PKK’s decision to disband shows the benefit of engaging in politics rather than an armed struggle: The recent decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and disband has important lessons for any country facing a seemingly intractable insurgency. On May 12, the group stated that following its 12th Congress it will “dissolve the …
Child support in South Africa: mothers speak about the struggle to get fathers to pay in a system rigged against women: Child maintenance – the duty to support a child – is more than a right. It ensures children have their basic needs met. It also means single mothers don’t have to shoulder the responsibility …
The Moana effect: how small island developing states are bringing their struggle against climate change to the world: Walking through the delegation pavilion at the UN climate summit, Cop29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Moana blue Pacific pavilion grabbed my attention more than any other. This pavilion is named after the spirited young girl from the …
Steve Biko, the South African struggle hero who was prepared to sacrifice his life for black liberation: What happens when death becomes the ultimate marker of one’s commitment to one’s freedom? Jacob Dlamini explores this and other questions in his new book, Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa. This edited extract, from the …
South African accountancy students struggle to overcome disadvantages: what lecturers can do differently: Accounting educators must take students' context and backgrounds into account. Kobus Louw In recent decades, student numbers have risen at higher education institutions in many parts of the world. This has opened doors for students who might have been excluded before. These …
Inside the political struggle at the IPCC that will determine the next six years of climate science: rafapress / shutterstock The UN’s climate science advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is currently meeting in Bulgaria to decide on a timeline for its next “cycle” of reports over the rest of this decade. …
Women in South Africa’s armed struggle: new book records history at first hand: South Africa’s young democracy was a culmination of years of sweat, blood and revolution against the apartheid regime. In the early 1960s, after decades of “non-violence” as a policy of resistance, the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) formed …
Peter Magubane: courageous photographer who chronicled South Africa’s struggle for freedom: Peter Sexford Magubane, a courageous South African photographer whose images testify to both the iniquity of apartheid and the determination and devotion of those who brought about its demise, passed away at 91 years of age in early January 2024. Magubane leaves behind a …
Slapps: inside Europe’s struggle to protect journalists from malicious lawsuits: Shutterstock/icedmocha There is a growing threat to the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Europe. It manifests as seemingly run-of-the-mill lawsuits. However, on closer inspection, many lawsuits are not as they seem. Rather than attempting to remedy a wrong, lawsuits can have a …
World Bank suspension of Uganda funds over anti-homosexuality law: what this says about the struggle over funds and sovereignty: The World Bank issued a statement on 8 August 2023, announcing that it had effectively suspended all new public financing to Uganda over concerns with the country’s anti-homosexuality law, which “fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s …
HIV-positive parents in Zimbabwe struggle to manage their children’s education – study shows how: Over the past three decades researchers have explored various aspects of the impact of the HIV pandemic. One focus area has been children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Less attention has been given to children who are raised by …
Ukraine war: beware all the talk of ‘breakthroughs’ or ‘gamechangers’ – it’s going to be a long, bloody and costly struggle: From some of the headlines of late, you might be forgiven for assuming that the worst was past for Ukraine’s assault troops. That recent advances by Ukrainian forces constitute “breakthroughs” or “breaches” and that …
Rooftop renewables risk making the rich richer, as latecomers will struggle to access the grid: Wozzie / shutterstock Many people are now becoming “energy citizens” by installing rooftop solar panels and other small-scale renewable energy projects in their properties. In theory, this is a “win-win”. Added renewable energy brings down the cost of energy, and …
‘When you get status the struggle doesn’t end’: what it’s like to be a new refugee in the UK: Maramade/Shutterstock When someone applies for asylum in the UK today, they may be waiting months or even years for their application to be decided, thanks to the record-high backlog that the government is failing to tackle. …
Indian women’s struggle against sexual violence has had little support from the men in power: Two recent instances of vicious sexual violence against ethnic minority women in the Indian state of Manipur involving gang rape and murder have highlighted the problems of impunity and weak laws dealing with violence against women in India. Video footage …
Why workers in small businesses can struggle with mental health and ‘presenteeism’: Ground Picture/Shutterstock If you are struggling with your mental health, is it better to come to work or stay off sick? You may think your employer would prefer you try to keep working, but many employers would prefer you take time off to …
Businesses that address social or environmental problems often struggle to survive: 3 things that can help them: Social entrepreneurs play an important role in alleviating poverty. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images Social enterprises are organisations that promote social or environmental issues as their core business. They are useful to societies in lots of ways. They can help …
Tanzanian students who struggle with English feel bullied – a major barrier to learning: Students at Mtitu Secondary School in Kilolo district, approximately 500 kilometres south-west of Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar-es-Salaam. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images In many postcolonial contexts, early learning is conducted, and assessed, in a language that is unfamiliar to learners. About …