SA's International Mathematics Olympiad winners — it all adds up
One silver medal, four bronze medals, and an impressive 38th position out of 110 participating countries.
Why the furore? Not one of the seven looked phenotypically black African. Three Asian-looking students. Three probably white. And one undecided but certainly not dark-skinned African.
'You can see it was not a dancing competition,' sniped a commentator on X.
'There's a big elephant in the room,' sighed another.
'Colonisation did a serious number in Africa,' unleashed a popular posting, taking us way back.
'I didn't sight a single native South African in the image,' observed one with jaundiced eyesight.
So, let's first get the racists out of the debate. If based on a sample of seven, you believe that white or Chinese South Africans, for example, are more intelligent in mathematics (or any other field of human achievement) than black citizens, then stop reading this column for I have nothing to say to you.
If, on the other hand, you believe these young achievers are less African/South African than dark-skinned people, then please find another place to ply your narrow-mindedness.
Now for the facts. Yes, the history of colonialism and apartheid explain the gross inequalities that still bedevil education but it's been 30 years and that cannot be the whole explanation.
Blacks are high achievers in virtually every field of human endeavour, from athletics (we now dominate sprints in junior and senior track), to producing world-class opera singers of which the unbelievable Pretty Yende is only one example, and we led from the global south in fields such as infectious diseases and vaccine science, having discovered, among other breakthroughs, the omicron variant.
Nor does the snapshot of one year's top performers represent the whole picture when it comes to race and mathematics.
There was a Nkonyane in 2023, a Kasi in 2021, a Bopape in 2019 and so on. Girls, boys, black, white, English, Indian, Afrikaans in recent years.
Still, in a country that is more than 90% black, why so few from among the majority?
Pure and simple. It is the choices we make.
The more I studied the performance of this select group of young people, the more I realised what incredible hard work lay behind their performance. They spent many months in training preparation.
There were camps over a period of a year. They started way back with a commitment to mathematics that involved parents, teachers and professionals travelling around to other countries, including Botswana, where the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad was held in June.
The head of the SA Mathematics Foundation, Prof Seithuthi Moshokoa, makes the salient point: 'Mathematical excellence is built over years of dedication, curiosity, and rigorous training.'
We have the only rugby team on the planet that won three world championships with our most diverse sporting team with black stars in every position.
Why? Because there are multiple, reinforcing structures from preschool through schools and clubs that from a broad base of participation choose the best among them to represent SA.
Let me be clear, until there is a Craven Week for mathematics, don't expect the representation of Olympiad teams to change any time soon.
Forget [Hendrik] Verwoerd for a moment: what choices have post-apartheid education policymakers made to undermine black achievement in mathematics?
We brought in a subject called mathematical literacy to boost achievement with an increasingly small pool of pure maths pupils.
We use the lowest of pass rates (30%) and proudly declare with great festivity that our children are doing well in mathematics and other subjects.
Teachers even tell children in grade 12 to choose 'the low hanging fruits,' the simplest questions, just to get them over the pass line.
In Singapore, China, Japan, Norway, Finland and Korea, they would find such behaviour in policy and practice to be extreme, if not weird.
While those countries bring in AI tools to boost elementary school mathematics in the 21st century, our schools struggle to find competent maths teachers for work in overcrowded classrooms.
Where other countries invest in the potential of all their children to do mathematics, our policymakers, planners and practitioners seem to collude in sending messages that pure maths is for the smart kids and the rest do its 'literacy' equivalent.
We made those choices. Accept responsibility. Stop blaming the past alone.
To the seven children in those math Olympiad photos, I have a message for you: Well done. SA is proud of you.
