South Africa: Arrow Tips Found in South Africa Are the Oldest Evidence of Poison Use in Hunting

The oldest evidence for the use of arrow poison globally was long thought to come from Egypt, dating to 4,000 years ago. It was a black, toxic residue on bone arrowheads from a… Read more »

Namibia: A Namib Desert Beetle Runs to Stay Cool - How Scientists Solved the Puzzle of This Unique and Speedy Species

The Namib desert of south-western Africa can be extremely hot - the surface temperature can be over 50°C. But a surprising number of around 200 beetle species live on its bare,… Read more »

South Africa: Land Reform in South Africa - How New Landholders Could Prosper From Wildlife and Not Just Farming

South Africa has a thriving wildlife economy - enterprises like trophy and meat hunting, ecotourism, live wildlife sales and game meat production. Read more »

South Africa: Johannesburg Has Failed Its Informal Traders - Policies Are in Place, but Action Is Needed

Johannesburg's inner city is a bustling hub of economic life - a dense, dynamic web of informal traders, adjacent businesses and other users. Informal trading remains an essential… Read more »

South Africa: Why Do South African Teachers Still Threaten Children With a Beating? A Psychologist Explains

Corporal punishment - usually referring to adults hitting children - was abolished in South Africa in 1997. The Constitutional Court had already ruled it incompatible with the bill… Read more »

South Africa: What Makes Mountain Birds Sing At Dawn - and Why Are They Sometimes Quiet? Ecologists Explain

Three species of the melodic African warbler bird refuse to get up early and sing their customary daybreak songs when the weather is cold. This new discovery was made recently by a… Read more »

South Africa: Amazing Pineapple Leaf Powder That Fights Crime and Pollution - New Research

In South Africa, manufacturers of pineapple juice and other pineapple products discard thousands of tons of pineapple leaves every year, with most ending up in dumpsites. Read more »

Africa: When Kids Move Overseas - Why Visits Are So Rare for South Africa's Emigrant Families

More than one million South Africans, about 1.6% of the country's population of 63 million, currently live overseas. Emigration is never a solitary event or a purely economic… Read more »

South Africa: Millennials Enjoy Creative Tourism - New Research Uncovers a Business Opportunity for South Africans

Creative tourism is a growing form of travel where visitors learn by taking part in hands-on, culturally rooted activities. These can include classes in local cooking, craft… Read more »

Botswana: Marriage and Migration - What Happens When Men Return to the Family Home in Botswana

The history of labour migration in Botswana can be linked to the discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa in the late 19th century. South Africa needed cheap labour, and men… Read more »

South Africa: How to Make Sure Water Is Safe to Drink - Four Practical Tips

Water is a vital resource. Life on earth, as we know it, is impossible without access to safe drinking water. Concerns over declining quality and consistency of municipal drinking… Read more »

Zimbabwe: The Price of Going Home - Christmas Boxes and the Final Return From South Africa to Zimbabwe

Each December, long-distance buses, minibus taxis and private cars stream northwards from South Africa as Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second biggest city, prepares for its annual ritual:… Read more »

South Africa: Bloemfontein, South Africa - How to Turn Clear Skies, a Planetarium and an Observatory Into a Tourist Attraction

Astro-tourism is a niche form of tourism where visitors explore the night sky through stargazing events, guided tours, educational presentations and digital astronomy experiences.… Read more »

South Africa: Food Waste in South Africa Is Dumped in Landfills - Study Weighs Up Healthier and More Sustainable Options

Every year, millions of tonnes of food end up in South Africa's landfills. This is a wasted resource that deepens environmental damage, worsens food insecurity and costs the… Read more »

Lesotho: Fossil Science Owes a Debt to Indigenous Knowledge - Lesotho Missionary's Notes Tell the Story

For over a century, the scientific literature has credited western missionaries with "discovering" fossils in Lesotho, the small, mountainous country surrounded by South Africa. Read more »

South Africa: South Africa Declared Gender-Based Violence a National Disaster. but How Will Frontline Workers Be Kept Safe?

Social workers are often the first to arrive at scenes of gender-based violence and femicide. They often enter unsafe homes without backup or protective equipment. As one told me: Read more »

Africa: South Africa and Pakistan - Countries Brought to Their Knees By Elite Capture and Economic Paralysis

In the ongoing quest to understand South Africa's political and economic stagnation, it may be helpful to look at other postcolonial states that have travelled further along the… Read more »

Africa: South Africa's Water, Energy and Food Crisis - Why Fixing One Means Fixing Them All

South Africa faces serious water, energy and food problems. Drought, overuse and ageing infrastructure strain water supplies. Coal-fired electricity is not sustainable in the long… Read more »

Africa: South Africa's G20 Presidency Is Over - What Did It Achieve for Climate and Clean Energy in Africa?

South Africa opened its G20 presidency with an ambitious message for a world divided by conflict and economic strain: solidarity, equality and sustainability. The Johannesburg G20… Read more »

South Africa: Pops Mohamed Mixed Old and New to Reinvent South African Music

Ismail Mohamed-Jan - better known by South African jazz fans as Pops Mohamed - has passed away at the age of 75. His life in music represented a struggle against narrow, oppressive… Read more »

South Africa: Who Was Albert Luthuli? the Murdered South African Leader Who Put His People Above Himself

South African liberation leader Albert Luthuli died on 21 July 1967 near his home in Groutville, in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. A government inquest concluded his… Read more »

Southern Africa: Becoming Human in Southern Africa - What Ancient Hunter-Gatherer Genomes Reveal

New genetic research is shedding light on some of the earliest chapters of our human history. In one of the largest studies of its kind, scientists analysed DNA from 28 individuals… Read more »

South Africa: Expensive Data and Poor Internet Access - South Africa Fails to Measure Up Against Brazil

Emerging middle-power countries like South Africa, India and Brazil face growing inequalities. At the same time, everyday lives are becoming more and more digital - from paying… Read more »

Zambia: Zambia's Factories Burn Too Much Coal - How Reusing Hot Water Can Cut Energy Use

Zambia wants to cut its national greenhouse gas emissions almost in half by 2030. But its 8th National Development Plan aims to transform the country into a "prosperous… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa Needs to Rethink How It Measures Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - What's Lacking

The effective planning and delivery of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in South Africa is severely constrained by the lack of reliable data. Read more »