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        <title>Polity.org.za | The Conversation</title>
        <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>Radical economic policies in Argentina offer lessons – but not a blueprint – for South Africa</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/radical-economic-policies-in-argentina-offer-lessons-but-not-a-blueprint-for-south-africa-2026-10-14</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Economic reform is usually judged by its numbers: inflation, deficits, growth. Less attention goes to the beliefs and habits that decide whether people will accept those numbers, and for how long.  Based on my research on comparative political economy and strategy in Africa, Asia and Latin America, there’s an argument to be made that Argentina under President Javier Milei offers an unusually clear view of that psychology at work as well as useful insights into South Africa’s economic path.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:24:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Navi Pillay’s Nobel peace prize is a vote of confidence in a global legal order under fire</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/navi-pillays-nobel-peace-prize-is-a-vote-of-confidence-in-a-global-legal-order-under-fire-2026-10-12</link>
            <description><![CDATA[The awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to distinguished South African jurist and international judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay is about more than just the recognition of an exceptional individual in the global fight for justice.  It’s clear that the prize also speaks to a bigger context. It comes at a time of pressure on and the questioning of the international legal order.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Thabo Mbeki’s legacy in South Africa: stronger government but a blurred line between state ...</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/thabo-mbekis-legacy-in-south-africa-stronger-government-but-a-blurred-line-between-state-and-party-2026-10-12</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Evaluating national leaders is a difficult task. Citizens often judge presidents and prime ministers by simple measures like economic growth during their term, or personal character. However, these metrics are misleading and ignore the actual mechanics of political power.  I am a researcher in public policy and politics. My recent analysis offers a fresh four-dimensional framework to evaluate presidential leadership.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:17:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Sol Plaatje at 150: why a pioneering South African change‑maker still inspires today</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/sol-plaatje-at-150-why-a-pioneering-south-african-changemaker-still-inspires-today-2026-10-09</link>
            <description><![CDATA[On 9 October 1876, Solomon Tshekisho “Sol” Plaatje was born in the rural interior of what is now South Africa. He was raised in a Setswana-speaking Barolong family and grew up on a German mission station in the then Cape Colony.  At this time, the region was made up of a mix of British colonies, independent Boer republics, and territories under African control. It was only in 1910 that white rule would be consolidated under the nation state of South Africa. Race policies hardened, ultimately developing into the adoption of apartheid in 1948.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:09:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Super El Niño – how it could affect South Africa’s maize prices</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/super-el-nio-how-it-could-affect-south-africas-maize-prices-2026-10-08</link>
            <description><![CDATA[In southern Africa, the El Niño – caused by warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean which affect air pressure and wind directions – usually brings below-average summer rainfall and increases the risk of drought. This means poor harvests of maize, a staple crop for many countries on the continent.  The current “super” El Niño is expected to reach very strong intensity, peaking towards the end of 2026 and lasting through at least February 2027.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:02:00 +0200</pubDate>
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        <editor>Creamer Media Reporter  </editor>
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            <title>Super El Niño could hit southern Africa’s bean harvests hard: how to protect farmers</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/super-el-nio-could-hit-southern-africas-bean-harvests-hard-how-to-protect-farmers-2026-10-08</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Grain legumes, also known as pulses, are an important source of calories and income for rural households and small farmers globally. Beans, especially dry beans, are the most traded and consumed grain legume crop in southern Africa. They are the primary staple and the second-most significant source of dietary protein for people in the region. They’re also sensitive to water stress and high temperatures.  Agricultural researcher Moses Chitete was part of a team of researchers who reviewed 62 studies on legumes in the Southern African Development Community. They found that extreme climate shocks have cut legume harvests by up to 78% in the past and could do so again. We spoke to him about the risks and what governments must do to protect farmers.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:56:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Protest later or push for better planning now? 7 actions South African voters can take before ...</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/protest-later-or-push-for-better-planning-now-7-actions-south-african-voters-can-take-before-local-elections-2026-10-07</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Every local government election season, South Africans are handed the same menu. They hear from councillor hopefuls that they will repair potholes, stop water outages and power cuts, and improve refuse collection. Politicians campaign on service delivery as though it were the only job of local government. It isn’t.  Service delivery is what happens after the real decisions have already been made: where people are allowed to live, work and move, at what density, and on whose land. That decision is town planning, and it is the most under-discussed, under-resourced, and consequential function of South African local government.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:02:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Sudan’s death toll in 2025 could be as high as 100 000: how we did the count</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/sudans-death-toll-in-2025-could-be-as-high-as-100-000-how-we-did-the-count-2026-10-07</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Estimates of the number of people directly killed in Sudan’s civil war vary widely, in part because counting casualties in active conflict zones is extremely difficult. In 2025, for instance, one conflict monitoring organisation reported around 19 000 direct deaths from political violence across Sudan. Other research teams put the toll at more than 70 000.  Conflict researcher Paola Vesco and her team have developed a model that helps measure the uncertainty around such conflict death estimates. Their approach takes into account the tendency of conflict datasets to underestimate fatalities, and provides a more realistic range of possible death tolls. They explain how their model could improve estimates in conflicts like Sudan’s.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:56:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>The global panel on inequality needs African evidence: here’s how it could work</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/the-global-panel-on-inequality-needs-african-evidence-heres-how-it-could-work-2026-10-07</link>
            <description><![CDATA[World leaders have been asked to support a proposed International Panel on Inequality. Brazil, Norway, South Africa and Spain, together with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, made the call on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York in September 2026.  The panel would be modelled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It would assess the scale of inequality, its drivers and consequences, and the policies that can reduce it. The African Union endorsed the initiative in February, and South Africa intends to present a General Assembly resolution to establish it.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:54:00 +0200</pubDate>
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            <title>Military coups promise change – 4 ways they can leave African countries worse off</title>
            <link>https://www.polity.org.za/article/military-coups-promise-change-4-ways-they-can-leave-african-countries-worse-off-2026-10-06</link>
            <description><![CDATA[A military coup d’état is the ouster of an elected president or head of state, usually through the use or threat of force. Putschists (those who participate in a coup) often justify their actions by accusing the government of mismanaging the economy and lowering living standards. Political instability is another reason coup makers give for their actions.  A coup is not necessarily the most effective way to cure economic and political ills, however. Positive change comes instead through institutional reform, structural economic changes and engagement with civil society – including the people who create wealth and economic growth.]]></description>
            <author>Creamer Media Reporter  </author>
            <category>The Conversation</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:18:00 +0200</pubDate>
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