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        <description><![CDATA[The Conversation is a network of not-for-profit media outlets that publish news stories written by academics and researchers.]]></description>
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            <title>South Africans living through water cuts blame corruption and neglect, not just broken pipes ...</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/south-africans-living-through-water-cuts-blame-corruption-and-neglect-not-just-broken-pipes-study-2026-11-03</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Going without piped water for weeks or even months has become a reality for many South Africans. The residents of Madibeng, meaning “place of water” in Setswana, in the country’s North West province, are no exception.  There are than half a million people living in the area who have had poor water services over the past 15 years. Where emergency water supplies have been brought in, the water is often of poor quality and delivered erratically.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 11:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Why the WHO must declare climate change a public health emergency</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/why-the-who-must-declare-climate-change-a-public-health-emergency-2026-11-02</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Across the world, people have felt the impacts of climate change firsthand. The northern hemisphere has had another record-breaking summer season of heat and extreme weather events. The south now faces a summer of heatwaves, flooding, wildfires and droughts. This is driven by decades of climate change, now supercharged by an unprecedented El Niño – the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which is a cyclical warming and cooling of the Pacific ocean driven by changing trade winds, ...]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 11:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Corruption in South Africa’s police force is rife: why protecting whistleblowers is vital</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/corruption-in-south-africas-police-force-is-rife-why-protecting-whistleblowers-is-vital-2026-10-30</link>
            <description><![CDATA[South African Police Service members who act with integrity sometimes suffer for it. If they witness corruption, refuse to participate in misconduct, or raise a grievance, they may be labelled disloyal, excluded from professional networks, denied promotion, transferred to undesirable posts, or pressured to leave the service.  These are not hypothetical concerns. An interim report released by the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry named 14 senior police and Ekurhuleni (municipal) officials for investigation into alleged corruption and political interference. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa established the commission in 2025 to look into criminality, political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Who gets the clean energy jobs and contracts? How Ghana and South Africa’s plans can do more ...</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/who-gets-the-clean-energy-jobs-and-contracts-how-ghana-and-south-africas-plans-can-do-more-for-women-2026-10-30</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Africa’s move to cleaner energy could bring women new jobs, businesses and more control over their time. Solar and wind industries could offer paid work, while off-grid electricity and clean cooking could create openings for women to run their own businesses. Spending fewer hours collecting fuel and cooking could also free women to earn, study or build a business.  But none of this will happen automatically. The green economy could take off and women could still be shut out of the better-paid technical jobs, finance, contracts, business ownership and decision-making positions.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:58:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>African countries face rising economic risks: six ways they can navigate global uncertainty</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/african-countries-face-rising-economic-risks-six-ways-they-can-navigate-global-uncertainty-2026-10-30</link>
            <description><![CDATA[The current global economic situation is confusing. On the one hand it’s characterised by inflation, and food and other critical supply shortages caused by the wars in Ukraine and the Gulf states. On the other, by optimism and economic growth caused by the boom in AI investments.  The situation both poses threats and offers opportunities to Africa.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:56:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>African universities can do more than teach and research: they can drive social change</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/african-universities-can-do-more-than-teach-and-research-they-can-drive-social-change-2026-10-28</link>
            <description><![CDATA[African universities have significant public resources, including knowledge, skilled people, infrastructure and networks. Beyond producing graduates, how can these resources be used to address problems that people experience in their everyday lives?  This is an important question where societies face challenges like limited income opportunities, inequality and the effects of climate change, and where not everyone has a chance to go to university.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <title>Zimbabwe wants digital payments to build trust in its newest currency. ...</title>
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            <description><![CDATA[Zimbabwe’s central bank wants people to use the ZiG, a gold-backed local currency launched in April 2024, alongside the US dollar. A proposed real-time payment system based on Indian technology could help make the ZiG easier and cheaper to use.  But digital payments will strengthen the currency only if people have good reasons to trust it.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:01:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>What gets fact‑checked? How politics shapes the answer in four African countries</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/what-gets-factchecked-how-politics-shapes-the-answer-in-four-african-countries-2026-10-26</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Every couple of years, the same false stories come back. A claim that an election was rigged before a single vote was cast. An old video of violence, stripped of its date and place, presented as breaking news.  For fact-checkers, this means repeatedly investigating claims they have already debunked, even as new false stories emerge. The work takes time, resources and access to reliable information, which aren’t easily available.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <title>Whose vision of development counts? South Africa’s Amadiba communities made maps of what matters</title>
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            <description><![CDATA[South Africa’s Mpondoland, on the east coast, is known for its red sand dunes and coastal forests. Here, the Amadiba people have lived sustainably as farmers, herders and fishers for centuries, since before European colonisation.  Xolobeni, about 250 kilometres south-west of the nearest city, Durban, is an Amadiba community in Mpondoland. The community has spent several years fighting against Shell and the oil and gas exploration company Impact Africa’s plans to explore for offshore oil and gas on this part of the coastline.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
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            <title>South Africa’s schools reflect an unequal society: what can teachers do about it?</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/south-africas-schools-reflect-an-unequal-society-what-can-teachers-do-about-it-2026-10-21</link>
            <description><![CDATA[South Africa’s education system is often described as the key to overcoming the legacy of apartheid.  The country remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. Schools reflect those inequalities every day. Some learners attend well-resourced schools with modern technology and strong parental support. Others learn in schools with severe resource shortages and challenging social conditions.]]></description>
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            <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:52:00 +0200</pubDate>
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