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Mail & Guardian
14 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
People who own the sun
Saving supplies: Patrick Bam, an executive member of the SalTuba Cooperative, said being able to generate their own electricity has helped the community to avoid food loss and damages to appliances. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Upskilling youth: Young members of the cooperative such as Lubabalo Mkhiva have learnt new skills through the project, including around solar installation and energy management. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Patrick Bam is an executive member of a township cooperative in the Eastern Cape that is generating, managing and benefiting from its own sun-powered energy project. He says it has transformed life in his community. 'We were losing a lot as a community, especially as our food and appliances were being damaged due to load shedding,' he said. 'But with this project, we've been able to generate our own electricity and even sell it to the municipality.' Called the SalTuba Cooperative, the project is one of South Africa's leading examples of socially owned renewable energy in action, and a model for energy democracy. Its cooperative model has inspired other townships to take on similar initiatives, and civil society groups and researchers use it as evidence that community-led renewable energy is possible, even in urban, low-income contexts. Owned and managed by residents in KwaZakhele township in Gqeberha through a democratic cooperative structure, the project is built on public municipal land and governed collectively. Each household holds a stake and a vote, and members decide together how to reinvest revenue from electricity generation, whether into food gardening, maintenance, or other community priorities. On the ground: Mareka Mokwatlo (right), project manager and researcher at Nelson Mandela University, talks to community members at SalTuba. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Community-built: The SalTuba project is managed, constructed and maintained by the local community. Pictured here is Lubabalo Mkhiva, working to connect the project to the municipal grid. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Socially owned energy Unlike traditional energy projects, where private individuals, corporations, or government agencies own the means of production, participants in socially owned renewable energy (SORE) projects take charge of their own power supply. While there is no official registry of SORE projects in South Africa, #PowerTracker research has identified more than 20 operating initiatives across the country. One example is the Ekhenana Solar Commune, based in the Abahlali baseMjondolo settlement, in Durban. The community-run solar project powers a library, study hall and phone-charging station. Others are two local NGO-led projects, one based in Durban's Austerville and the other in Emalahleni in Mpumalanga. In Austerville, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance's office has a grid-tied solar PV system and serves as a community charging hub. In Emalahleni, Vukani Environmental Movement members have installed an off-grid rooftop PV system. On a larger scale, the Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape is cited as one of the earliest and most prominent examples of community ownership in renewable energy, making it a landmark case for socially owned renewables in the country. A trust representing the local AmaMfengu people owns 9% of the wind farm, which began operating in 2016 and supplies electricity to Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Aerial view: SalTuba started with 15 panels on a carport, and now there's a structure and 40 panels. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Community members and researchers at the SalTuba during a recent visit by the #PowerTracker team. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Women lead the soup kitchen and gardening efforts. (From left) Vuyokazi Manoni, Lelethu Kama and Nozie Hem work in the food garden. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Nolethu Hem cooks up a storm at the SalTuba community kitchen. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Cooperative born from crisis #PowerTracker recently visited the SalTuba project, named after two long streets in KwaZakhele — Sali and Tubali — where most of the cooperative's members live. The names were combined to create 'SalTuba', reflecting the project's deep community roots. Run by a cooperative of 36 households, the project emerged in 2019 as a direct response to rising electricity tariffs, relentless load shedding, and the powerlessness township residents felt over their energy supply. It was formally registered in 2021 as a primary cooperative. Initially focused on food gardening and local business development, it worked with the KwaZakhele Development Agency and Nelson Mandela University to explore renewable energy solutions in response to the community's struggles with load shedding and rising electricity tariffs. What began as a modest grassroots initiative soon evolved into a pioneering solar energy project. In 2019 it installed its first solar panels and began