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Age of cruelty

The rise of darkness indeed splits the world … It divides us into those who believe in humanity and those who feel entitled to do whatever they want

The rest of us: Gen Zs in Kenya, Indonesia, Peru, Mexico and beyond are rising to show that they will not be silent while their futures are stolen.
Photo: wetheninetynine

The billionaire house of cards

The 99% are done waiting. Billionaire fortunes hit a record high and the G20’s effort on inequality has been deleted

Speaking in tongues: While Washington sought to scupper the success of the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by
South Africa and actually boycotted the event, American business was in the plenary halls and vocal at the
B20.

B20: A catalyst for Africa’s luxury renaissance

The world is moving from borrowing African aesthetics to embracing African authority

President Cyril Ramaphosa told delegates that all G20 members except the US had signed the declaration.

Breaking with G20 custom, world leaders adopt declaration at start of annual summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa told delegates that all G20 members except the US had signed the declaration

G20: President Cyril Ramaphosa will host leaders from 42 countries at the two-day G20 leaders’ summit in
Johannesburg this weekend. Photo: GCIS

G20: All eyes on Ramaphosa

The absence of US President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin puts the spotlight squarely on President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Africa

SA must use its G20 presidency to show it is serious about ending inequality and narrowing the gap between the rich of Sandhurst and the poor of Alexandra.

South Africa must use the G20 to reset its climate legacy

Advancing climate and sustainability action will require that all arms, spheres and levels of government lead an integrated and interdependent response to climate change

South Africa’s push for a permanent Y20 council met strong resistance, exposing divisions on climate, gender and technology and leaving the forum without a final communiqué

G20’s youth forum split over wording and accountability structure

For the first time in 14 years, the G20 youth engagement group (Y20) closed its summit last week without issuing a communiqué — the set of recommendations that usually feeds into…

National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South.

G20 youth confront challenges of multilateral cooperation, national sovereignty

The Y20 summit revealed disparities in youth-driven calls for climate justice, inclusive growth and sovereignty between the Global South and North

Lessons learned: During the Covid-19 pandemic, Global South countries such as South Africa were the last to get vaccines, ventilators and personal protective equipment, with these items delivered to wealthier nations first and surplus vaccines left to expire. Photo: David Harrison

Reform legislation to boost the Pandemic Treaty

Business interests and intellectual property laws privilege the wealthy and leave the rest scrabbling for life-saving medicine

Going for gold: Salimah Valiani’s anthology of poetry iGoli eGoli is a socio-political examination of the city. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Johannesburg: A city laid bare in lines of poetry

Salimah Valiani’s beautiful, insightful anthology explores Johannesburg and its inhabitants

African societies are organised around the requirements of duty, while Western societies are organised around individual rights

African philosophy: The inclusiveness and limitations of the continent’s political thought

African societies are organised around the requirements of duty, while Western societies are organised around individual rights

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Localise global health to transform Africa’s healthcare systems

Locally-driven global health solutions work best and decisions need to be taken as close as possible to the people affected by the health problems

Brianna Fruean is a young Pioneering Climate campaigner from Samoa and a recipient of the 2022 Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award

Heed the youth on climate change

To force a climate breakthrough, leaders must listen to and promote the stories of young people

President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS)

‘South Africa will decline finance deal on energy if terms are bad’

Cyril Ramaphosa says the terms of $8.5-million climate finance offered to South Africa by wealthy countries are not yet set in stone

Pale males: Michael Bloomberg and other leaders attend the Climate Action Summit at the UN in 2019. (Ludovic Marin/AFP)

Most climate science is written by white men

In deciding how the world responds to the climate crisis, policymakers rely on research that tends to be written predominantly by men in the Global North

A new book has collected writing about the condition of living, yes, with a high crime rate, but also other, more pervasive existential urban stresses particular to the Global South   (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Journey through anxious Joburg

A new book has collected writing about the condition of living, yes, with a high crime rate, but also other, more pervasive existential urban stresses particular to the Global…

Africa does not lack ideals; it has proclaimed them often and well. What it now requires is discipline, execution and political courage on a continental scale. The most fitting tribute to the founders will not be remembrance. It will be readiness.

The foreign aid game is changing: these are the opportunities for Africa

A more explicit emphasis on the national interest may encourage donor countries to play ‘the long game’ in Africa

Covid patrol: Soldiers with a homeless person in Yeoville, Johannesburg. The military health services plan to reinforce, regroup and strengthen its medical capacity in the wake of Covid-19. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

What is this place?: The visual simulacrum of South Africa in the Covid-19 lockdown

Why is the visual depiction of this country in centre-left international online news publications so unrecognisable?

Since shops shut on March 26, the South African economy has taken a huge knock.(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Macroeconomic policy options beyond Covid-19 depression

Measures need to lay the foundations of a new economy and society post the pandemic

Supervisor Brighten Mashau pushes an ultraviolet (UV) pulse lights disinfecting robot at the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg.,  (Michele Spatari / AFP)

Eusebius McKaiser: Certain views about Covid-19’s global trajectory are anti-poor and anti-human

This is no time to snigger at the high rates of coronavirus in the Global North. We could be just as hard hit — and it is poor people who will suffer the most