Towards the end of 2024, the discovery of trafficked minors at the Stilfontein mines in South Africa’s North West province spoke to a severe trafficking crisis. As it emerged, undocumented children, some as young as 10, were reportedly coerced into forced labor under alleged armed criminal syndicates.



Trafficked from neighboring Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, these children had endured extensive abuse and exploitation. This harrowing discovery revealed systemic failures in combating trafficking. Throughout the annals of history, human trafficking has emerged as a deeply disturbing scourge of humanity. United States Senator Josh Hawley argues: “The swelling epidemic of human trafficking makes a mockery of the law and its protections.”



Endeavors to deal with human trafficking, viewed from both international and legal perspectives, have required a multifaceted approach. By its very definition, human trafficking is not confined to borders, although statistics indicate that Africa is disproportionately impacted. It involves the illegal trade of human beings for exploitation. Such exploitation includes forced labor, sexual exploitation, organ removal, forced marriage and involuntary servitude.



The global estimates paint a crude picture of the plight of many. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 24.9 million people worldwide were victims of human trafficking. Sex trafficking, disproportionately impacts women and girls, comprising 99% of its victims. Disturbingly, Africa has one of the highest proportions of human trafficking victims globally. High levels of poverty, pockets of conflict, and weak governance structures have exacerbated the situation on the continent.



Cognizant of the magnitude of this crisis, the international community has responded with key international treaties and protocols aimed at combating human trafficking, including:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000) and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (known as the Palermo Protocol).</li>



<li>The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), emphasizes the protection of children from exploitation, including trafficking.</li>



<li>The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (2005), provides a comprehensive legal framework for protection and prevention.</li>
</ul>



These frameworks provide critical guidance for countries to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute perpetrators. Yet, there are some apparent gaps in terms of a collective approach. Legal definitions of human trafficking differ from one jurisdiction to another. General elements of the definition include act (recruitment, transportation, transfer), means (coercion, fraud, deception), and purpose (exploitation). However, there is a need for clear definitions. Such definitions are necessary for effective law enforcement and victim protection. Moreover, countries have enacted various laws to combat human trafficking. These laws are often influenced by international agreements. National legal frameworks generally include criminalizing all forms of trafficking, establishing comprehensive victim protection measures and requiring cooperation among law enforcement, social services, and the judicial system.



It also must be noted that efforts to combat human trafficking face significant challenges. Enforcing anti-trafficking laws and prosecuting traffickers is complicated by the cross-border nature of trafficking, resource constraints, and corruption within law enforcement. To improve prosecution rates and victim outcomes, training for law enforcement and judicial personnel is crucial. In Africa, there is an argument to be made for a more synchronized approach. Already, initiatives led by the African Union (AU), such as the Ouagadougou Action Plan, promote coordination among states. There is a focus on sharing intelligence and harmonizing anti-trafficking laws. This is supported by the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, a continental court established by African states to protect human and peoples’ rights across the continent. However, there is scope to increase regional cooperation while addressing the root causes of trafficking on the continent through integrated social and economic development strategies. Furthermore, enforcement should be equipped to identify cases, handle victims sensitively and build strong cases against traffickers. Victims also require comprehensive support services, including safe housing, medical care and access to legal assistance to safely navigate the legal process and reintegrate into society. It is clear that there needs to be systematic reframing of our approach.



The Stilfontein incident is a stark reminder of how many lives we have let slip through the cracks. However, it is also a powerful call for change.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

African Migrants Ensnared By Human Traffickers En Route To Europe

Expert-Speak: The Disturbing Scourge Of Human Trafficking And How To Protect The Vulnerable In Africa

As artificial intelligence reshapes healthcare, the fight against cancer is witnessing unprecedented breakthroughs, from microscopic nanorobots to virtual treatment twins. This acceleration in drug discovery is just one example of AI&#8217;s impact on oncology, now and in the future.



According to the British Journal of Cancer, cancer research is one of the most heavily-funded areas of science. Billions are poured into research every year but the main ways in which we treat cancer – surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – haven&#8217;t changed in the past 80 years.



But now artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming this landscape entirely, revolutionizing not just how doctors diagnose and treat cancer, but how we discover new treatments. “I think we are really in the golden age of scientific discovery, powered by the cloud and AI at scale,” says Dr Rowland Illing, Amazon Web Services’ Chief Medical Officer and Director of Global Healthcare and Nonprofits. At its core, cancer presents a fundamental challenge: cells that go rogue, growing and dividing uncontrollably without the normal genetic &#8216;braking system&#8217; that regulates cell growth.



“But finding a way to put the brakes on is where it gets interesting,” says Dr Divya Chander, a physician, neuroscientist and futurist. For Chander, there are three key areas where AI is making significant inroads: drug discovery, designing new therapeutics (like living medicines) and precision clinical trials and precision medicine.



From data to diagnosis



Traditional drug discovery is expensive and time-consuming but AI models can accelerate the process by identifying shared genomic features across diseases to predict effectiveness. “It&#8217;s incredibly helpful because with older medications, we already know they&#8217;re safe,” says Chander. “When we find drugs that are useful for another indication, it’s really an extraordinary gift.” This is particularly important for rare and undiagnosed diseases, including certain cancers, that affect over 300 million people globally (but only 5%-7% have FDA-approved treatments).



A new open-source AI model called TxGNN, developed by Harvard Medical School researchers, aims to close this gap by identifying drug candidates for over 17,000 diseases, including rare cancers, using existing medicines. Then there’s Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-based biotechnology startup, who now has one of the first AI-discovered drugs to enter the clinical pipeline. The company’s own Pharma.AI platform, which includes tools like PandaOmics and Chemistry42, uses multiple AI models trained on millions of data samples to identify disease targets and design new drug compounds. What’s really exciting about this is the speed. Insilico reached the first phase of clinical trials in just two and a half years, compared to the traditional six-year timeline, and at a fraction of the usual $400 million cost. “It can cost over a billion dollars per drug and take over a decade and a lot of lives are lost in that time,” adds Chander.



This acceleration in drug discovery is just one example of AI&#8217;s impact on oncology. Working with Genomics England, Illing and his team faced an immense challenge: analysing thousands of scientific papers about genetic links to diseases. “They have a team of bio curators – experts who do searches, pull out papers, read them and work out the associations between disease types and genes,” explains Illing. But with so much key data on cancer and genetics being published, Genomics England’s manual review process couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume of research. Illing’s team worked on an AI solution – automated bio-curation – which transformed this landscape completely. “Over an eight to 10-week period, we built a generative AI platform that was able to look at all of those papers published and identify 20 new gene associations which previously were not known,” Illing says, adding that if they had manually looked at all the data, it would be out of date. “The role of AI is very much automation. It&#8217;s how do you take stuff which needs to be done at scale globally, make it faster and take off the burden of the care providers?”



