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Roger Southall

Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand

Roger Southall is an Emeritus Professor in Sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand. He was previously Distinguished Research Fellow at the Human Sciences Research Council (2001-2007) and Professor of Political Studies at Rhodes University (1989-2001). Prior to that he worked in universities in Uganda, Lesotho, Canada and the UK. He is author of South Africa's Transkei: The Political Economy of an 'Independent' Bantustan (1983), Imperialism or Solidarity? International Labour and South African Trade Unions (1995), Liberation Movements in Power: Party and State in Southern Affrica (2013) and The New Black Middle Class in South Africa (2016). He has also published extensively on African politics, political economy and labour in leading academic journals, as well as contributing chapters to numerous books. He receives research funding from the National Research Foundation.

What is RET and what does it want? The Radical Economic Transformation faction in South Africa explained

Dec 08, 2022 10:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

It has been standard for some years, in any analysis of South Africas governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), to refer to the radical economic transformation (RET) faction. Yet, there has been little serious...

South Africa is in a state of drift: the danger is that the ANC turns the way of Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF

Feb 02, 2022 08:48 am UTC| Politics

The dismal fate of Zimbabwe under the stewardship of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) government has long stood out as a warning to South Africas governing party, the African National Congress...

Why South Africa's white leaders shouldn't get into comparative politics of sin

Feb 22, 2020 00:25 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

FW De Klerk, South Africas last apartheid-era president, and his foundation, have learnt the hard way the dangers of the comparative politics of sin. He recently gave an interview to mark his historic speech to parliament...

Events in Lesotho point to poor prospects for political stability

Jan 28, 2020 08:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

In 2017 the estranged wife of Lesothos prime minister Tom Thabane was shot dead in suspicious circumstances two days ahead of his inauguration. Now theres a new twist in the saga: on 11 January authorities issued an arrest...

A centrist political alliance in South Africa? Yes, but hard to get

Oct 20, 2019 10:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Is there the possibility that political centrists in South Africas governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), and its main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), could merge? The question arises...

South Africa's 2019 poll showed dangerous signs of 'insiders' and 'outsiders'

Aug 15, 2019 17:38 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The general election in South Africa in May conveyed mixed messages: one was that democracy is maturing, the other that it is failing. The good news was that this was very clearly an outcome of a discerning electorate...

A democracy or a kleptocracy? How South Africa stacks up

Feb 10, 2019 10:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africans have been held spellbound by the torrent of evidence of corruption emerging from two parallel commissions of inquiry into state capture, and the fitness to hold office of two senior officials of the...

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Economy

Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Key U.S. Data

Most Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Tuesday, while the U.S. dollar remained under pressure as investors stayed cautious ahead of several crucial U.S. economic indicators, starting with the nonfarm...

Gold and Silver Prices Dip as Markets Await Key U.S. Economic Data

Gold and silver prices edged lower in Asian trading on Tuesday as investors booked profits after a strong rally, while global markets turned cautious ahead of critical U.S. economic data. The pullback comes after precious...

Bank of Korea Downplays Liquidity’s Role in Weak Won and Housing Price Surge

South Koreas central bank has pushed back against claims that excessive domestic liquidity is the main driver behind the weakening won and rising residential property prices, calling such arguments an overstatement. In a...

Australian Consumer Sentiment Slumps in Early December as Inflation Fears Resurface

Australian consumer sentiment weakened sharply in early December, according to a private survey released on Tuesday, highlighting growing concerns about inflation and the broader economic outlook. The latest...

Wall Street Futures Slip as Tech Stocks Struggle Ahead of Key US Economic Data

Wall Street futures edged lower on Monday evening as technology stocks remained under pressure following several weak sessions, while investors turned cautious ahead of critical US labor market and inflation data. Market...

Politics

European Leaders Tie Ukraine Territorial Decisions to Strong Security Guarantees

European leaders have agreed that any decisions regarding potential Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia can only be considered once strong and credible security guarantees are firmly in place, according to a joint...

Sydney Bondi Beach Terror Attack Kills 16, Sparks Gun Law and Security Debate

Australian authorities are investigating a deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration near Sydneys Bondi Beach as a suspected act of terrorism inspired by Islamic State, marking the countrys worst mass shooting in...

Trump’s Rob Reiner Remarks Spark Bipartisan Outrage After Tragic Deaths

President Donald Trump is facing sharp bipartisan criticism after posting controversial remarks about actor and director Rob Reiner following the shocking deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner. The comments, shared...

Taiwan Political Standoff Deepens as President Lai Urges Parliament to Withdraw Disputed Laws

Taiwans political crisis has intensified as President Lai Ching-te warned that the islands global credibility and economic competitiveness are at risk, urging parliament to withdraw a series of controversial laws opposed...

Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Schedule III, Potentially Transforming U.S. Cannabis Industry

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is considering an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a move that could significantly reshape federal cannabis policy and the broader marijuana industry. If...

Science

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...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

Biren Technology Targets Hong Kong IPO to Raise $300 Million Amid China’s AI Chip Push

Chinese artificial intelligence chip startup Biren Technology is preparing to launch a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) in the coming weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The Shanghai-based...

SUPERFORTUNE Launches AI-Powered Mobile App, Expanding Beyond Web3 Into $392 Billion Metaphysics Market

SUPERFORTUNE, a web3 AI application incubated by Manta Network, has launched its first mobile application, expanding beyond crypto-native users into the global consumer market. The SUPERFORTUNE mobile app delivers...

iRobot Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Rising Competition and Tariff Pressures

iRobot, the company behind the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States as it prepares to go private through an acquisition by Picea Robotics, its primary...

Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges

Nvidia is evaluating whether to expand production capacity for its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips after demand from Chinese customers significantly exceeded current supply, according to multiple sources...

SpaceX Begins IPO Preparations as Wall Street Banks Line Up for Advisory Roles

SpaceX has reportedly begun the early stages of preparing for a potential initial public offering (IPO), marking a significant milestone for the private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. According to a report from...