Zimbabwe: Alcohol and Colonialism - the Curious Story of the Bulawayo Beer Gardens

Kontuthu Ziyathunqa - Smoke Rising - was what they used to call Bulawayo when the city was the industrial powerhouse of Zimbabwe. Now, many of its factories lie dormant or… Read more »

South Africa: Cape Town's Sewage Treatment Isn't Coping - Scientists Are Worried About What the City Is Telling the Public

Urban water bodies - rivers, lakes and oceans - are in trouble globally. Large sewage volumes damage the open environment, and new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds don't… Read more »

South Africa: Child Labour Numbers Rise in Homes Where Adults Are Jobless - South African Study

Child labour is a big concern across the world. It is particularly acute in countries in the global south, where it is estimated that about 160 million children are engaged in… Read more »

South Africa: Ruth First and Activist Research - the Legacy of a South African Freedom Fighter

Ruth First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was… Read more »

South Africa: Fun With Fossils - South African Kids Learn a Whole Lot More About Human Evolution From Museum Workshops

South Africa has one of the world's richest fossil records of hominins (humans and their fossil ancestors). But many misconceptions still exist regarding human evolution, and… Read more »

South Africa: Eco Labels in South Africa Don't Do the Job - How to Help Customers Make Informed Choices

South Africans want to shop more sustainably, according to research published in the journal Sustainable Development. But most can't tell which products are environmentally… Read more »

South Africa: Decades of South African Research Reveal Key Strategies to Reduce Water Contamination in Fruit and Veg

Water is essential at all stages of food production, from irrigation to food processing to washing fruit and vegetables before we eat them. Crops and livestock need it to grow, but… Read more »

South Africa: Feya Faku As I Knew Him - a Tribute to the Great South African Jazz Trumpeter

Lex Futshane, the South African bass player in the 1992 student band NU Jazz Connection, was the first to tell me that the great South African jazz trumpeter Feya Faku had died… Read more »

South Africa: Jobless Young South Africans Often Lose Hope - New Study Proves the Power of Mentorship

More than a third of young South Africans are not in employment, education or training. This cohort of 3.4 million (37.1% of those aged 15-24) risks long-term joblessness.… Read more »

South Africa: Battery Swapping Stations Powered By Solar and Wind - We Show How This Could Work for Electric Vehicles in South Africa

Petrol and diesel vehicles are being phased out globally and replaced with electric vehicles so that countries can meet their commitments to zero human-caused carbon emissions by… Read more »

South Africa: Women Trapped With Abusers - South Africa's Covid Lockdowns Exposed Serious Protection Gaps

The unintended consequences of measures introduced to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus from 2020 to 2022 have been studied extensively. Research in South Africa shows that… Read more »

South Africa: Migrants in South Africa's Economic Powerhouse Often Go Hungry - the Drivers and What Can Be Done About It

About 281 million people globally have migrated from their country of origin to another country. This movement can be temporary or permanent and can occur for various reasons,… Read more »

Zambia: Zambia Runs On Mostly Green Power, but Households Use Polluting Cooking Fuel - Study Suggests How to Fix This

Zambia, like many African countries, is facing a crisis over clean cooking fuel. Over 80% of the population still relies on polluting fuels like charcoal and firewood. This exposes… Read more »

South Africa: The Right to Water Is Out of Reach for Many South Africans - Case Study Offers Solutions

South Africa's constitution says "everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water". In reality, however, this right is not enjoyed by all. Many places experience… Read more »

Mozambique: Mozambique After 50 Years of Independence - What's There to Celebrate?

Mozambique's government, led by the Frelimo party, has long been planning celebrations for 2025. It is 50 years since independence, won after an anti-colonial war against Portugal… Read more »

South Africa: Fossil Tracks and Trunk Marks Reveal Signs of Ancient Elephants On South Africa's Coast

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, South Africa's Cape south coast looked very different. Some of the species that roamed this area are now extinct; others evolved over the… Read more »

South Africa: The Closing of Cape Town's Fugard Theatre Points to Systemic Failures

South Africa's theatre fraternity has reacted with heartbreak to the announcement that Cape Town's famous Fugard Theatre has closed its doors for good. Named after the playwright… Read more »

Botswana: Court Ruling Is a Ray of Hope for LGBT People Across Africa

Botswana's High Court has ruled that private consensual sex between adults of the same sex is no longer criminal. The decision gives hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender… Read more »

South Africa: How Technology Could Help Rural South Africa Turn Sunshine Into Income

The way energy is produced and distributed is changing rapidly as the industry moves away from carbon-based energy production. Technological development in the production of… Read more »

Zambia: We Revealed the Value of Zambia's Wild Yam. Why It Matters

Wild harvested crops are a vital source of food in much of the world. Some common wild edible plants in southern Africa include wild mushrooms, such as Termitomyces titanicus,… Read more »

South Africa: ANC Policy Papers Point to a Party in a Panic About Losing Power

The documents released ahead of the upcoming policy conference of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) expose a panicking party that sees enemies everywhere.… Read more »

Angola: Where Did All the Oil Riches Go? - Luanda Residents

A few years ago, Luanda, the capital of Angola, was on every ambitious investor's lips. With large infrastructure and housing projects rapidly changing its appearance, the city… Read more »

South Africa: E-Cigarettes May Help Smokers Cut Back but That Doesn't Mean They're Not Toxic

A recent study showing teenagers who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to smoke normal cigarettes than those who don't amplifies the South African government's calls to… Read more »