insert_link Africa El Niño drought leaves Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba only 13% full: a disaster for people and wildlife By Joshua Matanzima, The University of Queensland Water levels at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe have dropped dramatically because of the latest El Niño drought. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has declared a national disaster. Historian and social scientist Joshua Matanzima grew up at Lake Kariba and has spent the past 10 years researching socioeconomic life there. He discusses the impact of the latest drought on the people of […] todayApril 15, 2024 33
insert_link Business / Economics Recent Financial Developments: Namibia’s MetMast Inauguration, Zimbabwe’s Currency Plans, Wall Street Rally, and Crude Oil Surge Namibia's Hyphen Meteorological Mast Inaugurated: President Nangolo Mbumba has officially inaugurated the Hyphen Meteorological Mast and its associated sensor equipment in Tsau //khaeb National Park, near Lüderitz, in the //Kharas region. Standing at 120 meters tall, the MetMasts are equipped with advanced instruments to measure various parameters such as wind, temperature, humidity, and solar irradiation. Zimbabwe Plans to Introduce New Currency: Zimbabwe's central bank announced plans on Friday to replace […] todayApril 8, 2024 18
insert_link Africa Locals slam Zimbabwe for turning a blind eye to Chinese miner’s violations By Tatenda Chitadu At the end of November last year, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Sinomine Resource Group chair Wang Pingwei walked into a lithium processing plant, construction hats firmly on. With a crowd of policymakers, company workers and press looking on, they hailed the mining group’s $300 million investment into processing plants. The facilities will process the ore that the company unearths at its Bikita mine and […] todayApril 2, 2024 14
insert_link Africa El Niño threatens Zimbabwe’s corn production Zimbabwe has warned that farmland planted with corn has shrunk by 12% because of scorching El Niño weather patterns, threatening the nation’s food staple and potentially triggering surging prices and social unrest. We contacted Eddie Cross an economist from Zimbabwe for his comment. todayMarch 14, 2024 47
insert_link Africa Zimbabwe police rescue children from alleged cult farm Police in Zimbabwe say they have arrested the suspected leader of a religious cult in a village in northern Mashonaland West province and rescued dozens of women and children. The BBC reports that Ishmael Chokurongerwa, who leads the Gore Jena Penyeranyika sect was arrested alongside seven other senior members of the cult on Tuesday. Police said most of the 251 children found at farm in Nyabira, about 34km north-west of […] todayMarch 14, 2024 32
insert_link Business / Economics Financial abuse from an intimate partner? Three ways you can protect yourself By Bomikazi Zeka, University of Canberra Financial abuse occurs when one person takes control over another person’s ability to acquire, use and maintain financial resources. An example is being denied access to your own funds or being forced to deposit your salary into a joint bank account but not having access to the account. It could also take place when large withdrawals are made from joint bank accounts […] todayMarch 14, 2024 19
insert_link Africa What’s behind the worldwide shortage of cholera vaccines? For starters, they’re only made by one company By Edina Amponsah-Dacosta, University of Cape Town In February 2024 the World Health Organization announced southern Africa was suffering the deadliest regional outbreak of cholera in at least a decade. At the epicentre of the disaster were Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where cholera cases surged more than four-fold between 2022 and 2023. Over 1,600 deaths were reported in the three countries. Already 2024 is threatening to be […] todayMarch 12, 2024 25
insert_link Africa Happy smiling African children: why school tourism in Zimbabwe shouldn’t be encouraged Children will often sing and dance for visiting tourists. Pascal Deloche/GODONG Kathleen Smithers, Charles Sturt University A large, air-conditioned bus draws up outside a school. Tourists, most from Europe and the US, disembark, cameras at the ready. Some have brought gifts: packages of pens and pencils. They distribute these to the children, who spontaneously begin singing and dancing. This scene and others like it play out in schools around the […] todayMarch 11, 2024 9
insert_link Africa Dry weather hits southern Africa’s farmers, putting key maize supplies at risk: how to blunt the impact By Wandile Sihlobo, Stellenbosch University South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have recently published reports indicating a potential decline in grain harvest because of intense El Niño-induced dryness. These developments could put the entire Southern Africa maize supply chain at risk, with Zambia and South Africa hard hit by heatwaves and dryness. The neighbouring small producers such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia are also struggling with dryness. […] todayMarch 7, 2024 26