September 10, 2023
South Africa: Ancient Shoes - Tracks On a South African Beach Offer Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Footwear
When and where did our ancestors first fashion footwear? We cannot look to physical evidence of shoes for the answer, as the perishable materials from which they were made would no… Read more »
September 09, 2023
South Africa: Mangosuthu Buthelezi - the Zulu Nationalist Who Left His Mark On South Africa's History
Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi played a prominent role in South African politics for almost half a century. He was one of the last of a generation of black South African leaders who… Read more »
September 08, 2023
South Africa: How to Move Forward After Joburg Fire
Thousands of Johannesburg inner-city residents occupy buildings in conditions like those that led to the fire at 80 Albert Street that killed at least 77 people. They are living in… Read more »
September 07, 2023
South Africa: Great White Sharks Are Migrating
South Africa is renowned for having one of the world's biggest populations of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Substantial declines have been observed, however, in… Read more »
September 06, 2023
Africa: Rugby World Cup 2023 - Africa's Hopes Lie With South Africa and Namibia, for Now
Two African teams have made it through to the 20 countries playing across four pools in the final stages of the 2023 men's Rugby World Cup: three-time champions South Africa… Read more »
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 »
August 30, 2023
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 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 »
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 »
August 07, 2023
South Africa: How to Build Financial Resilience - Insurance and Retirement Savings Are the Most Effective Tools in South Africa - Study
Imagine you've found yourself in a difficult financial situation and needed to raise R40,000 (more than US$2,000) on the spot. Where and how would you raise these funds? Or what if… Read more »
South Africa: Umlungu - the Colourful History of a Word Used to Describe White People in South Africa
In South Africa "umlungu" is a word that's commonly used to refer to white people. It comes from isiXhosa, the language of the country's Xhosa people. It's always been a mystery… Read more »