Floods devastate Malawi, food security a concern
By Eye Witness News — Cape Town – Food security has become a major concern as torrential rains are expected to continue in the southern African country of Malawi. According to Eye Witness News, more than 200 people were confirmed dead and many were missing or trapped in inaccessible areas, following flash floods caused […]
Zuma concludes Angola trip
By SAPA — President Jacob Zuma has concluded his visit to Luanda, Angola, where he met the country’s president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the presidency said on Wednesday. “In their discussions, the two heads of state reviewed the state of bilateral relations between Angola and South Africa and expressed their satisfaction with the growing co-operation […]
‘Failed youth wage subsidy must go’
By Amy Musgrave — There are renewed calls for the controversial youth wage subsidy to be scrapped following the release of a study revealing that the legislation has had no significant effect on the country’s soaring youth unemployment rates. The Young Communist League (YCL) said on Thursday that the findings supported its belief that the […]
Eskom power crisis will undermine South Africa’s growth: economists
Reuters — A power crisis in South Africa will undermine investor confidence and crimp economic growth, outweighing the benefits from lower oil prices, a Reuters poll found on Thursday. The poll of 33 economists taken in the past week predicted growth of 2.3 percent this year in Africa’s second-largest economy, down from 2.5 percent predicted […]
Study estimates 153,000 sex workers active in South Africa
By Laura Lopez Gonzalez — Commissioned by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), the research used data gathered from sex worker interviews in 12 sites nationwide to estimate the country’s sex worker population. Of the 153,000 estimated sex workers active in the country, about 8,000 are men and about another 6,000 are transgender, according […]
Zimbabwe: ‘Made in South Africa’
By Cathy Buckle — “Je suis Charlie,” from Zimbabwe Dear Family and Friends, The milk in my fridge has a sign on it boasting that it is “Proudly South African.” The cheese, custard, butter, frozen vegetables, fruit juice and mayonnaise have the same sign. The cereals in the cupboard have labels announcing that they are […]
South Africa’s Freedom Journey Fatally Undermined by Continuing Crises of Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality
By Dale T. McKinley Evidently, the ANC thinks that the people of South Africa do not know their own history. That’s more or less what ANC General Secretary Gwede Mantashe said the other day when addressing the media in the lead-up to the organisation’s 103rd anniversary celebrations. In his words: “We will be reminding people of […]
South Africa: Matric Results Tell a Story of Inequality in Our Schools That Must Be Addressed
By Annette Lovemore — An analysis of the 2014 matric results released yesterday evening tells the story of an unequal education system under extreme pressure, with the poorer provinces and schools performing worse than the more affluent. Minister Motshekga must admit that two education systems exist in South Africa – one for the poor, and […]
Will the world’s hungry benefit from falling oil prices?
By Chris Arsenault – A slump in global oil prices has brought cheaper food to many of the world’s poorest, but from the slums of Manila to the fields of Malawi, the benefits are not universal. Globally, 805 million people still face chronic hunger, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. While the poorest […]
Africa’s middle class floats between poverty, prosperity
By Richard Stupart – Africa is often maligned for the huge divide between its miserable poor and bloated rich, but its emerging middle class is now the subject of optimistic chatter. Several reports on the middle class in Africa paint a picture of an African golden age full of possibilities for driving growth through middle-class […]