The digital patient



This revolutionary approach isn&#8217;t simply fast-tracking research, it&#8217;s shifting how quickly scientific discoveries can become life-saving treatments. Among these innovations, AI is being utilized to create increasingly sophisticated simulations of disease progression in virtual environments called digital twins. In fact, Research and Markets have projected that the digital twin industry will reach $130.77 billion by 2029, driven by demand in healthcare and pharmacology. In a new research paper published in Nature Medicine on digital twins, Dr Eric Stahlberg, a Leidos scientist, explained that “if you look at the aerospace industry, they&#8217;re using digital twins extensively to simulate fluid dynamics and materials processing to improve engine and aircraft designs. There are many similarities between those models and newer models that simulate the human cardiovascular and circulatory systems,” he continues. “The complexity of the human body is so substantial that there will always be uncertainty in the models. But ultimately, digital twins will inform patients, help them rank various treatment options and increase their chances of survival.&#8221;



UK Biobank, a global biomedical database and research hub, currently has a project underway that’s using AI to create detailed digital twins that mirror how cancer develops and responds to treatment for individual patients. “Digital twins enable precision care in a way that could never be done before,” says Chander. These computer models are groundbreaking because they combine multi-modal data from genetic patterns and protein behavior to chemical changes in the body and patients&#8217; full medical histories. “Most of the models that are coming out to date, like ChatGPT or Claude, have been language models, but we&#8217;re seeing a shift into large data models,” explains Illing. “Healthcare isn&#8217;t just language – it&#8217;s also genomics, proteins and imaging. By integrating all of those different data streams you get a much better idea, upfront, about what kind of treatment a patient can have.” By analyzing this rich mixture of biological and clinical information, UK Biobank’s AI system can spot subtle warning signs that traditional methods might overlook. First tackling pancreatic cancer, where the complex mixture of different cells in tumors makes early detection difficult, the team is hoping to look at lung, breast, colon, prostate, skin and bladder cancers in the future.



These AI breakthroughs are reshaping how doctors approach cancer treatment, turning an uncontrollable disease into one they can analyze, track and target with unprecedented precision. It’s a new era in medicine where cutting-edge technology can customize care. “The promise of personalized medicine is that when you come in with your specific problem, you will be treated as an individual, rather than just one of a &#8216;this sex, this age, in this environment&#8217;,” ends Illing. “AI is already having a massive impact on this kind of tailored understanding of what patients have got but also how things evolve over time.”



Will next-gen oncology be driven by nanorobots?



Remember those illustrations in the 1976 children&#8217;s book The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur? Tiny warriors drawn inside syringes, ready to battle disease. What once captured children&#8217;s imaginations is now a scientific reality. Today, AI is turning this vivid imagery into a radical new approach to fighting cancer: nanorobotics – sophisticated molecular machines that are redefining how we target and treat tumors. “These are kind of like rocket ships,” explains Dr Divya Chander, “your rocket ship could be a bacterial cell, or it could be a virus&#8230; or it can be a nanorobot that we create, but essentially it can hold a payload. And so, the shell, the main structure, is something that can actually be activated, like a heat seeking missile.” These tiny machines, typically measuring between 1 to 100 nanometers, are programmed to act as precision delivery systems. One breakthrough example comes from Arizona State University, where researchers have developed DNA nanorobots loaded with thrombin. These microscopic warriors seek out cancer cells and effectively starve tumors by cutting off their blood supply – a far cry from the broad, systemic effects of traditional chemotherapy. The development of nanorobots goes hand-in-hand with what Chander calls “living medicines”. Instead of traditional drugs, living medicine uses nature’s own tools (like bacteria or viruses) to fight diseases. It&#8217;s almost like having tiny helpers that can do things our bodies can&#8217;t do on their own. “A living medicine involves programming a life form to deliver a specific treatment, unlike traditional medicines, which are molecules that spread passively through the body based on physics and chemistry,” explains Chander. “These targeted therapies are extraordinary because they don&#8217;t come with the same side effects as systemic drugs… and chemotherapy is toxic.” What makes nanobots so exciting for cancer treatment is their ability in precisely attacking tumor cells. One new study found that nanorobots reduced tumor size by 65.2% compared to chemotherapy&#8217;s 40.5% reduction. They also delivered drugs with an impressive 92.7% accuracy, detected tumors nearly twice as fast and caused significantly fewer side effects. Most strikingly, patients treated with nanorobots achieved a 78% survival rate within 12 months, compared to 54% for those on chemotherapy.

3D virus cells attacking a DNA strand

A New Era In Oncology: Tackling The Dreaded ‘C’ Word With AI

The decorated former Olympian and Zimbabwe’s sports minister Kirsty Coventry will replace Thomas Bach as President of the IOC.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“It&#8217;s a signal that we&#8217;re truly global…”
</blockquote>



Double Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry continues to set new records after she was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, becoming the first woman, first African and youngest-ever to hold the prestigious post in the 130-year history of the organization. Zimbabwean Coventry, 41, needed only one round of voting as she secured her mandate, replacing outgoing president Thomas Bach, who did not stand for re-election.



&#8220;It is a really powerful signal,&#8221; Coventry said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a signal that we&#8217;re truly global and that we have evolved into an organization that is truly open to diversity and we&#8217;re going to continue.&#8221;



Coventry won 49 of the 97 votes in the first round for a majority ahead of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who earned 28 and finished in second. Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom was third having managed only eight votes.



&#8220;This is not just a huge honor, but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride,&#8221; Coventry said at the IOC session in Pylos, Greece.



&#8220;I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you&#8217;ve taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart.



&#8220;I&#8217;m going to sit down with President Bach. We&#8217;re going to have a few months for a handover takeover. And what I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were so many good ideas and exchanges over the last six months.”



The next Summer Olympic Games are in Los Angeles in 2028 and Coventry must navigate an increasingly difficult geopolitical landscape that will inevitably spill over into sport.



&#8220;We need to look at the IOC and our Olympic movement and family and decide how exactly we&#8217;re going to move forward in the future,” she said. “What is it that we want to focus on in the first six months? I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members and hearing what they have to say and hearing how we want to move together.



&#8220;It&#8217;s extremely important we have to be a united front and we have to work together. We don&#8217;t and we might not always agree, but we have to be able to come together for the betterment of the movement.&#8221;



Coventry is a decorated former Olympian having won two gold medals, four silver and a bronze in backstroke and medley events in the pool.



She shone at the Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) Games. &#8220;Greece seems to be my lucky charm,&#8221; she said with a smile.



Since retirement she has turned to politics having been Zimbabwe’s sports minister since 2018.



A champion of the African continent, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations.

144th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session – Day Two

Meet The First Woman, First African And Youngest-Ever To Be Head Of The 130-Year-Old International Olympic Committee

These Ugandan game designers and founders are holding up a mirror to society with their art.



