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South Africa is one of the largest air-polluted countries in Africa according to a report by non-profit organisation Greenpeace Africa. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Load-shedding obscures the understanding of South Africa’s air quality

Authorities reported that most air quality monitoring stations were frequently offline due to ongoing power blackouts

Polyphagous shot hole borer

Tiny shot hole borer beetle is causing big problems

The invasion of this destructive beetle wiping out trees is only in its infancy and scientists expect ecological and social costs to rack up

Potted history: Sian Tiley-Nel (right), chief curator of the Mapungubwe collection and assistant Helma Steenkamp. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP

Pottery dating reveals the origins of Venda

Dating techniques have traced the origins of the Venda language and culture to Mapungubwe, where two distinct cultures merged at initiation schools.

Contaminated: Jo’burg residents use the city’s streams, such as the Klipspruit that runs through Soweto and joins the Klip River, for religious and other social functions. (Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Klip River’s ‘holy water’ a danger

A new study says the river’s wetlands have accumulated toxic pollutants from mining for more than a century

Waste not, want not: A farm in Limpopo. In South Africa, the agriculture industry accounts for 50% of food wastage.

Benefits of red meat ignored in shift towards plant-based diets

The World Wide Fund for Nature says change needs to happen to halt the negative effects of livestock production on biodiversity and climate

Not just talk: The University of Cape Town is taking steps to address unhealthy campus culture. (David Harrison)

In a bid to placate politics on race UCT fails to protect academic freedom

The University of Cape Town’s Academic Freedom Committee has let intellectual freedom down regarding Professor Nicoli Nattrass’s commentary in the South African Journal of Science

Nattrass’s article should be retracted rather than debated

The relationship between science and ethics is inextricable and a study that does not consider the latter in its design cannot be supported

The University of Cape Town leads the continent on the rankings.
(Mike Hutchings/Reuters)

The thought police at UCT should address transformation, not pass a judgment of racism

My analysis has led the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa to have a stronger focus on topics that have a clear bearing on social justice, conservation and…