February 02
South Africa: South Africa Needs to Manage Migrants Better. That Requires Cleaning Up the Department of Home Affairs
Legal grievances against the South African Department of Home Affairs, including contempt of court cases, are depressingly common. Too frequently the minister has to apologise to a… Read more »
February 01
South Africa: South Africans Are Opting to Go Off-Grid - How They're Being Helped, and Hindered, in Their Efforts
Eskom, South Africa's state-owned power utility, struggles to generate and supply a stable flow of electricity to meet demand. In 2023, there were times when households and… Read more »
January 31
South Africa: Wetlands Are Superheroes - Expert Sets Out How They Protect People and Places
In the past, wetlands were often seen as undesirable landscapes - waterlogged areas that were difficult to navigate, impossible to build on or farm, and a source of pests such as… Read more »
South Africa: South African Marriage Ruling Is a Win for Divorcees and Surviving Spouses
South Africa's Constitutional Court has fundamentally changed the country's marriage law, making it fairer to people who are married "out of community of property" when their… Read more »
January 30
South Africa: Nelson Mandela's Personal Items Under the Hammer in New York? Why It Outraged Some, and What's At Stake
An identity document, a pair of reading glasses, a hearing aid and a pair of worn shoes. These are just some of Nelson Mandela's personal items that were due to go on auction on 22… Read more »
January 29
South Africa: South Africa Is Failing People Who Aren't Poor, but Aren't Middle Class Either
Many South African households are trapped. They are neither poor nor middle class. As a demographic they hover above the indigence threshold financially. But they are not yet… Read more »
January 27
South Africa: Matric Results - South Africa's Record School Pass Rates Aren't What They Seem - What's Really Happening in the Education System
South Africa's matric (grade 12) class of 2023, which wrote final school-leaving exams late last year, has been hailed by the country's minister of basic education for achieving… Read more »
South Africa: Jacob Zuma, the Monster South Africa's Ruling ANC Created, Continues to Haunt It
Former South African president Jacob Zuma is endorsing the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, the latest rival to the governing African National Congress (ANC) for the upcoming national… Read more »
January 28
Malawi: El Niño - Malawi's Harvest of Maize - Its Staple Food - May Fall By 22.5 Percent This Year
Maize is the preferred staple of most of southern Africa. In Malawi it supplies two-thirds of national calorie intake. Nine out of 10 farming households produce maize and devote… Read more »
January 26
South Africa: The Two Faces of Jacob Zuma - Former South African President Campaigns to Unseat the ANC He Once Led. Who Supports Him and Why?
Former South African president Jacob Zuma's political comeback builds on support from marginalised and angry constituencies within or close to the governing African National… Read more »
January 23
South Africa: Three South African Universities Have New Approaches to Assessing Students
South African higher education faces many complex challenges rooted in the legacy of apartheid. They include the fact that many students are unprepared for or excluded from higher… Read more »
January 24
South Africa: South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel Is the Country's Proudest Foreign Policy Moment in Three Decades
On 11 January 2024, South Africa hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the charge of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. This was for Israel's… Read more »
Namibia: Learning to Read in Another Language Is Tough - How Namibian Teachers Can Help Kids
In a classroom in Namibia's northern Oshikoto region, a teacher has written English vocabulary words on the chalkboard. She asks her learners to read them aloud. When they stumble… Read more »
January 23
South Africa: Albatrosses Are Threatened With Extinction - and Climate Change Could Put Their Nesting Sites At Risk
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the world's largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres. These birds are oceanic nomads: they spend most of… Read more »
January 22
South Africa: South Africa's Agulhas Long-Billed Lark - Adapting and Surviving Despite Farming Taking Over Their Nesting Grounds
The Agulhas long-billed lark (Certhilauda brevirostris) is only found in South Africa. It builds nests on the ground mainly in Renosterveld fynbos, a type of vegetation filled with… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Weaver Press Is Closing - How One Small, Brave Zimbabwean Publisher Made a Difference
With the news that it is to halt operations it's a fitting time to take stock of Weaver Press in Zimbabwe. Read more »
January 21
South Africa: South Africa's Ageing Population Comes With New Challenges. How Best to Adapt to Them
Young people - under the age of 15 - currently make up 29% of South Africa's population. But this will soon change: the aged portion of the population is forecast to rise from… Read more »
January 19
South Africa: Why Are Floods in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal So Devastating? Urban Planning Expert Explains
The devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It… Read more »
January 15
South Africa: 20 Years Ago South Africa Had 40 Qualified Astronomers - All White. How It's Opened Space Science and Developed Skills Since Then
South African astronomy started an important journey two decades ago, when an initiative to attract and train future scientists in the field welcomed its first group of students… Read more »
January 18
South Africa: Soul Brothers - the Story of a Band That Revolutionised South African Music
Biographies of important South African musicians often fall into two categories: they either emerge from PhD or other university-based research, or are the fruit of dedicated… Read more »
Africa: Cash-Strapped Conservationists in South Africa Are Struggling to Collect Biodiversity Data - How to Change That
South Africa's government conservation organisations have experienced substantial budget cuts. Even after steps to cut costs, South African National Parks reported a big shortfall… Read more »
January 19
South Africa: Jobs in South Africa - the Labour Market Is Recovering From Covid - but Unskilled and Less Educated People Are Still Being Left Behind
For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country's economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of… Read more »
January 17
Mozambique: Mozambique's Cyclone Flooding Was Devastating to Animals - We Studied How Body Size Affected Survival
Anyone who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like… Read more »
January 15
South Africa: South Africa Has Made Its Genocide Case Against Israel in Court. Here's What Both Sides Said and What Happens Next
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, Israeli forces have carried out sustained attacks on the Palestinian controlled territory, dividing the international community. Read more »
January 16
South Africa: South Africa's ANC Marks Its 112th Year With an Eye On National Elections, but Its Record Is Patchy and Future Uncertain
The speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered at the 112th birthday celebration of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), on 13 January can be seen… Read more »