As many a traveler knows, you’re never alone if you’ve packed some cards. You could indulge in the terse isolation of solitaire, but in East Africa you can make an instant friend with an invitation to a game of matatu, a simple, addictive pastime played with a standard 53-card pack. The game is often encountered on the eponymous minibuses in the region, as seats can sometimes be turned to face each other so a feisty card battle can ensue.



A colonial acculturation introduced from Europe, card play thrived in the brighter, warmer climes of the African continent, where playing games like matatu on the streets triggered a viral propagation of these easily learned diversions.



Since returning home after studying abroad, two childhood friends have created a company that reconfigures the hobby with a Ugandan twist, tapping into card games’ inherent sociability and low barrier to entry. Denzel Muhumuza and JJ Asiimwe are the founders of the company Mizano, and creators of a vivacious range of games that draw on the cultural idiosyncrasies of modern Uganda.



“The name Mizano is derived from the Ankole language, and refers to the act of playing,” says Muhumuza, the company’s managing director, and designer of the games’ vibrant artwork.



“Uganda has a huge gaming culture. At the market in downtown Kampala, people are always playing cards. So we&#8217;re trying to plug into that gaming ecosystem. The issue is that they’re playing with cards that arrived in the 19th century – a White queen, a White king. We want people to play games that are inflected with their cultural identity. That was our driving mission: to uniquely celebrate our culture.”



Their flagship product is Mulodi, a property game that leans hard into the spiky back-and-forth of East Africa’s notoriously perilous real estate hustle: in a mischievous nod to the urban landscape’s ubiquitous painted ‘this land is not for sale’ signs, the game even allows you steal another player’s estate (and bank the proceeds).



“It&#8217;s about making money – and trying to protect your property from other people!” says JJ Asiimwe, Mizano’s co-director. He points out some of the game’s action cards. “Banja means getting back money from someone who owes you. And this one is ‘wedding meeting’, which means everyone has to pay you 20 million shillings towards your wedding. Weddings are a big part of our culture, and a lot of people have a meeting where you might have a community help you fundraise.”



The name of the Mulodi game, which now has a safari real-estate spin-off, is another hat-tip to the stratified financial power-wielding of Ugandan society. “A rich, successful person is called a mulodi,” Muhumuza says. “Here, there are no land titles. It’s all based on your neighbors knowing you own the land. That&#8217;s what we tried to capture: people are always trying to get ahead ‘differently’. So, if you&#8217;re playing this game, it’s about understanding your partners are riddled with corruption&#8230;”



It&#8217;s an affectionate but unflinching satire about the nefarious goings-on in everyday economic life, and a deliberate effort to educate as well as entertain (the company also produces a skew called Eyedentify, a symbol-matching game especially popular with children).



Do the two entrepreneurs feel a responsibility to decolonize popular gaming culture for this new generation of card players?



“Every problem’s an opportunity, right?” says Asiimwe. “It reflects what we’re going through. We were educated in this system, and went abroad; now we’re back, reconnecting with our roots. So, it feels good, because it’s in line with what we’re doing with our own lives. We’re doing it for business – but we’re also contributing to society.”

Mizano founders

The Ugandan Game Designers Playing Their Cards Right

The speed of AI development is leaving countries with limited digital infrastructure behind, and the gap is widening at an unprecedented rate.



In Africa, there is a need for massive digital infrastructure investment that prioritizes bridging the digital divide, particularly where the gap is widening exponentially. As David Martinon, French Ambassador to South Africa and former French Ambassador for Digital Affairs, said at the recent Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) hosted in Cape Town: “AI may seem virtual for the end user, but it needs a skeleton. It requires heavy investment in infrastructure and increased connectivity to democratize access.”



Yet, Africa is lagging when it comes to digital infrastructure. Many countries lack the cloud, connectivity, high-speed networks and data centers required to handle the demands of the technology. Hun Kim, Acting Vice President of Investment Solutions at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said: “African countries lack the backbone of cloud and connectivity, among other core infrastructure necessities, and without these, AI will remain a distant concept rather than an accessible tool. Already there’s a digital divide and AI is doubling, even tripling this, as countries without digital infrastructure risk falling even further behind.”



The gap is further wedged open due to limited access to funds. Infrastructure funding is challenging to source, and prone to bottlenecks that introduce lengthy delays. The result is that Africa is slipping down the AI hill because countries can’t get a grip on the infrastructure, they need to embrace the technology effectively. There is work being done to rectify the challenge, but it remains slow. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) committed 288 million Euros between 2021-2023 for broadband construction and datacenters across Africa, but this is just a drop in the ocean.



AI drives a growing demand for materials and energy that’s a challenge in markets where access to energy is fragile or insufficient. Ygor Scarcia, Industrial Development Expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), also emphasized the risk of growing inequalities: “The challenge is risking the divide between industrialized and non-industrialized economies.”



Africa is already making strides in AI with initiatives like the African Union’s digital transformation strategy, various tech hubs across the continent, and notable AI research projects.



Finance institutions, governments and private sector need to collaborate to find smarter ways of building Africa’s digital infrastructure and prioritizing critical environmental and governance requirements to ensure the continent doesn’t sit at the bottom of the slope. The continent has the talent and the potential, now it needs the investment impetus to take hold of AI and take the lead.

The Power of AI. Transforming Industries and Customer Service. A Look into the Future. Yellow AI icon processing texts and commands on smart phone. 3D render

An Exponential Threat: Is AI Leaving Africa Behind?

Dr Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed for a second term as President of Confederation of African Football (CAF) in March, a nod to the progress made since he first took office four years ago as he has proposed a new, ambitious target for the organization.



CAF, as with many sporting bodies around the world, has grappled with various challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving manner in which fans consume sport, but is now arguably on its soundest footing for some time.



Motsepe has not been without his critics, but the proof of his impact is in the numbers.



CAF has managed to increase its annual subversions to Member Associations from $200,000 to $400,000 per annum, and to its six Zonal Unions from $500,000 to $750,000. That money is earmarked for football development.



Prize money across all CAF competitions is up, not least for women’s football, with CAF investing almost five times as much in the women’s game as at the start of his tenure.



Renewed sponsorships and record television audiences have been a driver behind improved revenue that is budgeted to take CAF forward in the 2024-25 financial year.



But, Motsepe says, this is just the beginning, and he has ambitious plans for his second term.



“The tender is open for the $1-billion contribution to African football over the next eight years and it’s going very well,” Motsepe said. “We have to comply with Comesa (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), because there are regulations in Comesa that you cannot conclude an agreement for more than four years.



“We don’t only have to comply but respect those regulations. Many of the partners we are talking to are saying, but president of CAF, you want $1-billion, we will give you $1-billion, but we need more years.



“The aim is to give every African nation $1-million (subversion) annually, starting in 2026.”



