Creator
Thabo Motshweni
Thabo Motshweni is a master’s candidate in the sociology department at the University of Johannesburg
Food poisoning: How an organisation is stepping In to protect people
Twenty-three children have died and nearly 900 people have fallen ill from food poisoning but the Bakery & Food Technology Incubator is fighting back by testing food and…
New colonialism: The digital ID dilemma in Kenya
The centralisation of biometric and demographic data could empower citizens — or it could be commodified by external actors
The mirage of AI: South Africa’s reality check on the tech ‘utopia’
Automation, driven by artificial intelligence, threatens jobs for low-skilled and semi-skilled workers and these groups are also subjected to higher interest rates and…
G20 Summit: A question of global power and influence
The G20 is meant to be a more inclusive space, but the selective participation of global powers suggests that the same patterns of exclusion persist
The township economy: Will Cyril’s R500 million make a difference?
Without a transparent and participatory process, initiatives such as this risks becoming another example of state-led paternalism that disempowers the people it seeks to uplift
South Africa’s credit crisis: The fight against predatory lending
The proliferation of illegal credit providers is not just a regulatory failure but a symptom of the broader inequalities entrenched in the country’s financial system
South Africa’s economy: Talk is not enough to drive real change
Past summits on the economy have led to hopeful rhetoric but little meaningful action. The longer this paralysis continues, the more damaging it becomes
Two-pot system: Immediate benefits must be weighed up against long-term security
As South Africans decide whether to withdraw a portion of their retirement savings, it’s important that they fully grasp the potential costs involved
The complex issue of illegal electricity connections
The disconnect-reconnect cycle in townships is a reminder that giving people legal, affordable access to power goes beyond technical solutions
Will a tax on the rich solve the problem of extreme inequality in South Africa?
Comprehensive reforms are required, including dismantling the neoliberal economic framework
South Africa’s Climate Change Act a band-aid solution for a gaping wound?
Is there the political will to implement it effectively or is it a smokescreen intended to placate local and global stakeholders while maintaining the status quo?
GNU: South Africa’s new social contract goes beyond political parties
Citizens have a role in building the country based on shared values and aspirations, and must hold the unity government to account
South Africa’s energy policy prioritises profit over people
The government’s support for coal-fired power and reluctance to transition to renewable energy undermines potential for economic expansion and job creation in the renewable…
Big Brother’s plans to watch you via the e-toll system
Is monetising data from surveilling individuals more important than ensuring they enjoy the right to privacy?
Blockchain tech gives waste pickers the opportunity to enter the formal economy
Guidelines aim to integrate the more than 60 000 people who collect waste from the bins of households and businesses into the formal economy