The Jali commission has shone a brutal light on violence and sexual abuse in South African prisons. But the investigation has largely focused on the experience of male inmates, while the battles females prisoner face ”on the inside” have been downplayed in the commission’s findings.

University of Cape Town Professor Girish Kotwal, who used university laboratories to research an herbal concoction touted as a ”anti-HIV” remedy, has resigned from his position as chair of virology. An internal joint statement by UCT and Kotwal this week announced that Kotwal ”will resign his position with effect from December 31 to pursue his research interests in natural medicine”.

Zimbabwe’s loss is set to be South Africa’s gain, as the education department casts covetous eyes on the growing pool of highly qualified Zimbabwean schoolteachers who have fled their home country. The department’s Director General, Duncan Hindle, told the Mail & Guardian that it is targeting Zimbabweans in a plan that will simultaneously encourage South African high school teachers to improve their skills.

South Africa has again shown itself to be a unique archive on the dawn of animal life of our planet. Recently, its fossil treasury delivered yet another precious find: a 360-million-year-old fish. The 4cm-long lamprey, discovered near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, is the oldest fish of its kind yet discovered.

The medium-term budget policy statement released on October 25 commits the government to increasing spending by R80billion over the next three years. However, past performance suggests that government departments may struggle to spend the funds coming their way.