• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Reporting South Africa Reporting South Africa
Reporting South Africa Reporting South Africa
  • Featured News
  • Nation
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Environment
    • Education
  • Art & Culture
    • Food
    • Art
    • Music
    • Fashion
  • Religion
  • Health & Science
    • Public Health
  • Our Student Journalists
    • Spring 2020
      • Ainsley Ash
      • Ayinde Summey
      • Elizabeth Stricklin
      • Laura Peterjohn
      • Renny Simone
      • Skylar Thoma
    • Fall 2019
      • Maggie Connolly
      • Kimberly Wipfler
      • Jamaica Ponder
      • Claudia Stagoff-Belfort
    • Spring 2019
      • Desi LaPoole
      • Kamal Morgan
      • Luke Riley
    • Fall 2018
      • Corey D. Smith
      • Francine Barchett
      • Natalie Elliott
      • Saam Niami Jalinous
    • Spring 2018
      • Kamilah Tom
      • Rebecca Redelmeier
      • Serena Hawkey
        • How circus school saved me from drugs and gangs
      • Hannah Green
      • Madeline Harvey
      • Jacqueline Flynn
    • Fall 2017
      • Mandela Namaste
      • Olivia Decelles
      • Samuel Gohn
      • Aisha Hauser
      • Samantha Tafoya
    • Spring 2017
      • Emily Rizzo
      • Arin Kerstein
      • Alexa Cole
      • Sealy McMurrey
  • Alumni

Lizzie Stricklin

Coronavirus mutes Earth Day – but the celebrations go on

April 22, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: Planet Earth is celebrated in the fiftieth annual Earth Day celebrations. SOURCE: Orlando, Pixabay

As the world marked the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day today – the largest secular holiday celebrated internationally – people across the globe were forced to move events planned for the day to online platforms.

Efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic meant that many in-person celebrations were cancelled but many found alternative outlets.

https://twitter.com/EarthDayNetwork/status/1252982322460348421

The first Earth Day held in 1970 was the brainchild of a US senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, who proposed an environmental teach-in on college campuses that, under the direction of American activist Denis Hayes, evolved into the first Earth Day. Nelson’s proposal came at a time when the US  environmental movement was gaining traction over concerns about increasing air and land pollution, documented in books like Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. According to the Earth Day Network, the first Earth Day was celebrated by 20 million Americans in colleges and cities across the United States.

After 20 years of being a US-centred event, Earth Day festivities expanded internationally in 1990 to incorporate 141 countries. These festivities were organized by two groups, the Earth Day 20 Foundation and Earth Day 1990 to bring environmental issues to a global front.

Since the 1990s, Earth Day has expanded to become an internationally recognized holiday, with events spanning over 190 countries, organized by the Earth Day Network.

Take a look at how activists showed their commitment to environmental protection on the very first #EarthDay, 50 years ago today pic.twitter.com/GyDD9w2jll

— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) April 22, 2020

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is “climate action”, reflecting a surging global initiative to limit carbon emissions and combat the effects of the climate crisis. Global efforts to combat the climate crisis is just one of the ways in which the Earth of today is vastly different to what it was 50 years ago.

Despite the almost constant flow of negative news about the extent of human destruction of the earth, the Earth Day movement has had an impact – there have been many positive environmental changes since 1970.

Earth’s ozone layer helps protect our planet from the Sun’s harmful radiation. In the 1980s, scientists discovered a hole forming in the ozone layer over Antarctica, caused by the release of chemicals called CFCs from human activities. #EarthDayAtHomehttps://t.co/Gyl0jefPTu pic.twitter.com/uAqX9qBYVo

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 15, 2020

In 1974, just four years after the first Earth Day, American scientists reported that the ozone layer, which envelopes the planet and reflects harmful ultraviolet rays, was being depleted. Although the US government responded by banning chemicals from aerosol cans that contributed to this depletion in 1977, the problem persisted, building up to a hole in the ozone layer discovered in 1985. In 1987, however, the international community came together to sign the Montreal Protocol, phasing out production of substances responsible for ozone depletion. Since then, scientists have reported there is evidence that the ozone layer has begun healing itself.

Increased efforts to demarcate nature reserves have led to the protection of 15 percent of the world’s land and seven percent of the world’s oceans. Animals like elephants have also been protected since 1990, when the international trade of elephant ivory was banned.

In the United States, this is the first Earth Day in which wind power has outpaced coal-fired electricity. However, in the rest of the world, coal is still a primary energy source, especially in countries like China, India, and Indonesia.

