October 04, 2023
South Africa: Lion Protection Fee Paid By Tourists Could Help Stop Trophy Hunting - South African Study
Trophy hunting is contentious. It typically involves paying for and pursuing a specific wild animal, often a large or iconic species, with the goal of killing it to obtain a… Read more »
October 03, 2023
South Africa: Language Skills Could Improve History Teaching in South Africa
In recent years there's been growing recognition among education experts that integrating content and language learning is key to promoting comprehensive academic achievement. Read more »
October 02, 2023
Zimbabwe: New Species of Cobra-Like Snake Discovered - but It May Already Be Extinct
Around the world, natural history museums hold a treasure trove of knowledge about Earth's animals. But much of the precious information is sealed off to genetic scientists because… Read more »
October 01, 2023
South Africa: Siya Kolisi - the South African Rugby Star's Story Offers Valuable Lessons in Resilience
In the world of sports, some stories transcend the boundaries of the game and become symbolic of something greater. Siya Kolisi's journey from an adverse upbringing to becoming… Read more »
September 29, 2023
South Africa: Aziz Pahad - the Unassuming South African Diplomat Who Skilfully Mediated Crises in Africa, and Beyond
Aziz Goolam Pahad, who has died at the age of 82, was a South African anti-apartheid activist, politician and deputy minister of foreign affairs in the post-1994 government. Read more »
South Africa: Nation Has One of the Strongest Navies in Africa - Its Strengths and Weaknesses
The deaths of three members of the South African Navy (SA Navy) on 20 September 2023, when a freak wave swept them off the deck of the submarine SAS Manthatisi, has put the… Read more »
September 28, 2023
South Africa: South African Men Are Much More Likely to Die From TB Than Women - Here's Why
Around the world, men are more likely to get TB and to die from it than women. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Zimbabweans Divided on China's Influence
China has big ambitions in Africa. Between 2000 and 2020, the economic superpower loaned African governments US$159 billion to build railroads, highways, stadiums and bridges. Read more »
September 27, 2023
South Africa: Meteorite Discovery - Unusual Finds By South African Farmer Add to Space Rock Heritage
Meteorites - fragments of rock that have fallen to Earth from space in spectacularly fiery meteors - have been the subject of public fascination, awe, myths and even religious… Read more »
September 26, 2023
South Africa: Family Homes Clash With Laws in South African Townships
During apartheid, black South Africans could not own land - and therefore their homes - in what were classified as "white" cities. In racially segregated townships, living in… Read more »
Zambia: World's Biggest Bat Colony Gathers in Zambia Every Year
Everybody who visits Kasanka National Park in Zambia during "bat season" agrees that the evening emergence of African straw-coloured fruit bats from their roost site is one of the… Read more »
September 25, 2023
South Africa: South African Tourism - Informal Traders Need Support, Not More Red Tape
South Africa is an attractive tourist destination for foreign travellers on the African continent. It ranks 27th out of 128 countries in the world when it comes to visitor… Read more »
September 24, 2023
Southern Africa: Young People With Sexual, Gender Diversity At Higher Risk of Stopping HIV Treatment Because of Stigma, Harsh Laws
Ending the AIDS pandemic - particularly in eastern and southern Africa - cannot be achieved unless more resources are channelled to meet the needs of key vulnerable populations. Read more »
September 22, 2023
South Africa: Hominin Fossils Were Sent Into Space and Scientists Are Enraged
When a Virgin Galactic commercial flight soared into space on 8 September 2023, there were two Virgin Galactic pilots, an instructor and three passengers on board - as well as two… Read more »
September 21, 2023
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean Names Are Still Haunted By the Ghosts of Colonialism
In African cultures, the names given to children play an important role because they are often laden with meanings. Read more »
South Africa: Zulu Land Dispute Highlights Insecure Land Tenure
The recent fallout between the Zulu king, Misuzulu, and his now late traditional prime minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, over the running of the Ingonyama Trust highlights a… Read more »
September 19, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Smallholder Vegetable Farmers Aren't Getting the Finance They Need - This Is What It Should Look Like
Fresh efforts are being made to increase the share of black ownership in South Africa's agricultural sector. This follows decades of missteps and badly designed interventions that… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Destructive Storm Surges - Geoscientist Reveals the 3 Factors That Drove Them
A series of powerful tidal surges battered coastal areas in South Africa's Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces over the weekend of 16 September. One person died;… Read more »
September 18, 2023
South Africa: Corruption in South Africa - Would Paying Whistleblowers Help?
Whistleblowing is an important tool in fighting corruption. In South Africa, the commission of inquiry into state capture recommended that the government should provide financial… Read more »
September 14, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Court System Has Been Abused By Powerful People - Five Ways to Stop It
After a battle of about four years to secure the removal of South Africa's public protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the country's parliament finally delivered the coup de… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Can't Crack the Inequality Curse. Why, and What Can Be Done
South Africa is ranked one of the most unequal societies in the world. The Conversation Africa spoke to Imraan Valodia, a professor of economics and dean of the Faculty of… Read more »
September 13, 2023
South Africa: Rehab for South Africa's Female Inmates Focuses On Domestic Chores - Instead of Finding Good Work
Corrections facilities are supposed to help rehabilitate offenders. However, during apartheid, South Africa's correctional system was a pillar of the repressive, discriminatory… Read more »
September 10, 2023
South Africa: Ancient Shoes - Tracks On a South African Beach Offer Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Footwear
When and where did our ancestors first fashion footwear? We cannot look to physical evidence of shoes for the answer, as the perishable materials from which they were made would no… Read more »
September 09, 2023
South Africa: Mangosuthu Buthelezi - the Zulu Nationalist Who Left His Mark On South Africa's History
Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi played a prominent role in South African politics for almost half a century. He was one of the last of a generation of black South African leaders who… Read more »
September 08, 2023
South Africa: How to Move Forward After Joburg Fire
Thousands of Johannesburg inner-city residents occupy buildings in conditions like those that led to the fire at 80 Albert Street that killed at least 77 people. They are living in… Read more »