insert_link Namibia Financial Struggles Worsen as State Support and Shack Dwellings Increase About 25% of Namibians earning an income spend only N$521 monthly, while 90% cannot afford more than N$5,000, reflecting widespread financial struggles, according to Cirrus Capital. State support sustains nearly a quarter of households, with drought relief beneficiaries doubling to 364,927 in 2024. Shack dwellers now make up 28.7% of households, tripling since 2011 to 217,000, especially in the Khomas region. Rising inflation and declining self-sourced income have worsened inequality […] todayDecember 19, 2024 7
insert_link South Africa In S.A The GOOD Party Welcomes Inflation Drop, Highlights Need for Long-Term Economic Solutions In S.A, the GOOD Party welcomes the cooling of inflation, saying this brings some relief to all South Africans. Consumer inflation dropped to 2.8-percent in October, the lowest level since June 2020. This marks a significant decrease from the 3.8-percent in September, driven primarily by a sharp month-on-month decline in fuel prices. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says citizens urgently need an economy that will create long-term jobs, and […] todayNovember 21, 2024 10
insert_link South Africa Build One South Africa Warns Eskom’s 36% Tariff Hike Could Endanger Low-Income Households Build One South Africa says Eskom’s proposed 36-percent electricity tariff increase could force low-income households to turn to unsafe energy alternatives, putting their health and safety at risk. The party has deployed representatives to energy regulator, Nersa’s public hearings nationwide to express their opposition to the increase. BOSA spokesperson, Roger Solomons, argues the tariff increase will exacerbate inequality and threaten the survival of small businesses: todayNovember 20, 2024 18
insert_link Health / Medical INTERVIEW: The Nutrition Alliance of Namibia Director, Ben Schernick, Speaks on Addressing Malnutrition and Food Security As Namibia faces its election season followed by the festive period, the country must confront a pressing issue: malnutrition. From December to March, the peak season for malnutrition, it’s a time of heightened awareness and urgency, particularly in regions most affected by food insecurity. Ben Schernick, the Director of the Nutrition Alliance of Namibia, sheds light on the current state of malnutrition in the country, emphasizing the need for […] todayNovember 13, 2024 22
insert_link Opinion Pieces World Leaders Must Re-boot Global Cooperation for Today and Tomorrow By the United Nations Secretary-General Final negotiations are underway in New York for this month’s Summit of the Future, where Heads of State will agree on reforms to the building blocks of global cooperation. The United Nations has convened this unique Summit because of a stark fact: global problems are moving faster than the institutions designed to solve them. We see this all around us. Ferocious conflicts and […] todaySeptember 9, 2024 9
insert_link Environment UN chief calls for cooperation on heat wave impact The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for an urgent and concerted effort to strengthen international cooperation to address extreme heat. Guterres says extreme heat is increasingly tearing through economies, widening inequalities, undermining the Sustainable Development Goals and killing people. todayJuly 30, 2024 20
insert_link Namibia Namibian Trade Unionist Advocates at UN for Resource Access Amidst Rising Poverty Calls for improved access to Namibia's abundant resources and concerns over escalating poverty have gained international attention, as Mahongoro Kavihuha represented the Trade Union Congress of Namibia at the United Nations. Despite the country's natural capacity to feed its 3 million-plus population, many Namibians struggle daily to secure adequate food. todayJuly 16, 2024 29
insert_link Africa Mother City: a tough, passionate film about the battle for affordable housing in Cape Town Activist Nkosikhona Swartbooi leads a protest in the documentary Mother City. Screengrab/Mother City By Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk, University of Cape Town A third of the way into Mother City there’s a scene that characterises this tough, passionate film about Cape Town and its paradoxes of beauty and hardship, wealth and poverty, and the way it excludes the working poor. Two women talk in a room, while one […] todayJune 19, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Foreign healthcare volunteers in Africa can harm local relationships – Zambian study By James Wintrup, Chr. Michelsen Institute Thousands of global health volunteers, most from the United States, travel to Africa every year. These volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of experience. They include surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses and medical students. They arrive with the ambition to improve health outcomes in Africa and learn about “global health”. In my research I have studied the […] todayJune 6, 2024 33