Hawks should not be used at the discretion of politicians: Analyst

Due to extreme conditions dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's World Refugee Day under the theme “Every Action Counts” will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the state of refugees, writes Mpho Tsedu. 

African countries need to seize opportunities created by US-China tensions Shutterstock Mzukisi Qobo, University of the Witwatersrand and Mjumo Mzyece, University of the Witwatersrand The unfolding US-China power rivalry bears a striking resemblance to the tensions between the US and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War years. Back then, African countries were positioned like […]

South Africa’s Youth Day celebration on the 16th of June, just after my birthday on the 15th, remained a special day in my life as a young black man writes Malose Langa, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand.

As lockdowns are lifted, procedures are being put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Along with physical distancing, hand sanitisation and wearing of masks, fever screening is increasingly being set up as a requirement before entry is allowed into hospitals, shops, workplaces and schools. But there are physiological and clinical reasons why fever screening simply won’t work.

In trying to limit the spread of COVID-19, policymakers globally have the difficult task of balancing the positive health effects of lockdowns against their economic costs, particularly the burdens lockdowns impose on low-income and food-insecure households. In the case of South Africa, the lockdown policies are relatively stringent, and the economic impacts large.

The scene was intense. Black residents of Minneapolis angered over an incident of police brutality fought with officers in the streets and set buildings ablaze. Many were injured; dozens were arrested. Eventually the National Guard, called in to patrol the streets, ordered black citizens back into their homes. This may sound a lot like a scene from the past week, but it’s actually a flashback to 1967, when African Americans took to the streets of north Minneapolis after a series of abuses that, like today, culminated in days of unrest.

Many African countries quickly closed their borders and imposed lockdown. This meant that, until the beginning of May, no African country had more than 10 000 people affected, with South Africa, Egypt, Morocco or Algeria being the hardest hit.

The recent brutal murder of African-American George Floyd bears the hallmarks of South Africa’s heinous apartheid past when virtually every black man in this country was a corpse waiting to be confirmed by the police, writes Abbey Makoe.

Kenya’s initial response to COVID-19 was highly praised as effective in suppressing the spread of infections. There is cautious optimism as the country prepares for reopening of schools and economy due to a daily spike in cases and fatalities, writes Dr. Mark Nanyingi of the University of Liverpool.

So-called African solutions that are often uncritically accepted as ‘good’ do nothing for the continent, writes William Gumede.

A week ago the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) sliced its key repo rate by 50bps to 3.75% during its May meeting.

We mourn the lives of the people we have lost and recognize the sorrow and burden of families and loved ones they have left behind. Life, as we have known it, has changed in unimaginable ways, writes Amina J. Mohammed.

This Africa Day we are reminded once again that the solutions to Africa’s problems, be they overcoming disease or eradicating poverty and underdevelopment, reside within Africa itself, writes President Cyril Ramaphosa in his weekly From The Desk of The President.

 In Kenya’s coastal Mombasa County, Mercy Mghanga reminisces about her past, not so long ago she sold tons of fish to five-star hotels in the tourist town and exported the rest to China.

With or without favourable loan instruments, the most important question we should all be concerned with is whether or not the stimulus package will really stimulate economy, writes Alex Mabunda, CEO of Ntiyiso Consulting.

COVID-19 has truly humbled the entire universe.  Already, it sounds like a cliché, yet the pandemic only befell the world not so long ago.

Since the beginning of May, when we began the gradual easing of the nation-wide coronavirus lockdown, many people have started returning to work.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has applauded all citizens who have adhered to all regulations since the commencement of the nation wide lockdown.

Journalists pursuing their calling to inform the public no matter the often draconian risks they face specific to their own circumstances, are for the first time, daily, facing a single common and deadly threat across the globe, writes Mary Papayya.

There was a time when African leaders projected themselves as committed and serious about the well-being of Africans, even adopting sensible resolutions in the process. But like many other African plans, nothing has come out of them. The Sirte Declaration was a resolution adopted by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 9 September 1999. […]

In an open letter to Minister of Trade and Industry, Ibrahim Patel, CEO of Institute of Foreign Affairs, Mpho Tsedu, asks whose political economy is being pursued during this COVID-19 lockdown?

Before the coronavirus, investors hungry for returns piled into risky corporate loans and bonds with precious little protection for creditors. Now they're frantically scouring the terms to see just what firms can get away with to survive the fallout.

A few key players make up the bulk of the alcohol industry in South Africa. Alcohol imports into South Africa make up a small percentage of the alcohol purchased and consumed.

The lack of football around the globe has left most of us blue with very little to keep us glued to our TV sets as the coronavirus pandemic has brought just about everything to a halt. It’s a whole new experience. It’s odd!

The prohibition of goods of any kind is fertile ground for illicit trade, writes Tebele Luthuli

The World Health Organization (WHO) is in the spotlight as it champions the global fight against the new coronavirus but faces a funding freeze from U.S. President Donald Trump’s government.

During this period the law enforcement agencies played an instrumental role in keeping South Africans safe and prevent the spread of the virus. A number of regulations were gazetted to guide on how we conduct ourselves during the lockdown period.   

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the vandalism of dozens of schools and the increase in cable theft during the lockdown. In his weekly letter, he has also warned criminals that the criminal justice system is not on leave during the period.

COVID-19 has touched every nook and cranny of our globe. Big and small, developed and developing have seen their economies grind to a halt; businesses buckling under the strain of lockdowns; toilet paper, hand sanitiser and pasta becoming rare and precious items; schools closing and major sporting events being cancelled. And, of course, it has exposed serious gaps in health services and systems.

A majority of online South Africans are confident that the national government is effectively addressing the threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus, even as lockdowns and closures force millions to isolate themselves, Ipsos report.