Having launched the CAF Women’s Champions League soon after taking office in 2021, Motsepe says the ladies’ game will continue to be a special focus.



“An African women’s national team may win the (FIFA) World Cup before a men’s national team,” he said. “Governments can help. The private sector. Half of our (African) population are women. Women’s football is about inspiring young girls.”

Dr Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed for a second term at CAF’s 14th Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo on March 12; image supplied

African Billionaire’s Ambitious Plans For Second Term As Football Boss

It is a word that does not roll off the tongue, though “kakistocracy” perfectly captures the wave of frustrations many encounter at work.



Derived from the Greek words ‘kakistos’ (worst) and ‘kratos’ (rule), it refers to leadership by the least competent or most inept.



Once confined to political commentary, kakistocracy is increasingly a talking point in all types of organizations, from large corporations to small businesses, not-for-profits and community groups.



It is not that there are not enough excellent examples of well-led organizations out there.



Yet, as we start the new working year, too many organizations will continue to flounder, steered by leaders who prioritize ego over expertise and appearances over meaningful outcomes.



Kakistocracy epitomizes a leadership style driven not by progress but by personal gain, favoritism and an unfortunate embrace of ineptitude.



This result is organizations that resemble rudderless ships – unstable, directionless and destined to flounder under the weight of mismanagement.



When organizations enter a kakistocratic state, where those ill-equipped to lead occupy critical roles, decisions become reactive, priorities shift aimlessly and those aboard are left feeling adrift.



The consequences ripple outward, eroding trust, stalling progress and creating a culture of disillusionment where employees, customers and stakeholders feel trapped by poor leadership.



Understanding how kakistocracy anchors itself in workplaces begins with examining the choices made at the outset.



It often starts with a failure to prioritize leadership fundamentals in recruitment or promotions.



Those unfit for the demands of the role might rise to the surface, buoyed by charisma rather than capability.



Once in place, these so-called leaders surround themselves with like-minded allies to create an echo chamber where dissenting voices are drowned out and decision-making becomes insular and erratic.



This dynamic thrives in environments where accountability has eroded, leaving the ship rudderless.



Poor decisions carry little consequence, allowing incompetence to flourish.



Boards, stakeholders or governing bodies might fail to chart a course of accountability, valuing loyalty over results and sidestepping challenges rather than tackling them head-on.



Even glaring errors are met with a shrug, further emboldening those least equipped to lead.



Performative leadership is another factor driving kakistocracy.



In an age where visibility often trumps substance, leaders who excel at projecting confidence, spinning narratives or delivering soundbites are frequently elevated – regardless of their track record.



Leadership becomes less about steering through rough waters and more about crafting a compelling image.



The ripple effects extend beyond the organization’s walls as kakistocracy stifles innovation, creativity and morale.



Talented employees often find themselves marginalized or disengaged, their contributions overshadowed by political manoeuvring and self-promotion.



This dynamic can lead to a talent drain, with the most-capable individuals seeking opportunities elsewhere.



When this exodus occurs, the damage extends to the organization’s reputation.



The good news is history has shown that even the roughest waters can inspire change.



Poor leadership can serve as a wake-up call, forcing organizations to confront their flaws, rethink their structures and rebuild stronger, more resilient systems.



This process is not easy and underscores the importance of reimagining leadership – not as a position of privilege but a responsibility demanding expertise, collaboration and a commitment to excellence.



This year, organizations must rewrite the rules of the game.



Leadership should no longer be about who speaks the loudest but who can chart the clearest, most effective course.



The challenges of modern workplaces require leaders who can listen, adapt and unite teams towards a shared vision.



By anchoring decisions in competence, fostering accountability and encouraging collective engagement, workplaces can move beyond the tide of kakistocracy and set sail towards a future where leadership is truly fit for the challenges ahead. Only then can organizations ensure they are equipped to navigate any turbulence the new year might bring while emerging stronger and more resilient.

Mature businessman leading meeting in office

Expert-Speak: Kakistocracy And Why We Need A Leadership Reset This Year

At a time when the global automotive space is navigating an era of transformation, the country’s industry stands at a crossroads. Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) CEO and President, Andrew Kirby, recently depicted a stark yet hopeful vision for the sector.



The automotive business council of South Africa, NAAMSA, has released a report that paints a mixed picture of the country’s automotive sector. However, policies play a key role in addressing challenges in the industry and four, in particular, are worth noting.



According to the NAAMSA report, total vehicle sales in 2024 reached 515,712 units, reflecting a 3% decline compared to the previous year. Passenger car sales grew by 1.1%, but light commercial vehicle sales dropped by 12%, and heavy trucks and buses saw declines.



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With regards to this, Andrew Kirby, the CEO and President of Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) emphasized, in January, that five key market shifts would redefine the automotive landscape this year, namely:



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>A consumer-driven shift in the affordability factor</li>



<li>SUVs continue to dominate</li>



<li>The rise of in-car technology</li>



<li>The Chinese and Indian automotive surge</li>



<li>The new energy vehicle (NEV) transition</li>
</ol>



“If we look at used car sales, we’ve seen a significant increase,” Kirby explained at the time. “Consumers are prioritizing affordability, with many unable to meet financing requirements for new vehicles. This trend will persist into 2025, influencing model availability and pricing strategies.”



He added: “The in-car experience is now a decisive factor in purchase decisions… it’s not just about driving anymore; consumers want seamless connectivity between their vehicles and smartphones, creating a digital-first car ownership experience”.



In terms of theshift in the automotive power map, the following should be noted:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Chinese-made vehicles now account for 29% of global production and sales, with a 645% increase in South Africa alone over the past five years.</li>



<li>India’s automotive market share has grown by 20% globally, now making up 30% of South Africa’s vehicle imports.</li>



<li>Germany, once a dominant force, has now fallen out of the top five vehicle-producing nations globally.</li>
</ul>



The Four Policy Challenges That Must Be Addressed



A review of these challenges necessitates that, to remain competitive and stimulate a strong sector, several factors must remain at the forefront as the year advances:



1. The Stalled South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM)



SAAM, released to the public in 2018, set ambitious targets for production volumes, employment, and local content. However, six years later, critical pillars remain unimplemented — particularly optimizing the local market and regional trade integration.



2. An Unequal Playing Field for Imports



China’s state-backed incentives and aggressive pricing are reshaping global trade. South Africa, however, lacks a fair competition framework.



The country, therefore, needs balanced trade policies that allow competition without undercutting local manufacturers.



3. An Incomplete EV Policy



South Africa’s current EV incentive structure is inadequate and Kirby had urged that, “we need a broader industrial policy that considers hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles, rather than a narrow focus on full EVs”.



4. The Early Signs of Deindustrialization



According to the Toyota CEO, South Africa is showing signs of deindustrialization, with imported vehicle sales outpacing locally built models.



“We need to create scale, increase local content, and attract investment — or risk losing our automotive manufacturing stronghold,” he has said.



