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As Cameroon approaches its presidential election on October 12, 2025, it is reported that the political atmosphere is marked by uncertainty, frustration, and a sense of democratic fatigue. The incumbent President Paul Biya, now 92 years old and the world’s oldest serving head of state, has officially announced his candidacy for an eighth term. The announcement was posted via verified social media channels. Biya, having ruled Cameroon since 1982, his re-election bid, though widely anticipated and predictable, has reignited contentious debates over legitimacy, succession, and the future of democracy in Cameroon. Biya’s announcement comes amid mounting concerns about his fitness to govern, especially considering his age and regular absence from the public eye, which has fuelled speculation about his health and capacity.
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By Tendai Mbanje & Tito Magoti
As Tanzanians brace for the October 2025 general elections, the country finds itself at a perilous juncture. Once hailed for its peaceful transitions and political maturity, Tanzania is now witnessing a quiet but dangerous erosion of democratic norms. The silence from regional bodies like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) in the face of mounting electoral concerns is not merely a lapse in oversight it is a form of complicity that erodes the very democratic norms these institutions were created to uphold
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As Malawians prepare to head to the polls on September 16, 2025, the country finds itself at a dangerous crossroads. A phenomenon distinct from previous elections in the country's democratic history. The silence from regional bodies, such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), is deafening. Once praised for its relative stability in a region often plagued by contested elections, Malawi is now grappling with intensifying violence, growing political distrust, and deepening public skepticism over its electoral institutions. The echoes of the annulled 2019 elections still ring loud and this time, the stakes are even higher.
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Zororai Nkomo and Rutendo Mugabe
Introduction
The discovery of transition minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements, across the African continent has been hailed as a gateway to economic transformation and a vital contribution to the global shift toward a just energy transition. These minerals are essential for powering renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and the broader decarbonisation agenda. Yet, this promise comes with a troubling cost: the exploitation of children.
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Every year on June 18, the world comes together to observe the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, a solemn reminder that words can wound deeply and sometimes irreparably. Hate speech is not a new problem. Throughout history, language has been weaponised to demean, divide, and destroy, but today, in our interconnected digital age, the scale, speed, and sophistication of hate speech’s spread are unprecedented. This is especially true in Africa, a continent marked by extraordinary diversity in ethnicity, religion, culture, and language, where hate speech can quickly inflame tensions and threaten peace. The devastating consequences of hate speech in Africa are not merely theoretical. The 1994 Rwandan genocide stands as the darkest example, where incendiary radio broadcasts and printed propaganda dehumanised the Tutsi minority, turning words into deadly action. This tragedy also became a powerful lesson in the importance of vigilance, legal safeguards, and coordinated responses to hateful rhetoric.
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The recent murder of Olorato Mongale is not an isolated tragedy. It is a painful reminder that South Africa’s criminal justice is failing and refusing to learn from its own history. Recent reports suggest that Olorato was a victim of a syndicate. Her death has now been confirmed as yet another femicide in a country with some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. Disturbingly, the men now implicated in her abduction and killing were previously arrested and released on bail on kidnapping charges.
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Introduction
The upcoming general elections in the Republic of Malawi, scheduled for September 2025, have garnered significant interest among stakeholders in the region. These elections signify a pivotal moment in the nation’s democratic journey. In the lead-up to the polls, citizens of Malawi have raised concerns about misgovernance, corruption, and the current administration's failure to address escalating economic challenges which has resulted in extreme poverty levels in the country. These issues are considered critical and defining to the outcome of the upcoming elections. This paper is a product of our interviews and stakeholder engagement with citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Malawi. Below are key issues about the political context, legal framework, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), voter registration, political parties, campaign finances, the role of media, and civil society that African citizens should know as they pay close attention to Malawi’s 2025 elections.
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As of August 2023, with a total of 220, the African continent is regarded as the region that has experienced the highest number of military coups, hereafter, referred to as coups.[1] In fact, The Economist speculates that the continent will continue to witness an increase in the number of coups.[2] Since 2020, two specific regions of Africa that are almost considered as the ‘epicentre’ of coups are the Sahel and West regions. Exacerbated by corruption, authoritarian rule, entrenched social injustices, and fragile economies, the situation in some states has compelled the military to overthrow presidents and seize power. This has been the case in Guinea, Mali and Gabon where presidents have clung to power for too long, stifling the progress of democratic governance. However, a troubling pattern emerged in the aftermath of coups, as military leaders are often reluctant to relinquish power and organise democratic elections that would allow citizens to choose their representatives.
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By Belinda Matore, project officer in the Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights.
Advocacy has found a powerful ally in social media. Platforms like TikTok, X and Facebook have transformed local injustices into national conversations, often within hours. Yet as the line between activism and exploitation grows increasingly blurred, we must ask: at what cost does awareness come? The tragic case of Cwecwe, a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted at Bergview College in the Eastern Cape, serves as a stark reminder of how digital activism can devolve into digital exploitation.
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Dr Sindiso N. Nkomo and Dr Lydia T. Chibwe
March 21st was declared by the Democratic Government of South Africa as Human Rights Day. The annual commemoration of this day provides an opportunity for taking stock on the progress made in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. To commemorate this day this year, we believe it is important to focus on the progress made by Government in protecting the sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) and rights of marginalised groups such as rural women.
