insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s ANC marks its 112th year with an eye on national elections, but its record is patchy and future uncertain By Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria The speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered at the 112th birthday celebration of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), on 13 January can be seen as the party’s opening election gambit: a stadium packed to capacity, the display of a united leadership, and an invocation of three decades of success, delivered by a leader firmly in control of his party. The […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 9
insert_link Africa Uganda’s battle for the youth vote – how Museveni keeps Bobi Wine’s reach in check By Rebecca Tapscott, University of York and Anna Macdonald, University of East Anglia Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world, with an average age of 15.9 years. Young people aged below 30 make up about 77% of the country’s population of 47 million people. Young people have legitimate and wide-ranging grievances, from unemployment to disenfranchisement. Opportunities remain limited, with two-thirds of Ugandans working for themselves or […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 5
insert_link Africa A tech hub for young women in Mombasa offers entry into the world of IT to girls and young women from all walks of life, whatever their background. It's quiet at Pwani Teknowgalz, a tech training centre located in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. A handful of young women are engrossed in activities on their laptops. By rights, Latifa Noor, 25-year-old software developer, should not be here. ”My journey before all this before becoming a software developer, started way back in highschool. A group of women came to our school with a project called STEM (Science, […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 9
insert_link Uncategorized Colonialism shaped modern universities in Africa – how they can become truly African One of the roles of an African university is to produce critical and democratic thinkers. Vieriu Adrian/Getty Images Saleem Badat, University of the Free State Colonialism profoundly shaped modern universities in Africa. It implanted institutions on African soil that were largely replicas of European universities rather than organically African. For historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe, one problem of universities in Africa “is that they are ‘Westernised”. He describes them […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 6
insert_link Lifestyle Gentle parenting can be really hard on parents, new research suggests Gentle parents often feel overwhelmed and alone, researchers found. Jamie Grill/The Image Bank/Getty Images Annie Pezalla, Macalester College Are you a gentle parent? If so, chances are good that, just like your children, you may need a nap. The idea of gentle parenting has been around since the 1930s but received increased attention over the past few years on social media and blogs, as well as in popular books, magazines […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 12
insert_link Local Anaesthesiologists Society of Namibia supports members’ decision on new tariffs The Anaesthesiologists Society of Namibia (ASN) announces its full support for its members' decision to adjust anaesthesia fees in response to the recent reduction in benefits by medical aids for in-hospital benefits for a variety of procedures. Effective 1 January 2024, medical aids have decreased the benefit payable for in-hospital procedures by 33% over the last 12 months. This potentially will result in a co-payment of 25-33%% of the anaesthesia […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 25
insert_link Environment Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that Community gardens can be a boon for residents. Nattrass/Getty Images Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, University of the Western Cape In 1950, as part of the Group Areas Act, South Africa’s apartheid government banished people of colour to outlying areas, away from central business districts. The Cape Flats are one such area, sprawling to the east of central Cape Town. Today the legacy of apartheid spatial planning endures. The area is home […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Ghana is behind the curve on climate change laws: expert suggests a way to get corporations on board By Kikelomo Kila, University of Huddersfield Ghana has introduced some climate change policies and general environmental regulations but has yet to pass a Climate Change Act. This leaves the country without effective legal and regulatory instruments for addressing climate change. Climate change law expert Kikelomo Kila sets out her findings in a recent paper on why Ghana must not follow the “command and control” regulatory approach. Why hasn’t […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 19
insert_link Environment Unusual ancient elephant tracks had our team of fossil experts stumped – how we solved the mystery Elephants communicate underground by generating seismic waves. Anadolu Agency Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University Over the past 15 years, through our scientific study of tracks and traces, we have identified more than 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites from South Africa’s Cape south coast. Most are found in cemented sand dunes, called aeolianites, and all are from the Pleistocene Epoch, ranging in age from about 35,000 to 400,000 years. During that time […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 14
