight motions put forward during the time he has been in power, it is a case...

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) is a political party in South Africa that is governed by Christian beliefs and principles. The party, which was founded in 1993 and is led by Kenneth Meshoe, aims at making South Africa a strong, healthy, prosperous, and purpose-driven nation. Its original manifesto includes traditional Christian norms, a free market system, and human rights under a federal governmental system. But despite it outrightly identifying...

Joyce Banda is one of the two African female presidents. Her presidency has been compared to that of former Nigerian president, Jonathan Goodluck. She was globally ranked at position 71 as the world's most influential female leader, and position 1 in Africa by the Forbes magazine. If you can't figure out who is being referred in the above statement, then you're yet to learn much about African current history....

Like every other public figure whose life would make a perfect rags-to-riches story, Supra Mahumapelo was once looked up to by the average South African as one that would help liberate society from all the ills that had overcome it. A former herd boy in his village, Mahumapelo worked his way up through the ranks of the African National Congress and rose to become one of the most respected politicians...

South African elections are held after every five years. During the elections, the national assembly members and provincial legislatures are elected into their respective offices. Currently, four elections have been done under the conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in the year 1994. The South African national assembly is composed of 400 members who are elected by proportional representation. In addition, there are...