A light bulb is not something most people would associate with governance. Yet nearly four decades ago, while working in one of the poorest parts of east China’s Fujian Province as the Party chief of Ningde Prefecture, Xi Jinping (https://iol.co.za/tags/xi-jinping/) told local officials that ensuring access to everyday necessities for
How should we understand the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s view on governance performance? Watch the video here (https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0322/c90000-20438531.html). Through three stories shared by Chinese President Xi Jinping, we can grasp the CPC’s original aspiration and mission, and understand that benefiting the people is the greatest governance performance.
There’s a version of the Russia story that everyone understands. Oil. Gas. The energy weapon. The pipeline politics. It’s the version that gets written about because it’s visible; you can see it in the petrol price and in the gas bills of European households. But there’s a quieter instrument that
Everyone is watching the Strait of Hormuz right now. The burning tankers, the oil price ticking above $100, the White House press conferences. That’s understandable. However while that drama plays out, something arguably more consequential is happening in the background and it’s barely getting a line of coverage. Russia is
Everyone is watching the Strait of Hormuz right now. The burning tankers, the oil price ticking above $100, the White House press conferences. That’s understandable. However while that drama plays out, something arguably more consequential is happening in the background and it’s barely getting a line of coverage. Russia is
On the 25th of February 2026, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stood before Parliament and delivered a budget built on a story of redemption. Five years back, South Africa was grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force, it was downgraded to junk status, and reeled from State Capture. On Wednesday, he
Brazil has the 11th largest economy in the world, with a GDP of around $2.3 trillion. Brazil’s political landscape has been particularly contentious. Brazil has suffered an attempted coup in 2022 after former president Jair Bolsonaro allegedly initiated a coup in order to nullify the election result in favour president
The Communist Party of China’s (CPC) leadership has emphasised multiple frameworks to ensure the success of China’s five-year plans. The frameworks emphasise a collective effort to ensure national progress. These were emulated in China’s 20th National CPC Congress. The concept of national rejuvenation has become a defining theme in contemporary
The University of Johannesburg this week hosted a three-day Comparative Governance Forum in partnership with Fudan University, bringing together South African and Chinese academics, policymakers and researchers to engage on governance, innovation and development in a rapidly changing global context. Fudan University is one of China’s leading higher education institutions,
The BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC), which was launched in April 2025 in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), functions as a one-stop centre that offers integrated services, capacity building, and technical support that is focused on Industry 4.0 competencies, digital manufacturing, and productivity enhancement. It