Outline

SACCPS held its annual conference on 10-11 February 2020 at the University of the Free State, South Africa. The conference was jointly hosted by the Department of Political Studies and Governance and the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State and the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University. In keeping with tradition, it focused on South Africa, southern Africa, and the African continent at large, as well as viewing connections between Africa and the outside world.

The range of topics explored was vast, ranging from governance issues at the level of municipalities, to a host of challenges at the national level, and a variety of security and governance issues at the continental and international level. The involvement of practitioners at the conference also continues to grow, with the perspectives of elected officials and bureaucrats, as well as corporate and media practitioners being expressed alongside those of the academics in attendance. While the title of the conference evokes a certain degree of gloom, signs of hope and progress were also brought to the fore by many of the participants.

Photos courtesy of the University of the Free State

SACCPS Conference 2020 program

Day 1: South Africa – Prevaricating at the Precipice?

Welcome
Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, UFS

Session 1: Setting the Scenee

• The State of South Africa
  Helen Zille, Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance’s Federal Council
  
  
• The State of South Africa’s Politics
  Roland Henwood, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria
  
  
• The State of the African National Congress
  Dirk Kotze, Department of Political Sciences, University of South Africa
  
  
• The State of the Democratic Alliance
  Dirk Kotze, Department of Political Sciences, University Bonolo Selebano, Journalist, Media 24
  
  

Session 2: Issues in South African Foreign Policy

• South Africa’s Africa Agenda: A Mea Culpa to the Continent?
  Bianca Naude, Department of Political Studies and Governance, UFS Qwa Qwa campus
  
  
• South Africa and the UN Security Council
  Sithembile Mbete, Department of Political Science, University of Pretoria
  
  
• The State of Diplomacy in South Africa
  Costa Georghio, University of Johannesburg
  
  
• The Return of the Cargo Cult: The Emerging Foreign Policy Matrix of Cyril Ramaphosa,
  Chris Landsberg, University of Johannesburg
  
  

Session 3: Economic, Political and Security Considerations

• The State of South Africa’s Economy
  Philippe Burger, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Deputy Dean: Economic and Management Sciences, UFS
  
  
• The State of SOEs in South Africa
  Kagiso Molefe, Department of Economics, UFS
  
  
• Our people – How are They? An Overview of Global and Local Statistics, Indicators and Indices
  Doris Viljoen, Institute for Futures Research, Stellenbosch University
  
  
• Land Reform: What We’re Doing Wrong and How we Can do it Right Terence Corrigan, South African Institute of Race Relations
  
  
• Civil-Military Relations in South Africa Abel Esterhuyse, Faculty of Military Science, University of Stellenbosch
  
  

Session 4: Local Government Politics

• Re-Assessing and Redirecting Governance in Gauteng
  Isaac Mashaba, Author of Practical Politics, Power and Governance
  
  
• Governance Leadership: A conceptual framework
  Tania Coetzee, Programme Director: Governance and Political Transformation, UFS
  
  
• The Informal Waste Economy and its untapped potential in Local Government: A Case study of Waste Pickers in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
  Mosa Mofokeng and Mr. Ambrose du Plessis, Department of Public Administration and Management, UFS
  
  

Day 2: Africa – Prevaricating at the Precipice?

Session 1: Setting the Scene

• Russia’s New Footprint in Africa: Policy: Pushing Strategic Energy Diplomacy and Selling Military Equipment
  Theo Neethling, Department of Political Studies and Governance, UFS
  
  
• Maritime Security Governance and Capacity Building off Africa
  Francois Vrey, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA), Stellenbosch University
  
  
• International Actors and Africa: Strategic Considerations
  Eeben Barlow, Chairman STTEP
  
  
• The Significance of Sino-African Academic and Cultural Exchanges: Prospects for the Future
  Fanie Herman, Research Fellow, Department of Political Studies and Governance, UFS
  
  

Session 2: Reflecting about the African strategic landscape

• Understanding Lesotho’s Political-Security Discourse and its Historical and Contemporary Relevance
  Mahlakeng Khosi Mahlakeng, Department of Political and Administrative Studies, National University of Lesotho
  
  
• Security Logics in Botswana’s Anti-Poaching Responses: The Case of Elephant Poaching
  Gladys Mokhawa, University of Botswana
  
  
• The Challenges of Emerging Technologies: Africa and the World
  Eben Coetzee, Department of Political Studies and Governance, UFS
  
  
• Whither Zimbabwe? Politics and Economy During the Second Republic
  Clement Masakure, Department of History, UFS
  
  
• The Narco-Terrorism Nexus: The Cases of Afghanistan, Columbia and West Africa, Sam-Marie Rooi, Department of Political Studies and Governance, University of the Free State
  
  

Session 3: Africa: Perspectives from Japan

• Japan-Africa Relations
  Masa Sugano, Chief Representative in Africa, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
  
  
• Reflections on the Determinants of Media Coverage of Conflict in Africa
  Virgil Hawkins, Osaka School of International Public Policy
  
  
• The Concept of `Kyosei’ and Co-existence in Africa
  Steve Muller, School of Human Sciences, Osaka University
  
  
• Pragmatic Ties? A Review of Iran – South Africa Relations
  Marzie Khalilian, Osaka School of International Public Policy

Closing Remarks, Theo Neethling and Virgil Hawkins

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