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 …
Drive for an hour into the hills that lie behind South Africa’s wild eastern coast, and you will find a game park full of rhino and big cats, a sprawling town spread over dozens of summits and dry valleys, and a vast opencast coal mine. If all the advantages of …
Experts from CapeNature are puzzling over a die-off of fish in Groenvlei Lake in the Goukamma Nature Reserve, near Sedgefield. On October 6, fish suddenly began dying in the natural lake, which is the only known South African habitat for genetically distinct populations of estuarine round herring and Cape silverside. …
Riots in South Africa linked to public anger over poor government services and poverty have hit a record high in 2018, data showed on Wednesday, a sign one analyst said the ruling African National Congress should not ignore ahead of elections next year. President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to improve …
Parliament is expected to debate whether the Constitution should be amended to allow expropriation without compensation between November 26 and 28. The Joint Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) met on Thursday to discuss its programme and elected ANC MP Stanford Maila as chairperson. This, after Vincent Smith stepped down as chairperson …
Consultants employed by Australian company Mineral Sands Resources have acknowledged that the massive expansion of mining for mineral sands on ten West Coast beaches north of the Olifants River estuary will cause unavoidable environmental damage, but claim that the damage can be reduced to "acceptable" levels. This is one of …
The Save the Vaal Environment (Save) has called for someone to be held accountable and even face jail time for the sewerage that has been running into the Vaal River for years. The call was made by Save during its presentation during an inquiry conducted by the South African Human …
The black rhino may be making a comeback in Chad after nearly 50 years, thanks to a relocation programme involving South African rhino. Six black rhino are adapting well in the Zakouma National Park after being flown to Chad in May 2018, said conservation organisation African Parks. The relocation was …
Some residents of Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion, are experiencing water outages due to restrictions that are underway, the City of Tshwane has said. The city received a formal notification from water utility, Rand Water, that water consumption had increased in the area due to high temperatures. City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela …
Working class communities across Cape Town are expected to "reclaim" their streets on Tuesday morning as part of a movement called the Western Cape Total Shutdown. This was in protest against poverty, crime and unemployment. Organiser Gatto Wanza said residents would come together and protest on streets leading to highways …
Over the past 18 years, poachers have stripped South African coastal waters of at least 96 million abalone. Efforts to curb the illegal trade have roundly failed. Once abundant, the population of South African abalone Haliotis midae is declining at unprecedented levels. On average two thousand tonnes of abalone are …
This book presents key activities, promising practices, and lessons learned to date from the World Bank’s Tuberculosis (TB) in the Mining Sector Initiative--an innovative multisectoral, multicountry, public-private regional initiative. It examines how a collaborative platform was established to cover 10 southern African countries, and it details the processes through which …
Farm prices in South Africa have plunged by a third since the ruling party decided to seek a change to the Constitution to make it easier to expropriate land without compensation. This as commodity prices fell due to bumper harvests following a drought. The average price of agricultural land sold …
The Belgian government committed €30m to South Africa's land reform process, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu said on Monday after a meeting with that country's deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, Didier Reynders. Speaking at a press conference after their meeting, Reynders emphasised the need for …
The City of Cape Town has made the move to relax current water restrictions from Level 6B to Level 5 from October 1, Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson announced. After suffering from the worst drought in recent history, Cape Town's dams are nearing 70% of storage capacity – a significant improvement …
This emerged from a seminar on the iceberg project convened by the Water Research Commission in Cape Town on Monday, as part of its dialogue series on alternative water supplies. Dr Shafick Adams, an executive manager at the Water Research Commission, said SA had to diversify its water supply mix …
This report summarises the main insights from Coal Transitions research project. Firstly, it outlines the growing momentum behind coal transitions around the world, due to economic, technological and policy factors. Secondly, the report highlights key findings from case studies of six major coal-consuming countries (China, India, Poland, Germany, Australia and …
This report explores pathways, implications and policy options of for a full phase out of South Africa’s aging coal power infrastructure during the next decades. It also highlights issues of employment, economic development and social cohesion linked to the future of South Africa’s coal production and export industry.
In sub-Saharan Africa, biofuels have been touted as more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, wood and charcoal – but do they help alleviate poverty and improve well-being for farmers and end-users? This brief summarises insights from a three-country study in which an ecosystem services approach was to assess the trade-offs …
Since the Paris Climate Agreement solidified an “all hands on deck” approach to climate change, cities, regions and businesses have become key contributors to mitigation, adaptation and finance efforts. These actors are pledging a range of actions, from directly reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions footprints, to building capacity for …
This policy brief is based on previous research led by Professor Declan Conway at the London School of Economics and Political Science, in collaboration with researchers at University College London, the University of Pretoria and the University of East Anglia. Recent disruption to electricity supply in eastern and southern Africa …
