insert_link South Africa South Africa’s electricity crisis: a series of failures over 30 years have left a dim legacy By Mark Swilling, Stellenbosch University In 1994, apartheid ended and the African National Congress (ANC) won South Africa’s first ever democratic elections, promising “Electricity for All” as part of its Reconstruction and Development Programme. Back then only 36% of all South Africans had electricity in their homes. The development programme promised to double that number by electrifying an additional 2.5 million homes by 2000. This seemed […] todayApril 19, 2024 18
insert_link World Africa is full of bats, but their fossils are scarce – why these rare records matter By Mariëtte Pretorius, University of the Witwatersrand Africa is home to more than 20% of the world’s bat population. There are over 200 species to be found on the continent. South Africa is particularly diverse, with 72 bat species. I am a zoologist who has studied bats for many years. Recently, while doing some reading about South Africa’s fossils, I started wondering about bat fossils. Given […] todayApril 18, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Volvo’s e-truck rental program is a milestone for Africa’s e-mobility quest By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Swedish automaker Volvo has introduced an electric truck rental program under the Equipment-as-a-Service (EaaS) model in South Africa in a move that could cut huge emissions from the transport sector. The company also intended the service to democratise access to eco-friendly transport solutions in Africa. “The intention is to bring down the “barrier to entry” for those with the environmental ambition to […] todayApril 17, 2024 26
insert_link South Africa South African study shows the power of sharing daily experiences for teachers to learn how to include all learners Globally, more than 258 million children and young people between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in school. In South Africa, the figure stands at 232,000 for children aged between 7 and 17. The main reasons they’re not attending school are related to the quality of education, financial constraints, disability and child or teenage pregnancy. The notion of inclusive education focuses on ensuring that all children attend school and receive […] todayApril 17, 2024 16
insert_link Africa African countries start business classification to shore up green investment By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency Kenya has joined South Africa and Rwanda in offering a "green investment" handbook as African countries race to close a huge climate financing gap. The draft Kenya Green Finance Taxonomy (KGFT), published by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in mid-April, is expected to help position the country for green funds and make the investment climate more attractive. Targeting banks, […] todayApril 17, 2024 17
insert_link Namibia South African Transport Minister Extends Best Wishes to Namibia and Botswana for Upcoming National Elections During the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Memorandum of Understanding between South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana for the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga conveyed warm regards to Namibia and Botswana as they prepare for their respective National elections later this year. Chikunga, speaking through a representative, expressed confidence in South Africa's own electoral process, assuring the neighboring countries of free and fair elections. She emphasized South Africa's […] todayApril 17, 2024 37
insert_link Lifestyle Digital textbooks expand learning for engineering students – South African study By Ekaterina Rzyankina, Cape Peninsula University of Technology In the past four years it’s become increasingly common for part or all of a university student’s learning to happen online. This transition to digital learning platforms has highlighted the digital divide within educational contexts. In poorer, less resourced and connected countries like South Africa, this divide is not merely a matter of who has access to digital devices […] todayApril 16, 2024 10
insert_link Africa bird TenX: African countries with the highest number of EVs By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Despite recent headwinds, a growing shift from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles continues apace in Africa. Last year, the global sale of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose by 31% compared to 2022, according to a 2024 report by market research firm Rho Motion. Despite the high cost of conversion and a lack of adequate enabling infrastructure such as […] todayApril 16, 2024 34
insert_link Africa New e-mobility policies are pushing EV fleet expansions in Africa By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency African countries are welcoming a new era of more robust e-mobility policies as countries seek to scale their electric vehicle (EV) fleets after successful tests and pilots. According to Lusanda Madikizela, the head of Zero Emission Transport at C40 Cities in South Africa, better policies provide confidence for investors, manufacturers and operators. “Manufacturers need policy certainty so they can adjust specifications... financiers […] todayApril 16, 2024 50
