Ex South African President Jacob Zuma was pressured to resign amid allegations of rampant corruption which had plunged South Africa into ‘state capture’. Zuma resigned his position with immediate effect in February of 2018. During his presidency between 2009 – 2018, corruption proliferated throughout South Africa’s political and economic institutions and infrastructures to such an […]
On Shaky Ground: Zuma’s Defiance Read More »
During the 2018 World Cup, we took a light-hearted look at those individuals who had parlayed their lack of skill & talent into something approaching a football career. It’s now time to look a little deeper at some footballing frauds that were a great deal more serious for the clubs and the industry as a
Further Footballing Fakes Read More »
Since antiquity, the concept of the ‘body politic’ has been well-established: the conception of a polity manifested in a human body. The king is the head, the instruments of government the senses, the citizens the limbs, and so on. What practical purpose this served, other than to provide a metaphor for a society developing at
The body corporate Read More »
In Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger, the titular villain bemoans that his chosen area of art has been overlooked. “Man has achieved miracles in every human endeavour… except crime!”. In order to rectify this, and prove himself an artist, he plans to rob Fort Knox (spoiler alert: it does not work). But in the film version, Goldfinger’s
No Mr Bond, I Expect You to Pay! Read More »
Unused to being in the headlines, recent events in Mozambique have thrust the country onto front pages around the world. Not since the vicious civil war of 1977-1992 has it seen worse violence than that of the past year. Against a backdrop of executions, terrorist raids and the destruction of infrastructure, the country is once
The Resource Mirage: Horizon Scanning In An Unpredictable Landscape Read More »
Sharp rises in the price of precious metals and other commodities present an enormous opportunity to investors, the mining sector and countries reliant on the exportation of natural resources. Fearful of higher inflation – a result of the vast stimulus packages being injected into almost all major economies – speculators great and small are increasingly
A New Scramble for Africa? Read More »
Displaying the sort of attitude of which a certain Bond villain would be proud, the government of Kyrgyzstan has a fight on its hands after attempting to nationalise (and control) the largest gold mine in the country. Centerra Gold, a Canadian conglomerate, is enacting arbitration against President Sadyr Japarov’s government directly in an attempt to
In early March 2021, Niger held a Presidential election and the country’s first peaceful transition of power, thanks to the outgoing President, Mahamadou Issoufou. Since being elected in 2011, Issoufou has served two terms (10 years) and has now stepped down as President, respecting the constitutional term limit he has fulfilled, a regard increasingly forgone
Niger: Setting an example for the rest of Africa? Read More »
“Know your customer” is an oft-repeated refrain in business and is of course an extremely sensible one. However, of equal importance is “know your market”. The sea in which any ship of business sails will not only lead the unwary into uncharted waters, but what seems a placid and understood surface often hides dangerous currents,
The culture of Kenyan business: here be dragons… Read More »
Research suggests that up to 90% of Small and Medium sized companies in France, Spain, Germany and Italy are hit by a cyber-attack at least once a year. The impacts and consequences are dependent on the type of attack; however, Business Email Compromise and Ransomware attacks are thought to make up a large proportion of
The Severity of Cyber Contagion Read More »
