But does that translate into real power for those local councils? If the ANC lose control?

I think there is a real chance here for South Africa in that the ANC is going to have to more deeply reflect what's going on, how does it reconnect with the electorate, as long as it doesn't decide that it's got to then outclass the populist parties, so MK or EFF, and become a and kind of over-romantic in a sense of what can be achieved.

So if they do bring in, as we've heard, technocratic expertise start to deliver in partnership with parties like the DA that are going to make gains, I think that's really positive.

The gravity of coalition politics may also change depending on the result tomorrow.

It could be a situation that the ANC...

And the DAE become more equal in some of the locations that they're in.

And so it won't be that opposition parties are minority parties.

It's isn't there anything? The time now to bring in new voices and younger people, why is it all of the same elder statesmen, as you might call them?

Does Rwanda have any leverage to enter this discussion with an advantage?

Yeah, so I, I do agree this is a central question.

It's way too simplistic to describe, you know, African countries, I mean, to think of them as merely places that Europe or America dumps its migration problems.

Um, some African governments see migration agreements as assets that can moneti- they can monetize politically and economically.

Rwanda, uh, is, is one of the most adept countries over the last decade at converting its willingness to provide security, peacekeepers, refugee accommodation, or migrant migration cooperation into diplomatic influence.

It, it, it is a, you know ...

The, the famous phrase is that Rwanda significantly punches above its weight.

But how do you compare what is happening in US and Saudi to the EU's plan, and how should the EU, uh, minimize some of the threats of dehumanizing asylum seekers or migrants in the process of trying to enforce migration laws?

And now two years on, what's your assessment of what's actually been achieved?

Yeah, there was talk of a reset, and, uh, at the end of last year, so the end of 2025, there was a, a launch in the foreign ministry of a new approach to Africa.

So there was a speech by the, the Minister of State for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman of Darlington, uh, laying out a, a, a new approach to Africa that the UK said it was adopting.

So that was a...

Uh, it emphasized a partnership rather than a donor relationship.

And within that, it was talking about growth and investment first, security through partnership, and engaging Africa as a geopolitical, uh, political actor.

Uh, other issues that are within that speech was an emphasis on climate, energy, and critical minerals.

Um, Alex, in your assessment, what do African governments and partners actually want from the UK today, and is London listening?