Protests in South Africa have largely been confined to black working class townships and informal settlements. Is this beginning to change?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa, also known as Unisa, is the largest open distance learning institution in Africa and the longest standing dedicated distance education university in the world. We enrol nearly one-third of all South African students.
Founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, the institution became the first public university in the world to teach exclusively by means of distance education in 1946. Throughout the years, Unisa was perhaps the only university in South Africa to have provided all people with access to education, irrespective of race, colour or creed. This vibrant past is mirrored in our rich history, more particularly our massive and impressive database of alumni, some of whom are to be found in the most senior levels of society across the world.
Given our rootedness in South Africa and the African continent, Unisa today can truly claim to be the African university in the service of humanity.
We have embraced the fact that we need to adapt quickly to the fast-paced higher education environment of the 21st century and this is reflected in our management style and leadership practice. In addition, one of our main aims is to harness the new and emerging potential in information and communication technology to catapult the university into a truly digital future.
We offer an unparalleled range of study choices, ranging from short courses and certificate programmes to three-and four-year degrees and diplomas, to over 400 000 current students. As one of the leading research institutions on the continent, our research efforts have won us numerous awards, recognitions and honours.
Through our efforts we contribute to the knowledge and information society, advance development, nurture a critical citizenry and ensure global sustainability.
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By admitting South Sudan and Morocco to the African Union, the continental organisation has proven yet again that its commitment to upholding its own democratic ideals is lacking.
There’s no doubt South African universities need to undergo a real shift. But are the country’s current intellectual and academic forces up to the task?
Mahlangu’s resignation over the deaths of mental patients sets her apart from her colleagues in government. But, it does not portend a new trend in political accountability for the governing ANC.
Africa needs to learn from the experiences of others who have negotiated free trade pacts. In particular it needs to ensure its process is inclusive and does not pander to a few special interests.
South Africa’s decision to leave the ICC suggests that its foreign policy is caught in a dilemma between lofty ideas, an unsettled identity crisis, and shifting priorities in a complex world.
The fallout at the meeting of South Africa’s governing ANC clearly exposed how the party’s factionalism has spilled over into government. This is likely to paralyse governance even further.
The use of the prosecuting authority and the police in ANC succession struggles has a long history. What’s different in the Zuma era is the symbiosis between elite police and the prosecution service.
BRICS goes into its eighth summit with lots of hurdles. Sanusha Naidu consideres its future prospects.
South Africa’s watershed local elections have resulted in upsets for the ANC in key metropoles. But will the new, minority coalition regimes live up to their mandate of providing basic services?
Despite high levels of knowledge and information, communities still adhere to cultural practices which endanger their children.
Two musicals set in working class mining communities – one in the UK and the other in South Africa – have diametrically opposed messages: one of hope; the other, despair.
The Tripartite Alliance in South Africa has previously provided the governing African National Congress with diverse support, securing it victory at the polls. It is now riven with dissension.
Some of the factors behind the riots by ANC supporters in Tshwane are not new. They include gripes within the governing party about its process for choosing mayors and divisions over Jacob Zuma.
Between 1995 and 2013 the US provided about US$98 billion in aid to sub-Saharan Africa. But the country’s economic and political reach is slowly declining.
South Africa’s transition to democracy was based on the values of inclusive politics, reconciliation, human rights and constitutionalism. Twenty-two years on, how has the country fared?
Namibia’s new elite has used “affirmative action” for self-enrichment, while the majority of the population remains excluded from its the wealth. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s socio-economic woes continue.
The increasing importance of non-traditional donors such as China has meant that the economic and political stronghold of Western countries in sub-Sahara Africa has gradually ebbed.
Opposition parties have emerged at different stages of Zimbabwe’s post-independence history but none have seriously threatened ZANU-PF dominance.
Apartheid South Africa started a war in which it could not maintain a strategic advantage. It misread the quest for national liberation and international opinion that undermined its effectiveness.
Authors
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Associate Professor and Water Management Expert, University of South Africa
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Professor of International and Diplomacy Studies, Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa
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Postdoctoral Researcher, University of South Africa
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Professor in Political Science, University of South Africa
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Postdoctoral Fellow, University of South Africa
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Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of South Africa
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Acting Deputy Director in the Directorate: Academy Applied Technology and Innovation (AATI) under Information Communications Technology Department, University of South Africa
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Senior Lecturer: Department of Environmental Science, University of South Africa
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Professor Environmental Science, University of South Africa
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Post Doctoral Fellow, University of South Africa
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Associate Professor (Curriculum Studies), University of South Africa
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Professor in Company Law, University of South Africa
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Senior Lecturer in Financial Accounting, University of South Africa
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Assistant Lecturer, University of South Africa
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Research Training and Development Officer, University of South Africa
