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Mail & Guardian

Covid

latest news & developments
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2026 Sona. (GCIS)
BUDGET SPEECH

Beyond the noise: A sober and rigorous assessment of criticism of the Sona

Beyond the noise: A sober and rigorous assessment of criticism of the Sona

  • Cornelius Monama
7 min read
The US and Russia voted against a resolution to advance ‘a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’.
AFRICA

The Great Reset could be hiding in plain sight

The death of the Cold War and the waning influence of the US and Russian might shift geopolitics in a way that Africa could benefit from

  • Philip Machanick
5 min read
The hole nine yards: Pothholed roads and a fallen electric pole, which took more than a month to be repaired. (Lunga Mzangwe/M&G)
ACM

No services, no jobs, as businesses flee Free State municipality

Wrangling in the ANC, incompetence and corruption have brought the council close to collapse

  • Lunga Mzangwe
10 min read
SAMRC colleagues in discussion during a visit to UCT Future Water Hub in Franschhoek.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

SAMRC wastewater surveillance and research programme

Wastewater-based epidemiology can play a vital role in pandemic preparedness

  • SAMRC
3 min read
Prof Patience Mthunzi-Kufa, Research Group Head for Biophotonics and Manager at the Photonics Centre at the CSIR.
2023 2024 NSTF SOUTH32 AWARDS

The biophotonic breakthrough

Prof Patience Mthunzi-Kufa’s work illuminates the future of healthcare

  • Jamaine Krige
2 min read
Cuban Doctors arriving in South Africa during the covid-19 pandemic.
PEOPLE S VACCINE ALLIANCE

Cuba: South-South solidarity saves lives

Partnerships such as Cuba’s with Africa can help drive pandemic responses

  • Winnie Byanyima
4 min read
The Global North sent vaccines to Africa last. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)
PANDEMIC ACCORD

Africa can’t let rich countries forget what they did to us in Covid

There is some reason to celebrate the latest version of the draft Pandemic Accord, a deal drawn up to prevent a repeat of Covid’s worst effects. But it’s still too soon to look…

  • Tian Johnson
4 min read
A ‘seismic shift’ in mindset is required by educators so that the curriculum can be repurposed and student learning journeys transformed to meet the needs of the 21st century, says Professor Kat Yassim.
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

Diversifying education pathways for ‘life’ success in adulthood

New solutions are necessary for a sustainable future

  • Professor Kat Yassim
5 min read
Crawford International Pretoria celebrating unforgettable moments with the Class of 2023.
COVID

Resilience and innovation shine

Crawford International celebrates exceptional achievements of the Matric Class of 2023

  • Jamaine Krige
7 min read
The festival takes place on 29 and 30 September at the Sandton Convention Centre.
COVID

Cat’s out the bag: The Joy of Jazz artist lineup has been announced

Mantwa Chinoamadi, producer of the 2023 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, says our shores are open for the world to come and enjoy music

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
On 8 March 2023 , Mbali Hlela Bulunga, a 12-year-old girl, passed through a portal of pain and went to her peace, after first being diagnosed with leukaemia six years earlier.
ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA

Confronting grief, Part 3: Hope crests and crashes

Mbali’s second round of treatment first seemed to have worked. And then, six years after her first diagnosis of leukaemia, we had to face what no family is ever ready to face

  • Nontobeko Hlela
11 min read
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China’s harsh Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing on November 28, 2022. – A deadly fire on November 24, 2022 in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang region, has become a fresh catalyst for public anger, with many blaming Covid lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts, as hundreds of people took to the streets in China’s major cities on November 27, 2022 to protest against the country’s zero-Covid policy in a rare outpouring of public anger against the state. Authorities deny the claims. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP)
CHINA

China: No easy exit from zero-Covid

A gradual easing within broadly contained zones before loosening restrictions more broadly worked for China’s economy. It may work for its healthcare system too

  • S Alex Yang
  • Angela Huyue Zhang
5 min read
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had to speed up its approval of new medicines while still ensuring that they were safe and effective. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
COVID

Three ways Covid sped up SA’s medicine approvals process – and how it can help the National Health Insurance scheme

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had to speed up its approval of new medicines while still ensuring that they were safe and…

  • Portia Nkambule
11 min read
During a crisis such as the Covid pandemic, people have simple demands of the media: how to protect themselves, which government rules they have to follow and what the future holds. (Getty Images)
12TH INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

Mia Malan: Eight lessons the Covid pandemic taught me about journalism

During a crisis such as the Covid pandemic, people have simple demands of the media: how to protect themselves, which government rules they have to follow and what the future holds

  • Mia Malan
19 min read
Not enough: It seems that the regular salary is not enough for young South Africans. Many turn to side hustles to make ends meet.
ACCOUNTABILITY

Toxic workplaces: Are human rights organisations some of the culprits?

Some human rights organisations are enabling toxicity to harmful degrees

  • Portia C Allen
6 min read