“People need to see these [bleaching] events not as depressing bits of news that adds to other depressing bits of news. They are clear signals the Great Barrier Reef is calling for urgent help and for us to do everything we can.”https://t.co/qiGx1tqfae

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) April 9, 2020

At the same time, however, many new threats to the Earth have emerged since 1970. The Amazon rainforest faces the threat of becoming a non-forest ecosystem. Deforestation has already destroyed 17 percent of the rainforest. Similarly, the Great Barrier Reef faces the threat of coral bleaching from rising ocean temperatures, which killed at least 29 percent of the reef’s coral population in 2016 alone.

Nuclear accidents like the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 have resulted in mass radioactive pollution that will require decades of clean-up. Wildfires have ravaged Australia since June 2019, with air quality dropping to hazardous levels and millions of animals dying there. Global extinction rates are expected to rise to include as many as one million new plant and animal species, placing species like the honeybee, which is an integral part of the ecosystem, at risk.

You could be contributing to the extinction of bees without even knowing it — so @OfficialJLD joined us before the coronavirus lockdown to explain how you can take action #EarthDay

Get involved here: https://t.co/Golvdg8ZvI pic.twitter.com/86pYKqsm1e

— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) April 22, 2020

The world has been aware of the effects of climate change since 1988, when American climatologist James Hansen presented evidence of global warming to the United States Congress. Although 196 nations signed the Paris Climate Agreement on Earth Day in 2016, in which it was agreed that they would develop plans to limit carbon emissions, new reports have shown that the world is already experiencing many of the feared effects of the climate crisis.

The Earth Day Network has devoted a 24-hour cycle of virtual programming to addressing the climate crisis. It is encouraging participants to advocate for climate action by contacting their government representatives to demand action and speaking out on social media.

Environment

Here’s the Reason South Africa is Banning Alcohol and Tobacco

April 17, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Laura Peterjohn and Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN PHOTO: The sale of tobacco has been banned in South Africa as part of the lockdown measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. SOURCE: Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Lockdown in South Africa means no social gatherings, no travel, and no smoking or alcohol – much to the public’s disdain. But the science behind this decision suggests that alcohol and smoking not only help spread COVID-19, but weakens users’ immune systems.

The South African government banned the sale of alcohol and tobacco on March 27 as the state went into lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Although state officials have argued that the ban is a necessary precaution that has reportedly reduced crime, liquor license holders have stressed that the ban is causing undue economic hardship – even going so far as to threaten to take the government to court to force it to lift the ban on alcohol.

On Thursday the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, announced the ban on alcohol and tobacco sales would continue until the end of April, and that it would be expanded to also include the transportation of alcohol.

Although the ban has induced massive public outcry, medical and scientific studies support the government’s decision.

Links between COVID-19 and smoking – whether it’s tobacco, marijauna, or vaping

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, explains how smoking and drinking during the #COVID-19 pandemic could affect your health. pic.twitter.com/jzDhCGHNuA

— CBC Edmonton (@CBCEdmonton) April 17, 2020

Numerous studies have shown that smoking both tobacco and marijuana damages the lungs, which makes the possibility of contracting a respiratory illness like the novel coronavirus more dangerous. Although fewer studies have been conducted on the health risks of vaping, studies suggest it poses a similar threat to healthy lungs.

Smokers may also be more likely to touch their face in the process of smoking or spread the virus by coughing or exhaling, according to Dr. Jonathan Winickoff of Harvard Medical School.

“You bring this device or cigarette to your mouth to inhale and you do so repeatedly,” Winickoff told The New York Times. “You touch the cartridge. You put it next to your face. You are spreading whatever is in your hand into your body. At the same time, many of my patients who smoke or vape have increased coughing or expectorating. And that’s a recipe for increased spread.”

A recent study in the European Respiratory Journal expanded on this, and reported that smoking tobacco may increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 because it elevates levels of an enzyme that makes it easier for the virus to enter the smoker’s lungs. Smoking was even identified in a past study as a factor in patients who contracted another coronavirus, known as MERS, in 2012.

The medical (and social) harms of alcohol

Drinking alcohol can make the coronavirus worse, the WHO says in recommending restricting access https://t.co/3GttqQUNa4

— CNBC (@CNBC) April 15, 2020

When it comes to alcohol, South Africa’s ban on its transportation and sale is, in part, to limit social gatherings, enforcing policies of social distancing with the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. In doing so, the ban may also lower incidents of violence, freeing space in emergency rooms for those fighting the disease.

The UN has reported a spike in cases of domestic violence since the beginning of the month, calling it “horrifying global surge in domestic violence”. The ban on alcohol sales is hoped to tamper down those incidents as alcohol is considered to be a fuel, although the increased proximity to abusers in abusive relationships during a lockdown is recognised as a concern.

