What Animal Bones in Malawi Teach Us About the Social Lives of People Long Ago
The bones of animals at an archaeological site in Malawi show that food was scarce over the last 21,000 years, but people didn’t cooperate far and wide to get it.
Food
South Africa’s Lion Petting Industry: We Spent Three Years Investigating and Here’s What We Found
A three-year study of 34 South African captive lion venues found poor welfare conditions, early separation of cubs from mothers and hours of handling by tourists.
Africa’s Bats Could Survive Climate Change – If They Can Find Somewhere to Live
As the climate changes, bats will need both suitable foraging landscapes and caves for roosting.
African Countries Could Save Billions by Cutting Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases at the Same Time
African countries could save billions, prevent deaths and slow climate change by cutting air pollution.
Good Gut Bacteria vs Bad: What We Learnt About Antibiotic Resistance From a Community in Nairobi
Healthy microbes spread easily through everyday interactions like handshakes and sharing food or water. Disease-causing agents spread in a similar way.
One Third of Food Is Lost or Wasted: How to Help Farmers Cut Post-harvest Losses
Investments should support entire value chains, linking farmers to storage, processing, transport and reliable markets.
Study of 20,000 Nigerians Explores the Links Between Drug Use, Climate Change and Poverty
A staggering 67.5% of respondents relied on maladaptive coping strategies.
Ocean, Desert Rainfall and a Parasitic Disease: Researchers Connect Patterns
The predictable Atlantic signal can improve researchers’ ability to anticipate changes in leishmaniasis transmission.
Thanks Competition Commission
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) welcomes the steps taken by the Competition Commission regarding Premier Foods’ intended closure of its fruit processing plant in Tulbagh. The Commission has officially filed an application with the Competition Tribunal to reconsider the approval of Premier’s takeover of Rhodes Food Group, after concern arose that the enterprise may […]
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79 Deaths a Day: South Africa’s Diabetes Crisis Needs a New Strategy
Diabetes is manageable. With timely support, people can lead long, healthy lives free from preventable complications.
Rising CO₂ Is Making African Savanna Grasses Grow More – What This Means for Grazing, Fire and Carbon Storage
New research in the Kruger National Park has found that rising CO₂ in the atmosphere helps savanna grasses grow when less water is available.
City of Cape Town Should Consider All Possible Alternative Solutions to Baboon Issue
There are viable alternatives, such as electric fencing, which would ensure the survival of baboon troops on the southern Cape Peninsula. The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) considers permanent confinement in cages and mass sterilisation to be inhumane and unnecessary. Various parts of the Peninsula have been affected by the long-standing conflict between growing human […]
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Teenage Girls May Know How to Prevent Pregnancy – That Doesn’t Mean They Have the Power to Do It
Teenage pregnancy makes visible the pressures, relationships and reproductive conditions that shape young people’s lives across southern Africa.
Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthi Rebels Expand Their Reach
The African shoreline is now much more valuable to outsiders who want to monitor, contain or outflank the waterway opposite them.
Brown Is Beautiful: What Namibia’s Capital Windhoek Can Teach African Cities as They Get Hotter and Drier
New research shows how Windhoek’s ‘Brown is Beautiful’ approach could use its dry landscape to protect the city from heat, drought and floods.
“It Is Our Time” Manifesto Launch Provides Direction Through Practical Solutions for Local Government
Local government can be restored and municipalities’ decline can be turned around. This is the gist of the message conveyed by the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) with its Manifesto Launch under the theme “It is Our Time”. (Manifesto attached) The Manifesto, which was unveiled at the Silver Lakes Farm Hotel in Pretoria East, marks […]
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A slap in the face of NMBM residents
While thousands of residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) are engaged in a daily struggle to put food on the table, have access to running water and keep sewage out of their streets, the Mayor, Babalwa Lobishe, hosted an extravagant gala evening to deliver her State of the City Address (SOCA). This is […]
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Africa’s Rocks Hold Ancient Stories. We Need Better Ways to Document and Protect Them
Africa has some of the world’s most important geological landscapes, yet they remain under-represented in digital geoheritage research.
Zambia’s Messy but Decisive Election: Government Shows Strength; Democracy Shows Weakness
How the re-elected government uses its new dominance will influence Zambian politics well beyond this election.
Governments Shouldn’t Rely on AI to Decide Who Gets a Social Grant: Inside a South African Court Case
Automated systems need to be watched carefully to ensure they are in fact operating in the public interest.
Eskom Power Outage Leaves Oudtshoorn and Surrounds in the Dark
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is concerned about the ongoing power outage that has been affecting Oudtshoorn, Dysselsdorp and the surrounding rural areas for four consecutive days. The power supply was interrupted on Saturday morning, 15 August, at 03:00 after damage to Eskom’s infrastructure. Even though several notices were issued detailing times of when […]
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How Can Governments Tackle Poverty When Climate Change, Conflict and Economic Shocks Hit All at Once?
Crises that add up on top of each other have to be addressed in an integrated way.
Illegal Hunting in Mpumalanga Can Be Effectively Combated
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) pointed out in the Mpumalanga Legislature that illegal hunting poses a serious threat to rural safety, property rights and the province’s natural heritage. The recent ruling by the Howick Magistrate’s Court in KwaZulu-Natal sends a clear message that offenders can and should be punished. Four men were convicted after […]
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Invasive Rats Are Stopping Small Mammals From Returning to Madagascar’s Regenerating Forests – Study
Lemurs and other native animals are rare in recovering forests.