September 19
South Africa: South Africa Has a New Education Law - Some Love It, Some Hate It
South Africa has a new law governing education. The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act changes several aspects of how schools are managed. It was introduced to address… Read more »
South Africa: Mysterious South African Cave Painting May Have Been Inspired By Fossils
A mysterious animal painted on a cave wall in South Africa's Free State Province has long baffled scientists. Is it a walrus? It looks like one, but there are no such animals in… Read more »
September 18
South Africa: South Africa's Gauteng Province Launches Water Data Hub - Residents Can Now Keep Track of Shortages and Repair Issues
South Africa is a water scarce country. In other words it has an excess of demand over available supply. It also has low water security - the ability to ensure sustainable access… Read more »
South Africa: Joe Modise Biography Dismisses Corruption Claims Against the Former South African Defence Minister
The new biography of Joe Modise, one-time commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC), is welcome. Comrade and Commander… Read more »
September 17
Africa: South Africa Needs More Nautical Scientists and Maritime Engineers
When most people are asked to picture an engineer at work, they probably imagine a civil engineer in a hard hat at a construction site, a chemical engineer in a laboratory or an… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Move to Green Energy Was Slowed Down By Govt to Protect Coal Mining
South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy was split in two after the 2024 general elections: Electricity and Energy and Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Part of the… Read more »
September 16
South Africa: South African Universities Need to Rethink How They Evaluate Research - Social Impact Counts Too
There are many ways university researchers can share their work. Some of these methods are well-established in academia: people write journal articles, book chapters and entire… Read more »
South Africa: Fungi to the Rescue - South African Scientists Use Innovative Approach to Protect Apple Trees
Gardeners the world over dread the appearance of aphids on their plants. There are around 4,000 species of these sap-sucking insects and about 250 are pests that can wreak havoc on… Read more »
September 15
South Africa: Online Classrooms Where Students Run the Show - We Tested How This Unconventional Model Can Work
The Zoom meeting window opens, immediately revealing scores of smiling or anxious faces. Some people have quirky backgrounds; some are in the same room as friends and family, who… Read more »
South Africa: South African Agriculture Needs to Crack the Chinese Market. How to Boost Exports
South Africa's agricultural sector has more than doubled in value and volume terms since 1994. This success has been linked to international trade. Exports now account for roughly… Read more »
September 14
South Africa: Pravin Gordhan - a Lifetime of Service to South Africa - As an Activist and Then in Building the New Democracy
It is hard to give an account of Pravin Gordhan'spolitical commitment in a few words. Read more »
September 12
South Africa: Johannesburg's Underbelly Is Explored in Niq Mhlongo's Fresh New Novel About a Messy Break-Up
Niq Mhlongo was born in Soweto, Johannesburg in 1973 and grew up under apartheid, South Africa's institutionalised racial segregation under white minority rule. He graduated in… Read more »
September 11
South Africa: South Africa Is Failing Its Youngest Children - Report Flags Critical Gaps in Early Learning, Social Protection and Health Care
Nearly 10 years ago South Africa outlined its commitment to invest in the health and development of young children. Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Green Hydrogen Hub - EU Grants Not Nearly Enough to Get Industry Going
South Africa is poised to become a major player in the global energy transition, thanks to its vast renewable energy resources (sun and wind) and its plans for green hydrogen… Read more »
September 10
South Africa: Steve Biko's Murder Exposed Deep Racism in How Medicine Was Taught and Practised in South Africa
In 1966, Steve Biko began studying medicine at the University of Natal in South Africa, the same year that the general assembly of the United Nations declared apartheid a crime… Read more »
September 09
South Africa: Sexual Violence in South Africa - Women Share Their Stories About the Dangers of Commuting On Minibus Taxis
Millions of people use minibus taxis to get around South Africa every day. These "pillars of public transport" (which are privately owned and run rather than operated by the state)… Read more »
South Africa: Pluto Mission - South African Astronomers Join Forces With Nasa to Learn More About the Dwarf Planet
When the International Astronomical Union announced in 2006 that Pluto was being demoted from its status as the Sun's ninth planet, many astronomers and non-experts alike were… Read more »
September 08
South Africa: James Matthews - the Rebel Writer Who Was South Africa's Voice of Resistance
World renowned South African poet James Matthews has died at 95. His was the last great voice of an era of writers who worked against South Africa's repressive and racist system of… Read more »
September 06
South Africa: South Africa's Economy Needs a Shot in the Arm, Not Austerity
For the past 11 years the South African government has pursued a policy of austerity. In recent years, government has reduced per capita spending (adjusted for inflation) by… Read more »
South Africa: Steve Biko, the South African Struggle Hero Who Was Prepared to Sacrifice His Life for Black Liberation
What happens when death becomes the ultimate marker of one's commitment to one's freedom? Jacob Dlamini explores this and other questions in his new book, Dying for Freedom:… Read more »
September 05
South Africa: Meteorite Strike in South Africa - Scientists Offer Clues About What It Is and Where It Came From
On a Sunday morning in late August 2024 a nine-year-old girl named Eli-zé du Toit was sitting on her grandparents' porch near a small town in South Africa's Eastern Cape… Read more »
South Africa: Technology Classes At School Can Also Teach Skills for Business and Life - South African Teachers Share Ideas
Starting and running your own business takes hard work and a can-do attitude. Typically, entrepreneurs are the kinds of people who can identify and solve problems innovatively, are… Read more »
September 04
South Africa: South African Heritage Tourism Could Uplift Rural Communities, With a Little Help - the Case of Sekhukhune
Imagine visiting a remote valley surrounded by mountains, hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest city, listening to local people explaining hundreds of years of history to… Read more »
August 29
South Africa: Rick Turner and Steve Biko Were Leading Liberation Thinkers in 1970s South Africa - Why Their Ideas Still Matter
Steve Biko was undoubtedly the most influential South African liberation struggle theorist and activist of the 1970s. Rick Turner was arguably among the most effectual white… Read more »
August 28
South Africa: South Africa's Coal Workers Face an Uncertain Future
South Africa is on the path to decarbonisation - doing away with burning coal and other fossil fuels and moving towards renewable, clean energy, such as solar and wind power.… Read more »