Amended Refugee Act restricts fundamental rights
/ 20 January 2020

Amended Refugee Act restricts fundamental rights

Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has defended the new amendments to the Refugees Act that came into effect at the beginning of the year, saying they serve to tie up loose ends and fill gaps that led to regulation abuse. But they have been met with an avalanche of criticism citing human rights. The […]

YouTube steers viewers to climate denial videos: nonprofit
/ 18 January 2020

YouTube steers viewers to climate denial videos: nonprofit

YouTube has driven millions of viewers to climate denial videos, a US activist group said on Thursday as it called for stopping “free promotion of misinformation” at the platform. New York-based Avaaz said it scrutinised results of Google-owned YouTube searches using the terms “global warming,” “climate change,” and “climate manipulation” to see what was offered […]

Record 45mn need urgent food aid in Southern Africa — UN
/ 18 January 2020

Record 45mn need urgent food aid in Southern Africa — UN

Roughly 45-million people in southern Africa are in urgent need of food aid as a result of drought, flooding and economic hardship, the UN said Thursday. “This hunger crisis is on a scale we’ve not seen before and the evidence shows it’s going to get worse,” World Food Programme (WFP) regional director Lola Castro said […]

Slice of life: I’m discovering my history
/ 17 January 2020

Slice of life: I’m discovering my history

I had to quit my job and move from my home in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape — a town best known for its Volkswagen manufacturing plant. I didn’t want to work in a factory my whole life. So I studied tourism and came to Cape Town to work in the hotel industry. But I […]

The age-old stokvel moves into the digital era
/ 17 January 2020

The age-old stokvel moves into the digital era

Can the stokvel, the home-grown savings institution tried and tested over the ages, go digital? At least two startup fintech companies reckon so, arguing that bringing zeros and ones to the traditional way of doing things offers a stockpile of advantages. An amount of R44-billion is collectively saved in 820 000 stokvels in the country annually, […]

Stokes named ICC player of the year after a smashing 2019
/ 17 January 2020

Stokes named ICC player of the year after a smashing 2019

Ben Stokes was named the International Cricket Council (ICC) player of the year on Wednesday, capping an unforgettable 2019 for the swashbuckling England all-rounder that included a match-winning knock at the World Cup. Stokes was the unanimous choice for the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers trophy — thanks to his unbeaten 84 in a dramatic final […]