February 10, 2023
South Africa: Radio in South Africa Turns 100 - and Collides With Podcasting and Streaming
This year marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through "the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg" on 18 December 1923. Read more »
February 09, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town's 'Day Zero' Threat Concentrated Minds - an Activist Group Used the Moment to Secure Environmental Victories
Major cities across the world are being increasingly plagued by severe water shortages. From Bangalore, India to São Paulo, Brazil and even Beijing, China, cities are at… Read more »
South Africa: 500-Year-Old Horn Container Discovered in South Africa Sheds Light On Pre-Colonial Khoisan Medicines
In 2020, a chance discovery near the small South African hamlet of Misgund in the Eastern Cape unearthed an unusual parcel - a gift to science. The parcel turned out to be a… Read more »
February 08, 2023
South Africa: Few of South Africa's Chartered Accountants Are Black - Hearing Their Stories Suggests What to Fix
Chartered accountants can be found in the upper echelons of organisations all over the world as CEOs, directors and senior managers. They are often responsible for an entity's… Read more »
South Africa: State Capture in South Africa - Time to Think Differently About Redress and Recovering the Stolen Loot
South Africans are plunged into darkness daily by rolling power cuts. These are a stark reminder of the destruction that years of state capture wreaked on Eskom, the state-owned… Read more »
February 07, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Ruling Party Has Favoured Loyalty Over Competence
Cadre deployment is one of the best-known policies of the African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. And many of the… Read more »
February 06, 2023
South Africa: Link Between Crime and Politics Raises Concerns About Criminal Gangs Taking Over
A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (Gitoc) released in September 2022 argues that South Africa has increasingly become a centre of organised… Read more »
February 05, 2023
South Africa: Weed in South Africa - Apartheid Waged a War On Drugs That Still Has Unequal Effects Today
Cannabis is being commercialised into a multibillion-dollar global industry and South Africa wants a piece of the pie. In his 2022 state of the nation address, President Cyril… Read more »
February 03, 2023
South Africa: South African Tourism Wants to Sponsor Football Club Tottenham Hotspur - Is It a Good Idea?
South African Tourism (SA Tourism) is reported to be planning to spend US$52 million (about R900 million) to sponsor UK football team Tottenham Hotspur over three years. The… Read more »
February 04, 2023
South Africa: Robberies Surge As Criminals Take Advantage of Power Outages
The acute energy crisis in South Africa has adversely affected all aspects of the society. Regular and lengthy power outages - which started in 2007 are also contributing to an… Read more »
February 02, 2023
South Africa: Remote Working Improves the Lives of Women Managers - But At a Cost
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a question that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: do we really need to be in the office all the time? Read more »
South Africa: Travelling While Black - 7 South African Travelogues You Should Read
Travel writing in Africa is often associated with colonial ventures of the past or white adventure pursuits of today. But Africans themselves have long produced captivating travel… Read more »
February 01, 2023
South Africa: South Africa and Russia - President Cyril Ramaphosa's Foreign Policy Explained
January was a busy diplomatic month for South Africa. The country hosted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US treasury secretary Janet Yellen. Josep Borrell,… Read more »
January 31, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Dysfunctional Universities - the Consequences of Corrupt Decisions
What happens when those responsible for managing universities cannot trust each other to act with integrity? In a nutshell, as I discuss in my new book, Corrupted: A study of… Read more »
January 27, 2023
South Africa: Artificial Intelligence in South Africa Comes With Special Dilemmas - Plus the Usual Risks
When people think about artificial intelligence (AI), they may have visions of the future. But AI is already here. At its base, it is the recreation of aspects of human… Read more »
January 26, 2023
South Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy - Covid Experience Highlights Conspiracies, Mistrust and Role of Media
In recent weeks, China has reported a spike in new cases of COVID and related deaths. Some countries have imposed travel restrictions as a result. But most - including South Africa… Read more »
January 25, 2023
South Africa: Adriaan Vlok - the Case for Accepting the Late South African Politician's Apology for Apartheid
The recent death of Adriaan Vlok, the prominent South African apartheid-era law and order minister, brought the issue of political apologies for past wrongs back into the public… Read more »
January 24, 2023
South Africa: Non-Racial South Africa - Book Shows Debate On Nation Building Is Still Relevant Today
There has been much comment recently on the lack of representation of minorities in the leadership structures of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress… Read more »
January 23, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts Play Havoc With the Country's Water System
South Africans had to deal with the worst ever series of power cuts in 2022. All in all the country lost a record 205 days of electricity due to constant breakdowns at the… Read more »
January 20, 2023
South Africa: Tigers in South Africa - a Farming Industry Exists - Often for Their Body Parts
A tiger escaped from a residence and roamed the countryside outside Johannesburg, South Africa, for four days this month. It attacked a man and killed several animals, and was… Read more »
South Africa: Ernest Cole - South Africa's Most Famous Photobook Has Been Republished After 55 Years
Photographer Ernest Cole was born in 1940 in the Pretoria township of Eersterust, just before apartheid was formally introduced in South Africa in 1948. Read more »
South Africa: Power Cuts in South Africa - Trend to Get Off the Grid Is Gathering Pace, but Total Independence Is Still a Way Off
South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These have worsened to the point that towards the end of 2022 the country's electricity utility, Eskom, had… Read more »
January 19, 2023
South Africa: Ancient Poop Offers Unusual Insight Into Animal Behaviour
Some people are annoyed when they encounter a fresh pile of dung while out on a walk in nature. Others are excited because it points to the recent visit of a particular kind of… Read more »
South Africa: Pay Inequality Is High - Bosses Are Part of the Problem
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. This income inequality is mostly due to high unemployment and large differences in wages. Read more »
January 18, 2023
South Africa: My Child Isn't Happy With Their Final Exam Results. How Can I Support Them?
Every January, the day arrives that South Africans know can decide their fates: the "matric" exam results are announced. In 2022, 753,964 full-time and 167,915 part-time candidates… Read more »