generating power for local benefit. Since then SalTuba has delivered measurable benefits to its members. Over the first 20 months, the project generated approximately 8,800 kWh of electricity, equivalent to R19,300 in value, or about R966 a month based on municipal tariffs. The solar array is strategically mounted on a carport structure and a community-built waste recycling facility, maximising the use of available space. Over the years the energy system has been upgraded from 5 kW to 25 kW of capacity. Beyond power generation, the cooperative has expanded its food gardening initiative, supplying fresh produce to the community and even offering vegetables on credit. Crucially, the project has empowered women and youth: women lead the soup kitchen and gardening efforts, while younger members like Lubabalo Mkhiva have acquired technical skills in solar installation and energy management. 'I joined this project because I saw the impact it brought to the community,' said Mkhiva. 'It encouraged me to be part of it, seeing the unemployment rate and poverty affecting our small communities.' Community-led: SalTuba's members are regularly working together to navigate a complex and convoluted municipal system. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee New light: Lubabalo Mkhiva with some of the equipment used to run and measure electricity produced. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Bureaucratic barriers But while SalTuba has demonstrated the potential of community-led energy, navigating municipal systems has proven anything but straightforward. According to Khaled El-Jabi, director at Energyworx, the engineering firm that helped design the system and structure of its power purchase agreement (PPA), the project faced serious bureaucratic hurdles from the start. 'There was no mechanism within the municipality to allow this type of connection to the grid,' he explained. Because the land is municipally owned, SalTuba first had to obtain permission to receive a municipal account number. Only then could a smart meter be installed to monitor and credit the electricity they produced. The PPA, signed with PowerX, an independent energy trader, spans 10 years and is structured to optimise returns using a time-of-use tariff model. According to El-Jabi, this tariff is 'split between peak, standard and off-peak sections – peak being most expensive, then standard and off-peak being the cheapest.' 'It is also split on seasons, with summer from September to May and winter being June, July and August. The PPA will pay based on the electricity generated during those times. For example, electricity generation during summer standard time will be allocated that particular tariff amount.' El-Jabi believes this model is scalable: 'There are 120 such 'gap taps' in KwaZakhele alone, with potential for three to four megawatts of community-owned solar. Communities can become prosumers, not just consumers,' he said. Still, he cautions that developers need to be 'extremely patient. Changing the system requires persistence, political navigation, and detailed planning.' Connecting community: SalTuba is supported by the municipality, but old policies and procurement rules are a constraint, so the system they opt for is called 'net billing'. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Finding solutions: Tamsanqa Bonani, a community member and chairperson of the KwaZakhele Development Agency. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Municipal constraints Although SalTuba has made strides in generating electricity, connecting that power to the grid and earning revenue from it has proved complicated. David Breitfeld, development adviser in the Nelson Mandela Bay electricity department, said the municipality supports the project in principle but is constrained by outdated policies and procurement rules. 'We're happy to connect community generators,' he said, 'but legally we can't just buy electricity from anyone. If we buy from SalTuba, then why not the next household? We'd need to run 10,000 tenders. That's not practical.' Instead, the municipality enables net billing, which allows the project to reduce its municipal electricity bill to zero but not earn cash. A smart meter currently being installed will record exactly when electricity is generated and at what tariff value (peak, standard, off-peak). These meters are crucial, Breitfeld explained, because the value of electricity varies across time and season. 'If you export power during peak winter hours, that's worth far more than during off-peak times,' he said. Recycling revenue: Patrick Bam shows the waste recycling project, which helps generate revenue. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Case study: KwaZakhele serves as a case study for socially owned renewable energy. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Wheeling deal SalTuba's turning point came in 2022 with its PPA with licensed energy trader PowerX. The municipality enabled wheeling, a system which allows SalTuba to sell electricity through the municipal grid to PowerX, who pays the cooperative while covering wheeling charges. 