On Thursday, in a Pretoria briefing led by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni offered a forceful and unusually personal defence of government’s handling of a growing national controversy. The controversy, which has seen long queues at Refugee Reception Offices and a flood of angry social media commentary, revolves around a Constitutional Court judgment concerning asylum seekers. But Ntshavheni’s central message was simple: the government has not been caught napping, and the current crisis is not the result of a sudden, careless decision. She pointed out that the judgment was handed down on 7 July…

When Mohammad Momani stepped up to speak at the opening of the “Media and Youth Forum” in Amman, his message was not the usual government address. It was a recognition that the relationship between young people and the media has fundamentally changed. The forum, held as part of the larger “Future of Media and Communication” conference organized by the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists, brought together journalists, experts, content creators, and young people to think about where media is heading. Momani, who serves as Jordan’s Government Communication Minister and Government Spokesperson, made it clear that young people are no…