insert_link Environment Meticulous Eastern Cape effort to keep vultures from extinction A committee of Cape vultures explore their new surroundings soon after their arrival at Shamwari game reserve in the Eastern Cape. Photo: John Yeld By John Yeld via GroundUp It is hoped a new captive breeding facility at Shamwari game reserve in the Eastern Cape will help stem plummeting vulture numbers across southern Africa and prevent their imminent extinction. Earlier this week, 163 majestic white-backed vultures and Cape vultures took an […] todayJanuary 26, 2024 26
insert_link Africa African MMA fighters are not just flourishing on the global stage, they’re igniting a wildfire of growth back home. By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency The triumphs of African fighters in global mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments are not just fueling a new generation of competitors entering the rigorous sport; they are establishing a distinct presence for MMA on the continent. Dricus Du Plessis, the 30-year-old South African professional mixed martial artist who kicked and punched his way into carrying the UFC middleweight championship belt on Saturday, […] todayJanuary 25, 2024 3
insert_link South Africa South Africa bets big on natural gas as it begins a belated push to revamp its energy supplies and slash emissions, bolstered by EU endorsement of investments in gas. By Seth Onyango, bird story agency South Africa is emerging as an early beneficiary of the European Parliament’s vote last July to designate natural gas and nuclear projects as “green energy” investments. The vote was seen as an opportunity for natural gas-endowed states in Africa to continue ploughing billions from the sale of the commodity into their economies. The recent unveiling of a gas terminal project in South Africa led […] todayJanuary 25, 2024 4
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 […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 14
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 […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 8
insert_link Environment Albatrosses are threatened with extinction – and climate change could put their nesting sites at risk By Mia Momberg, University of Pretoria The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the world’s largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres. These birds are oceanic nomads: they spend most of their 60 years of life at sea and only come to land to breed approximately every two years once they have reached sexual maturity. Their playground is the vast Southern Ocean – the region between […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 16
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 […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 11
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 […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 14
insert_link Business / Economics Tesla bypasses South Africa due to high import taxes Elon Musk has announced that Tesla will not sell electric cars in South Africa due to high import duties and taxes, due to a lack of incentives for local electric vehicle manufacturing. Importing a Tesla Cybertruck to South Africa can cost upwards of R1.3 million (incl. VAT). According to ‘My Broadband’, South Africa’s tax regime protects domestic car factories while failing to develop a policy to incentivise local EV manufacturing. todayJanuary 23, 2024 22
