Anna Collard

South Africa's latest wave of anti-foreigner mobilisation began with the emotions linked to a missing person. Understanding why that matters is the difference between fighting symptoms and fighting the machine. In early 2026, emotional appeals about the disappearance of a young man, Mazwi Kubheka, spread across X under hashtags like #BringMazwiBack and #JusticeForMazwi. Within days, a community-driven search had mutated into a national anti-immigrant mobilisation, complete with deadlines,...

From firewalls to runtime governance I’ve just returned from the World Economic Forum annual cyber meeting in Switzerland. This was my 5th time at this meeting and although the geopolitical situation, the AI race, the adversaries.. none of it feels any less daunting than the years before, I generally felt a more positive or optimistic energy in the room. “Where are the agents, and what are they doing?” That question was asked in different ways across nearly every session and captured one of...

Explore the shifting landscape of global cybersecurity as the battlefield moves from technical systems to human perception. This analysis examines the geopolitical friction in Africa across three layers: Chinese infrastructure, Russian influence operations, and Western governance. Discover why protecting the "human layer" is the new frontier of digital sovereignty.