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Articles on Nelson Mandela

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Older generation freedom fighters like Nelson Mandela are losing currency among some young people in South Africa. Yves Herman/Reuters

Why the ‘loss of faith’ in heroes like Mandela may not be such a bad thing

Student activists are losing faith in the legacies of anti-apartheid heroes like Nelson Mandela. Perhaps all South Africans should do the same. It may just be what the country needs for its future.
Voters wait their turn outside a polling station at Nkonjeni village in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The country is gearing up for local elections. Reuters/Radu Sigheti

Opposition aims for upset in South Africa’s high-stakes election

The opposition Democratic Alliance is hopeful that the African National Congress will fail to win a majority in three metros. This will open the door for it to rule in coalition with smaller parties.
Nelson Mandela laughs with journalists and performers ahead of the second 46664 concert in the Western Cape in 2005. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

Reflections on building the South Africa of Nelson Mandela’s dreams

When celebrating Nelson Mandela Day, it would benefit South Africans to reflect on what the statesman’s legacy means for the nation and how they are living up to his dreams for the country.
Former South African presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki at Mbeki’s inauguration in 1999. Reuters

Book review: finding a vocabulary to judge Thabo Mbeki

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki remains a puzzle to many of his compatriots. A new book, ‘The Thabo Mbeki I know’, will help to understand him better.
Former members of the ANC’s armed wing perform the toyi-toyi dance in support of then ailing former President Nelson Mandela. Reuters/Thomas Mukoya

South Africa’s armed struggle: where the ANC’s ineptitude was a virtue

Armed struggle played a subsidiary role in the ANC’s fight against apartheid in South Africa. The tactics that were most decisive in securing freedom were those that didn’t involve organised violence.
Deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, left, and. chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng at a special session to mark Moseneke’s retirement. GCIS

South Africa marks the end of a remarkable judicial career

The retirement of Dikgang Moseneke, one of South Africa’s eminent judges and the Constitutional Court’s deputy chief justice, is a moment to reflect on the court’s place in society and his legacy.
South Africa’s Constitutional Court embodies values of justice and transformation. How can law schools do the same? GCIS/Flickr

Law faculties must embrace difference to produce great graduates

For law faculties, the transformative vision embodied in South Africa’s constitution provides a potent driver for change. So what does a transformed law faculty look like?
Supporters of South Africa’s ruling ANC cheer at a rally to launch the party’s 2016 local government elections manifesto in Nelson Mandela Bay. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

How South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Bay may be the ANC’s mini Waterloo

Poor attendance at the launch of the ANC’s local elections manifesto shows the party no longer holds much weight with the electorate in the key Nelson Mandela Bay, which it has dominated since 1994.
Even if you’ve never read or seen any of Shakespeare’s works, his influence has touched your life. Photo credits, clockwise from top: Kevin Lamarque, public domain, public domain, public domain, public domain, Mike Tsikas, 20th Century Fox, Mike Hutchings

Marx, Freud, Hitler, Mandela, Greer… Shakespeare influenced them all

In the almost 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, his words have been enlisted by an extraordinary range of historical figures. Even the Nazis tried to claim him as a ‘Germanic’ writer.
Sathima Bea Benjamin was seldom recognised during her lifetime as a performer. Ian Bruce Huntley

The marginalised African Songbird who finally became visible again

It took ages for one of African jazz’s hidden masterpieces to be reissued. Still today, four decades later, 1976’s ‘African Songbird’ tells volumes about the politics of the time.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace. Mugabe has been in power since 1980. Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo

How liberators turn into oppressors: a study of southern African states

It is normal for resistance movements to adopt rough survival strategies and techniques while fighting an oppressive regime. Unfortunately that culture takes root and is permanently nurtured.
Environmental activists demand a fair climate change deal outside the United Nations Climate Change conference in South Africa recently. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

If Zuma cast himself as a climate emergency president and statesman, this is what he would say

The 2016 State of the Nation Address provides President Zuma with the ideal opportunity to be statesman-like. That would require bold action of his part, something that he is unlikely to do.

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