'This model is finally allowing us to move forward,' Brietfeld said, confirming installation of the smart meter by the municipality is imminent. Still, he noted structural problems in the system: since SalTuba's solar installation is not physically linked to residents' homes, community members don't see reduced household energy bills directly. 'If they had installed the system in front of their home meters, they could have consumed the power directly before it entered the grid — that would have saved them money immediately.' Instead, power goes straight into the broader grid, making it difficult to attribute usage to individuals without more complex metering and agreements. 'You don't want to spend R100 to earn R10 worth of power,' he added. Early engagement: Project management advises talking to the community early on, for anyone considering starting similar initiatives. Pictured here is Mareka Mokwatlo (left) and research lead, Professor Janet Cherry. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Transition townships Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, SalTuba proves that communities can successfully manage renewable energy projects, said Mareka Mokwatlo, manager of Transition Township pilot projects based in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Mokwatlo joined the Transition Township Project, an action research initiative focused on developing sustainable local economies, in 2016 and works with SalTuba from a research perspective. In 2024 the project was awarded a three-year research grant by the National Research Foundation to scale up the SalTuba pilot and to implement additional pilot projects. 'Communities are capable of implementing such projects, and acquiring such assets. But they do face numerous challenges, and those challenges can include the regulations that they have to work within. Having strong community support helps, and that comes with resilience,' she said. For communities considering similar projects, Mokwatlo offers practical advice: 'Start engaging the community early. Tap into your existing assets first, like skills that are already there. We don't have to go outside to hire people in our working-class communities. We know we have artisanal skills, and we have stokvels that can be used towards funding our operations.' Land access remains crucial in the South African context, she said. 'Access to land is necessary to generate and improve our livelihoods. We need to use land strategically and understand local regulations, which can be complex.' Mokwatlo emphasised starting small and building trust: 'Partner with local businesses before you go outside. Work with what you have. Building strong partnerships requires commitment, and people need to trust you.' 'For this type of project, start small, pilot, and design to scale. We started with 15 panels on a carport, and now there's a structure and 40 panels.' Local economy: Research lead Professor Janet Cherry said that a truly just energy transition means 'restructing the economy to be owned and controlled by ordinary people'. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Broader vision Professor Janet Cherry, head of the department of development studies at Nelson Mandela University, sees SalTuba as part of a broader vision for a just energy transition. Her work focuses on how community-owned energy projects can fundamentally reshape South Africa's economy. 'Some critics think that this model is only going to meet a small part of the country's energy needs. Our research shows otherwise: in theory household production could meet 83% of the whole country's planned energy needs,' she said. Community-owned energy projects can be a game-changer for local communities, Cherry emphasised. 'By producing electricity locally, communities can create new jobs and economic opportunities. It's not just about generating electricity, but about empowering communities to take control of their energy future.' 'You don't have to have a big solar plant in the middle of the desert, you can actually do it on every single roof or every open space. The biggest opportunity is the inclusion of community-owned energy systems that can alleviate the electricity constraints experienced in South Africa.' But realising this vision requires fundamental policy reform, she added: 'Municipalities need to be able to buy electricity from community cooperatives like SalTuba, but the current regulations and administrative capacity are not supportive. We need policy changes to make it easier for community cooperatives to participate economically in the energy transition process.' Cherry's concept of a just transition goes beyond simply replacing coal jobs. 'Just transition is not about people being laid off from the coal mines and then unemployment goes up, it's about completely restructuring the economy to be owned and controlled by ordinary people,' she said. 'It's about creating a more just and equitable society, where people have control over their own lives and livelihood.' You can watch our recent webinar titled,
Mail & Guardian
21 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
UCT study finds exotic plants fuel Cape Town wildfires
