Age of environmental breakdown
We’re driving environmental collapse at an unprecedented scale, threatening human society. And little is being done about it
McBride on crime cluster capture
More than 30 people will be implicated by the head of Ipid at the Zondo inquiry
Slice of life: I escaped my dark skin box
‘I kept feeling like I was inadequate. Whenever anything bad happened to me, I would attribute it to my dark skin’
Eskom will get another bailout
Rescue plans will be detailed in the budget speech and the utility will be split into three state entities
Dissatisfied workers a real threat to power utility and economy
While Eskom goes from one controversy to the next, the dissatisfaction of its workforce poses a real danger to Eskom’s ability to keep the lights on
Old debts cost universities dearly
While university students on some campuses have been calling for historical fees debt to be scrapped, Parliament heard this week that the amount owed is R9-billion.
The world according to Dr Survé
Iqbal Survé’s business success has bought him the ultimate luxury: his own version of reality
Your recycling isn’t being recycled
Despite national plans to reuse waste and reduce SA’s carbon emissions, too much rubbish is still going into landfills and money is being lost
We’re causing an insect apocalypse
About 45% of insect species will become extinct in a few decades because they can’t evolve rapidly enough in a world changed by human activities
As rivers run dry, Day Zero strikes Eastern Cape’s villages
Severe drought and a struggling municipality means some people drink from muddy puddles
Pupils still forced to walk to class
Some schools have been applying for scholar transport since 2011 — to no avail
Mentor resolute despite Zondo commission grilling
This week Mentor became the first of the commission’s witnesses to be cross-examined
Xolobeni judders as mining hovers
Despite a high court judgment halting extraction, villagers feel unsafe as the minister plans a survey and resettlement guidelines
Ramaphosa searches for a little light
He needs to keep the power on to woo voters with the ANC’s achievements since 1994
How the cement cartel was built
Major international companies have been implicated in the collusion
Cape Town private property developers on a ‘civic capture’ crusade, say residents
Concerns are growing in three Cape Town communities that developers are muscling into local associations to get them to approve development plans
Bo-Kaap ‘fights off capture’
A property developer has been accused of co-opting a youth group in the Cape Town suburb
Africans say SA’s queer ‘haven’ is hell
Nondiscriminatory laws exist in name only for those seeking refuge from Uganda and elsewhere
Technology:
Our appetite for fake news is a global threat to health
The next battle for global health is likely to be fought on the internet
AI set to transform healthcare
High-perfoming computers can analyse huge swaths of health data accurately and quickly
Health:
Cancer patients smuggle drugs in a race against time
How much would you risk to save someone you loved? When a few months of treatment costs as much as a house, some patients are taking their lives and the law into their own hands to survive.
Africa:
AU weathers Kagame whirlwind
Rwanda’s president put everything into reforming the organisation, with mixed results
Is Somalia ready for an oil boom?
There are concerns that the process of how the country’s oil will be extracted is corrupt
The Nigerian king who cursed  the sex traffickers
Edo State is Nigeria’s capital of human trafficking, and local authorities are seemingly powerless to protect vulnerable women and girls. Enter His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, the ruler of the ancient Kingdom of Benin, who – like the traffickers – plays by a different set of rules
Shot 16 times, but still defiant
Tundi Lissu is a Tanzanian MP and a member of Chadema, the main opposition party. In September 2017, two gunmen attacked him outside his house in Dodoma City, an attack he believes was orchestrated by the government. He received medical treatment abroad and now wants to go home. He spoke to Simon Allison
Protesters vow to overthrow Sudanese government
Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December, with people calling for an end to Bashir’s three decades in power
Business:
Medupi and Kusile: Costly and faulty
A perfect storm of factors leave Eskom operating on the edge and South Africans facing more power cuts in the coming weeks
Gas find could save PetroSA
The state’s struggling company says Total will also benefit if it piggybacks on its infrastructure
MultiChoice set for organic growth
The firm is countering threats from streaming services and is investing strongly in local content
Watchdogs check out Survé’s Ayo
The JSE and the companies commission will investigate alleged breaches at the IT firm
Fellow unions call out Amcu on strike tactics
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union is at loggerheads with other trade unions about its protracted wage strike at gold mine Sibanye-Stillwater.
Comment & Analysis:
Quo vadis? End of the ANC as we know it
The party must decide if politicised uncertainty and institutionalised ambiguity will be its end
Editorial: Our moment of reckoning is now
‘At the M&G we have committed to redoubling efforts to ensure we offer even greater prominence to the threat of climate change’
Editorial: The politics of bullshit
‘We may have once thought the EFF had some good ideas, and at least provided a left-wing goad to the ANC’
Letters to the editor: February 15 to 21
Our readers write in about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, citrus farming and job creation, and the state of Eskom
A ruskansie by any other name
Tiep, snooze, doss, lala — or simply call it load-shedding, the visitation of Brian Molefe’s spirit
Maimane is well ahead of his time
Contrary to what some commentators may think, the DA leader’s humility should not be mistaken for weakness
Africa needs to realise its philanthropic potential
It has been more than three years since the United Nations general assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the money required to meet the agenda’s key targets remains elusive.
Migrants and refugees make a significant contribution
Migration is a global phenomenon, which continues to grow daily. There are 244-million international migrants, 3.3% of the global population, according to the International Organisation for Migration’s World Migration Report 2018.
Our shame in Room 80: We must act
Fighting the violent abuse of women in SA must go beyond expecting the government alone to end it
Makhanda’s prophecy must be fulfilled
It’s 200 years since the Xhosa were driven from their land and it has not yet been restored to them
How to eat to save the world
The diet, which will also cut deaths caused by bad diets, will halve the consumption of sugar and meat
Fifth Column: EFF dramatics are Theatre of the Absurd
‘The nation is agog at the video of the Economic Freedom Fighters MP Marshall Dlamini slapping a white security guard’
Just what is ‘economics for Africa’?
A relevant economics curriculum should include different schools of thought and students must learn to engage with these in a critical way
Every child deserves to be read aloud to
Of paramount importance is the enjoyment of reading, a responsibility that not only rests on the shoulders of educators, but also of parents.
Lessons from transformation at universities
Though strides have been made in bringing about change, a number of issues are still to be included
Friday:
The new accordion cowboys
Morena Leraba and Kommanda Obbs draw upon deep roots in creating the new Sesotho sound
The Weekend Guide
For good vibes and an art fix, don’t miss this.
The Portfolio: Andy Mkosi
”I love storytelling. For me, the image, signifies that great element in my body of work, human interest.”
The day the dollar died, the music also crashed
Bulawayo’s cool jazz scene has been destroyed by the disastrous economy
Café is home away from home
Restaurants respond to the desire of patrons to feel like they are dining in their own space
Fictive world is not escapist
Simphiwe Ndzube’s solo show in Cape Town offers no easy answers to deracinated utopias
Sport:
Dancing where light and river meet
A veteran of the Dusi canoe marathon, Kevin Davie recalls the many bends in the river and the gladiatorial mind-set pilgrims need to survive the race
Managerial cream rises to the top
The true masterminds know how to manage their players, finances and minutes to finesse titles
Snubbing the player to spite the face
A cold shoulder often follows the signing of a pre-contract, as Rodney Ramagalela is finding out
‘I thought I would never play again’
Raisibe Ntozakhe is reinventing her technique after she lost her World Cup spot due to illegal bowling
The magic of the Nedbank Cup rediscovered
Dan Malesela is a bit grumpy, thanks to the Orlando Pirates performance.
