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Two important books about South African politics have just been published. One is the most comprehensive picture of the rot at the heart of the Zuma presidency, the second tells how corruption has become the oil that keeps the ruling African National Congress working. Anton Harber warns that it will take some courage to read them, but that it’s worth it.
People living in Cape Town are adjusting to an ongoing and serious drought. One of the most effective ways to save water is to create the impression that there’s a crisis. But, argues David Olivier, a number of myths are underpinning the sense of emergency that’s been created, blowing it out of proportion.
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Mike Hutchings/Reuters
Anton Harber, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa's perilous decline under Jacob Zuma's presidency is set out in two non-fiction books that provide unsettling, but essential reading.
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Environment + Energy
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David W. Olivier, University of the Witwatersrand
There are a number of myths surrounding Cape Town's drought, one of them being that the city saw the crisis coming but didn't prepare for it.
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Izael Pereira Da Silva, Strathmore University
Kenya's inadequate electricity supply is due to an over-reliance on hydropower, high energy and infrastructure costs.
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Education
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Sioux McKenna, Rhodes University
If there's a general sense that academic publication is about knowledge dissemination rather than meeting performance targets, academics and universities become less vulnerable to predatory journals.
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From our international editions
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Sascha Meinrath, Pennsylvania State University
With a year before Election Day 2018, election integrity depends on ensuring fairness and access for American voters. Foreign tampering is a real but less serious concern.
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Dr Peter Lehr, University of St Andrews
Ten years after the Saffron Revolution in Myanmar, some Theravāda Buddhist monks are now preaching violence against Muslim or Hindu minorities in the name of "holy war".
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Asa Oxner Myers, University of South Florida
It's hard but feasible to make a difference, as long as you work with the locals and don't become a 'disaster tourist.'
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