insert_link South Africa South Africa ramps up commercial solar installations to counter load shedding By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency South Africa is leading other countries in a radical shift towards more reliable energy sources as its business and industry owners contributed the highest addition of the 3.7-Gigawatt peak (GWp) in new solar capacity on the continent in 2023. The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) annual Solar Outlook 2024 released recently revealed that South Africa more than doubled its new solar installations, from […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s genocide case against Israel is the country’s proudest foreign policy moment in three decades By Peter Vale, University of Pretoria and Vineet Thakur On 11 January 2024, South Africa hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the charge of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. This was for Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and siege of Gaza following the deadly 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas which claimed 1,200 Israeli lives. More than 25,000 Palestinians, at least half of them children, have […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link Entertainment Zeitz MOCAA GALA 2024 set to feature exclusive performance by South African Singer Simphiwe Dana Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa's (Zeitz MOCAA's) highly anticipated Gala event is set to feature exclusive performances from South African Singer Songwriter Simphiwe Dana as well as Nobuhle Ashtani Trio. The museum recently announced a collaboration with acclaimed South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga ahead of its highly anticipated Gala event taking place on Sunday, 11 February. The event promises to be an extraordinary celebration of art kicking off Cape […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link South Africa S.Africa inflation drops for second consecutive month The monthly inflation rate in South Africa eased again in December, dropping 0.4 percentage points to 5.1 percent as food price hikes slowed, official data showed Wednesday. The average inflation rate for 2023 was 6.0 percent, 0.9 percentage points lower in 2022 and matching the upper limit of the central bank's official target range, national statistics agency StatsSA said. "Inflation was relatively hot in the first five months of 2023 […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link South Africa Cape Winelands District Municipality says the fire line continues to burn out of control The Cape Winelands District Municipality says the fire line continues to burn out of control in the more inaccessible areas of the mountains above Kluitjieskraal outside Wolseley. Firefighters have been battling the fire since Monday afternoon, with about 40 structures lost. The municipality’s spokesperson, Jo-Anne Otto, says the area causing the most concern at present is the fire line, fuelled by the aged pine plantation, and strong winds, which is […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link Lifestyle Three South African universities have new approaches to assessing students: why this is a good thing By Danica Sims, University of Oxford South African higher education faces many complex challenges rooted in the legacy of apartheid. They include the fact that many students are unprepared for or excluded from higher education. Quality education is not available to all. It’s therefore difficult for many students to remain in higher education and eventually graduate. The data points to two persistent trends. The first is that, according […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link South Africa Gauteng police have arrested a suspect in connection with the Usindiso building fire in Marshalltown, Johannesburg Gauteng police have arrested a suspect in connection with the Usindiso building fire in Marshalltown, Johannesburg. A man, identified as Mr X, voluntarily testified in-camera at the Commission of Inquiry into the Usindiso building fire hearings yesterday that he started the fire that claimed the lives of 76 people last year. He told the inquiry that he started the fire on the ground floor of the building, after attempting to […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link South Africa ActionSA wants the Human Rights Commission to probe Wesbank for alleged racial discrimination ActionSA says it will be writing to the South African Human Rights Commission to investigate claims made by a former employee of Wesbank. The finance provider has been accused of using a specific system to charge higher interest rates to black clients. WesBank has refuted the allegations of discrimination against customers based on race as alleged. ActionSA’s spokesperson, Lerato Ngobeni, says the covert racism the finance provider represents cannot be […] today24 January, 2024
insert_link Environment Cape fishers worried about declining fish populations Mario Jacobs has been doing commercial fishing for decades. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks By Liezl Human via GroundUp Mario Jacobs is worried. He has had a commercial fishing license since 1998, and has an annual quota for catching sardines and anchovies. But sardine stocks have been in poor shape for years and 2023 was the worst year on record for anchovy stocks. Jacobs, who is from Hangberg in Hout Bay, says his […] today24 January, 2024
