March 04
South Africa: Teaching Mathematical Statistics - One Lecturer's Way of Testing What Students Understand
It's getting tougher to assess how much university students have learnt. In his work as a Mathematical Statistics lecturer, Michael von Maltitz has tried a new way of getting… Read more »
March 03
South Africa: Warships As Diplomats - How the South African Navy Is Tasked With Building Ties With Other Nations
A naval exercise off the South African coast in January 2026, dubbed Will for Peace and involving the warships of South Africa, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Economy Is Picking Up, but Hasn't Reached a Turning Point Yet - Economist
In presenting the 2026 national budget to South Africa's parliament on 25 February, finance minister Enoch Godongwana characterised this as the turning point in South Africa's… Read more »
March 02
South Africa: South Africa's Minibus Taxi Industry Runs On Social Bonds - Reform Must Accept This
South Africa's minibus taxi industry is the backbone of the country's public transport system. Every day, millions of commuters rely on it. In many low-income and peri-urban… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Move to Greener Energy Is Creating New Jobs, but Benefits Aren't Evenly Spread
South Africa's green transition is creating jobs. But not for everyone. Read more »
February 26
Malawi: Prophets and Profits - the Art of the Sell in Shepherd Bushiri's YouTube Sermons
In a widely viewed YouTube sermon called 3 Types of Keys, a preacher, dressed in a sky blue Italian suit, holds a microphone and speaks with great assurance about spiritual… Read more »
South Africa: Leopards Adapted to South Africa's Cape So Successfully That They're Genetically Unique - Study
Animals of the same species don't always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals that vary in size or colour, populations living in different places can… Read more »
Malawi: Solar Power Is Taking Off in Malawi - but Poor Households Need Financial Help to Make It Work for Them
Access to electricity is widely seen as a cornerstone of sustainable development. It improves quality of life, enables household income generation, and raises living standards.… Read more »
February 25
Africa: Disability and Access to Justice in Four African Countries - Strong Laws, Weak in Practice
South Africa has a reputation as one of the most progressive countries on the African continent when it comes to disability rights. Read more »
Botswana: Botswana's Hike of Old Age Pensions Hasn't Fixed the Problem of Who Cares for Them - New Study
The government of Botswana in southern Africa dramatically increased the universal old age pension for all citizens aged 65 and above from P830 (about US$63) to P1,400 (about… Read more »
February 24
South Africa: South Africa's Carbon Tax Should Stay - Climate Scientists Explain Why
The South African minister of electricity and energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, is proposing to suspend the country's carbon tax after experiencing pressure from fossil fuel lobbies. Read more »
February 22
South Africa: Invasive Mesquite Plants Do More Than Deplete Water Reserves - New Research in South Africa Shows They Damage Soil Too
Mesquite (Neltuma juliflora), a woody plant native to parts of South America, was introduced into South Africa's drylands in the 1880s with good intentions. Read more »
February 19
Africa: Should South Africa Use the Army to Fight Gangs? the Short Answer Is No
When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape in his 2026 State of the Nation… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Is Sending in the Army to Fight Crime (Again). Does It Ever Work?
Soldiers from the South African National Defence Force are going to be deployed alongside members of the South African Police Service to combat gangs and armed groups associated… Read more »
February 17
South Africa: South Africa's Foreign Policy Is Rooted in Negotiation With All Nations - a Shifting Global Order Makes This Difficult
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, South Africa's foreign policy has been under sustained international scrutiny. Read more »
February 16
South Africa: South Africa Is Moving Away From Coal - How Mines and Power Stations Could Be Used for Green Energy and Farming
Globally, nearly 7,000 coal mines, more than 2,400 coal-fired power plants and hundreds of coal rail networks, trucks and port terminals all make up the world's coal industry. When… Read more »
South Africa: Mediation Can Speed Up Justice in South Africa - Legal Scholar Makes the Case
Communities in South Africa continue to be fractured by service delivery failures, crime and gang-related violence. The impact is felt by families and communities, and in schools,… Read more »
February 15
South Africa: Ramaphosa and a Stable Electricity System in South Africa - the Devils Are in the Detail
The strategic significance of the reference to energy reform in South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address cannot be overstated. Read more »
South Africa: Does South Africa Have a Future Without Power Cuts? Ramaphosa Intervenes, but the Drama Isn't Over
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his 2026 State of the Nation address, announced that the country's electricity transmission assets would move out of state-owned Eskom.… Read more »
South Africa: Digital Monitoring Is Growing in South Africa's Public Service - Regulation Needs to Catch Up
Government departments across South Africa are increasingly relying on digital tools to evaluate public programmes and monitor performance. This is part of broader public-sector… Read more »
February 12
South Africa: History With a Human Face and Voice - How Museum Theatre Gets Kids to Care About the Past
The facts of history are important, but try telling that to a classroom full of bored youngsters. One way to liven up the subject is to show that real people lived through… Read more »
South Africa: Water in the Dams, but South Africa's Taps Are Dry - Essential Reads On a History of Bad Management
It's become a common refrain in South Africa: there's no drought, dams and reservoirs are full, but the taps are dry. Read more »
February 11
South Africa: Cape Town's Wildflowers Are a World Treasure - Six Insights From a New Checklist
Cape Town, in South Africa, is famous for its dramatic mountains and coastline, but its greatest treasure lies in the plants that carpet its slopes and valleys. Table Mountain… Read more »
February 10
South Africa: South Africa's Biggest Opposition Party Will Head to Municipal Elections With New Leaders - What Does It All Mean?
Speculation continues about why John Steenhuisen announced that he would not be available for re-election as the federal leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) at the… Read more »
February 09
South Africa: South Africans Are Leaving the Electricity Network - but Are Solar Mini-Grids a Fair Solution?
South Africa's electricity system is changing. After years of blackouts until 2024, the state-owned energy company Eskom is being unbundled into smaller companies, and the sector… Read more »