5.The Road Ahead



Despite the challenges, Kirby stated that there are incredible opportunities here but they hinge on proactive policy reforms.



As South Africa stands at this defining moment, the decisions made in the next three years will determine whether the country remains an automotive powerhouse — or falls behind in the global race.

Professional Engineer Works on a Computer with a 3D CAD Software and Tests the Electric Car Chassis Prototype with Wheels, Batteries and Engine Standing in a High Tech Development Laboratory.

What Lies Down The Road For South Africa’s Auto Industry?

The fact that Africa has a shortage of clinical oncologists has been widely publicized. One international medical journal estimated that Nigeria, for example, has around 70 oncologists to serve a population of 213 million people. In South Africa – and in Johannesburg, in particular – it’s been reported that Gauteng’s health department has allocated millions to cancer care to assist the main hospitals that have become overwhelmed with patients needing critical treatment. And while there is definitely a skills shortage, Dr Duvern Ramiah, the head of radiation oncology at the University of the Witwatersrand and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital explains that no one had really done a deep dive into what is actually holding up access to these life-saving interventions.



“The main bottleneck with radiation and oncology treatment is a lack of radiotherapy planning. That’s the irst step to patients get- ting radiation,” he says. With prostate cancer patients waiting around 5 years for radiotherapy and breast cancer patients waiting around 18 months, Ramiah came to the realization that there wasn’t just a shortage of equipment; the unit wasn’t using the equipment that it had efficiently. “The unit wasn’t creating enough radiotherapy plans for these patients to be treated in time,” he adds. When a cancer patient requires radiation, radiation is prescribed by a radiation oncologist. What happens next is that the patient is scanned and goes through the long process of radiotherapy planning. “If a patient has prostate cancer, the doctor will say (for example), this person needs external beam radiation. I’ll see him and make that call. Ater that, he’ll go have a CT scan which is done in the position that he’s going to have radiation in,” explains Ramiah.



Once Ramiah receives the CT scan, he’ll have to manually draw in all the areas that need to get radiated, like the prostate and lymph glands, as well as key areas to avoid, like the bladder. “It’s a long process, and only once that’s done, I’ll send the scan off to a dosimetrist or planning radiotherapist,” he continues. Once a plan is created, it still needs to be approved by the radiation oncologist to ensure it meets the prescription requirements.



Depending on the type, stage and biological behavior, some cancers metastasize quicker which means these plans are needed pretty quickly so that they don’t become outdated. Ramiah turned to AI to create a new process where part of this journey could be automated. “So, instead of a doctor drawing in all of those organs on scans, we’ve got a convolutional neural network (CNN) running that will contour target areas. The time a doctor is spending doing this process is very mundane when it can just be automated. It reduces the time gap massively,” he says. Another way Ramiah has reduced the bottleneck is by using remote radiotherapists in America to create a detailed radiotherapy plan that oncologists at Charlotte Maxeke can implement. What Ramiah also found is that with the planning process, there is a lot of rep- etition. A plan for breast cancer can take up to two hours but around 70% of what is needed is actually the same from one patient to the next. “So, we’re also developing a script to automate some of that,” he adds.



With the help of AI, Ramiah has cut Charlette Maxeke’s two-month waiting time for radiotherapy plans down to between 48 and 72 hours. One of the most important parts of this AI journey is that the technology system Ramiah is piloting at Charlotte Maxeke is vendor-agnostic. So, because it isn’t tied to a specific brand or model of radiotherapy machine, it could potentially be implemented in any healthcare facility anywhere in the world.



“You can go to any unit in Africa with this solution, regardless of their technology infrastructure,” he says. “Unfortunately, within cancer, we get stuck in a lot of innovative things like gene therapy, which is a million-rand treatment but not accessible to everybody. What’s interesting about AI tech is that it increases access. It’s an enabler, which is why I push so hard for it in my department.”

Medical technology, doctor use AI robots for diagnosis, care, and increasing accuracy patient treatment in future. Medical research and development innovation technology to improve patient health.

AI Innovations: What This South African Doctor Is Making Possible

Progress is uncomfortable. It demands defiance — the audacity to stand firm when the world insists you do not belong. It is lonely, yet never solitary, for this is the story of a collective. Women who refuse to wait for permission, who step into rooms never built for them and take up space. When those before them whispered of revolution, the world muttered its doubts. But today’s African women know better. Be they young, older, youngest, they do not seek approval; they prepare — arming themselves with knowledge, strategy, and unwavering resolve — to counter power’s unease with an unshakable presence, knowing that discomfort cuts both ways.



Soft power, hard message: we came to win



When Dede Ayite became the first Black woman to win a Tony for Best Costume Design of a Play in 2024, she proved that not all revolutions announce themselves with a roar — some move with quiet certainty, reshaping the world before it even realizes it has changed. This is the essence of soft power: influence that seeps in, undeniable yet effortless, cloaked in art, culture, and innovation. It is the subtle but firm assertion of dominance, the kind that does not beg for recognition but commands it. African women are rewriting the limits of possibility, not through force, but through undeniable excellence. South Africa’s Tyla, the youngest African singer-songwriter to win a Grammy in 2024. Ayra Starr, the first woman in 16 years to claim the MOBO Award for Best African Music Act. Kenya’s Ruth Chepng’etich, the first woman to shatter the 2:11 and 2:10 barriers in marathon history, clocking a staggering 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon.



The list — proudly, defiantly — goes on. But this is no sudden uprising. This audacity is inherited, this excellence is ancestral. Miriam Makeba, the first African to win a Grammy in 1966, her voice carrying not just melody but the weight of a continent’s power. Alek Wek, the South Sudanese-British model who redefined beauty on her own terms, forcing the world to expand its gaze. Ama Ata Aidoo, the literary giant who wielded her pen like a weapon, chronicling the struggles, triumphs, and unapologetic strength of African womanhood. You see, their victories were more than personal achievements; they were declarations.



The innovators: rule&#8211;breakers, history&#8211;makers



They call them African problems — we call them blueprints for innovation. The barriers meant to limit us have become the launchpads of our ingenuity. We do not endure adversity; we transform it. This is more than resilience — it is economic mastery, the audacity to build, shape, and lead on our own terms.



This instinct is ancestral. Our great-grandmothers were entrepreneurs before the word existed —traders who moved goods across vast terrains, innovators who turned raw resources into wealth, visionaries who sustained entire economies from the corners of their markets. That same spirit fuels today’s architects of Africa’s future.&nbsp;Charlot Magayi&nbsp;revolutionizes clean cooking with eco-friendly charcoal briquettes.&nbsp;Violet Amoabeng&nbsp;harnesses Ghana’s rich resources to build a pan-African skincare brand. The&nbsp;Shea Butter Boom, a billion-dollar industry, is powered by African women whose hands extract not just shea, but wealth, ownership, and legacy.



