Langa centenary: former beauty queen Nomsa Banjatwa remembers a township abuzz with social events Eighty-two-year-old Nomsa Maliza Banjatwa has lived in Langa, Cape Town, all her life. As the township prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday, she reflects on the way Langa has changed. Banjatwa remembers a Langa abuzz with social events. There were beauty […]
Tag: South Africa
Home Affairs in court over profound damage caused by its practice of “blocking” IDs Lawyers For Human Rights has taken Home Affairs to court over its practice of blocking IDs it thinks are in some way fraudulent. Approximately 700,000 IDs are blocked, yet there is no easy way to lodge an inquiry or start an […]
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 fossils of ancient prehuman relatives from South Africa. Timothy Nash, a businessman, carried a clavicle belonging to Australopithecus sediba and the thumb bone of […]
Around the world, men are more likely to get TB and to die from it than women. We recently conducted researchto establish the various factors that explain higher rates of TB among men in South Africa. South Africa is ranked among the top six countries contributing to 60% of the global burden of TB. Our […]
The medium-term budget policy statement presented by South Africa’s finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, to parliament on 1 November 2023 is intended to provide a preview of government’s public finance plans over the next three years. It does not actually commit government to anything, either in law or in practice. Nevertheless, it is a crucial document […]
Literacy changes lives: in Unesco’s words, it “empowers and liberates people, … reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health and sustainable development”. But in South Africa, 8 out of 10 children cannot read for meaning by the end of their third school year. During the first three years […]
For the past 16 years South Africans have dreaded rolling power cuts euphemistically dubbed “loadshedding”. These are caused by the ailing state power entity Eskom’s crumbling infrastructure and its over-reliance on ageing and poorly maintained coal-fired power stations. Loadshedding has worsened in 2023, with some areas experiencing power cuts for up to 10 hours a […]
Judicial Conduct Tribunal into her alleged misconduct adjourns until January The tribunal looking into the conduct of Judge Tintswalo Annah Nana Makhubele has been postponed to January. On Monday the tribunal, through correspondence, was informed that Judge Makhubele has outstanding legal fees in excess of R3-million for her representation for the hearings. The matter was […]
When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it sparked many conversations and moral panics. These centre on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the information environment. People worry that AI chatbots can negatively affect the integrity of creative and academic work, especially since they can produce human-like texts and images. ChatGPT is a […]
This is the latest in a series of attacks on this group of land occupiers since August People who occupied land earmarked for a housing project in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha, have been subject to a series of violent attacks. The attacks are believed to be orchestrated by backyarders in Mandela Park who expected to benefit […]
Leadership plays a critical role in diplomacy. What quality of leadership does South Africa need if it’s to secure its international interests? This is a question my colleagues and I have had the opportunity to reflect on in researching and writing about foreign policy since the late 1980s. Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki displayed […]
Thupeyo Muleya — The story of Beitbridge town in Zimbabwe and Musina in South Africa has for over the years been that of a modern city divided by a big river. The two towns are in different countries as defined by the colonial boundaries, but they are one urban development separated by a river, bridges […]
“We’d probably very early in the year close out another segment of the market, an off-take for South Africa,” David Ige, the CEO of the Lagos-based energy firm, said. Nigeria will kick off the delivery of gas to South Africa for the first in the history of trade relations between the two nations if talks […]
Across the African continent – from Nigeria and Ghana to South Africa – widespread protests have taken place to demand police reform in the wake of police misconduct and brutality. A continent-wide survey done in 2022 shows very low trust in the police and a prevailing perception of the police as the most corrupt among […]
Regardless of what the World Court decides, a recalibration of South Africa’s bilateral relations will be needed. South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide has elicited polarised global responses. Critics accuse South Africa of theatre, political opportunism and double standards, while supporters laud its principled […]
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 businesses had no power for up to 11 hours a day. Eskom has warned that load shedding will be worse in 2024. The result is that many South […]
The Tyhume River, flowing from the forested Amathole Mountains in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, gives its name to a valley of 20 villages on communal land. Much of the land is being used to keep livestock, as crop production has declined over the years. This land is under the custodianship of traditional leaders. The […]
Years after Tebogo Khoza was refused an ID document, a high court judgement has restored his rights and offered hope to millions of other undocumented South Africans. As a game keeper in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, Tebogo Khoza’s knowledge of the land and its wildlife is key to his livelihood and safety. Tending to the […]