The City of Cape Town has published a report showing extensive faecal contamination of the Peninsula coastline. These results, which echo findings of our studies in Camps Bay and Sea Point, point to major flaws in the city’s wastewater treatment plants, and urgent action is needed! Leslie Petrik, Professor / Leader of the Environmental and Nanoscience Research Group, […]
The Navy’s SAS Protea Turns 50
by Commander Leon Steyn, Historian, South African Naval Museum via defenceWeb 30 May 2022 On 23 May, the South African Navy (SAN) celebrated a remarkable achievement when its hydrographic survey vessel SAS Protea turned fifty. This is the first time ever that a ship of the SA Navy reaches this golden (sea) milestone. Warships are designed […]
First Multi-Mission patrol vessel handed over to the SA Navy
Dean Wingrin, defenceWeb – 19 May 2022 The first of three new multi-mission inshore patrol vessels (MMIPVs) built under Project Biro was handed over to the South African Navy (SAN) on Wednesday 18 May in Simons Town. The delivery of P1571 (future SAS King Sekhukhune I) heralds a new era for both the local shipbuilding […]
South African repo rate increased by 50 basis points to 4.75%
STATEMENT OF THE MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE ON 19 MAY 2022 Lesetja Kganyago, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank In recent months, the Omicron variant has transmitted globally and a major war started in Europe. The economic costs of the corona virus generally continue to fall, as most economies remained open despite the rapid spread […]
Zinc is a metal essential to life – scientists have discovered a protein that helps keep cells alive when zinc levels are low
Andy Weiss, Postdoctoral Fellow in Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University and Caitlin Murdoch, Postdoctoral Researcher in Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University – 17 May 2022 All living things, including people, need zinc in their diets. Getting too little of this essential metal can impair growth and cause immune dysfunction, neurological disorders and cancer. […]
South Africa has entered a new phase of the COVID pandemic: what that means
18 May 2022 Confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 have been increasing in South Africa in recent weeks. This has been largely driven by two offspring – known as the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages – of the Omicron variant first identified in South Africa late last year. What’s notable about the most recent spike is that there […]
South Africa’s state capture commission – after four years, was it worth it?
South Africans want guarantees to prevent a repetition of state capture or extensive corruption in future. Dirk Kotze, Professor in Political Science, University of South Africa – 13 May 2022 South Africa’s judicial commission into state capture, known as the Zondo Commission, recently handed over the fourth part of its voluminous and scathing findings to […]
The desperate state of Eskom
Jonathan Katzenellenbogen, Daily Friend – 11 May 2022 Eskom is in an increasingly desperate state. There is little hope that South Africa will have a secure and reliable electricity supply for years. Yet there is seemingly little urgency from the government for fixing what is a major and binding constraint on the economy. Eskom has […]
SA’s racial policy to be officially tried by UN’s ILO – Solidarity
South Africa’s racial policy again classifies people according to race, that it is of permanent nature and that it does not lead to redress of disadvantage. Anton van der Bijl, Solidarity – 11 May 2022 South Africa’s racial policy is now officially on trial by the United Nations (UN’s) labour agency, the International Labour Organisation […]
Former South African president predicts the end of the ruling party: history is on his side
Roger Southall, Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand – 4 May 2022 Former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe, one of the saner voices in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), has recently given voice to heresy. He has said that the time of the ANC in power is coming to an end. The party […]