In one sweeping generation — defined by both legacy and emergence — Africa boasts two formidable women shaping the global economic stage.&nbsp;Bogolo Kenewendo, a trade and economic powerhouse, rises on the continent, while&nbsp;Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Oorganization, commands the world stage. One at home, one abroad—both leading with defiance, proving that leadership is not granted, it is taken.



The age of Africa’s renaissance: taking every lane



They say courage writes history, but history belongs to those who refuse to ask for permission—the rule-breakers, the system-shakers, the shift disruptors — the ones who turn struggle into strategy and problems into power.



This is not a moment. It is a reckoning. A Renaissance. Africa’s women are not waiting or knocking on doors never meant to open. We are architects of a new order, commanding space and designing structures that cannot be dismantled.



A salute to our foremothers, whose grit paved the way. A call to our sisters — rise, push, take every lane.&nbsp;



Without apology. With audacity. Unstoppable. And the world will see us.

Beautiful african women

Expert-Speak — Without Apology, With Audacity: We’ve Always Been Here

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The 2nd Annual Over 30 Under 50 List: The Power Women Redefining Success

Our smartest technology just might be accelerating environmental challenges rather than solving them.



If you&#8217;re finding that you’re using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) more and more to search for things online, you’re not alone. There are a growing number of people who are ditching traditional search engines like Google for large language model (LLM) chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. And it makes a lot of sense. Instead of paging through lists of links hidden in-between ads, you get a direct answer to your question (with sources). It sounds brilliant but there’s a catch – running AI models (especially LLMs) require a lot of computational power. They also rely on massive data centers that can consume the same amount of electricity as a small city. And the more popular AI becomes, the more power these large-scale operations will need, with McKinsey &amp; Company predicting AI power consumption could reach up to 219 gigawatts by 2030 — that’s supposedly enough electricity to power more than 163 million (average) homes.



The hyperscalers, large cloud service providers like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft, are all scrambling to secure renewable and low-carbon energy supplies. Both Meta and Microsoft are betting big on nuclear to bolster electric grids. Microsoft recently signed a 20-year power deal with Three Mile Island, an infamous nuclear plant in Pennsylvania that shut down in 2019.



“A lot of the energy plans that the big cloud providers and data centers have is focused on sustainable energy. Nuclear is not renewable but at least we are not burning fossil fuels,” says Chris Wiggett, Head of AI and Data Analytics at NTT DATA Middle East and Africa.



“Connecting to a grid is expensive,” adds Emad Mostaque, a British entrepreneur and the former CEO of Stability AI. “The human brain uses 20 watts. When ChatGPT first came out, it used over 1,000 watts for every influence, every query.” Now, every time someone puts in a prompt into ChatGPT,



it uses around 2.9 watts of energy, every hour. The energy use may be lower but it’s still nearly 10 times what it takes for a single Google search.



“We’re looking to build Africa’s largest interconnected hyperscale data center, but we need to be as efficient as possible in our design and operation,” says Finhai Munzara, ADC’s interim CEO. “Data centers are big capital and come at a high cost to operate. We do use a lot of power so it’s important to ensure that we take some of the burden off the grid and generate as much on-site as we can.” Munzara is also looking into what happens if they overproduce solar power – whether they will be able to bank that excess energy into the grid and then offset it against some of their other emissions elsewhere. “It’s not just about delivery capacity. It’s about how we are going to power it in the most sustainable way.”



Hugging Face – an open-source hub for AI – has over a million models in their library. The platform’s CEO, Clément Delangue, wrote that a new model is created every second on the platform. A Harvard report found that the training process for a single AI model, like an LLM which is what GenAI models are based on, can consume thousands of megawatt hours of electricity.



But Wiggett believes that as AI models evolve, there’s also a chance that they will consume less power. Open-source AI models, which are often collaborative, can be lower in energy consumption compared to a closed, proprietary AI model owned by a business. Wiggett also explains that algorithm solutions require less compute power than their AI counterparts.



A  great  example  is DeepMind’s AI model, AlphaGo, which was built in 2015 to master the ancient Chinese game of Go (a complex board game of strategy, creativity and ingenuity.) “AlphaGo was the first model, and it took a very long time and massive compute power to perform at the level it did. If you look at the subsequent models, they are all algorithm-based yet they outperform the first models,” says Wiggett. “If we look at the evolution of AI, we have to go heavy compute, and then over time, the evolution will involve going lesser compute. From a technology perspective, it will get better over time.”



You can already see a shift in how data centers consume water. Despite Amazon, Microsoft and Google all reporting that their water usage has escalated due to AI demands, the hyperscalers have plans in place to become water-positive in the near future.



Amazon Web Services (AWS) is funding over 20 worldwide water replenishment projects. In other words, they’re giving communities water instead of taking it away. In late 2024, Microsoft launched a new data center design that optimizes AI workloads and consumes zero water &nbsp;&nbsp;for cooling.



“Zero water means that until a data center is built, all the water pumped into the tanks is circulated in a closed loop,” explains Munzara. “The water is cooled with ambient air.” Water usage efficiency (WUE) is a metric that has been tracked since the first generation of data centers. To cut water costs, data centers are often built in icy areas to take advantage of natural cooling. Microsoft has even conducted experiments to see if underwater data centers could work and now, an American company called Lonestar, is looking to put data centers on the moon.



“The moon has no weather, no climate change, no atmosphere and it has a perfect view of Earth rotating underneath it,” said Lonestar’s CEO, Christopher Stott, in an interview. In the meantime, while AI workloads continue to strain data center resources, other eco-friendly cooling options to manage energy efficiency will have to do.

Specialist technician professional engineercontrol drone checking top view of installing solar roof panel on the factory rooftop under sunlight. Engineers holding tablet check solar roof.

Power Tussle: The Hidden Climate Costs Of AI

Access to vaccines remains a significant challenge across Africa, but technology is emerging as a key to breaking decades of relying on other nations for vaccine development- and to thereby stop the spread of disease much, much faster.



In 2021, Africa’s 1.3 billion people had to wait months for the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 40 million doses had reportedly been administered in wealthier countries hoarding the vaccine compared with just 25 doses given, in total, to one of the lowest income countries in Africa. 



The world was, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), on the “brink of a catastrophic moral failure”. It was a stark and unpleasant picture painted by lack of access, limited funding, and supply chain complexities. It’s also not the first time Africa has been left behind. The treatment for HIV/Aids took six years to become accessible to Africans who were among the hardest-hit by the disease, vaccines were hard to come by during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, and in 2023, there was a shortage of cholera vaccines when an Indian manufacturer stopped making the vaccine during an outbreak. 