A study conducted in the aftermath of the Table Mountain fire in April 2021 shows that exotic plants found in Cape Town's urban areas may intensify the risks of wildfires. Certain exotic plants found in Cape Town's urban areas may intensify the The A team of scientists at the University of Cape Town's South African Journal of Botany . Their goal: to examine how plant leaf characteristics influence flammability in an urban setting. 'While laboratory tests alone cannot fully predict how plants behave in real-world fires, they offer valuable insight into key characteristics that influence ignition, burn duration and intensity,' said 'This information is essential for natural hazard planning, especially in The authors analysed 42 plant species — 22 native and 20 exotic — for leaf functional traits and key flammability components: ignitibility, sustainability and combustibility. Their results showed that exotic species generally ignited faster and exhibited higher combustibility than native species. Conversely, native species tended to burn longer but at lower intensities. 'Leaf functional traits such as thickness, specific leaf area and leaf surface area were significantly correlated with flammability measures,' the study said. 'Exotic plants were particularly flammable due to traits like large leaf surface area, higher specific leaf area and thin leaves.' Further results showed that plants that burned in the 2021 fire were mainly associated with combustibility and moderate ignitibility, while those that partially burned tended to have thicker leaves. Those that didn't burn were associated with longer ignition times. The authors said the findings emphasise the role of some exotic ornamental plants in increasing fire risk in urban areas. The study noted how the April 2021 Table Mountain fire was attributed to the abundance of exotic plants, which easily caught fire during the event. Two of the main exotic plants were at its epicentre: Phoenix canariensis The Canary Island date palm is a popular ornamental tree planted along Cape Town's boulevards and near buildings, posing a significant fire hazard. The April 2021 wildfire began on the slopes of Table Mountain National Park. It spread rapidly due to a build-up of debris from exotic trees and other indigenous plants. Wind-carried embers caused spot fires that destroyed multiple buildings — including parts of the university. 'The way that different localities surrounding the university were engulfed in flames, and the fire's expansion into nearby areas in Cape Town, suggested that spot fires were ignited by wind-blown embers at distances up to 350m away from the main fire line,' the study noted. The fire crossed barriers such as the M3 highway and rugby fields, demonstrating the limited effectiveness of fire breaks in such intense conditions. More than 650ha was burned, and the loss of infrastructure will take years to recover. The study warned that wildfire risk is increasing globally, especially in Mediterranean-type ecosystems such as the Western Cape, because of climate change and flammable exotic species. 'Our region, like other Mediterranean regions, has hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters; however, with climate change, there is an overall trend showing that while atmospheric moisture levels have increased and rainfall events are becoming more intense globally, there is also an increase in the amount of evapotranspiration [moisture loss] occurring,' said lead author This means that although there is rain during the winter months, a lot of evaporation occurs in the hotter months, making everything drier. 'In the last century of global warming, there has also been an increase in the frequency of occurrences of extreme events such as heatwaves and droughts,' she said. 'This all amplifies the risk of intense fires all over the world, as it leads to drying out of vegetation faster, including plants in gardens, green belts and in urban spaces, therefore increasing their flammability.' At this point, exotic species, especially those with high oil content in their leaves and abundant biomass, 'become very dangerous fire fuels', MacAlister said. Muasya said that exotic species that combine large, thin leaves with tall, woody growth and high retention of dry or dead foliage are of particular concern. 'These characteristics dramatically increase combustibility and the ability to trap burning embers, especially under windy conditions. 'Species such as Cedrus atlantica [a species in the pine family], Cupressus sp [cypress], Hedera canariensis [Canary ivy] and, in particular, Phoenix canariensis and Piinus pinea [stone pine], are also a problem in other Mediterranean areas, such as California, with policies warning stakeholders to avoid planting them as they are flammable, invasive or both,' he said. Fire-prone Mediterranean shrublands — including those in South Africa, California, Australia, and southern Europe — are increasingly facing extreme fire events known as megafires (fires greater than 10 000 hectares). The study cites the The severity of the Knysna wildfires has been primarily attributed to the extensive fuel load caused by exotic plants in the region, an expansive wildland-urban interface, unprecedented droughts prior to the fire and very high fire danger weather conditions. Become fire smart 'Urban greening projects need to be fire smart,' MacAlister said. 