Editor's note

Burundi has voted on whether to extend presidential terms from five years to seven. The referendum is part of a worrying trend in Africa, warn Cheryl Hendricks and Gabriel Ngah Kiven, as leaders increasingly opt to simply ignore term limits, or try and get them changed. And Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs, Angela Muvumba Sellström and Jesper Bjarnesen explain why the Burundi vote is a serious threat to the country’s democracy.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is putting a great deal of effort into rebuilding South Africa’s economy. But he faces a challenge on an external front: the country’s relations with the US are showing signs of strain. John J. Stremlau doesn’t expect this to change any time soon, but believes South Africa should find clever ways of managing the situation. Closer to home, the country’s new president is trying to deal with a regional strongman. Steven Friedman explains what lies behind the impasse.

Natasha Joseph

Science & Technology Editor

Top Stories

Democracy in peril: Burundi's referendum will cement Nkurunziza's grip on power

Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs, Uppsala University; Angela Muvumba Sellström, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (FMSH) – USPC; Jesper Bjarnesen, Nordic Institute Africa

If the referendum goes President Pierre Nkrunziza's way, it will also be a further blow to ordinary Burundians, who live in a state of hardship and adversity.

Presidential term limits: slippery slope back to authoritarianism in Africa

Cheryl Hendricks, University of Johannesburg; Gabriel Ngah Kiven, University of Johannesburg

More leaders in more African countries will abolish term limits unless organisations like the African Union take action.

South Africa needs to box clever in its David versus Goliath duel with Trump

John J Stremlau, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa's relations with the US could sour under President Trump.

How a deal with provincial strongmen is haunting South Africa's ruling party

Steven Friedman, University of Johannesburg

The chaos visiting South Africa's North-West province shows that ordinary people in rural areas have got a raw deal from ruling party.

Environment + Energy

Why merely owning land isn't enough to empower Africa's women farmers

Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, Lund University

We found that even when women own land, their husbands are still perceived as household heads.

Banning charcoal isn't the way to go. Kenya should make it sustainable

Mary Njenga, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

There are some big misconceptions about the charcoal sector and its role in environmental damage

How planting trees can protect cocoa plants against climate change

Philippe Vaast, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Shade trees buffer cocoa plants from heat and water stresses, and create conditions that benefit their growth.

Why nuclear power for African countries doesn't make sense

Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg

Are there cheaper alternatives to nuclear power to alleviate energy shortages in Africa?

Politics + Society

South Africa is learning the ropes of coalition politics -- and its inherent instability

Richard Calland, University of Cape Town; Mike Law, University of Cape Town

South African parties are recognising that coalition politics is now part of the political landscape and is here to stay.

Why economic questions are key to Africa's media freedom debate

Herman Wasserman, University of Cape Town

The sustainability of the news media is a precondition for good journalism in the public interest. Thus, economic questions should form part of discussions of press freedom.

Growing Western Cape protests show citizens expect greater accountability

Benjamin Roberts, Human Sciences Research Council; Jare Struwig, Human Sciences Research Council; Narnia Bohler-Muller, University of Fort Hare; Steven Gordon, Human Sciences Research Council; Yul Derek Davids, Human Sciences Research Council

Governing parties and officials need to take note of the frustration being expressed by ordinary South Africans.

Why Addis Ababa shouldn't criminalise children who beg on its streets

Tatek Abebe, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

As Addis Ababa develops into a modern city, beggars are increasingly being treated like public nuisances and criminals.

Health + Medicine

Ebola virus response: experiences and lessons from Sierra Leone

Eric Osoro, Washington State University

The power to overcoming Ebola was in public awareness by performing simple yet basic infection prevention and control measures like washing hands, isolation and reporting suspected cases.

Providing healthcare to men who have sex with men is complex but possible

Kate Rees, University of Cape Town; Remco Peters, University of Pretoria

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa men who have sex with men encounter stigma and prejudice when accessing health services.

Education

It's time to rethink what's meant by "mother tongue" education

Lara-Stephanie Krause, University of Cape Town

It's not far-fetched to suspect that the common understanding of the idea of "mother tongues" in South Africa is coloured by outside influences.

South Africa's reading crisis: focus on the root cause, not the peripherals

Ingrid Willenberg, Australian Catholic University

Initiatives to tackle South Africa's reading crisis must take the country's realities into account.

Business + Economy

Arts + Culture

Science + Technology

  • How collaboration can help grow and transform agriculture in Africa

    Daniel Rodriguez, The University of Queensland; John Dixon, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Mulugetta Mekuria, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

    Africa's declaration to boost agriculture on the continent has seem some progress but a lot still needs to be done.