The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has stated that over 200 disease outbreaks were reported in 2024. And they all have a direct impact on education, economic development, security and health. Yet, Africa remains reliant on vaccines produced in other parts of the world reportedly producing less than 1% of the world’s vaccinations. Out of the 54 countries in Africa, only eight have the capacity to produce vaccines – South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt and Ethiopia.



Today, Mpox is a growing threat in Africa. In 2024, the Africa CDC declared its first Public Health Emergency of Continental Security and WHO issued its Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), one of its highest global health alerts. Across Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and, more recently in 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mpox cases totaled more than 50,840 as of November 2024.



The continent’s leadership isn’t sitting still. The African Union and the Africa CDC committed to the ideal of Africa producing 60% of its own vaccines by 2040, signing two Memorandums of Agreement (MOUs) and forming partnerships with key organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, who were instrumental in ensuring Africa received Covid-19 vaccines. But, with the continent expected to now produce 1.5 billion doses a year – 73 times more than what’s produced locally today – technology has become an essential tool to supporting vaccine development and distribution in Africa.



It sounds expensive, but as Arthur Salaün, partner at Boston Consulting Group, tells FORBES AFRICA, “Vaccines are considered one of the most cost-effective global health interventions – for every dollar you invest in vaccines, you get $20 return across economic and societal gains.”



Technology can play into the limited supply of vaccines on the continent. For example, as Michael Mynhardt, CEO and co-founder of MMH &amp; Partners Africa, explains, data can provide rapid insights into where hotspots are forming, giving healthcare providers more time to react. “You can use data to pinpoint and track outbreaks, allowing for teams to develop more effective vaccination strategies.”



He also raises one of the most significant challenges when it comes to managing vaccinations in Africa – the supply chain. There’s a growing need for solutions that can manage the cold chain efficiently while delivering vaccines to remote and hard- to-reach areas. “Drones and autonomous delivery solutions are able to access rural areas quickly and at a lower cost,” he adds.



In Kisumu, a city in Kenya, Zipline drones are being used to deliver rabies post-exposure prophylactics, malaria vaccines and measles vaccines to children. Zipline has also ensured the distribution of more than one million vaccines in Ghana, while the DRC has invested in drones to deliver yellow fever vaccines to out-of-reach locations.



Then there is the role technology is playing in the delivery of the vaccine into the human body itself. As Professor Willem Hanekom, co-national principal investigator for the M72/ AS01E TB vaccine candidate trial in South Africa, explains to FORBES AFRICA: “Most vaccines are delivered by injection – it’s practical and we know how to do it, but what if we developed patches instead? There are trials going on globally to try and convert vaccines into patches but it’s not a simple transition. They have to be safe to use and easy to deliver, and there are a lot of regulatory steps that can take years.”



Patches would be easier to manage, more cost-effective to transport, especially if using UAVs, and less intimidating for children, but their development is lengthy thanks to safety and regulatory challenges. Hanekom takes the conversation back to the supply chain and the critical need to ensure that every vial and vaccine has remained at the right temperature throughout transportation. “Technologies are coming into play that make this more efficient, for example, markers on every vial that can show whether or not there has been an interruption in the cold chain,” he says.



Dr Meg Schaeffer, EdD, MPH, MPA, an infectious disease epidemiologist and National Public Health advisor at SAS Institute in the United States, adds: “Real-time field monitoring tools ensure vaccines retain their efficacy as they move through the delivery process, but another critical factor is more of an interplay on the epidemiology side using a regional model. Technology can help us to consistently monitor where disease outbreaks are occurring and then model and potentially forecast different scenarios to assess which populations will be affected next, and to what extent. It helps us to determine where to position our resources quickly. This is the next critical frontier for Africa – using technology to deploy vaccines exactly to where they need to be so we can stop the spread of disease much, much faster.”



Finally, of course, there’s artificial intelligence (AI). AI is helping organizations reduce the time to discover a vaccine and put it on the market, allowing developers and healthcare systems to react far faster than today. “We see a future for vaccines where instead of 10 years, they will take a few months which means that when you have an epidemic, you can react far quicker than in the past,” he says. “AI-discovered drugs have a success rate of 80%-90% in phase one which is way higher than traditional drugs. The hope is that it will help Africa develop vaccines for local, daily diseases that are of no interest to global pharmaceuticals and change the narrative on the continent.”

Doctor fills syringe with medicine from vial. Vaccination and immunization

The Next Critical Frontier: Vaccine Development In Africa

Chinese brands are gaining momentum and igniting a new era in South Africa’s automotive landscape. Whether it’s a sleek new SUV rolling off a Chinese assembly line or a locally produced vehicle designed to compete on the global stage, the industry is speeding with potential and possibilities.



A Few Decades Ago, South Africa witnessed the rise of Japanese automotive brands like Kia, Hyundai, and Suzuki, which boldly entered the market to challenge well-established mass volume players like Toyota, Volkswagen (VW) and Nissan. Over time, these brands not only carved out significant market shares but also won the hearts of South Africans with their affordability, innovation and reliability. Today, a similar story is unfolding – this time with Chinese automotive brands rapidly making their mark on South Africa and the broader African continent. Brands like Great Wall Motor Company (GWM), Haval and Chery have already secured spots in the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s (NAAMSA) top 10 sales charts. Meanwhile, newer entrants such as GAC, Jetour, LDV and Dongfeng are aiming to steadily build momentum. With 2025 promising a wave of exciting new launches, these brands are poised to redefine the automotive landscape and spark a new era of competition.



Vision for Growth



Jay Jay Botes, General Manager of Chery South Africa, reveals that the company has ambitious plans to introduce multiple new energy vehicles (NEVs) to the South African market in 2025. While the idea of establishing local manufacturing facilities is under consideration, Botes emphasizes that Chery is still in the feasibility study phase.



On the other hand, BYD – one of China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) producers – is entering the South African market with bold intentions. As BYD celebrates 30 years, the brand is leveraging its expertise in industries like rail transit, renewable energy and electronics to disrupt the automotive industry. Steve Chang, General Manager of BYD South Africa, highlights the company’s long-term vision: building trust in a competitive environment by prioritizing customer relationships over short-term profit margins.



BYD’s upcoming launches, including the Sealion 6 plugin hybrid and the Dolphin mini, underscore its commitment to innovation. The brand’s focus on R&amp;D, with 10% of its global workforce dedicated to it, ensures that its vehicles are not only technologically-advanced but also tailored to meet the needs of diverse markets like South Africa.



The BRICS Connection



The rise of Chinese brands in South Africa is closely tied to the country’s membership in the BRICS bloc. Since joining in 2010, South Africa has seen a significant increase in automotive imports from BRICS countries, with China playing a central role. However, this growth has also sparked debates about balancing the interests of legacy automotive manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, VW, Isuzu, Nissan and Toyota – many of which have invested heavily in local production facilities – and the influx of competitively priced imports.



