Ideas Water in the dams, but South Africa’s taps are dry: essential reads on a history of bad management February 17, 2026 Daddy The ConversationIt’s become a common refrain in South Africa: there’s no drought, dams and reservoirs are full, but the taps are dry. The ongoing crisis has been decades in the…
Ideas Five steps for Africa to thrive under the new US security strategy February 17, 2026 Daddy America will remain a vital partner, so African governments should expand, not reduce, their options to advance their interests. Relations with the United States (US) under President Donald Trump will…
Ideas Continued voter disinterest undermines democratic governance in Benin February 17, 2026 Daddy Ahead of the April presidential polls, low voter turnout in legislative and local elections calls for an assessment of electoral laws. Just two months after a coup attempt, Benin’s new…
Ideas Big decisions loom February 17, 2026 Daddy South Africa is weighing a range of policy measures as various manufacturing sectors – from ferroalloys and steel, to automotives – face existential threats. The causes of their eroded competitiveness…
Ideas South Africa’s biggest opposition party will head to municipal elections with new leaders: what does it all mean? February 17, 2026 Daddy The ConversationSpeculation continues about why John Steenhuisen announced that he would not be available for re-election as the federal leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) at the party’s April…
Ideas Ramaphosa’s 2025 Sona promises: how has he fared? February 17, 2026 Daddy South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the state of the nation address (Sona) on 12 February 2026. The annual speech is an opportunity to give an update…
Ideas Connecting home solar and electric vehicle batteries to the grid could boost South Africa’s clean energy and strengthen the electricity system February 17, 2026 Daddy The ConversationSouth Africa has committed to reaching phasing out human-caused carbon pollution by 2050. To get there, it needs to push as much renewable energy as possible into the national…
Scandals Unemployment rate improves to 31.4% February 17, 2026 Daddy South Africa’s official unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point to 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with the unemployment rate of 31.9% in the third…
Business Backed into a corner: Mining’s role in green energy creates an efficiency paradox February 17, 2026 Daddy The demand for green energy, which requires critical minerals because they are essential for manufacturing low-carbon technologies, is forcing the mining sector into a corner where it must scale up…
Business Gold fever hits Gugulethu: Residents dig up a kraal in Springs February 17, 2026 Daddy In the Gugulethu section of Payneville informal settlement in Springs, hundreds of residents have been digging up land they believe contains gold particles. This activity began earlier last week after…