The Challenging Path to Reform in South Africa
Despite voters’ repudiation of corrupt governance practices, the ANC remains divided in its commitment to reforms.
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Despite voters’ repudiation of corrupt governance practices, the ANC remains divided in its commitment to reforms.
Competing factions of the ANC and other political parties have vastly different visions for handling sensitive issues of corruption, land expropriation, and restoring trust in South Africa.
South Africans have high hopes that Cyril Ramaphosa will be able to deliver change to systemic state capture. However, sustained reforms in South Africa's most important national institutions are required if those hopes are to be met.
As Cyril Ramaphosa replaces Jacob Zuma as leader of the ANC, much remains to be decided on the future trajectory of the party and the country. Here are four issues to watch.
Few African countries have the same depth of institutional checks and balances as South Africa. Yet, these institutions have been put to the test by President Jacob Zuma's efforts to expand executive privilege. How are South Africa's accountability structures faring?
Political violence in South Africa indicates the country’s potential fragility. Reversing emerging political violence and loss of public trust will require breaking up the intertwining of political authority and economic opportunity.
While not often considered a hub in global terrorist networks, South Africa has seen a steady and growing pattern of domestic and al-Qaeda–linked terrorist activity over the past decade. Coinciding with the creeping expansion of terrorist threats in other parts of the continent, this Security Brief examines lessons learned from South Africa’s experience and their potential relevance to other African countries and their security sectors.
Urbanization and governance shape the political economy of heroin trafficking in Southern and East Africa. Case studies of heroin trafficking dynamics in capital cities, port towns, interior hubs, and border communities suggest that counter-trafficking efforts should strengthen cross-border intelligence sharing, combat government corruption, consider local communities, address the role of informal transport systems in the narcotics trade, and mitigate the drug trade’s role in fueling violence.
Program materials for the Africa Center's 2019 program, “National Security Strategy Development Workshop: Central and Southern Africa.” Click here for syllabus, readings, and presentation slides.
A wide spectrum of credibility marks the 13 African elections slated for 2021. This has direct implications for the legitimacy of the leaders that emerge and their ability to navigate the security challenges they face.
2020 saw COVID-19 infect over 2.7 million Africans and kill over 65,000. A surge of cases in the last quarter of the year, combined with the emergence of more contagious mutations, pose new challenges for Africa in 2021.
The spread of surveillance technology in Africa without adequate checks and balances is reshaping the governance landscape while potentially enabling another tool of repression.