The consumption of alcohol is also known to weaken one’s immune system. The World Health Organization has stressed that alcohol limits the body’s ability to fight infectious diseases like COVID-19, and encouraged people to remain sober and “make decisions with a clear head”. Studies have also shown that individuals who consume alcohol are at a higher risk for developing pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, both of which are common complications in severe cases of COVID-19.

Aadielah Maker Diedericks, a coordinator for the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance, told Public Radio International that “the ban is for people’s own good.”

“Food security is going to become a big issue,” she added. “And if we have people spending the little resources they have currently on alcohol, the bigger issue is going to be hunger.”

Divided support

Despite the scientific and medical backing for South Africa’s bans, calls against it have won some traction. The Garden Route Municipality in the Western Cape lifted the ban on tobacco sales in grocery stores, reportedly to prevent illegal cigarette sales. The Office of the State Attorney will release an official decision on Friday in response to the Gauteng Liquor Forum’s petitions against the ban on alcohol.

South Africa’s tobacco industry has warned that the national lockdown regulations banning the sale of cigarettes could turn the country’s 11-million smokers into criminals. #growlocal #transformtobacco #LockDownSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/GrqHMeNzme

— SATobaccoAlliance (@TTASouthAfrica) March 29, 2020

Organizations like the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance have supported the ban, however, emphasizing, “It is critical for the government to ensure its efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 lockdown include those running liquor outlets, but without rescinding the ban.”

#Staysafe
We are very pleased about this decisive move by government.
Lockdown | Alcohol ban strengthened to prohibit its transport, cigarette ban remains https://t.co/9oWnIaAcNX (via )

— #PassLiquorBillsNow (@Saapa7) April 16, 2020

The Economic Freedom Fighters party also rejected calls to end the ban on alcohol, saying, “there is nothing essential about alcohol and it will only serve a destructive purpose in a time when we all need to practice maximum discipline and self-control.” This is in agreement with the African National Congress, which has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to deny the Gauteng Liquor Forum’s petitions and continue the ban on alcohol transportation and sales.

Elizabeth Stricklin

The blood of life: Culture of Zulu women showcased at Durban museum

April 17, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: Zulu storyboards in the Phansi Museum depict a girl’s transition into womanhood. SOURCE: Lizzie Stricklin

Deep in what was once a Durban home, in a cramped, shadowy room, lies a glass shelf dedicated to unodoli. These beaded figurines are shaped in the form of a young girl but lack eyes and a mouth, so as not to “replace [the work of] God.” Small enough to fit in a child’s hand, they resemble a colorful toy – but these are not dolls made for play.

“You don’t play with a blessing around,” said museum manager Phumzile Nkosi.

These Zulu fertility dolls, or unodoli, are given to girls as they enter puberty. SOURCE: Lizzie Stricklin

These are Zulu fertility dolls, passed from mother to daughter to mark the daughter’s first period and passage into womanhood. Later, these fertility dolls may be given to a man to mark an engagement, and one day would be passed down to the next daughter in a continuous cycle of growth and creation.

At the Phansi Museum in Durban, which specializes in art from the nations of southern Africa, curated Zulu artifacts like the unodoli are brought to life by stories from Zulu experts themselves.

As she gazed at the fertility dolls on the shelf above her, museum manager Phumzile Nkosi recounted how her mother, like most Zulu mothers, did not tell her about menstruation before her first period. When her first period arrived, she “screamed and screamed”, Nkosi said.

By contrast, Nkosi described how recently she was shocked to discover a sanitary pad in her young granddaughter’s school bag, and to realize that her granddaughter was unceremoniously approaching what would have been a momentous life event in Nkosi’s youth.

The life of Zulu women is showcased throughout the museum, in the art of painted storyboards and handcrafted utensils. On one mannequin, the role of the wife as the bearer of children is woven into every aspect of the outfit on display: from her embroidered apron, which one day would be transformed into a baby blanket, to her circular hat, woven from the hair of her family and children and permanently braided into her own.

A traditional woman’s outfit features an apron that would one day be transformed into a baby’s blanket. SOURCE: Lizzie Stricklin

Through creatively curated displays and intriguing guided tours, the Phansi Museum connects primary stories to visual art to bring Zulu culture to light.

For Nkosi, the museum has rejuvenated her personal connection to her culture.

 “The museum restored the health of my culture,” she said. “When we came to the township, we had to hide everything … but now I feel proud.”