'This means avoiding high-flammability species in zones such as homes, schools or infrastructure and prioritising low-flammability native species.' She emphasised the need to integrate knowledge of fuel loads, leaf litter and fire behaviour into planning decisions — and not just aesthetics and biodiversity goals. 'Our research highlights the importance of assessing species flammability as part of plant selection. A great example is 'All that biomass sitting in the tree only adds more fuel to the fire, and as my paper shows, the Canary Island palm [trees] are very combustible, giving off a lot of heat during fires and therefore allowing the spread of fire to happen easier.' She frequently thinks about how flammable the Cape Town suburb of Pinelands is. 'There are palms and pines planted all over the suburb, and many houses have thatched roofs, making the idea of a fire occurring in the area even more terrifying.' She advocates for replacing exotic vegetation with fire-adapted native species, which can restore biodiversity and offer aesthetic and ecological benefits without the same fire risk. 'Removing exotic species from native vegetation, especially those shown to increase fire risks, like certain invasive trees and shrubs, can significantly improve ecological resilience and reduce the likelihood of severe wildfires.' The removal of exotic species must be done thoughtfully. 'This is especially in places where they dominate, as their sudden removal could lead to habitat gaps and soil erosion if their removal is not followed up with active restoration of the area.' Replacing these species with native vegetation, particularly those adapted to the local climate, can enhance natural biodiversity, restore ecological functioning and reduce long-term fire risks. 'Many native species, including trees and shrubs, can offer aesthetic value, shade, and most importantly, habitats for local wildlife, without the same flammability risks.' Every year, Cape Town and surrounding areas experience hotter summers, and there is news of intense fires breaking out during the summer season, she said. 'Climate groups indicate worsening fire conditions in the coming decades, particularly in fire-prone regions like Cape Town and the Western Cape. We can't wait for fires to occur before doing something.' Planning and policy must embrace proactive planning instead of reactive responses. 'We need to prioritise vegetation management as part of the fire mitigation strategies, which can be challenging in itself due to the fynbos biome being fire prone. 'However, removing high-risk species, restoring native vegetation in these areas, and maintaining fire breaks can significantly reduce the risk of high-intensity fires that reach urban areas in the future.'
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Mail & Guardian
Tolkien's sci-fi shows we need only one ring
(Graphic: John McCann/M&G) I love science fiction movies and series. But what always bothered me was that as imaginative, forward-thinking, inventive and superlatively intelligent as the worlds and multiple universes they created, it was no match for the diversity we have on Earth and humankind. Even my current favourite Apple TV+'s Foundation, based on the genius Isaac Asimov's 1950s book series, cannot create a world or planet as diverse as ours. Generally speaking, movies and TV series have just one type of people per planet. Indeed, a planet is often a single city. When I read politics and philosophy at university, I was introduced to Douglas Adams and his amazing book series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the 'trilogy in four parts'. It was through Adams' Hitchhiker's books that I began to recognise the lessons I had been picking up from Star Trek and Star Wars movies. All the stories involved good fighting against an overwhelming evil power, while they try to build a new society that is based on equality and freedom. There are obvious comparisons to South Africa's resistance against the apartheid government and military. But some of the greatest minds cannot imagine a world as diverse as Earth's or conjure up a species with a multitude of cultures, nationalities and peoples as the human race. It is British-South African writer JRR Tolkien, in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who is able to best reflect the many sides of humankind. In truth though, Tolkien's books are fantasy and, strictly speaking, not sci-fi. But I like to think of fantasy and sci-fi as close cousins. Although Tolkien wrote the books during World War II, he strongly denied they were an allegory of that war. But it would not be incorrect to reflect that Tolkien's experiences in World War II influenced his writing. So maybe the evil Sauron was not necessarily Hitler, but it is not too farfetched to relate Sauron's evil purpose to build a world that serves him and over which he has complete control to the objectives of Nazi fascism. We should not focus on the banal evil of Sauron or his minions, the Orcs. There have been articles accusing Tolkien of being racist in his descriptions of the Orcs. But thinking of the Orcs as black people is a cop-out and not a useful unpacking of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It is in The Hobbit that Tolkien explores and describes the inequality of the world and how accepting we