South Africa: Power Cuts and Sleep - Students Link Loadshedding to Anxiety, Disrupted Rest and Lower Marks

South Africa endured its worst year of loadshedding (scheduled power cuts by the country's utility, Eskom) in 2023. The power went off on 335 of the year's 365 days, often several… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's Schools Reflect an Unequal Society - What Can Teachers Do About It?

South Africa's education system is often described as the key to overcoming the legacy of apartheid. Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's HPV Vaccination Drive to Protect Girls From Cervical Cancer Is Working - What We Know After 10 Years

South Africa introduced a vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) in public schools in 2014. The programme offered the vaccination to grade 4 girls aged nine years and older.… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa Is Going Digital On VAT - What It Can Learn From the Rest of Africa

Completing value-added tax (VAT) returns takes time, and waiting for a refund can tie up money a business needs to pay suppliers or invest. Read more »

South Africa: Who Is Navi Pillay, the South African Judge Who Won the Nobel Prize? We Asked Her Biographer

International human rights judge Navi Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel peace prize. She was honoured for her lifelong dedication to international law and global justice. Read more »

South Africa: Radical Economic Policies in Argentina Offer Lessons - but Not a Blueprint - for South Africa

Economic reform is usually judged by its numbers: inflation, deficits, growth. Less attention goes to the beliefs and habits that decide whether people will accept those numbers,… Read more »

South Africa: Trump Imposes New Sanctions On ICC - What Does It Mean?

Rumours have been circulating for weeks about the United States imposing tougher sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), because of what US President Donald Trump sees… Read more »

Southern Africa: Bambara Groundnut - New Maps Show Where Southern African Farmers Can Grow This Drought-Tolerant Crop

Across Africa, wheat, maize and rice are the most consumed cereal crops. When they fail because of drought, floods or other climate disasters, this can be devastating for farmers,… Read more »

South Africa: Thabo Mbeki's Legacy in South Africa - Stronger Government but a Blurred Line Between State and Party

Evaluating national leaders is a difficult task. Citizens often judge presidents and prime ministers by simple measures like economic growth during their term, or personal… Read more »

South Africa: Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize Is a Vote of Confidence in a Global Legal Order Under Fire

The awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to distinguished South African jurist and international judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay is about more than just the recognition of an… Read more »

South Africa: Sol Plaatje At 150 - Why a Pioneering South African Change-Maker Still Inspires Today

On 9 October 1876, Solomon Tshekisho "Sol" Plaatje was born in the rural interior of what is now South Africa. He was raised in a Setswana-speaking Barolong family and grew up on a… Read more »

South Africa: Rhinos and Elephants Can Cause Huge Problems If Reintroduced Badly - Here's How to Get It Right

Moving large animals around is a seductive idea in conservation. If there are plenty of animals in one place and too few in another, moving some between the two seems an obvious… Read more »

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's Dinosaurs Were Different From South Africa's - New Species Offers Clues

Africa boasts up to 25% of Earth's animal and plant species. This diversity is driven by diverse habitats: harsh deserts, vast grasslands, dense forests, towering mountains, lush… Read more »

Southern Africa: Super El Niño Could Hit Southern Africa's Bean Harvests Hard - How to Protect Farmers

Grain legumes, also known as pulses, are an important source of calories and income for rural households and small farmers globally. Beans, especially dry beans, are the most… Read more »

South Africa: Super El Niño - How It Could Affect South Africa's Maize Prices

In southern Africa, the El Niño - caused by warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean which affect air pressure and wind directions - usually brings below-average… Read more »

South Africa: Protest Later or Push for Better Planning Now? 7 Actions South African Voters Can Take Before Local Elections

Every local government election season, South Africans are handed the same menu. They hear from councillor hopefuls that they will repair potholes, stop water outages and power… Read more »

South Africa: Listen, Understand, Repeat - the Circular Approach to Good Communication in a Health Crisis

During a health crisis, the first instinct is often to give people information. Governments make announcements. Experts explain what is happening. Health departments share… Read more »

South Africa: 79 Deaths a Day - South Africa's Diabetes Crisis Needs a New Strategy

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently released its report on deaths that occurred in 2024. The headline findings contain a sobering, recurring truth: diabetes was once again… Read more »

South Africa: Our Research Measures the Real Cost of Coal Mines to People and Planet

The longer it takes to transition away from fossil fuels such as coal, the more costs accrue as climate change accelerates. Read more »

South Africa: Biokineticists Fight Disease Using Exercise Science - How to Bring Their Skills to Rural Patients

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers account for about 75% of deaths globally. Early detection is key to… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's Public Service - New Laws Aim to Put Competent People in Charge and Hold Them to Account

South Africa has been on a decades-long journey of reforming its public service. But serious problems persist. Read more »

South Africa: Johannesburg and Medellín - What South Africa Can Learn From Colombia About Fixing a Broken City

The city of Johannesburg - South Africa's largest - is increasingly unable to perform even its most basic functions, such as providing clean water and electricity and maintaining… Read more »

South Africa: More Land, Better Life? South African Farming Study Asks If That's the Road to Rural Development

South Africa's rural development debate often starts with a familiar idea: if rural households have more land, they can produce more food, earn more money and become "emerging… Read more »

Africa: Pollen Season - New Map of South Africa's Allergy Hotspots Gives You Time to Prepare

For some South Africans, the beginning of the flower season is met not with the joys of spring but rather with a sniffy nose, itchy eyes and a cacophony of sneezing. Read more »

South Africa: Ian Berry's Sharpeville Images Exposed Apartheid Violence to the World

The influential veteran photojournalist Ian Berry passed away on 13 September 2026. He covered conflicts across the world, but is best known for the photographs he made that… Read more »