Mikel Mabasa, CEO of NAAMSA, acknowledges the complexities. “The disruption caused by Chinese imports is a topic of concern, but any potential interventions must align with the South African Automotive Masterplan 2035 and the second phase of the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP2),” he explains. Mabasa emphasizes that while competition is intense, it ultimately benefits consumers by offering more choices at competitive prices.



Competing on Value



In a fiercely-competitive market, Chinese brands have positioned themselves as champions of affordability and innovation. Their focus on SUVs – one of the fastest-growing segments globally – has struck a chord with South African consumers. Equipped with advanced features and cutting-edge technology, these vehicles offer exceptional value, making them highly appealing in a market where 66.3% of vehicles sold in 2023 were priced below ZAR500,000 ($26,787).



Despite this influx, locally-produced vehicles remain strong contenders. In 2023, eight of the top 10 selling models in South Africa were manufactured locally, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of the country’s legacy OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Mabasa notes that the presence of Chinese brands has spurred local manufacturers to innovate, offering aggressive marketing, attractive financing options, and new model launches to stay competitive.



The NEV Revolution



As the global automotive industry pivots toward NEVs, South Africa stands at the cusp of a transformative shift. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcements at the SA Auto Week in 2024 highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering NEV adoption through policy support and incentives. However, NEVs remain a niche segment, accounting for just 1.45% of total new vehicle sales in 2023.



Chinese brands like BYD are well-positioned to accelerate this transition. By offering affordable EV options, they could drive broader market adoption and pave the way for local production in the future. Mabasa believes that a combination of demand-side incentives and hybrid vehicle inclusion in the APDP2 framework could catalyze this growth. “The affordability of Chinese EVs makes them a key player in addressing the high costs that currently hinder NEV adoption,” he says.



A Continent Alive with Possibilities



The rise of Chinese automotive brands in South Africa is not an isolated phenomenon. These brands are also making inroads across sub-Saharan Africa, leveraging the continent’s growing appetite for affordable, feature-rich vehicles. With whispers of potential production facilities and partnerships, their influence is set to extend far beyond sales figures.



This shift is indicative of a broader transformation within the African automotive landscape. Consumers are becoming more discerning, demanding vehicles that offer not just affordability but also quality, reliability and innovation. As Chinese brands rise to meet these expectations, they are also challenging local and global players to rethink their strategies.



Shaping the Future



The automotive industry is undergoing a seismic shift, and South Africa is at the heart of this transformation. Chinese brands, with their relentless focus on affordability, technology and customer trust, are reshaping the competitive landscape and redefining what it means to succeed in the industry.



For consumers, this means more choices, better value and the promise of a future where NEVs become a mainstream reality. For manufacturers and policymakers, it’s a call to innovate, collaborate and adapt to a rapidly changing world.



As South Africa enters this new era, one thing is clear: the automotive landscape is alive with possibilities. Whether it’s a sleek new SUV rolling off a Chinese assembly line or a locally- produced vehicle designed to compete on the global stage, the industry is brimming with potential. And at the center of it all are the consumers, whose preferences and demands will ultimately shape the future. This is not just a story about cars – it’s a story about transformation, resilience and the unyielding drive to innovate. It’s a story about South Africa, its people and its place in the global automotive revolution.

3d render of automatic car production line with robotic arms welding parts

Sparking Competition: The Rise Of Chinese Automotive Brands In South Africa

The lights have always been on inside the so-called AI black boxes. Shifting commercial expectations and increasing awareness of the technology are seemingly changing the narratives. 



What if bias is actually fundamental to AI’s ability to work in the first place? Rules are imposed to, essentially, protect people, refine results and achieve specific goals but each rule can be seen as an introduction of bias. What needs to change is the implication that it is inherently bad.



“At the end of the day, you’re building a discerning machine and in order to discern, you need a filter and that, fundamentally, is bias,” says Alix Rübsaam, Vice President of Research, Expertise, Knowledge at Singularity.



It’s also important to understand how to use bias in the right ways and ensure AI delivers results that are relevant, which means prioritizing and understanding what data has been used to train the algorithm and why.



“It’s weird that we feel so defensive when it comes to our biases because these are what help us discern. Humans have biases because it is how our brains make sense of things. And if we pretend our AIs don’t have biases, we can’t optimize them or improve their ability to discern,” she says.



One could say that an algorithm used to determine specific results must have this. If the AI rejects the CV of a six-year-old applying for the role of CEO, the bias is relevant.



As Rübsaam points out, AI solution builders need to move away from the knee-jerk response that there should be bias-free algorithms but instead own up to the ones they have introduced because it defines the accuracy of the algorithm.



This then turns the conversation towards the concept of the AI black box – the ‘darkness’ that sits within the algorithms. IBM describes it as “an AI system whose internal workings are a mystery to its users”.



“For the last decade, some of the loudest voices in the AI space have always said [this]; that they don’t know why it does what it does,” says Rübsaam.



“AI has been given the data and trained itself and is now making decisions based on motivations that they cannot discern. This is just not true because there are always ways to either go in after the fact, or to build models that tell you why an AI does what it does.”



It has been technically possible all along – expensive and time-consuming, but possible. As Rübsaam points out, isn’t that the very purpose of AI?



“When you hear a problem described as complex, time-consuming and expensive, that’s exactly the type of problems we use AI for. It has never made sense to me that the AI black box has been such a predominant narrative.”



In 2019, Rübsaam alongside Ty Henkaline, an AI and data science expert who worked with her at Singularity, developed a model that allowed users to train their own algorithms and extrapolate all the decision-making that needs to go into making an AI before it even comes into existence.



It sheds some light on how human biases distort AI. People don’t realize they’re making biased decisions until they sit down with their hands in the code or how they select specific datasets.



“This can go wrong – recently a study showed the efficiency of facial recognition algorithms which analyzed across four quadrants; the AI’s abilities to detect whether a face was present was wildly skewed towards white male faces. The dataset given to AI was not statistically representative.”



This use case underscores the importance of knowing what you’re training your AI on, and what the parameters of the dataset are. Now, transparency itself has become a commodity.



Over the past year, companies like Anthropic and Microsoft have turned the light on inside AI, reportedly finding clues to how large language models (LLMs) work for the ‘greater good’.



Mark Zuckerberg released Llama 2 which he described as an open-source model. DeepMind came out with an open weights model called RecurrentGemma based on the Griffin architecture, and then NVIDIA released a paper which indicated that they would open not just the weights, but also the training data.



In the space of about six months, notable players in the industry started to increase transparency regarding their models.



“It’s an interesting time because I think we might finally be in a place to say maybe AI was never the black box we said it was; we just didn’t take the steps to do the analysis to actually discern it,” Rübsaam explains.



“It’s key to showing the bias [and] the weights in decision-making, which means we can improve the quality of AI and move away from universally applicable AI models.



“We can start thinking about how a particular solution matches the problem we’re trying to solve,” she concludes.

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