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South Africa appalled that Israel given ...

South Africa appalled that Israel given AU observer status

The South African government has condemned the decision by the African Union Commission (AUC) to grant Israel observer status in the continental body. Israel attained this status after nearly 20 years of diplomatic efforts on 22 July when its ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi and Chad, Aleli Admasu, presented his credentials to Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson […]

Gauteng’s jacarandas are flowering earli

Gauteng’s jacarandas are flowering earlier because of climate change

The jacaranda trees that transform Gauteng into a purple vista every spring flower earlier because of climate change. This is documented in a paper by Jennifer Fitchett and Kestrel Raik, of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. In the 1920s and 1930s, jacaranda trees only started to […]

On failed states and the pitfalls of Wes...

On failed states and the pitfalls of Western commentary

Why did a fairly obvious observation by two white American scholars about Nigeria being a failed state cause controversy? It is because their conclusion departs from a familiar arc of Western commentaries on Nigeria and Africa, which tend to favor platitudinous waffling over candor and critique, and because it aligns with the much-critiqued dominant Western […]

Cape Town transport stabilised after two...

Cape Town transport stabilised after two weeks of taxi violence

Public transport in Cape Town and its surrounds has stabilised somewhat following two weeks of disruption due to ongoing conflict over routes between two rival taxi associations. “The situation is now stabilised, law and order seem to have been achieved at this point,” Western Cape member of the executive council for community safety Albert Fritz […]

‘My sister is mistaken’ and other respon

‘My sister is mistaken’ and other responses to dissent in Zuma contempt case

There were two judgments in the Jacob Zuma contempt of court application: the majority judgment penned by acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe and the minority judgment penned by Judge Leona Theron. I have read both closely, but am particularly troubled by the minority’s reasoning, which I found to have created an unfortunate conflict which it […]

South Africa moves back to adjusted leve...

South Africa moves back to adjusted level 3, schools to reopen on Monday

South Africa begins the week on a high note as it moves back to adjusted level three. Schools reopen, people as young as 18 can register to be vaccinated and the alcohol ban has been partially lifted. However, recent civil unrest and its human and financial toll weigh heavily on the country as it moves […]