Development

Ezemvelo Says No to Coal Mining

Monday 5 October, 2015 - 14:44

Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife has come out strongly against coal mining on the borderline of its flagship Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve, warning that the proposed mine would ‘destroy’ large sections of Africa’s oldest game reserve and wilderness area.

Noting that it had a legal duty and mandate to protect and conserve the biological environment of the province, Ezemvelo says it could not ‘wilfully sacrifice’ a reserve dating from 1895, or attempt to create a new wilderness area somewhere else in the province to replace it.

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SA Poor in Maths and Science, WEF Report

Monday 5 October, 2015 - 13:32

South Africa is almost dead last among 140 countries in terms of its maths and science education, according to this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness report.

Last year's report also put the country last out of 148 countries and the report for 2015/16 painted a dismal picture, with South Africa placed at 138 out of 140 countries.

The only two countries ranked lower were Egypt and Paraguay and in terms of Internet access in schools, South Africa was 119 out of 140.

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Youth Critical in Achieving SDGs

Tuesday 29 September, 2015 - 12:55

Shingai Nyoka says that new development targets – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - will be set at the United Nations General Assembly underway in New York.

As heads of states sign off on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations (UN) says an investment of US$3 trillion will be needed to successfully implement the SDGs over the next 15 years.

Meanwhile, UN resident coordinator, Bishow Parajuli, has warned Zimbabwe that the SDGs will not be met from the national budget and development aid alone.

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Chulu: Lessons Learned from MDG Era

Tuesday 29 September, 2015 - 12:51

As the global community prepares to embrace a new global development framework christened the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is vital that lessons be drawn from the shortcomings of the predecessor framework, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which is coming to a close at the end of this year.

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SA Criticises Slow UNSC Reform

Tuesday 29 September, 2015 - 12:45

The South African government believes strongly that the forced migration the world is witnessing from North Africa to Europe is directly linked to the unreformed global multilateral system.

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Farmers Agree to Share Farms With Workers

Tuesday 29 September, 2015 - 12:43

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister, Senzeni Zokwana, says after heated debates, there's now a buy in from farmers in the proposal that they share their farms with workers.

Speaking during a discussion on the African National Congress’ Rural Development and Land Reform discussion document, Zokwana says farmers have come up with their own proposals that they believe will work.

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UN Lights Up to Promote SDGs

Tuesday 29 September, 2015 - 12:36

As part of a comprehensive communications strategy, the United Nations (UN) has featured massive scale audio-visual projections on the façade of its Headquarters building in New York to raise awareness about the new Sustainable Development Goals.

Ahead of the adoption of those 17 goals, the UN has sought to promote its 70th anniversary with a visual display it hopes will create buzz and momentum for the post-2015 agenda.

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Black Rural Women: Carrying the Burden of the Gold Mining Industry’s Neglect

Wednesday 23 September, 2015 - 10:18

The mining industry contributes significantly to the hardship experienced by black women in rural areas of South Africa. For decades, mining houses have drawn in young black men for labour, only for many to return home sick, with little to show for years spent toiling underground. Those who have contracted the preventable but incurable lung disease, silicosis, come home to die a slow and painful death. It is then the women in rural communities who are left to provide support and care under the most adverse conditions.

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Lack of Opportunities Blamed for Unemployment

Tuesday 22 September, 2015 - 12:26

Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, says while unemployment in South Africa is exacerbated by a lack of appropriate skills‚ it is also compounded by the shortage of suitable post-school education opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion of the release of the government’s Development Indicators 2014 report, Radebe pointed out that the indicators reflect that one in four working age adults actively seeking employment remained unemployed during the period under review.

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Carbon Pricing Schemes Doubles

Tuesday 22 September, 2015 - 9:50

The World Bank has previously said there is strong support from countries and businesses worldwide for carbon pricing schemes to cut greenhouse emissions.

The bank says that the number of carbon pricing schemes worldwide has almost doubled since 2012 but most taxes or markets have prices too low to prevent damaging global warming.