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Susan Booysen

Research director at Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra), Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand
Susan Booysen is the Director of Research at (Mistra), Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is the author of several books on the African National Congress (ANC), including The African National Congress and the Regeneration of Political Power (2011) and The ANC’s March on Mangaung (2012). She edited Local Elections in South Africa: Parties, people, politics (2012) and co-edited Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa, 1989-2009: 20 years of multiparty democracy (2009) with Denis Kadima.

Booysen is a past president of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) and serves on the editorial board of the South African Journal of Political Studies, Politikon. She started her academic career at the University of Johannesburg in its ‘RAU days’, then moved to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University before joining Wits in 2005.

She holds a D.Litt. et Phil. from the University of Johannesburg. She obtained both her Masters and Honours degrees cum laude. She has held some major research fellowships, including a post-doctoral fellowship at the Southern African Research Program (SARP) at Yale University.

Booysen has published a wide range of refereed academic articles in national and international journals, chapters in books, and monographs. These publications focus on South and Southern Africa, with the specific focus on issues of politics, power, and policy.

South Africa’s unity government is being tested – the toppling of a mayor in a key city exposes faultlines

Oct 08, 2024 07:20 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africas long-governing party, the ANC, performed disastrously in the countrys May 2024 elections. Its electoral fortunes are now tied to regaining support in Gauteng, the most populous and economically important...

Multiparty democracy is in trouble in South Africa – collapsing coalitions are a sure sign

Oct 31, 2022 08:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africas 28-year-old, continuously transforming multiparty democracy was reminded of its own fragility when, in September, a coalition running its biggest city, Johannesburg, collapsed. The speaker and the mayor lost...

Emerging Market Crisis Series

ANC's anniversary statement – damp squib or new benchmark for South Africa?

Jan 10, 2020 10:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The statement issued by the African National Congress (ANC), South Africas governing party, each January to mark the anniversary of its launch in 1912, is many things to many people. It is a multipurpose vehicle to...

Economy

India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out

India and the United States have taken a significant step toward strengthening bilateral trade ties with the release of an interim trade framework that includes major tariff reductions on high-end American automobiles and...

Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality

Donald Trump has positioned himself as the Republican Partys chief voice on the cost of living during a pivotal election year, but a Reuters review of his recent speeches shows a growing disconnect between his rhetoric and...

South Africa Eyes ECB Repo Lines as Inflation Eases and Rate Cuts Loom

South Africa is keen to make use of potential new European Central Bank (ECB) repo liquidity lines, according to central bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, as the country continues to navigate easing inflation and a gradual...

Russian Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity Strength

Russian stocks finished the latest trading session on a mixed note, with the MOEX Russia Index closing flat as gains in select blue-chip shares were offset by losses in others. At the close of trading in Moscow, the...

China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices

Chinas central bank has continued to strengthen its gold reserves, extending its buying streak to a 15th consecutive month in January, according to the latest data released by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). The move...

Politics

Jack Lang Resigns as Head of Arab World Institute Amid Epstein Controversy

Jack Lang, a prominent French political figure and former culture minister under President François Mitterrand, has stepped down from his role as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris following mounting...

US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks

The United States is pressing Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to end the war before the start of summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said following two days of U.S.-brokered talks held in Abu Dhabi....

Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, with Irans nuclear program and regional security topping the agenda. The meeting comes amid renewed...

Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape

U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed a proposed merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna, signaling renewed political attention on the future of local television broadcasting. In a post shared Saturday on...

Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall

Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a rare winter election that could deliver Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a commanding mandate, even as record snowfall threatened to suppress turnout in parts of the country....

Science

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

Technology

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang reaffirmed his bullish stance on artificial intelligence, calling the massive capital expenditure flowing into AI infrastructure both appropriate and necessary as the industry...

Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) delivered a mixed but closely watched earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on revenue while unveiling a massive long-term investment plan that unsettled investors. The e-commerce and...

Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch

Major PC manufacturers including HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus are reportedly exploring the option of sourcing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor companies for the first time, as a prolonged global supply crunch continues...

OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering

OpenAI is significantly accelerating its enterprise AI strategy by hiring hundreds of new employees for its technical consulting division, according to a report by The Information, citing a person familiar with the...

SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) shares tumbled sharply on Thursday, tracking a steep decline in Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) after the UK-based chip designer reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the December quarter....