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Richard Calland

Associate Professor in Public Law, University of Cape Town

Richard Calland has for over 20 years been working in the fields of democratic governance and sustainable development in South Africa and beyond. Based at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Calland is also a Fellow of the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), working as a member of faculty on a range of customised leadership and strategy programmes for amongst others the World Bank, PWC, the African Development Bank, Nedbank, Namdeb, Network Rail and Tata. He is also the co-director of the African Climate Finance Hub and the governance advisor to the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST), an international initiative directed towards information disclosure in large public infrastructure projects. Amongst other corporate clients, he is a long-time retained consultant to Massmart, Africa’s largest retailer that was acquired by Walmart in 2011, advising on issues of politics, sustainability and governance, as well as providing regular political risk briefings to the investor clients of UBS and Citi Bank, and has recently established a new advisory organisation – The Paternoster Group: African Political Insight. His most recent book, Make of Break: How the next three years will shape South Africa's next three decades, was published in late 2016. He is also the author of Anatomy of South Africa (2006) and The Zuma Years (2013). His political column, Contretemps, has appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper since 2001. Before moving to South Africa in 1994, Calland practiced law for seven years at the London Bar.

Future of Coal Series

Gas isn’t a good alternative to coal – South Africa should focus on solar, wind and green hydrogen

Oct 08, 2024 07:23 am UTC| Economy

South Africa is immersed in a just energy transition from a fossil fuel-based energy system to a cleaner, low-carbon energy system. This new system will be based primarily on renewable energy, such as solar, wind and green...

Ramaphosa left with tricky choices as South Africa bungles Chief Justice appointment

Feb 08, 2022 03:38 am UTC| Politics

After a fraught and fractious week of public interviews that shed heat but little light on the four candidates eligible to become the next Chief Justice, South Africas Judicial Service Commission has recommended that...

The six mega challenges testing leaders at a time of national and global crisis

Mar 26, 2020 16:04 pm UTC| Politics Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic is an extreme crisis that puts government under severe pressure. It puts the political judgement of the president or prime minister under the most intense spotlight. Not since the height of the Cold...

Economy

Asian Currencies Steady Ahead of US CPI as Oil Prices Rise

Asian currencies were mostly unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as investors awaited key U.S. inflation data that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserves next interest-rate decision. Meanwhile, rising...

Canada, US Hold Fresh Trade Talks as August 19 Tariff Deadline Nears

Canada and the United States held another round of high-level trade talks on Tuesday as Ottawa seeks to prevent new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods from taking effect on August 19. Dominic LeBlanc, Canadas minister...

Australia Sets New Minimum Pay, Insurance Rules for Gig Workers

Australias Fair Work Commission (FWC) has approved new minimum standards for food and grocery delivery workers, giving gig economy workers higher pay and greater protection against workplace injuries. Under the new rules,...

Gold Price Holds Near $4,400 as Hormuz Risks and CPI Drive Markets

Gold prices climbed on Wednesday, remaining close to the $4,400-an-ounce mark as uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz boosted oil prices and kept investors focused on the Federal Reserves...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Tensions Threaten Global Supply

Oil prices climbed on Wednesday, approaching a two-week high as uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz and fresh attacks on shipping raised concerns about prolonged disruptions to global crude supplies. Brent crude oil...

Politics

Peggy Flanagan Wins Minnesota Democratic Senate Nomination

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, setting up a closely watched general election contest against Republican nominee Michele Tafoya. U.S. media outlets...

U.S. Military Operations Killed 153 Civilians in 2025, Pentagon Says

U.S. military operations killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243 in 2025, according to Pentagon assessments cited by a U.S. official, marking a sharp increase from the civilian casualty figures reported for 2024. The...

Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death After Syria Regime Collapse

Bashar al-Assads 24-year rule over Syria ended dramatically in December 2024 after rebel forces launched a rapid offensive that overwhelmed his weakened military. With Russia focused on its war in Ukraine and Iran weakened...

Trump Signs Order to Cut Routine Childhood Vaccines

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to reduce the number of routine childhood vaccinations recommended in the United States and directing the Justice Department to challenge certain state vaccine...

Wisconsin Democratic Primary Tests Progressive Appeal

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong and moderate David Crowley remained locked in a tight race Tuesday in Wisconsins closely watched Democratic gubernatorial primary, offering an important test of progressive candidates...

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

OpenAI Executive Brad Lightcap to Leave for New AI Venture

Brad Lightcap, one of OpenAIs most senior executives and its former chief operating officer, is leaving the artificial intelligence company to launch a new venture, adding to a series of major leadership changes across the...

Anthropic Signs $9.1B AI Data Center Deal With Riot Platforms

Anthropic has reportedly signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) to secure large-scale AI computing capacity, marking another major investment by the Claude developer as demand for...

Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow

Trump Media Technology Group said Monday that more than 10 customers have signed up for its upcoming Truth API, a real-time data service designed to provide rapid access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts,...

Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants

Nvidia is expanding its influence beyond semiconductors after announcing agreements aimed at mobilizing up to $500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move brings the AI chip...

SEC Clears Path for Data Center Securitizations as AI Financing Demand Surges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided regulatory clarification that could make it easier for data center owners and operators to access capital markets as the artificial intelligence boom drives...