SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Mar

06

2025

Maps showing China’s growing influence in Africa distort reality – but some risks are real

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

GLOBAL power dynamics in Africa are shifting, with China eclipsing the influence of the US and France. China has become Africa’s single largest trading partner. In response, media and policymakers in traditionally dominant states are increasingly using maps drenched in red or stamped with Chinese flags to depict Beijing’s expanding footprint. One map reproduced by a US congressional committee, for instance, showed Beijing’s influence and reach across the continent in red stripes. But these visuals oversimplify a complex reality. This is an issue I explored in a new study. For over a decade, I have researched the interactions of sub-Saharan…

Mar

05

2025

By TINA LÜDECKE and DOMINIC STRATFORD

When did our ancestors start to eat meat regularly? Fossilised teeth get us closer to the answer

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR decades, scientists have been learning more about the diets of early hominins, particularly their reliance on plants. Yet we still don’t know when these ancestors of humans started eating meat. This is a frustrating gap in our understanding of human evolution. We think regular meat consumption was one of the main drivers of brain growth and evolution in hominins because animal products are calorie-dense and easier to digest than unprocessed plant foods. They also contain all the essential amino acids and are rich in biologically important nutrients, minerals and vitamins. What we do know is that by the time…

Mar

04

2025

By JULIAN MAY and THOKOZANI SIMELANE

South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE death in early February of a 9-year-old South African boy, Alti Willard, who drank poison while scavenging for food in rubbish bins with his father, is a tragic reflection of the persistent food insecurity crisis in the country. A child dying while trying to avert starvation is hard to comprehend, given the country’s economic and natural resources. South Africa has the capability to feed the entire nation. But it is grappling with a triple burden of malnutrition, comprising undernutrition and hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, and unhealthy diets. According to the most recent Food and Nutrition Security Survey, conducted by the…

Mar

01

2025

By SANDRA SWART

Baboons and human fear: a deep history behind the cruel attacks in South Africa

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ENCOUNTERS between baboons and people are common in parts of South Africa. WhatsApp groups often share stories of baboons raiding a kitchen and stealing all the food. And stories appear in the media about the torture and killing of baboons. Recently the hashtag #JusticeForRaygun has been widely shared on social media. A young male baboon named Raygun was being tracked as he made his way through a suburb of Pretoria to the wilds. When he stopped at a school in a small town, a group of teenagers hunted him down, attacked him and burned him to death. Some children had…

Feb

28

2025

By STEPHEN DEVEREUX; BUSISO MOYO and MARK HEYWOOD

15 million South Africans don’t get enough to eat every day: 4 solutions

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AT least 15 million South Africans suffer from food insecurity. That means they don’t have enough nutritious food to live healthy lives. This is due to a combination of factors, including unemployment, poverty, inequality and food system failures. More than 1,000 children die from malnutrition each year. This compares unfavourably with 350 child deaths from malnutrition in Brazil, which has more than three times South Africa’s population, and 269 child deaths in Colombia, which has about the same per capita income as South Africa. A robust indicator of chronic hunger is child stunting. Stunting in South Africa has flatlined at…

Feb

27

2025

By GLADYS OGOCHUKWU CHUKWURA

Nigeria’s killer fuel tankers: accidents and explosions are common – how to stop them

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FUEL tanker explosions and accidents are common in Nigeria, often caused by the poor state of roads and badly maintained vehicles. A government spokesperson said in February 2025 that 300 people had died from fuel tanker explosions in the four months from October 2024 to January 2025. But nobody is ever held accountable. Gladys Chukwurah, an urban planner with research on explosions, shares insights into the causes, consequences and possible solutions. How frequent are fuel tanker accidents on Nigerian roads? Official figures are hard to come by. Research, however, showed that from January 2009 to October 2024, there were 169…

Feb

26

2025

By KRISTOF TITECA

Ali Kony and the twilight of the Lord’s Resistance Army

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Kristof Titeca Not long ago, Ali Kony, a neatly dressed Ugandan man in his early 30s, was primed to take over from his father as the head of an infamous armed group that had spent the best part of four decades sowing fear across swathes of central and east Africa. Yet one morning last year, he sat reclined on a worn beige leather sofa in a small house in a peaceful Ugandan town. Pink, purple, and green Christmas tinsel hung off the walls as Ali’s children darted in and out, showing…

Feb

24

2025

By JOAN TAYLOR

What does the Bible say about who belongs in the ‘promised land’? A biblical scholar explains

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

IN current US politics, a “biblical” view of the Middle East informs foreign policy – perhaps more than it has for decades. This makes it very important to understand what the Bible actually says, particularly about the idea of a “promised land”. Biblical scholars and historians like me often observe that the Bible does not provide a full, holistic history. It shines the torch on certain events and memories, for particular purposes. It tells of origins, laws, ethics, divine revelations and a nation’s relationship with God. It does not speak with one voice but with many voices from different times…

Feb

22

2025

By TRACY LEDGER

South Africa has failed to deliver access to enough water for millions – a new approach is needed

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa is one of only 52 countries that guarantee access to water as a human right. “Access” from a human rights perspective means that water is physically accessible, clean and safe for consumption, and affordable. Section 27 of the country’s constitution stipulates that everyone has the right to access sufficient water. But South Africa is not doing well in meeting the standards of a full human rights approach to water access. In a recent paper, I and my colleagues at the Public Affairs Research Institute’s Just Transition Programme set out the extent of this failure and mapped out what…

Feb

21

2025

By BONITA MEYERSFELD

Naming and shaming rape suspects: South African court ruling challenges current thinking

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

VICTIMS and survivors of gender-based violence have increasingly started naming perpetrators in public. This phenomenon has gained traction through movements such as #MeToo, the #RUReferenceList and #AmINext. However, there has been a significant backlash. Men identified as perpetrators are turning to the courts to silence those who accuse them of rape and abuse, usually by bringing defamation cases. In South Africa, in addition to defamation cases, men accused of rape are applying for protection orders under the Protection from Harassment Act. In a recent paper, I analyse a high court ruling which deals with whether publicly naming someone as a…