More South Africans are smoking – higher taxes and stronger law enforcement are needed: South Africa has seen an increase in people who smoke. Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images via Getty Images Tobacco use imposes a significant health and economic burden on countries. Research estimates that the cost of smoking in South Africa amounted to 0.97% of …
Accelerit’s Uncapped Fast Fibre Reaches All South Africans: Mandla Ngcobo, Founder and CEO at Accelerit Technologies Accelerit new uncapped fibre pricing model, on Vuma’s fibre network, opens rich connectivity to more communities Accelerit’s market-leading fibre to the curb solution, on Vuma’s fibre network, is transforming the way that South Africans are empowered through connectivity that …
Mikhail Gorbachev: southern Africans have a special reason to thank him: Mikhail Gorbachev at his news conference following a summit with US President Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1986. Photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images The whole world has much to thank Mikhail Gorbachev for. As many have pointed out since his death in Moscow …
Idi Amin’s ‘economic war’ victimised Uganda’s Africans and Asians alike: Ugandan President Idi Amin gestures during a speech in 1973. Keystone/HultonArchive/Getty Images Fifty years ago – in early August 1972 – President Idi Amin summarily decreed the expulsion of Uganda’s “Asian” (that is, Indian and Pakistani) community. Over 50,000 people were given a scant three …
Technology and home visits can help South Africans with diabetes cope with insulin: Insulin refusal is high among some patients. Shutterstock Approximately 4.5 million South Africans have type 2 diabetes – a condition characterised by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be treated with drugs and managed through healthy eating and exercise. …
How Africans can assess the value of the latest G7 summit: G7 leaders convene at Schloss Elmau, Germany. EFE-EPA/Thomas Lohnes Leaders of the world’s seven advanced economies have once again pledged economic support for Africa and other developing countries. But the realisation of these commitments depends on political developments in the Group of Seven (G7) …
Africans make up a tiny portion of genomics data: why there’s an urgent need for change: Nigeria provides an excellent lens to look at the genetic diversity of African people. Getty Images A group of Nigerian scientists, in conjunction with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, established the Noncommunicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study …
Plasma gangs: how South Africans’ fears about crime created an urban legend: Photo by Rushay Booysen/EyeEm via Getty Images Around the middle of 2013 a series of stories appeared in the South African press about a new phenomenon called ‘plasma gangs’, presented as the latest iteration of the country’s crime crisis. Journalists, broadcasters, police and …
Digital migration: court delay upholds information rights of poor South Africans: The government had many years to ensure a smooth transition from analogue to digital television but failed. Flickr South Africa’s Constitutional Court has decided to strike down the government’s plans to end old-style analogue television broadcasting at the end of June. The decision upholds …
Unvaccinated South Africans told us why they weren’t interested in having COVID jabs: COVID vaccines may lose effectiveness against Omicron, but one more dose could remedy this. RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images South Africa is currently facing a new wave of infections related to the much higher transmissibility of the omicron COVID variant and its …
Democracy loses its glow for South Africans amid persistent inequality: Students chanting slogans during a protest in Johannesburg in 2021. Photo by Michele SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images South Africans believed that the introduction of democracy in 1994 would transform their lives for the better through equality of opportunities. This hasn’t happened. Socio-economic inequality and job …
The dating game: survey shows how and why South Africans use Tinder: Klaus Vedfelt/Shutterstock The growth of the internet and smartphones has led to the widespread global use of dating apps, such as Tinder, Bumble and OKCupid. These location-based apps have become a popular and acceptable way to meet new potential romantic partners. With over …
South Africans have low trust in their police. Here’s why: A culture of better service and use of minimal force are key to improving public confidence in the South African Police Service. GCIS/Flickr The legitimacy of legal authorities is recognised globally as crucial for the state’s ability to function in a justifiable and effective manner. …
Young Africans, sexual health and social media: which messages work, which don’t: Getty images The increasing use of social media, particularly in African countries, offers several opportunities to promote messages about sexual health behaviours among young adults on the continent. It can complement existing sexual health promotion strategies, particularly when physical distancing measures limits opportunities …
Idle and frustrated: young South Africans speak about the need for recreational facilities: A gang member shows his tattoos. Per-Anders Pettersson/ Getty Images Recreational facilities play a crucial role in youth development. Research has shown that sports and fitness centres, community halls, parks, libraries, cultural centres and other facilities can keep young people out of …
God and illness: for some South Africans, there’s more to healing than medicine: Alexander Joe/AFP via Getty Images For many people, familiarity breeds trust. Hospitals and clinics can be places of mistrust or uncertainty, in part because they are outside people’s daily lives. Instead, people around the world may place more trust in prayer, worship, …
Why some South Africans who are willing to be vaccinated still haven’t had the jab: There are large inequalities between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. Luca Sola/AFP via Getty Images South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa set a target to get 70% of the country’s adults vaccinated by the end of …
South Africans are feeling more insecure: do Ramaphosa’s plans add up?: Smoke rises from a building set on fire at the height of looting and violence in South Africa in July 2021. RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2022 state of the nation address underscored the problematic role that government agencies …