insert_link South Africa Power cuts have hit South Africa’s labour market hard: the biggest toll has been on jobs – new research By Haroon Bhorat, University of Cape Town and Timothy Köhler Access to electricity – measured by the share of individuals who use electricity as their main energy source – has significantly improved in lower-income countries in recent decades. Thanks to large-scale rural electrification and infrastructure development programmes, 90% of the population in these countries had access by 2021, up from about 74% at the turn […] todayMay 30, 2024 23
insert_link Africa Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risks Members of the Sudanese Armed Forces on Aug. 14, 2023. AFP via Getty Images By Eric Lob, Florida International University Iran’s role in funding and arming proxy groups in the Middle East has been well documented and has gotten extra attention since the Hamas-led attack in Israel in October 2023. Similarly, Tehran’s arms shipments to Russia are well known and have prompted complaints and sanctions from the West. But […] todayMay 29, 2024 29
insert_link Africa TikTok activism: how queer Zimbabweans use social media to show love and fight hate iZhenya/iStock/Getty Images Plus, CC BY By Gibson Ncube, Stellenbosch University and Princess Sibanda, University of Fort Hare In Zimbabwe, there is a long held public view that queerness is “unAfrican” and imported to Africa from the west. Even though numerous studies have proven this not to be true, reiterations of this lie by the state has led many to believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer […] todayMay 29, 2024 23
insert_link Africa Democracy in Africa: digital voting technology and social media can be a force for good – and bad Electoral agents test a voting machine ahead of the DRC’s 2023 elections. Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images) By Maxwell Maseko, University of the Witwatersrand It’s a bumper year for elections on the continent: by the end of 2024, 20 countries ought to have gone to the polls to vote in national elections. A handful of others are also scheduled to conduct local-level elections. As is the case elsewhere […] todayMay 29, 2024 21
insert_link Africa Current Realities and the Future of Menstrual Hygiene for Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa The future of female youth within Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) holds immense potential but faces significant challenges within the realm of sexual reproductive health such as with basic menstrual health hygiene. Many countries across the world have shifted focus to broader aspects of female health and wellness, with intimate care, pain management, eco-conscious and innovative menstruation products gaining popularity and mainstream appeal as part of a larger self-care […] todayMay 29, 2024 4
Africa ‘Eat, dream football culture’ propels Al Ahly to 12th CAF Champions League title By Oliver Ochieng, bird story agency It is no surprise that Egyptian giants, Al Ahly are the Confederation of African Football (CAF) TotalEnergies 2023/2024 Champions League winners for a record 12th time, according to a Kenyan footballing strategist and coach. The Egyptian ‘Red Devils’ beat Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis 1-0 at a packed Cairo International Stadium on Saturday, May 25, 2024, in the second leg of […] todayMay 28, 2024 13
insert_link South Africa South Africans go to the polls to choose a new government: what’s different this time By Dirk Kotze, University of South Africa South Africa’s seventh general election since democracy in 1994, set for 29 May 2024, takes place under circumstances different from any other election in the history of the nation. Some view the hotly contested national and provincial elections as a watershed moment for the country. We asked political scientist Dirk Kotze to explain the changed circumstances. There’s […] todayMay 28, 2024 27
insert_link South Africa Mayibuye! The 100-year-old slogan that’s stirred up divisions in South Africa’s elections By Corinne Sandwith, University of Pretoria Political parties the world over use slogans, icons, colours, names and flags to establish their political and historical credentials. What happens when two political parties lay claim to the same history and the same symbolic capital? In South Africa, a conflict of this kind is being played out between the governing African National Congress (ANC) party led by […] todayMay 28, 2024 27
insert_link Science & Technology Hate speech and disinformation in South Africa’s elections: big tech make it tough to monitor social media By Guy Berger, Rhodes University There’s a growing global movement to ensure that researchers can get access to the huge quantity of data assembled and exploited by digital operators. Momentum is mounting because it’s becoming increasingly evident that data is power. And access to it is the key – for a host of reasons, not least transparency, human rights and electoral integrity. But there’s currently […] todayMay 28, 2024 17