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A great deal has been made about a growing middle class in Africa. But Henning Melber warns that the debate leaves a lot to be desired. The figures are fiddled and little effort has been made to draw on previous analysis of elites on the continent.
Broader South African society is fixated about the future of President Jacob Zuma. Steven Friedman explains that this isn’t the case within the governing ANC, and why it’s time this was better understood. Prince Mashele asks why a vote of no confidence which went Zuma’s way can be interpreted as a victory for the country’s opposition parties.
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The debate about Africa’s middle class has largely ignored earlier analyses on African elites.
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Henning Melber, University of Pretoria
We should be wary of simplified and sweeping explanations about the scope for potential social and political reforms the middle classes can promote.
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Politics + Society
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Steven Friedman, University of Johannesburg
Unless parliament passes a motion of no confidence in him, which is not on the cards any time soon, Zuma's future depends on whether he's weakened in the African National Congress, not parliament.
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Prince Mashele, University of Pretoria
The bitter attitude of ANC leaders who spoke inside and outside Parliament before and after the no confidence vote added fuel to already existing public anger at the arrogance of the governing party.
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Marius Pieterse, University of the Witwatersrand
Are different ways of governing emerging from South Africa's cities governed by opposition coalitions?
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Health + Medicine
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Jason Bantjes, Stellenbosch University; Mark Tomlinson, Stellenbosch University; Xanthe Hunt, Stellenbosch University
People with the same condition can respond differently to the same treatment. This is why personalised treatment is so important in all fields of medicine, including psychology.
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Science + Technology
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Christopher Trisos, University of Maryland; Charne Lavery, University of Cape Town; Laura Pereira, Stellenbosch University
A synthesis centre in Africa would massively improve the ability of researchers to understand complex scientific problems.
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