May 10, 2023
Namibia: Namibia and South Africa's Ruling Parties Share a Heroic History - but Their 2024 Electoral Prospects Look Weak
Namibian president Hage Geingob used his recent state visit to South Africa to also address a meeting of the national executive committee of the governing party, the African… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Nigeria: Remote Teaching in Nigeria and South Africa Got a Covid Wake-Up Call - How to Capitalise On It
Universities had to deal with many anxieties and uncertainties during the early days of the COVID pandemic. One of these was how to move all of their teaching online. For some, the… Read more »
South Africa: Farmers in South Africa Face Power Cuts and a Weak Rand - but a Number of Factors Are Working in Their Favour Too
Winter is an important season for South African agriculture, with some of its key field crops being produced during the cold months of June, July and August, and maturing after… Read more »
May 07, 2023
South Africa: Mental Health - Almost Half of Johannesburg Students in New Study Screened Positive for Probable Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by a persistently low mood or loss of interest in activities. It causes significant impairment in daily life. Possible causes… Read more »
May 05, 2023
Africa: The Empire Sings Back - the Deep History Behind South African Soprano Pretty Yende's Triumph
Among the invited artists at the coronation of Britain's King Charles III is the South African soprano, Pretty Yende. Coronations are not events that take place often. What makes… Read more »
May 04, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town's Caracals Have Metal Pollutants in Their Blood - an Environmental Red Flag
South Africa is urbanising rapidly. By 2050, eight in 10 people will live in urban areas, significantly increasing the demands on basic infrastructure development and associated… Read more »
May 03, 2023
South Africa: 47% of South Africans Use Social Grants to Generate More Income - Study
South Africa has one of the world's most expansive social grant system: 47% of the population relies on a monthly grant. Of these, 18 million are permanent beneficiaries and about… Read more »
May 01, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts and Food Safety - How to Avoid Illness During Loadshedding
South Africa has been grappling with power cuts for 15 years, which have worsened in recent years. The persistent power outages have disrupted every facet of life, including food… Read more »
April 30, 2023
South Africa: Health Workers Cope With a Huge Amount of Stress - How to Build a Resilient Health System in South Africa
Popular and academic literature is replete with examples of how to cope with daily stresses. Mental health professions have also long researched and implemented strategies to deal… Read more »
April 27, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Hidden Jazz History Is Being Restored Album By Album
It's fitting that Johannesburg is among 12 cities featured in the 2023 Unesco International Jazz Day, themed "jazz journey around the world". The day, established in 2011 to… Read more »
South Africa: Ruth Weiss, Journalist Who Fought Apartheid, Finally Honoured in South Africa
A prophet has no honour in their homeland, goes the biblical adage. But of the many places that journalist, author and activist Ruth Weiss has lived - Germany (where she was born),… Read more »
April 26, 2023
South Africa: South Africans Are Fed Up With Their Prospects, and Their Democracy - Survey
The mood among South Africans has soured. The latest findings from the representative survey that's done every year by the country's Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) shows… Read more »
April 25, 2023
South Africa: South Africa Is Scrapping Special Work Permits for Zimbabweans - Migrants Will Be Left Exposed
Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans have flocked to South Africa to escape economic hardship since the 1990s. The South African government has, since 2010, granted the migrants a… Read more »
April 24, 2023
South Africa: South Africa Votes in 2024 - Could a Coalition Between Major Parties ANC and EFF Run the Country?
South Africa's 2024 national and provincial elections are regarded as a realistic opportunity for coalition governments to be formed in some provinces and also at the national… Read more »
April 23, 2023
South Africa: Green Spaces Are Good for People - but in South Africa Many Cannot Access Them
The benefits of experiencing nature for physical, psychological and spiritual well-being are widely documented. But much of the research on these benefits has been done in… Read more »
April 20, 2023
South Africa: Climate Change Increases the Risk of Extreme Wildfires Around Cape Town - but It Can Be Addressed
Across the globe, many recent severe wildfires have moved from wildlands into the urban periphery (the "wildland urban interface"). In their wake, they've left death, destruction… Read more »
April 19, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Only Mother and Child Hospital Is Falling Apart - a Veteran Doctor Reflects On Why
South Africa's health ombudsman recently published the findings of an investigation into Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. The investigation followed the publication of a… Read more »
April 18, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Power Outages Could Reach Critical Levels This Winter - Likely Scenarios
Over the past 15 years South Africa has been experiencing a gradually worsening number of electricity cuts. This state of affairs has prompted frustration among citizens, negative… Read more »
April 13, 2023
South Africa: Fairtrade - Study Finds Premium Label Does Not Always Benefit Workers On South African Wine Farms
Wine was first produced in South Africa as far back as the mid-1600s by Dutch colonisers who sold it to passing ships. The industry developed further during the colonial and… Read more »
April 12, 2023
South Africa: Livestock Are Threatened By Predators - but Old-Fashioned Shepherding May Be an Effective Solution
Carnivores like leopards, lions and hyenas have been killing livestock for centuries, causing financial losses to farmers. In many parts of the world, farmers respond by killing… Read more »
South Africa: Addressing Historical Injustice Key to Balancing Diet Access in South Africa
South Africa has a food crisis. The food system - made up of all of the activities and actors involved in the production, processing, transportation, selling, consumption and… Read more »
April 11, 2023
South Africa: South African Doctors' Criminal Charges for Mistakes May Have Unintended Consequences
Claims for financial compensation for medical mistakes in South Africa have been on the rise since 2007. Recently, however, criminal charges for medical errors have also become… Read more »
South Africa: Thabo Bester's Escape From Privately-Run South African Prison Exposes Corruption
Recently, South Africans were told about an extraordinary escape story - they learnt that a convicted rapist, Thabo Bester, had been at large for a year after he'd escaped from a… Read more »
April 05, 2023
South Africa: Astronomers Used Machine Learning to Mine Data From South Africa's Meerkat Telescope - What They Found
New telescopes with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution are being unveiled around the world - and beyond. Among them are the Giant Magellan Telescope under construction in… Read more »
April 04, 2023
South Africa: Green Energy - South Africa's Transition Must Avoid Deepening Inequality
Since the UN Climate Change Agreement was signed by 196 nations in December 2015, many countries have announced policies to reduce their fossil fuel emissions. Read more »