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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

China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts

Chinas livestream shopping industry is entering a slower phase, but Li Jiaqi, the influential presenter known as the Lipstick King, believes artificial intelligence will complement rather than replace human hosts. Li, who...

Oil Prices Ease as Iran Tensions Clash With Diplomacy Hopes

Oil prices fell during Asian trading on Thursday, giving back some of the previous sessions gains as investors assessed escalating U.S.-Iran tensions alongside signs that diplomatic efforts could still ease the conflict....

Japan Private-Sector Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Weakens

Japans private-sector growth lost momentum in September as weaker domestic demand slowed new orders across manufacturing and services, according to preliminary SP Global purchasing managers index data released Thursday....

South Korea, US Discuss Warship Building Cooperation

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung discussed expanding cooperation with the United States on warship construction during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to South Koreas presidential...

Russian Envoy Dmitriev Heads to US for Ukraine Talks

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev is traveling to the United States for talks with Trump administration representatives, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as Washington and Moscow continue diplomatic...

Politics

Ghana Says Western Support Growing for Slave Trade Reparations

Ghana says Western support is increasing for its campaign seeking reparations for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, with the initial effort focused on securing the return of African artifacts taken during the colonial era....

Sudan Rejects US Legitimacy Remarks, Defends Sovereignty

Sudan on Wednesday defended its national sovereignty and urged the United States to engage constructively with its government after Washington questioned the legitimacy of the countrys warring authorities. The dispute...

US Invites Putin to Miami G20, Opening Door to Trump Summit

The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami, Florida, in December, potentially creating an opportunity for another meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S....

US Officials Split Over Response to Israeli West Bank Settlements

A proposed U.S. statement criticizing the UK, France and Canada over restrictions on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank was ultimately shelved amid disagreements within the Trump administration,...

Europe Warns Russia Is Escalating Hybrid Attacks Across NATO

European officials have warned that Russia is intensifying hybrid attacks across Europe, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations, in an effort to weaken Western support for Ukraine. Speaking during the UN...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Meta Unveils Muse Charm AI Device, Expands Smart Glasses Lineup

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) unveiled a palm-sized device designed specifically for its Muse artificial intelligence agent on Wednesday, alongside an expanded lineup of smart glasses and new AI capabilities. CEO Mark...

SoftBank Raises $11.1 Billion in Bond Sale to Fund OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group has raised $11.1 billion through a major dollar- and euro-denominated bond offering as the Japanese technology investment giant builds up cash to finance its expanding artificial intelligence investments,...

Meta Connect Spotlights Camera-Free Smart Glasses Amid Privacy Concerns

Meta Platforms opened its annual Connect conference on Wednesday, with the technology giant expected to introduce new smart glasses as it seeks to expand its lead in AI-powered wearable devices while addressing mounting...

Anthropic’s Claude Discovers CRISPR-Like Enzyme System

Anthropic has launched a new life sciences research group and laboratory focused on fundamental biology, with its Claude AI model already contributing to the discovery of a previously unknown enzyme system that shares...

Microsoft Stock Upgraded as Stifel Sees Stronger Azure Growth

Stifel upgraded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to Buy from Hold and lifted its price target to $575 from $530, citing stronger confidence in the technology giants ability to maintain mid-to-upper-teens revenue growth. Analysts...