information - The African Mirror

Mar

2021

How press freedom was threatened during Covid-19

MEERA SELVA A free press is needed to provide the flow of information through a society, and also to hold the powerful to account and tell the stories of those who may otherwise not be heard. A free press also paints pictures of our society. It defines us and it defines the national conversation. A free press is also under attack. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 274 journalists were imprisoned last year. Thirty-two were killed, some by crossfire or in war zones, but many deliberately targeted and murdered as a direct result of their work. Not only is…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Call for more access to information in Africa

MEDIA FREEDOM

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) has called on the 36 African countries that have no laws guaranteeing the promotion and protection of citizens access to information to urgently adopt them. In a statement to commemorate the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the ACHPR called for a renewed commitment to creating an environment where the right of access to information is promoted, protected and realized. “In these unprecedented times during the Covid-19 pandemic, the significance of the right of access to information cannot be overstated. The uncertainty and disruption wrought by the…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Young South Africans are shut out from work: they need a chance to get digital skills

EDUCATION

WALTER MATLI, Researcher and senior lecturer, Vaal University of Technology Most young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in South Africa continue to be denied access to information and communications technology because of poor infrastructure and the digital divide. The cost of mobile data is part of the problem. For example, compared with its fellow members of the BRICS group of nations, South Africa has the highest average price for 1GB of mobile data. One gigabyte of mobile data costs an average of US$1.01 in Brazil, $0.61 in China, $0.52 in Russia and $0.09 in India. It costs an average of $4.30…