Elizabeth Stricklin

Greenland ice sheet hits record melt rate in 2019

April 17, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: A new study published Wednesday revealed that Greenland’s ice sheet experienced record melting in 2019. SOURCE: Bernd Hildebrandt, Pixabay

Greenland’s ice sheet experienced record melting in 2019 due to “unprecedented atmospheric conditions” which meant that the earth absorbed more sunlight than usual, according to a new study published in The Cryosphere on Wednesday.

The study, conducted by Marco Tedesco of Columbia University and Xavier Fettweis of the University of Liège, revealed that surface melt in 2019 was the highest since 1948. Runoff in 2019 was also the second highest ever, only following that of 2012.

The researchers used regional climate model outputs and satellite data to compare ice melt in 2019 to that of the average ice melt from 1981 to 2010. Their research revealed that in 2019, up to 95.8% of the ice sheet underwent melting, compared to the average of 64.3% from 1981 to 2010.

“We’re destroying ice in decades that was built over thousands of years,” Tedesco told Reuters. “What we do here has huge implications for everywhere else in the world.”

Speaking to the Guardian, co-author Feittweis said, “This melt event is a good alarm signal that we urgently need to change our way of living to hold [back] global warming because it is likely that the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] projections could be too optimistic for [the] Arctic.”

MAR suggests that the 2019 surface mass balance is even the lowest from 1948 (start of the NCEP—NCARv1 reanalysis used as MAR forcing) https://t.co/fcAIKhdvjC

— Xavier Fettweis (@xavierfettweis) January 25, 2020

The authors attributed the unprecedented melting to persistent high pressure systems, which caused reduced cloudiness in the south, and thus less summer snowfall and less reflection of sunlight. Together, this meant the earth absorbed more sunlight than usual, increasing the rate at which the ice covering the land mass melted. Similar conditions also caused the big melt in 2012.

The researchers said that the effect of high pressure systems on Greenland’s melting is not adequately simulated in popular climate models. Most global climate models currently used by the scientific community to predict Greenland’s current and future ice loss underestimate the magnitude of Greenland’s warming since the mid-1990s.

The authors hope their work will assist with better estimates of Greenland’s current and future contributions to sea level rise. This may have been under-reported in current climate datasets.

Featured

Future of education in flux as SA schools remain closed

April 15, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: South African schools remain closed as the nation’s lockdown continues until the end of April. SOURCE: Henk Pijper, Pixabay

With the South African government having extended the country’s lockdown until the end of April, concerns are rising about whether the school year can still be completed on time.

The concern is being raised especially because so many students lack the technology to work remotely and because a number of school buildings have been damaged and vandalised.

Since the nationwide lockdown began on March 18, 183 schools across the country have been vandalised,the Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga revealed this week. . This includes 55 schools in Gauteng Province, 72 schools in Mpumalanga, seven schools in North West and three schools in KwaZulu-Natal.

Bambazi High School in Bergville, KZN, on fire earlier this evening. So many schools destroyed during this lockdown. It’s going to be tough….@DBE_KZN @DBE_SA pic.twitter.com/9iIq9et1cb

— Elijah Mhlanga (@ElijahMhlanga) April 8, 2020

In a letter to the nation released on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa denounced these acts of violence as “despicable”.

“It is a great indictment of our society that dozens of schools have been burgled, trashed or burnt to the ground,” he wrote. “When the lockdown is lifted and learning resumes, thousands of our children will have no school to return to, depriving them of the right to education.”

Even for students whose school buildings remain untouched, difficulties stand in the way of completing the school year as planned. According to StatsSA’s 2016 report, only 9.5 percent of households have internet access, and more than half of those surveyed primarily use their mobile phones to access the internet.

In an editorial for the DispatchLIVE, former DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education Wilmot James argued that switching to online schooling would therefore prove difficult for most South African students. Instead, he wrote that students in poorer areas and informal settlements should be provided with “software-ready tablets for online education”.

The government is reportedly considering efforts to try to “save” the school year, according to Sunday Times. Possibilities include earlier starts to the school day, evening and weekend classes, scrapping ‘nonessential’ parts of the curriculum in certain subjects, and scrapping the June and September school holidays.

According to Department of Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga, a committee will be deciding whether students in grades 1 to 12 will still need to write their end-of-year exams.

Plans for future school years have also been put on hold. The South African government announced on April 4 that applications for the 2021 school year have been indefinitely suspended.

In addition, the South African government has been broadcasting educational material on SABC, according to Business Tech. These broadcasts started on April 9 and have been meant to support curriculums for grades 10 to 12 and Early Childhood Development.

However, some of the broadcasts have been criticized by viewers, especially for the decision to include some celebrities in educational broadcasts. The hashtag #CelebritiesAreNotTeachers has been gaining traction across social media.

