Climate change is often described as a crisis that affects everyone, demanding urgent action to prevent widespread devastation from storms and rising seas. However, a significant concern is that climate change discussions are not open to everyone for engagement or inquiry. This exclusion is not accidental but a deliberate tactic to promote specific agendas and achieve predetermined political and economic goals. Despite claims of equality and justice, the reality is that the world operates on hierarchical structures that marginalise the…

Technological innovation is the starting point for the development of new quality productive forces. This process involves transforming traditional industries and nurturing emerging sectors, ultimately leading to a significant qualitative leap in productivity.  Shanghai, propelled by technological innovation, has undertaken the restructuring of traditional industries while pioneering new ones. This strategic approach has led to numerous groundbreaking achievements, some of which are unprecedented, thereby raising the level of productivity. This concerted effort has facilitated a significant leap forward in the…

The search for emancipation for scores of South Africans who continue to be denied justice is becoming extremely frustrating, partly due to the courts and conservatism ruling them. The justice system unfairly prioritises those with resources over indigents. This is evident as courts rush to entertain multi-million rand cases involving companies and individuals with political influence. The rapid response to these litigations conceals the dark side of justice in South Africa: the inefficiency of courts and inaccessibility to courts for…

Given the rate at which youth population in numerous African countries is growing, the continent promises to emerge as a major consumption market in the coming decades. More than 70 percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 35, and by 2030, 42 percent of the world’s young people are expected to reside on the continent. This data points to the potential the continent has to quickly industrialise, develop its economic scale, and innovate in order to compete on…

The success of public institutions is deeply rooted in their ability to plan with a long-term perspective, think in generational terms and execute mandates diligently. Put differently, the effectiveness and resilience of organisations hinge on their capacity to adapt, innovate and maintain a vision that transcends immediate challenges. A long-term approach ensures that national development programmes are not reactive but are designed to build sustainable systems that can produce substantive value.   In today’s South Africa, the transformation of the public…

In March, Apple opened its largest retail store on the Chinese mainland in Shanghai – the company’s second-largest flagship store after its Fifth Avenue outlet in New York. The new addition brings Apple’s store tally in Shanghai and the Chinese market to eight and 57, respectively, a significant milestone for the company, which opened its first store in China in 2008.  During his high-profile China visit, Apple CEO Tim Cook, who opened the doors to the new store in Shanghai…

Wonderful, amazing, charming! These words aptly describe my first experience in China when I visited the country to attend the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival, held in Beijing and then Zhejiang Province on 19-26 May.   The visit allowed me to discover China from different aspects: Chinese culture through experiencing Chinese cuisine and art, Chinese history through visits to the Great Wall and a number of museums, and so on. I was also awestruck by the urban infrastructure development, which gives a…

China’s evolving role in global affairs presents a narrative of progressive engagement, marked by a proactive stance on issues of trust, fairness, peace and stability. The country’s emergence as a significant player on the world stage is characterised not merely by economic prowess, but also by a growing commitment to mediating conflicts, fostering cooperation, and promoting mutual development. China’s burgeoning influence through various diplomatic initiatives and engagements has implications for the contemporary international order.  At the heart of China’s approach…

Following the ANC’s underwhelming election performance, South Africa is currently embroiled in a gruesome process of coalition-building. Although this is not necessarily a new problem as it is often portrayed, there was ample time to develop rules and guidelines seeing huge problems the coalition created at the local government level. However, the primary concern now is how political parties are approaching the task of forging working relationships, whether they term them as coalitions or as a ‘government of national unity’…

In public discourse, there is a tendency to incorrectly equate fundamentally dissimilar entities in nature and purpose. The governments of national unity (GNU) established in 1910, the 1990s and 2024 only share a name but are vastly different in context and outcome. Some commentators’ insistence on justifying this ‘sameness’ is intellectually dishonest and misleading.  It is akin to comparing Newcastle in Natal with Newcastle in the UK; they share a name but are distinctly separate places. In mainstream political literature,…