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There is no lack of histories of early state systems, kingdoms and empires; labour and mining; land alienation; urban social formations; and many others. The 27 SP th sp Biennial Conference of the Southern African Historical Society (SAHS) came at a time of deepening uncertainty in Southern Africa broadly, with implications for its academe and particularly for historical studies in South Africa. 2 See, for instance, a statement of the UCT History Honours students decrying how the History Department staff watched from the sidelines while their institution engaged in propaganda about the Rhodes statue and other transformation issues: UCT (University of Cape Town) Students to the Academics of the Department of Historical Studies, UCT: Statement on University Crisis, 7 October 2016, http://www.historicalstudies.uct.ac.za/hst/news/historical-studies-honours-class-letter-to-the-department-7-october-2016 accessed 23 December 2020. [Extracted from the article]

Gold was central to the South African state from the outset. Its revenues sustained the pariah apartheid regime after 1961 in the face of economic sanctions and military spending. At that time, a regulatory regime arose that blurred the distance needed between regulator and regulatee. Water-related liabilities such as acid mine drainage were nationalized, burdening the post-1994 democratic government. Legal reform has sought to internalize those historic externalities through the application of the greenfields logic of global best practice. The unintended consequence is disinvestment, thereby hastening the nationalizing of all remaining liability. A new approach is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the social impact of the Marikana Massacre in South Africa in 2012 when platinum mine, owned by British company Lonmin Mine Co., sacked thousands of workers after what it described as unprotected industrial action. It highlights the rivalry between two trade unions at Lonmin, Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) that led to the massacre of the strikers. It tackles the relationship of NUM with Lonmin.

The article presents updates on political, social and cultural news and events in Africa. Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi passed away on August 20, 2012 while receiving medical treatment in a foreign hospital. Regional leaders at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) resolved to set up a neutral international force to hunt down armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports from the United Nations (UN) reveal the number of displaced people across Congo.

The article presents news briefs related to the power industry in Africa. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a loan by Congo for its rural electrification project worth 157.6 million U.S. dollars. A contract was signed by Ethiopia and China for the construction of power transmission lines. Guinea Bissau Prime Minister Rui Duarte Barros has led the ground breaking of American utility firm Suntrough Energy's photovoltaic station to help address power shortage in the country.

The article presents news briefs relating to the mining industry in Africa. Gold mining firm Centamin PLC in Egypt has announced its plan to increase its throughput by 77 percent in March 2013. Platinum mining firm Anglo American PLC in South Africa has reduced its platinum production by two percent in March 2013 due to labor strikes. A mining license was issued by the Tanzania government to Richland Resources Ltd. giving the government a 50 percent stake.

The article presents an update on economic and financial issues in countries in Africa.