are of the inequality, despite supposedly fighting against it. It is the experiences of the dwarfs and the difficulties they face that reflect our world; one in which those who have precious resources are made to mine them and hand them over to the elves so that they can rule the world forever. Tolkien presents the elves as close to immortal and beautiful, almost God-like. The dwarfs are short and stumpy, nothing noble about them. They covet Earth's riches, but do not know how to develop them. So it's in the interests of all of Earth that the elves take these jewels to invent machinery and technology to make the world easier. But it requires the dwarfs to live in the dark, remain in the bowels of the mountains and mine the precious treasures. The hobbits are of course, the simple rural and working class, who befriend the dwarfs and assist in creating a balance with their simple lives. Just when the opportunity of equality presents itself, the human penchant for greed takes over and this allows evil to reign. The implication is clear: there can only be a semblance of equality. The elves rule (benevolently because they are naturally good, of course) and the dwarfs remain underground mining for the elves, while the rural and working class produce the goods and live in their Middle Earth. The elves like to say that if they are not revered and allowed to remain in charge then an evil Sauron will take over. Our world today is not very different to what Tolkien reflected upon. The instability in the world is not fuelled by US President Donald Trump, even though he benefits from it. The real fear for our elves (the political West) is that if the current path is allowed to continue it will result in them no longer being in charge. In their understanding they cannot exist unless they have hegemonic control of the world; it is the natural order of things. For them, Russia and China are Sauron, and it is in our interests to reinforce the West so that the 'evil' Russia and China do not take over. If we look at our international multilateral system, we have to accept that even though it is stated that all countries are equal and sovereign, the multilateral institutions are deliberately created with structural inequalities. The obvious one is the United Nations, where it is only the UN Security Council that makes decisions that must be implemented. The resolutions of the UN General Assembly are ceremonial and no one is compelled to implement them. And the five permanent members of the UN Security Council possess a veto vote, which means all five must agree for a resolution to be passed. The unequal power dynamic of the Security Council is generally catered for by creative means by all other multilateral institutions. Thus, the International Monetary Fund is always headed up by a European, who must be approved by the United States. The World Bank is always headed by an American. The International Criminal Court (ICC) must charge those the Security Council tells it to, even though not all the permanent members of the Security Council have ratified and signed the ICC's Rome Statute. Essentially, the inequality is multiplied and reinforced. It is impossible that these unequal relations could go on forever. But, just like the elves regarded themselves as immortal, in reality the West and its leaders cannot understand why they are not liked. French leaders find it weird that former French colonies would prefer Beijing over Paris. The legions of Western sympathisers in Central and South America, as well as Africa and parts of South East Asia, have a difficult time trying to understand why the masses would cheer Putin and Xi Jinping, but not get excited by Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. For too long we have regarded a see-saw as balance. A see-saw is unbalanced or, at most, an uneasy balance, where one is higher and the other lower, only for the reverse to occur. If one remains on top, the other at the bottom need only to walk away for the one on top to be brought back down to earth. As Tolkien's books reveal, we are made to believe that someone has to be on top or in charge for there to be stability and balance. But that is not stability, that is dominance expressed as stability. Our three-legged potjie or four-legged chair is balance and stability. We need to reconstruct this world, so that it reflects not who is in charge or is the most powerful but rather how to ensure that everyone has a voice. Africa, together with Central and South America and parts of South East Asia, should not swop the dominance of the West for China, Russia and India. It is important that they join Brics, but they need to recreate the Non-Aligned Movement without India, Russia and China. They can provide Pakistan conditional membership because of its nuclear weapon capability. If Iran goes the nuclear route, they should also be treated in a similar manner. The Gen-Z Non-Aligned Movement has to be different to its predecessors; it has to form a trade bloc. The non-nuclear political South has to either unite or accept that either the Western or Eastern elves remain in charge, and that we, like the dwarfs, must hide in the dark and only come out to praise them. Donovan E Williams is a social commentator. @TheSherpaZA on X.
