Call me Professor Z

Bonginkosi Madikizela’s claim to fame is that he is the leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape and the MEC for Transport and Public Works in that province. But he is currently... 

Africa’s weed race

Lesotho became the first African country to legalise the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2017. Now – four short years later – a few other countries have followed in its... 

A letter to André de Ruyter

Dear Sir – I recall that, in 1940, the British Army had been defeated in France by the invading German army. The army retreated to Dunkirk, a French channel port. About 330 000 soldiers were picked... 

Teddy Daka

This week we profile Teddy Daka, co-CEO of Zutari (previously Aurecon), which is an engineering and infrastructure advisory company 

No more blind lending

African countries have been beneficiaries of deep-pocketed China’s ‘generosity’ for yonks. Even South Africa, the most developed country on the continent, has been a beneficiary, having received a... 

Don’t touch me on my studio

Remember Chris Maroleng? He is pretty much out of the limelight these days, and the only time he gets to grace our telly screens is when a journalist wants soundbites to embellish a story about... 

Craig Franck

This week we feature Craig Franck, sales and operations manager of Ya Batho, a mining technology company with a focus on communication and real-time location systems used in underground or opencast... 

A weighty crisis

An epidemic of gigantic proportions is sweeping through Africa, and some experts say it is more devastating than HIV/Aids. It is good old obesity, and that it is shaping up as a major crisis is... 

Donovan Chimhandamba

This week we profile Donovan Chimhandamba, CEO of titanium dioxide pigment manufacturer Nyanza Light Metals  

Covid denialist of note

At the time of writing, Africa was in mourning. News of the passing of Tanzania’s 61-year-old leader, John Magufuli, had just broken. His robust crusade against corruption in high places from early... 

New sheriff in town

So, Patrice Motsepe is the new czar of the beautiful game on this continent, having assumed the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) a fortnight back. Although he mounted a... 

Worrying scepticism

As a Covid-19 survivor, it breaks my heart to realise that there is so much superstition and scepticism around vaccines designed to combat this disease, which has had such a horrific impact on both... 

Marius Wessels

This week we profile Marius Hendrik Wessels,professional services at SYSPRO Africa, an enterprise resource planning services provider 

Dirty energy

‘Clean energy’ has become a buzzword across the globe, including in our sub-Saharan Africa neck of the woods, where the International Renewable Energy Agency is projecting renewables will comprise... 

Breath of fresh air

Air pollution levels tend to rise in lockstep with a country’s economic development, which is often accompanied by an increase in the number of emissions-belching industrial enterprises. But a new... 

Our dangerous cities

Initiatives such as government’s push against gender-based violence – which culminated in the launch, about a fortnight ago, of a fund to tackle this scourge – are clearly indicative of the overall... 

Grand hostilities

Before the madness in Tigray started playing out last year, most of the news coming out of Ethiopia was such that all of us would be proud to be African. A case in point was Prime Minister Abiy... 

Sandra du Toit

This week we profile Sandra du Toit, Africa leader for corporate finance at financial services firm EY  

Dangerous demagoguery

Kenyans are due to elect a new Parliament and a new President only in August 2022, but the frenetic itinerary of Deputy President William Ruto – who has made no bones about his intention to take a... 

Anthony Govender

This week we profile Anthony Govender, CEO of ASI Financial Services, a financial services and insurance brokerage that specialises in employee benefits, long-term insurance and short-term Insurance 

In dictators’ sights

Voting in Uganda has come and gone, and Yoweri Museveni – the 76-year-old former rebel who shot his way to power in 1986 – remains ensconced in State House, amid opposition accusations that his... 

Trump: Good riddance!

So many labels can be pinned onto Donald Trump. But two recently acquired ones – ‘former President of the US’ and ‘erstwhile Twitter user’ – give me a hell of a lot of satisfaction. With his... 

African lives matter

Much stink was kicked up in May last year when American George Floyd died at the hands of a police officer in a clearly racist incident. The din of condemnation was universal and among the more... 

A year like no other

Queen Elizabeth II popularised the Latin phrase annus horribilis – which means ‘horrible year’ – when, back in 1992, she delivered a speech marking the fortieth anniversary of her ascension to the... 

Stephen Leatherbarrow

This week we profile Stephen Leatherbarrow, GM of Bray Controls Africa, a manufacturer of flow-control and automation products and accessories 

Reprieve for Nairobi fig tree

Bad news abounds these days – ranging from dictators who are clinging on to power by hook or crook to death on a wide scale as a result of Covid-19 and sagging economies, with the attendant impact... 

Daniel Petrov

This week we profile Daniel Petrov, MD of Peikko Group, a designer and manufacturer/supplier of products and systems for slim floor structures, wind energy applications and connection technology... 

Deteriorating governance

The bad news keeps piling up. Just when we thought we would see no further depressing headlines than those related to the toll that the coronavirus pandemic continues to take on lives and... 

Logashri Sewnarain

This week we profile Logashri Sewnarain, CEO of SMEC South Africa, a multidisciplinary consulting engineering and infrastructure solutions company 

Donald Trump: Good riddance!

Donald Trump is such a sore loser. But, despite his bizarre claims that he was cheated out of victory, he will have to make way for Joe Biden as the new White House occupant, come January 20. I’m... 

Covid: US must learn from us

The predictions were dire. Owing to Africa’s weak health systems – which the continent’s well-heeled elites are known to eschew in the same way one would stay clear of the plague – millions upon... 

Fiona Edmundson

This week we profile Fiona Edmundson, head of lead: South Africa at Anglo American 

Targeted sanctions don’t work

One of the major talking points in Africa currently is the fatal shooting by the Nigerian military of 69 young men and women demonstrating against the excesses of a police unit set up to combat... 

Election season in Africa

In a few days, Americans will cast their ballots in an election that will either extend Donald Trump’s rule by another four years or see him leave the While House as the first one-term President... 

Jay Naidoo

This week we profile Jay Naidoo, CEO of IMPower, a company that is involved in solar energy project engineering, procurement and management (C&I); energy project development (up to 10 MW); and... 

Wayne Neary

This week we profile Wayne Neary, ICON Group,a provider of bulk earthworks, demolitions and civil engineering construction services that are needed to get a commercial, industrial or mining sites... 

Influential Africans

US news weekly Time’s eagerly awaited 100-strong list of the world’s most influential people in various fields of endeavour was released late last month. Proving that our continent is coming into... 

Frikkie Grobler

This week we profile Frikkie Grobler, CEO of Logicalis South Africa, which is focused on the design, support and execution of customers’ digital transformation by bringing together the customers’... 

Presidents for life

The past few years have witnessed the departure of a few African Big Men who had dominated the political landscape in their countries for decades. The most notable are Angola’s Jose Eduardo dos... 

Waste-averse Kenya under pressure

Kenya has quite a high profile in Africa. It owes this visibility to several factors: it is East Africa’s economic powerhouse, its tourist attractions – which are patronised by visitors from across...