Latest Opinions
Women in South Africa’s armed struggle: new book records history at first hand
21st February 2024 South Africa’s young democracy was a culmination of years of sweat, blood and revolution against the apartheid regime. In the early 1960s, after... →
Jobs in South Africa: the labour market is recovering from Covid – but unskilled and less educated people are still being left behind
20th February 2024 For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country’s economy has been unable to create... →
HIV among older South Africans in rural areas: big study shows there’s a problem that’s being neglected
20th February 2024 South Africa continues to have a high prevalence of HIV among all age groups. About 8.2-million people or 13.7% of the population live with HIV,... →
Corruption and clean energy in South Africa: economic model shows trust in government is linked to takeup of renewables
20th February 2024 South Africa relies heavily on energy from coal-fired power stations, which emit large quantities of carbon. But making the transition to greater... →
Gold and governance provide hope for Kenya’s artisanal miners
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 20th February 2024 Nestled in the vast semi-arid savanna of Dabel in northern Kenya, near the border with Ethiopia, lies the makeshift shanty mining town of Illo. The... →
South Africa is falling behind in Africa’s new ‘gold rush’
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 20th February 2024 South Africa was once Africa’s undisputed mining champion. It built its major economy on gold and diamonds, particularly in the 20th century. But... →
‘For the people, by the people’: Fact-checking 7 claims in Rise Mzansi’s election manifesto
By: Africa Check 20th February 2024 The new kid on the block, Rise Mzansi, launched its election manifesto on 20 January 2024. The People’s Manifesto was compiled after “almost a... →
South Africa has spent billions in 4 years to create jobs for young people: how their wages affect the broader economy
16th February 2024 In October 2020 the South African government launched a collection of public employment programmes, initially intended as a response to the... →
Senegal: breaking the election deadlock
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 16th February 2024 Opposition members from the Yewwi Askanwi parliamentary group have successfully challenged President Macky Sall’s attempt to delay the country’s... →
Reform momentum
By: Terence Creamer 16th February 2024 From an economic perspective, the most important signal provided by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address was that the... →