The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
In October of 2018, the Department of Transport of South Africa received cabinet-level approval to move the Green Transport Strategy (GTS) forward. The GTS is South Africa’s governmental guidance document that sheds light on pathways to decarbonize the country’s transport sector. New vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, which are equivalent to CO2 …
Rural communities in South Africa, which make up 40% of the population, face immense difficulties in accessing adequate healthcare, according to a report titled Protecting Rural Healthcare in Times of Economic Crisis. Health expenditure per person in real terms has been shrinking since 2012, according to the report. Austerity measures …
The Southern Africa economy is projected to grow slower than others in the continent—at 2.2 percent in 2019 and 2.8 percent in 2020. At the heart of this slow growth are the major headwinds of high inflation, increasing government debts, and tepid growth in South Africa, which contributes about two-thirds …
A black beetle the size of a sesame seed is killing South Africa’s trees, and no one knows how to stop it. After arriving from Southeast Asia about four years ago, the polyphagous shot-hole borer has spread a thousand miles across South Africa, from the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg, where …
Parents and grandparents around the world are mobilising in support of the youth strikes for climate movement that has swept the globe. Under the banner Parents for the Future, 34 groups from 16 countries on four continents have issued an open letter. It demands urgent action to fight climate change …
South Africa’s rolling blackouts are costing the country tens of millions of dollars a day in lost productivity, say energy experts. While South Africa’s energy industry pushes for increasing its coal-fired capacity, renewable energy providers say it would do better to take advantage of the African sun and wind. But …
The Western Indian Ocean, comprising nine African countries and Réunion (an island under France), has a 10 000 km stretch of coastline with crystal clear waters and rich coral reefs. But these marine and wildlife ecosystems, which are interdependent with the health, food security and national economies of over 200 …
Koeberg Nuclear Power Station released radioactive waste into the environment in three separate incidents in 2014 and 2015, but the quantities were "negligible" and fell under the threshold that would have made it necessary to notify the public, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has said in a Parliamentary reply. Gordhan …
SA’s drive to boost the renewable energy sector has received a boost following the signing of a $300m loan agreement between the New Development Bank (NDB) and Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) designed to support the sector. The NDB and Eskom also formally signed the loan agreement for the …
The transition to renewable energy could result in cheaper, cleaner and more reliable electricity supply for SA, according to a new study. The study, which is part of the Southern Africa — Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED) programme undertaken by the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre (ERC), highlights …
This is a report submitted under the Collaborative Instruments for Ambitious Climate Action (CI-ACA), showing commitment of countries participating in climate change initiatives and how they have positioned their contributions towards the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
This study looks at the development of legal and regulatory framework governing drinking water and sanitation services in South Africa, England and United States. Around 780 million worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water and almost 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation according to data published …
This study looks at the development of legal and regulatory framework governing drinking water and sanitation services in South Africa. Around 780 million worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water and almost 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation according to data published by Centers for Disease …
The Seychelles’ capital of Victoria has been ranked 5th in Africa in a quality of life survey by an American consulting firm. The annual survey conducted by Mercer ranked the city of Port Louis of Mauritius first. Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg -- all in South Africa -- were ranked …
After two decades of little or no maintenance of municipal sewerage plants, corruption and indifference, South Africans are vulnerable to medieval, waterborne diseases and something even more serious: thirst. HEALTH-E NEWS reports. Villages, towns and even a capital city are experiencing severe water shortages, caused by a combination of years …
From cities to the countryside, Africa has undergone a dramatic transformation in living conditions over the past 15 years, according to a new study. But the research, based on state of the art mapping and published in science journal Nature, also found that almost half of the the urban population …
The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) says it will study the 2018 Mining Royalties Research Report, which highlights the complexities and challenges facing South Africa's mining industry. "The department will study the report and the issues it highlights, consider where it enhances our commitment to eradicate corruption and how it …
Eskom's pollution has been linked to premature deaths in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, an environmental organisation has charged. Data from Greenpeace suggests that pollution caused by Eskom's coal power plants in Mpumalanga is linked to 2 100 premature deaths every year. Greenpeace released two reports on Wednesday, March 20: An updated …
Drinking water in the Abaqulusi District Municipality in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal has been red-flagged after 60 people were treated for diarrhoea. The municipality has been placed under administration for various irregularities, including a failure to provide water which is fit for consumption. The illness also struck in neighbouring towns this month. …
One of SA’s newest power plants, designed to supply the grid during peak-use periods, is defective and has been limited to operate at lower capacity. The deepest power cuts in more than a decade this month, imposed by cash-strapped, state-owned Eskom, reduced the chances of the continent’s most-industrialised economy posting …
