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Sithembile Mbete

Lecturer, University of Pretoria
Sithembile is a lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria where she lecturers international relations and South African politics. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Governance Innovation (GovInn) at the University of Pretoria. She has a doctorate from the University of Pretoria on the subject of South Africa’s foreign policy during its two elected terms in the United Nations Security Council (2007-2008 and 2011-2012). Sithembile's doctoral research was funded by the National Institute for Humanities and Social Science (NIHSS), National Research Foundation (NRF), the American Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the Mellon Foundation.

She has published on the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) and South African elections in accredited academic journals. She comments frequently in the media on topics related to South African and international politics.

She is a 2019 Open Society Foundation Democracy Fellow conducting research on the South African electoral system.

Sithembile joined the University of Pretoria from The Presidency of South Africa where she was a researcher in the secretariat of the National Planning Commission. Her work in this regard was focused on public service reform and anti-corruption policy. She contributed to the drafting of the National Development Plan. Prior to this she worked as a political researcher at IDASA (Institute for Democracy in Africa) where she was responsible for Parliamentary monitoring and political analysis. While at Idasa she monitored the parliamentary deliberations on the Protection of State Information Bill (POSIB), commenting on and writing about the bill in the media. She served on the provincial and national working groups of the Right2Know Campaign and helped coordinate activism against the legislation

Disrupted world order brings urgency to South Africa's seat on the Security Council

Jul 07, 2019 15:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views

South Africa is six months into its third elected term on the United Nations Security Council. Its conduct in its previous two terms has been criticised for the countrys controversial voting record. During its first term,...

Economy

Canada Grants C$7 Million to Greenland Molybdenum Mine to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply

Canada has awarded C$7 million (approximately $4.93 million) in non-repayable funding to support the development of a major molybdenum mining project in Greenland, reinforcing Western efforts to secure critical mineral...

Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Investors Eye China Data, RBNZ Outlook and U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Asian currencies traded in tight ranges on Monday as investors balanced easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East with a busy week of key economic releases across Asia. While the tentative ceasefire between the...

Japan Targets 1%+ Real Economic Growth With ¥370 Trillion Investment Plan

Japans government is preparing an ambitious long-term economic strategy aimed at achieving sustained annual real economic growth of more than 1%, according to a draft of its latest economic and fiscal policy framework. The...

China Factory PMI Seen Returning to Growth in June as AI Export Demand Supports Economy

Chinas manufacturing sector is expected to return to modest growth in June, supported by resilient exports tied to the booming global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. However, economists caution that the recovery...

US Stock Futures Rise as US-Iran Ceasefire Hopes Boost Market Sentiment

U.S. stock index futures moved higher late Sunday as investors reacted positively to reports that the United States and Iran had agreed to suspend recent military hostilities and resume diplomatic negotiations, easing...

Politics

Australia, Vanuatu Sign Security Pact Amid Pacific Influence Competition

Australia and Vanuatu have officially signed a long-awaited development and security agreement, reinforcing their strategic partnership while highlighting the growing geopolitical competition for influence in the Pacific...

Serbia Protests Continue as Thousands Rally Despite Vucic’s Resignation Plan

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the central Serbian city of Kraljevo on Sunday, maintaining pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic just one day after he announced plans to resign within weeks and trigger early...

Iran Skips U.S. Technical Talks Over Unmet MoU Conditions and Frozen Funds Dispute

Iran did not participate in the technical talks scheduled for Sunday, citing recent military attacks on the country and unresolved conditions outlined in its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States. The...

Trump Announces September Overhaul of Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a major renovation of Washingtons historic East Potomac Golf Links will begin on September 1, with plans to transform the century-old public golf course into what he described as...

Andy Burnham Sets Out Vision to Decentralize Britain as Labour Leadership Race Begins

Andy Burnham is set to outline his vision for the United Kingdom on Monday as the Labour politician positions himself to succeed Keir Starmer as the countrys next prime minister. Burnham is expected to focus on shifting...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings

Chinese insurtech firm Baige Online Digital Technology Co. (HK:2672) delivered an impressive debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, with its shares surging as much as 333% in early trading. The strong performance...

Baidu Shares Rally as Kunlunxin Eyes $50 Billion Hong Kong IPO

Baidu Inc. (HK:9888) shares climbed sharply on Monday after reports indicated that its artificial intelligence chip subsidiary, Kunlunxin, is aiming for a valuation of approximately $50 billion through a planned initial...

Open-Source AI Models Gain Ground as Enterprises Seek Lower-Cost Alternatives, Citi Says

Open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models are rapidly gaining traction as businesses search for cost-effective alternatives to proprietary AI systems, according to a new research note from Citi. The shift comes as...

Samsung, SK Hynix to Unveil $1.3 Trillion AI and Semiconductor Investment Plan

South Korean technology leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly preparing to announce investment plans worth a combined 2,000 trillion won (approximately $1.3 trillion) to strengthen the countrys...

UBS Raises TSMC Price Target to T$3,400 on Strong AI Chip Demand Outlook

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) received a fresh vote of confidence from UBS after the investment bank raised its price target for the worlds largest contract chipmaker, citing robust artificial...