The Kikonge gold rush exposed more than a mineral deposit. It exposed the distance between a possible livelihood and a safe, lawful future. OPINION / EVIDENCE & PERSPECTIVE · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A gold, malachite and quartz specimen catalogued from the Sesheke/Namibia–Zambia border locality. Illustrative mineral photograph, taken before March 2010; not […]
UNITED AFRICA TODAY / EXPLORE
Southern Africa
Johannesburg’s smallest businesses deserve more than a permit
A registration count is a beginning. The real test is whether a trader can open, earn and plan another day. OPINION / EVIDENCE & PERSPECTIVE · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A shoe seller on Rahima Moosa Street, Johannesburg, photographed on 13 September 2025. Illustrative archive photograph; the person pictured was not interviewed for […]
Democracy must survive the morning after
The ballot matters. So does the life a citizen can safely live after challenging the people in power. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE African Union conference centre in Addis Ababa, 21 May 2015. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Andrew Moore / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA […]
Zimbabwe: who owns the political clock?
When the rules change, citizens deserve more than an instruction to wait longer. They deserve a meaningful say. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Zimbabwe’s new Parliament building, 12 August 2024. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Mangwanani / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Resized; homepage thumbnails may […]
Zambia: power must answer for the use of force
A security allegation must face evidence. A reported death must face independent scrutiny. Neither duty cancels the other. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Zambia’s National Assembly building, 27 January 2016. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Lighton Phiri / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. Resized; homepage […]
Mozambique: the election ended. The questions did not.
A result can be announced in a room. The demand for answers after a death does not end there. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Maputo viewed from Alto Mae, 6 February 2026. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Wisneyykarin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; […]
The opportunity you cannot afford to open
A job application can be free to submit and expensive to reach. That difference decides who gets a chance. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A participant using a phone at a Wikimania watch party in Kenya, 2022. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Queen Asali / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; […]
A connection is not enough. Keep the lights on.
The promise of electricity is what people can do with it tomorrow—not only the photograph of a switch being turned on. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Solar panels photographed for Innovation Africa, 2025. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: IAfrica76 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be cropped. Photo […]
Support women’s football after the trophy
National pride lasts a weekend. A football career needs support through the season. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Morocco’s women’s team before an Olympic qualifier against Zambia, 9 April 2024. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Mohammed Ayman Nechchad / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be cropped. Photo […]
The world is dancing. Who gets paid?
A song can cross a border in seconds. The money can take a much less direct route. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A Ugandan musician performing at Bayimba, 2017. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Museruka Emmanuel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be cropped. Photo and thumbnail […]
