Science, technology and innovation minister professor Blade Nzimande. The US funding cuts to the national system of innovation have exposed South Africa’s over-reliance on foreignresearch funding and limitations to its science, tech and innovation (STI) funding model. This, as nearly R2.5 billion in research activities and more than 2 000 research positions remain at risk,…
AI is moving from experimentation into core banking, while payments and digital platforms become increasingly important sources of growth. (Image created via Gemini) South Africa’s major banks are embedding artificial intelligence (AI) deeper into their operations, as they shift digital transformation beyond technology rollouts towards measurable financial outcomes. According to PwC South Africa’s Major Banks…
MAMBA POINT — A coalition of civil society and women’s rights organizations has called on the House of Representatives to suspend action toward ratifying the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU CEVAWG), citing what it describes as significant gaps in the instrument’s current form. The coalition says that while it…
Ahmed Krim spent 30 years teaching English in Algeria’s middle schools. Now retired, the 60-year-old watched the language he loved remain firmly behind French as the country’s second language. English was less valued than French, which might have been the language of Algeria’s coloniser, but continues to be present in every dialogue, six decades after…
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks during a Senate Appropriations committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, July 21, 2026. Finn Gomez | Getty Images Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, defended President Donald Trump‘s energy and economic agenda on Friday during an appearance at a southwestern Ohio steel mill with Vice President JD Vance,…
Nairobi — The WANTAM movement will hold an interactive debate for leading opposition presidential and running-mate contenders on August 23 as it moves to the next stage of its bid to unite the opposition behind a single challenger to President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election. WANTAM Advisory Committee convenor Francis Masinde on Wednesday…
South Africa foiled Ghana’s bid at the AU to put xenophobic attacks in South Africa on the October mid-year agenda, pushing instead for a continent-wide migration summit. South Africa has thwarted a bid by Ghana to place xenophobic violence in the country on the agenda for the African Union’s Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in October. Ghana…
Armed conflict, insecurity and environmental pressures are threatening ancient cities, historic castles and one of the world’s greatest wildlife migrations. In response, the UN cultural agency (UNESCO) has added six sites to its List of World Heritage in Danger. Meeting in Busan, Republic of Korea, the World Heritage Committee on Sunday granted emergency protection to…
Police and leaders of anti-immigration movements have a responsibility to ensure that protests do not degenerate into violence. Instability and disorder are intensifying in South Africa ahead of the 30 June deadline given by March and March and other organisations for all ‘illegal’ foreign nationals to leave the country. In many areas, vigilantes have attacked…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday urged member countries of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) to speak with one voice to promote Africa’s collective interests, ensure value addition, and prevent the continent from becoming merely a source of raw materials for the rest of the world. President Tinubu gave the charge while receiving a…
