Spill The News

Summary

Transactional sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have engaged in this exchange in South Africa, 23% in Nigeria…

Summary

Marches , Mozambicans murdered , state-sponsored evacuations , a nationally televised presidential address . Anti-immigrant mobilisation has again drawn the world’s attention to South Africa. The continental backlash threatens tourism,…

Summary

Thirty-two years after South Africa became a democratic state, the futures of millions of young people in the country are shaped to a large degree by uncertainty, exclusion, poverty and discouragement. As one lens on this scene,…

Summary

[UCT] "Transformation at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has always centred on student protest. This is a very important thread to pick up on, which is very telling."

Summary

[UCT] The University of Cape Town's (UCT) vice-chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela, has congratulated nine UCT academics and research teams who were named among a list of finalists in the 2025/2026 National Science and Technology Forum…

Summary

[Daily Maverick] Student debt is creating a vicious circle where graduates are unable to secure employment without certificates and universities are unable to recover outstanding fees.

Summary

Threats and deadly conflict over migration are spreading fast in South Africa. This is hugely worrying and could result in widespread injury and killings, as it has in the past. The region’s investment prospects could be dimmed too, due to…

Summary

Cape gannets colony, South Africa. Asher Pardey, Unsplash , CC BY Conservationists analyse overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions…

Summary

Digital technologies create great opportunities, but the transformation they offer isn’t equally within reach of everyone. Access is determined by a vast digital divide. The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals and…

Summary

[UCT] In June 2019, Professor Salome Maswime took a leap of faith when she and her husband, Gundo Vhusani Maswime, packed their two young sons, Farai and Taurai, into a car and left Johannesburg. Professor Maswime came to the University of…

Summary

[UCT] The University of Cape Town (UCT) Employment Equity Cluster 10 Collective (EEC 10) recently hosted a colloquium in commemoration of Africa Month. This to facilitate deep conversation and reflection on how institutional structures,…

Summary

Un dossier climatique historique est actuellement examiné par la Cour africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples. La requête a été déposée par l’ Union panafricaine des avocats et d'autres organisations de la société civile africaine.…

Summary

Climate change is making southern Africa hotter . While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools…

Summary

Climate change is making southern Africa hotter . While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools…

Summary

[The Conversation Africa] South African teacher education qualifications are expected to comply with the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications. But evidence points to gaps in teacher competence and the quality of…

Summary

South Africa’s schooling system presents a striking paradox. Fewer than one in five grade 4 learners can read for meaning, yet more than 60% of young people (aged 15 to 24) eventually complete grade 12. Matric (school leaving exam) pass…

Summary

South Africa’s schooling system presents a striking paradox. Fewer than one in five grade 4 learners can read for meaning, yet more than 60% of young people (aged 15 to 24) eventually complete grade 12. Matric (school leaving exam) pass…

Summary

[Parliament of South Africa] Student debt has become a major concern affecting the whole post-school education system value chain. Everyone is affected, not just students and university administrations but also government revenue.…

Summary

[DA] The briefings presented to Parliament today by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Universities South Africa (USAf) and the South African Public Colleges Organisation (SAPCO) confirmed that South Africa's…

Summary

Ethiopia is preparing for a national election on 1 June amid deep political uncertainty and growing insecurity. Officially, the polls are expected to reinforce the country’s democratic transition and political stability. But the conditions…

Summary

Bullying is a widespread global problem, with extensive research across countries showing that no school is immune. In South Africa, the scale is particularly concerning, with studies indicating that between a fifth and over half of…

Summary

A series of conferences held in Entebbe, Uganda, between 2023 and 2025 have resulted in a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values . The meetings were organised by the Inter-parliamentary Network on African Sovereignty and…

Summary

Funmi Ogundare Founder of the Nigerian Teachers Community, Dr. Peter Ogudoro, Wednesday, blamed poor leadership and the failure of Nigeria’s education system for the country’s slow pace of development despite its vast human and natural…

Summary

Il y a plus de quarante ans, des leaders réunionnais finançaient clandestinement le Congrès national africain (ANC) de Nelson Mandela. Parmi eux, Paul Vergès , fondateur du Parti communiste réunionnais, arrachait au Parlement européen les…

Summary

An analysis of the divergent governance models of Robert Mugabe and Nelson Mandela has concluded that political leadership is an active force capable of redirecting the course of development in post-liberation African states, according to…

Summary

Julius Malema , the leader of South Africa’s fourth-largest party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is a divisive figure: loved by some, hated by others. Malema made headlines in April 2026 after a lower court found him guilty of…

Summary

At the dawn of Kenya’s colonial era in 1902, consumption of home-made alcohol was deeply embedded in society. For instance, among the Mijikenda of coastal Kenya, palm wine was integral (p.290) to traditional ceremonies, such as marriage…

Summary

[Parliament of South Africa] The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education held a follow-up engagement with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on matters raised during the committee's 2025 oversight visit.

