Many South Africans were outraged by the recent announcement that for 2016, pupils in grades 7 to 9 could progress to the next grade with only 20% in mathematics. The usual minimum has been 40%, provided all other requirements for promotion
Author: The Conversation
Following the shock results of Brexit and the Trump victory, a lot of attention has focused on the role that Facebook might have played in creating online political ghettos in which false news can easily spread. Facebook now has serious political
The focus on “state capture” in South Africa has tended to divert attention from a deeper question. How can the distribution of wealth and control over the economy be changed in material terms? There is an implicit justification for corruption
The much-awaited updated South African Integrated Resource Plan for electricity has been released for comment. The document makes far-reaching proposals about the target energy generation
The release of South Africa’s long-awaited update to the Integrated Resource Plan is certain to inspire renewed debate about the country’s energy future. Once public consultation has taken place, the plan will drive policy
With news of state capture making headlines across South Africa, and the unexpected resignation of the state power utility’s CEO Brian Molefe, it was easy to overlook an annexure in the finance minister’s medium
The search for mysterious “fast radio bursts” – very brief but intense pulses of radio waves from outer space – is heating up. Nobody knows what causes these powerful bursts, but some have even speculated
Donald Trump’s presidential election victory has been described as stunning, shocking and having elicited a “primal scream” from the media. The president-elect resonated enough with more than
The withdrawal of charges against finance minister Pravin Gordhan by the country’s National Prosecuting Authority brings to mind events in 2008 when a judge quashed corruption charges against current
The Internet has reached almost every corner of the globe, but most research on how it is used, particularly among children, focuses on the US and Europe. This is a problem, because, according to best estimates, one in three children around