Pasha 132: COVID South Africa: Top scientist on vaccine rollout lessons, and next steps: Shutterstock South Africa is several months into its COVID vaccination roll-out – a complex process with wide repercussions. It has recently extended the roll-out to adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years. But is this the best use of …
Pasha 131: The Ethiopian and Tigrayan conflict one year on: shutterstock The conflict between Ethiopia and its northern region of Tigray has been going on for a year. The power struggle has created many refugees and caused loss of life and hunger. It has also affected health, water and sanitation systems. The blockade inflicted by …
Pasha 130: The Ethiopia and Tigray conflict is worsening hunger in the region: shutterstock Ethiopia and its northern region of Tigray have been in conflict for about a year now. The political power struggle that had been going on for decades escalated a year ago when Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive. …
Pasha 129: Africa’s climate concerns and the way forward: GettyImages Many African countries are under significant stress from climate change. Increasing emissions of greenhouse gases are putting the world on a path towards unacceptable warming and this has particularly serious implications for the continent. The projected changes in climate are likely to have devastating impacts …
Pasha 128: Why Rwanda is involved in Mozambique’s security: GettyImages Islamic militias in the northern part of Mozambique, the province of Cabo Delgado, have mounted an armed insurgency against the Mozambican government since 2017. The conflict appears to tap into anger about the region’s chronic poverty, unemployment and weak public services under the Frelimo-led government …
Pasha 127: Allergies vs rooibos: can this South African plant help sufferers?: Shutterstock Nasal allergy is a common problem in South Africa. It is estimated that 20% to 30% of adults in South Africa suffer with allergic rhinitis or hay fever. House dust mites and tree pollen are the most common reasons for this. Often, …
Pasha 126: Four factors that make a graduate more employable: shutterstock South Africa has an extremely high unemployment rate. A qualification from a tertiary institution usually means the chances of landing a job are higher. Research shows that within five years of graduating, 84% of the graduates were working. But it’s not a guarantee. Graduates, …
Pasha 125: Nigeria can regain its lost athletics glory. Here’s how: GettyImages Nigeria used to be a great force in global athletics but that has changed. The country’s fortunes have plummeted in track and field events. The downward trend continued in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, where Nigeria won only two medals: bronze in long …
Pasha 124: How Nairobi’s informal settlements got their names: Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, started as a railway depot in 1899 and developed into a colonial administration centre, then into a commercial and regional hub. Informal settlements in the city grew in parallel, arising from colonial policies that excluded local people from permanent residence, and driven …
Pasha 123: Conversations with the Editor: The IMF’s special drawing rights: shutterstock The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to inject $ 650 billion in Special Drawing Rights into the global economy. Because of the way the quotas for member states work, about 60% of these funds will go to rich countries that do not need …
Pasha 122: How video analysis benefits rugby: GettyImages A recent rugby series between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions, a tour that takes place every 12 years, was the subject of controversy. One of the reasons the tour made headlines was that the South African rugby director, Rassie Erasmus, released a video in …
Pasha 121: Why we need mosquitoes: shutterstock The dreaded mosquito is an insect with a bad reputation. They bite, keep you up at night and spread deadly diseases like dengue and malaria. There are many calls for their eradication. But they are a diverse group. Only a small fraction of the 3,000 species of mosquitoes …
Pasha 120: Botanical gardens: why we need them and how they can also pose a risk: shutterstock The team behind our podcast, Pasha, has started a series called “Why We Need” and this first episode is about why we need botanical gardens. Botanical gardens are dedicated to the collection, cultivation, preservation and display of plants. …
Pasha 119: Talking about Africa and the Olympics: GettyImages It’s safe to say that the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo this year was an unconventional event. The impact the pandemic had on the athletes has been complex and felt differently across countries and individuals. So how did African athletes fare in these difficult conditions? …
Pasha 118: Herd immunity isn’t achievable. We need to learn to live with COVID-19: shutterstock In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic the phrase “herd immunity” was bandied about a lot by heads of state as well as health officials. This ideal end state was described as the moment when the virus had been …
Pasha 117: What drove South Africa’s recent violence and looting and what to do about it: GettyImages After former president Jacob Zuma was recently arrested for contempt of court, South Africa went into disarray. Widespread looting, vandalism and violence broke out. Two provinces – Gauteng, the country’s economic hub, and KwaZulu-Natal, on the east coast …
Pasha 116: Why events like Eid celebrations can be superspreaders: Getty Images One of the elements that contribute to a rise in COVID-19 infections is gatherings. Ramadan (the month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset) and Eid (the celebration after the month) are times when gatherings appear to have contributed to the deaths of …
Pasha 115: Five ideas about why so many top African officials have died of COVID-19: GettyImages Seventeen African leaders – national ministers and heads of state – had lost their lives to COVID-19 by February 2021. The continent is made up of 54 countries, so there’s a high number of leaders, but the number of …