Latest Opinions
Money and ageing: South African study shows cash grants help people live longer and have better memory function
7th February 2024 Nearly half of South Africa’s 60-million people receive social grants, ranging from child support to pensions. The grants are designed to provide... →
Promises, promises: Following up on Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 state of the nation pledges
By: Africa Check 7th February 2024 “We gather here at a time of crisis,” said president Cyril Ramaphosa during his 2023 state of the nation address. Highlighting loadshedding,... →
Zuleikha Mayat: South African author and activist who led a life of courage, compassion and integrity
7th February 2024 Few Indian South African women have achieved wider public recognition than author, human rights and cultural activist Zuleikha Mayat, who passed... →
Despite the hazards, Ghana’s illicit waste trade is booming
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 7th February 2024 Illicit waste trafficking generates around US$10-billion to US$12-billion worldwide every year, according to the Financial Action Task Force. Ghana... →
South Africa needs to manage migrants better. That requires cleaning up the Department of Home Affairs
7th February 2024 Legal grievances against the South African Department of Home Affairs, including contempt of court cases, are depressingly common. Too frequently... →
DRC misses another opportunity to build a democracy
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 7th February 2024 Following President Félix Tshisekedi’s contested victory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) December 2023 elections, democracy hangs... →
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger want to leave Ecowas. A political scientist explains the fallout
6th February 2024 Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have sent Ecowas, west Africa’s main political union of 15 countries, a formal notice of their withdrawal from the... →
Hage Geingob: Namibian president who played a modernising role
6th February 2024 Hage Gottfried Geingob served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death on February 4 2024. He was Namibia’s first prime minister... →
Thirty years of rural health research: South Africa’s Agincourt studies offer unique insights
6th February 2024 In 1992 a group of academics from the University of the Witwatersrand introduced a health and socio-demographic surveillance system in remote,... →
Surveillance and the state: South Africa’s proposed new spying law is open for comment – an expert points out its flaws
6th February 2024 In early 2021, the South African Constitutional Court found that the country’s State Security Agency, through its signals intelligence agency, the... →
