September 09, 2023
South Africa: Mangosuthu Buthelezi Was a Man of Immense Political Talent and Contradictions
Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, who has died, was a history maker. He was born on 27 August 1928 into a tumultuous global century, and into the local conditions of racist rule. Read more »
September 04, 2023
South Africa: Govt Has Been Buying Land and Leasing It to Black Farmers. Why It's Gone Wrong and How to Fix It
The progress with South Africa's land reform programme has not been properly monitored. This has resulted in an incorrect understanding of the real progress made to correct the… Read more »
September 03, 2023
Zimbabwe: Climate Action Plan - A Win for the Environment, Health and Energy
The dumping of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere yearly is already having a devastating impact around the world. This includes… Read more »
August 30, 2023
Zimbabwe: Election Was a Fight Between Men - Women Are Sidelined in Politics Despite Quotas
Zimbabwe's 2023 harmonised elections have largely been depicted as a battle between the two "Big Men" - President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu-PF and Nelson Chamisa of the… Read more »
South Africa: 'Motherhood Is Hard' - Young, HIV-Positive Moms Open Up About Regret and Anger
For any woman, pregnancy and giving birth are major life-changing experiences. Becoming a mother brings with it a range of emotions and, in many African cultures, positive emotions… Read more »
September 02, 2023
South Africa: Johannesburg Fire Disaster - Why Eradicating Hijacked Buildings Is Not the Answer
The fire that killed at least 76 people in a five storey building in Johannesburg on 31 August is not an isolated incident, and has elicited the usual unhelpful response from some… Read more »
August 28, 2023
South Africa: Sylvia Mdunyelwa, One of South Africa's Great Jazz Vocalists, Kept Music Traditions Alive
If Miriam Makeba is hailed as the South African vocalist of her generation who brilliantly embraced (and actually shaped) global music sounds, and Sathima Bea Benjamin as the… Read more »
August 31, 2023
South Africa: Suspension of Two South African Judges Has Opened Up Debates About Bad Working Conditions and Poor Delivery of Justice
The suspension of two judges in South Africa for tardiness - failing to process cases in a reasonable amount of time - has sparked fierce debates around the conditions under which… Read more »
South Africa: Winnie and Mandela Biography - a Masterful Tale of South Africa's Troubled, Iconic Power Couple
A new book on South African liberation struggle icons Nelson and Winnie Mandela is a masterful biography of the pair. It's a work of scholarship involving an immense body of… Read more »
August 29, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Traditional Medicines Should Be Used in Modern Health Care
Traditional medicines are part of the cultural heritage of many Africans. About 80% of the African continent's population use these medicines for healthcare. Read more »
August 27, 2023
South Africa: TB Research Shows a Good Diet Can Cut Infections By Nearly 50%
For centuries, we have known that tuberculosis is a social disease. It thrives on poverty and social factors such as malnutrition, poor housing, overcrowding, unsafe work… Read more »
August 25, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town Taxi Strike Exposes a Deeply Unequal City - and the Legacy of Apartheid
Cape Town in South Africa often tops international travel polls and was recently voted the best city in the world to travel to by readers of a UK newspaper. But the reality for… Read more »
August 24, 2023
South Africa: Six More Nations Are Set to Join Brics - What They're Buying Into
One key outcome of the 15th Brics summit, hosted by South Africa, is the decision to invite six more countries to join the group with effect from January 2024. They are Argentina,… Read more »
August 23, 2023
South Africa: The Power of Needlework - How Embroidery Is Helping South African Women Tell Unspeakable Stories
In June 2020, three months after South Africa entered the first of a series of hard lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID, the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa described men's… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Media Often Portrays Foreigners in a Bad Light. This Fuels Xenophobia
The media's huge influence comes from the fact that it's capable of affecting public perceptions. In the light of this we set out to understand how South Africa's print media… Read more »
August 22, 2023
Zimbabwe: Can Nelson Chamisa Win? He Appeals to Young Voters but the Odds Are Stacked Against Him
Nelson Chamisa, the 45-year-old leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), is making a second bid to be Zimbabwe's next president. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Young Zimbabweans Are Using YouTube to Ridicule Politicians and Educate Voters
As Zimbabwe holds its 2023 elections, young creatives are taking to social media like YouTube to discuss politics and to create comic spoofs and critiques that speak back to the… Read more »
August 20, 2023
Zimbabwe: President Was Security Minister When Genocidal Rape Was State Policy in 1983-4. Now He Seeks Another Term
Trigger warning: this article contains accounts of sexual violence. Read more »
August 17, 2023
South Africa: Teen Mums in South Africa - Largest Ever Study Explores What It Takes to Go Back to School
Imagine the weight of responsibility for caring for a child when you are not yet fully grown yourself, and the fear of being shamed by parents, fellow learners, and even strangers… Read more »
August 14, 2023
South Africa: Telemedicine Can Help Women Get Early Abortions Safely - South African Study
In South Africa, it is legal to have an abortion upon request until the 13th week of pregnancy. The procedure is performed by trained certified midwives or registered nurses at… Read more »
Southern Africa: Fossil Footprint Discoveries and What They Tell Us
Footprints on a sandy surface don't usually last long: they're washed away by water, wiped out by wind or covered over by new tracks. At certain sites in southern Africa, though,… Read more »
August 11, 2023
South Africa: Zuma Prison Case Casts Doubt On South Africa's Medical Parole Law
The Constitutional Court order relating to a case involving former President Jacob Zuma has illuminated some of the flaws in the law governing medical parole in South Africa. This… Read more »
August 08, 2023
South Africa: Violence, Health and Money Issues Among 5 Biggest Obstacles That Stand in Women's Way
Every year on 9 August South Africa celebrates Women's Day, marking an important moment in the country's history. This was the day in 1956 when women marched to the seat of… Read more »
August 10, 2023
South Africa: Lion Farming in South Africa - Fresh Evidence Adds Weight to Fears of Link With Illegal Bone Trade
In South Africa an estimated 8,000 lions are bred and kept in captivity for commercial purposes in more than 350 facilities. This is far more than the country's wild population,… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Heads to the Polls Amid High Inflation, a Slumping Currency and a Cost of Living Crisis
Zimbabwe is facing a host of pressing challenges that voters dearly want the next president to address. Persistently high inflation, elevated interest rates, and a slumping and… Read more »