Summary

Governance-related tension at several universities across South Africa is systemic rather than episodic, higher education leaders in the country say. Restoring integrity and protecting universities from political and commercial predation…

Summary

The research, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health , analysed 237 children aged 18 and under who underwent trauma laparotomy – emergency surgery for severe abdominal injuries – in 85 hospitals across 32 countries. This is one…

Summary

Children in poorer countries face almost sixfold higher risk of dying after emergency surgery Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/07/2026 - 23:29 The research, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health , analysed 237 children aged 18…

Summary

Anti-immigrant marches in several major South African cities (such as Tshwane and Johannesburg) in early May 2026 once again led to questions being asked about xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa. In the wake of the protests…

Summary

Over the past 11 years, The Conversation Africa has published 12,961 articles by 8,257 authors, making the expertise of academics and researchers in Africa and other parts of the world accessible to the public, national and global…

Summary

Three people have died in an outbreak of hantavirus aboard a luxury cruise ship, with another five confirmed or suspected cases reported, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the wider threat to public health remains low. There…

Summary

Finding Comfort and Confidence at the Best Online Casino South Africa for New Players Finding Comfort and Confidence at the Best Online Casino South Africa for New Players Embarking on the journey to find the best online casino south…

Summary

ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToRS) RECRUITMENT OF A MONITORING AND EVALUATION OFFICER TO SUPPORT THE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION’S AFRICA CLIMATE COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE 1. Project Background 1.1 Context The Climate…

Summary

L'Afrique du Sud est confrontée à une augmentation alarmante des maladies non transmissibles et de la mortalité qui y est associée. Selon Statistics South Africa, les décès dus à des maladies non transmissibles telles que le diabète de…

Summary

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the country’s largest vehicle for funding poor and working-class students, has been placed under administration following a prolonged governance and operational crisis that Higher…

Summary

Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable weather – it is becoming a serious threat to health, jobs and food security across southern Africa, especially for those least able to cope. Unlike floods, cyclones, wildfires or storms, extreme heat…

Summary

In some African countries, more than 50% of women regularly use skin-lightening products. In South Africa, the rate is 32%, while in Nigeria it’s 77%. This dwarfs rates in other regions of the world. The health consequences are not…

Summary

Madagascar abrite sept espèces de baobabs, dont six ne se trouvent nulle part ailleurs sur la planète. Bon nombre de ces arbres ont plus de 1 000 ans. Ces arbres millénaires sont devenus les symboles mêmes de Madagascar. Ils constituent…

Summary

Speaking at the Universitas 21 Leadership Summit in Glasgow, Mpedi said that while enrolment across South Africa’s public universities has almost doubled since the end of apartheid, institutions are still turning away large numbers of…

Summary

Speaking at the Universitas 21 Leadership Summit in Glasgow, Mpedi said that while enrolment across South Africa’s public universities has almost doubled since the end of apartheid, institutions are still turning away large numbers of…

Summary

In South Africa, a water-scarce country, groundwater is a vital supply for small towns and commercial farming. Approximately 13% of South Africa’s groundwater resources are used for domestic supply , with about 400 towns getting at least…

Summary

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up 98% of all businesses in South Africa. There are between 2.4 million and 3.5 million in the country. They play a vital role in creating an estimated 66% of all jobs and supporting local…

Summary

A group of young people. Photo by Iwaria Inc. on Unsplash. Source: Africa Renewal, United Nations. The choice is clear; the window is narrow; and the time to prepare Africa’s workforce for the frontier economy is now. Africa’s growth story…

Summary

The south coast of South Africa’s Western Cape province is a rich source of fossil tracks and traces – clues suggesting what this environment may have been like many thousands of years ago. We’re a research group from the African Centre…

Summary

South Africa’s public universities are facing a governance challenge that can no longer be brushed aside as isolated campus drama. The spectre of “institutional capture”, where governance processes, decision-making and resource allocation…

Summary

Artist's impression of _Lystrosaurus_ embryo. Artist: Sophie Vrard , CC BY Between 280 and 200 million years ago, a group of animals evolved which would eventually give rise to mammals, including humans: the therapsids . They were first…

Summary

Pope Leo’s decision to make Africa one of the early destinations of his young papacy signals the continent’s importance in global Catholicism. His April 2026 visit reflects both his personal ties to Africa and the rapid rise of…

Summary

ADEA convenes African assessment leaders to co-design continental support framework for foundational learning assessment Published on 8 April, 2026 ADEA Wed, 04/08/2026 - 18:46 ADEA, in partnership with Human Capital Africa, convened a…

Summary

University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor professor Sakhela Buhlungu is facing disciplinary action after being suspended by the institution’s council this week, in a development that comes after years of efforts to root out corruption…

Summary

At a time when South Africa faces persistent challenges in education, economic growth, public health, energy security and technological competitiveness, the country’s need for strong graduates in mathematics, physical science and related…

Summary

As Sub-Saharan Africa expands its higher education capacity amid rapid demographic growth, the measurement of institutional performance has become increasingly strategic. For many years, African universities have been assessed largely…

Summary

South Africa’s schools still carry the imprint of apartheid , where resources, language and geography were deliberately divided according to “race”. Many communities today remain deeply unequal in terms of school infrastructure and…

Summary

Marek Studzinski, Unsplash Academics today, around the world, are confined by the way their research output is measured. Indicators that count the number of times their work is cited by other academics, and the relative prestige of…