South Africa South African Political parties urge retired judge to facilitate talks on government of national unity Several political parties have asked SA Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to appoint a retired judge to facilitate talks on forming a government of national unity. The parties include the UDM, ACDP, and Build One South Africa. UDM's Yongaba Zigebe stresses the need for clarity with regards to the formation of the new Parliament: todayJune 10, 2024 6
Namibia Namibian youth turn backs on political parties, survey reveals https://youtu.be/xWLE28d7Arw By Valeria Handobe Owner of Survey Warehouse Christie Keulder says that young Namibians are distancing themselves from political parties, with many stating that they no longer feel close to any party. This follows a survey conducted by Afrobarometer in March this year, which revealed that only 56% of young people voted during the 2019 national election. Afrobarometer is a pan-African non-partisan survey research network […] todayJune 7, 2024 20
insert_link Namibia The ANC remains in the lead nationally at 41.92-percent With just over 57-percent of the votes counted, the ANC remains in the lead nationally at 41.92-percent. The DA is currently second at 23.34-percent and the MK Party at 11.31-percent. In Gauteng, the ANC leads with 33.57-percent followed by the DA at 29.31-percent and the EFF at 12.55-percent. In the hotly contested KwaZulu-Natal, MK is at 43.95-percent, the ANC second with 18.98-percent and the IFP at 15.42-percent. In the Western […] todayMay 31, 2024 34
insert_link South Africa South Africans go to the polls to choose a new government: what’s different this time By Dirk Kotze, University of South Africa South Africa’s seventh general election since democracy in 1994, set for 29 May 2024, takes place under circumstances different from any other election in the history of the nation. Some view the hotly contested national and provincial elections as a watershed moment for the country. We asked political scientist Dirk Kotze to explain the changed circumstances. There’s […] todayMay 28, 2024 28
insert_link South Africa Mayibuye! The 100-year-old slogan that’s stirred up divisions in South Africa’s elections By Corinne Sandwith, University of Pretoria Political parties the world over use slogans, icons, colours, names and flags to establish their political and historical credentials. What happens when two political parties lay claim to the same history and the same symbolic capital? In South Africa, a conflict of this kind is being played out between the governing African National Congress (ANC) party led by […] todayMay 28, 2024 29
insert_link Africa Men still dominate Uganda’s party politics – women’s participation is mostly cosmetic By Hannah Muzee, Kyambogo University Electoral gender quotas in Uganda – first introduced in 1989 – have increased women’s numbers in Uganda’s parliament to 34%. Today there are 189 women out of 557 members of parliament. But women politicians in Uganda continue to be restricted to minority representation. They are constantly battling stereotypes that seek to maintain the status quo of male dominance in political […] todayMay 27, 2024 15
insert_link 2 Namibia Afrobarometer addresses the role of social media in political campaigns Despite over 55% of Namibians relying on social media for news and information, most political parties in the country lack a significant presence on these platforms. According to Round 9 of the Afrobarometer survey, this is concerning given the upcoming elections, as social media can be a valuable tool for parties to reach and communicate with their supporters. Local Political Analyst Dr. Ndumba Kamwanyah weighs in on the matter. According […] todayMay 21, 2024 62 2
insert_link South Africa Over 26 million South Africans get a social grant. Fear of losing the payment used to be a reason to vote for the ANC, but no longer – study By Leila Patel, University of Johannesburg and Yolanda Sadie, University of Johannesburg Social grants to reduce poverty feature prominently in the campaign promises of political parties in South Africa’s 2024 national and provincial general elections, set for 29 May. The country’s social grants system is one of the largest in Africa in terms of number of beneficiaries. Research shows that this has helped reduce poverty. […] todayMay 15, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Tanzania’s political parties have few women in leadership and candidate lists: some solutions By Victoria Melkisedeck Lihiru, The Open University of Tanzania Tanzania, in keeping with global political trends, reserves 30% of seats in parliament for women. These so-called special seats were introduced with multiparty politics in 1992, in response to the low numbers of women elected to positions of power. There were only eight elected female parliamentarians after the first multiparty elections in 1995. Ten years later, 17 […] todayMay 14, 2024 16