The broadcast featuring socialite Mohale Motaung-Mhlongo, which aired on April 1, has been especially ripped apart. In the broadcast, Motaung-Mhlongo said that acronyms and abbreviations are “short words that are used to modify our nouns”, and that in the sentence, “I’m sitting quickly”, “quickly” is an adjective that describes the “noun”, “sitting”. The link to the lesson has been removed from his Instagram account.

#Mohale has undone all the hardwork qualified teachers have done for 10yrs. After 10yrs of schooling Grade 11 learners are taught "Sitting" is a noun. Mohale should stick to getting married every fortnight hey!!#CelebritiesAreNotTeachers pic.twitter.com/bPGxvvii3o

— Bra Hloni (@BraHlonisky) April 14, 2020

As schools have closed, so too has a regular source of food for many students. Several organisations, including Equal Education, the Children’s Institute and the Equal Education Law Centre, have penned a letter to request Motshekga to reopen the national school feeding program despite the closure of schools.

“With the president announcing the extension of the lockdown until the end of April, a pressing need is ensuring that learners have continued access to critical nutrition provisioning,” the letter said. “Nine-million children ordinarily benefit from the scheme. For many of these learners, the meal received at schools is often the only meal in the day.”

Groendal Primary School shows South Africa how it’s done.
Yesterday the school feeding scheme was relaunched and children arrived early. Strict measures and social distancing were in place and the first hand washing system used at a school in Franschhoek was installed. pic.twitter.com/zPJV4pxyCJ

— Jeremy Astfalck (@JeremyAstfalck) April 9, 2020

The letter also added that the use of food vouchers should be considered in places where school-based feeding programmes are not available.

Elizabeth Stricklin

To Share His Voice, Bocelli Goes Online

April 10, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: Opera singer Andrea Bocelli will be performing at the Milan Cathedral in a virtual concert on Sunday. Source: Shen Xin, Pixabay

Andrea Bocelli will stand alone before the towering pillars of the Milan Cathedral. The room will be silent, although thousands of fans will be listening closely, awaiting his opening breath as he begins  a rousing rendition of “Ave Maria”.

His voice will fill the empty chapel. No applause will be heard – for his audience will be miles away, possibly halfway across the world, listening with awe through the connective power of the internet.

This may be the future of musical performances – at least until the world has emerged from its coronavirus restrictions.

On Sunday,  the renowned Italian opera singer will be streaming a live Easter concert from the Duomo that people across the world can watch. His virtual concert is just one of many examples of how people around the world are taking to digital platforms to share events and music to cope with difficult times.

Superstar tenor Andrea Bocelli will live stream an Easter Sunday concert — from the empty halls of one of the world's most famous churches. https://t.co/6mvcRhHNJm

— NPR (@NPR) April 8, 2020

The Easter concert, entitled “Music for Hope”, will be viewable on Bocelli’s YouTube channel at 7pmlocal time (Central European Standard Time), and will feature pieces like Mascagni’s “Sancta Maria” and an arrangement of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace”.

“It’s not a performance. It’s not a concert. It’s only a prayer,” Bocelli told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

He added, “I will go there to pray, and I’d like to think that everyone listening to me sing can pray with me.”

Bocelli’s virtual concert will follow Pope Francis’s virtual Easter mass, which will also be livestreamed around the world. This  will start at 10:55am CEST.

Bocelli’s use of the internet to share his performance is a practice being picked up by many artists, both professional and amateur, around the world. Musical livestreams, artistic tutorial videos, and social media challenges have encouraged people to find new creative outlets as they are distanced from their normal work and social lives.

Opera fans can continue their at-home viewing with nightly streams from the Metropolitan Opera. This weekend, viewers can enjoy free filmed productions of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.

Fans of pop, rock, and EDM may have been disappointed by the postponement of the American music festival, Coachella, until October. To fill the void, YouTube will be releasing the documentary “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert”, which explores the history of the music festival, today.

https://twitter.com/coachella/status/1248431030865780736

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles will also be bringing musical artists directly to their audiences via the internet. The museum is releasing digital content from its archives, including exclusive sit-down interviews with musical artists, from Andrea Bocelli himself to Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter. Virtual exhibitions are also being released online, with slideshows from past exhibitions featured in the museum.

One group of amateur performers that utilized the internet to spread their voices is the Roedean School choir from Johannesburg. The girls’ boarding school produced a virtual choir that performed “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen as “a timely reminder that we are indeed #TogetherApart”.

Unlikely performers have appeared on the internet as well. On Thursday, the Cape Town Stormers rugby team released a video they had recorded a few days before lockdown started. The men came together in their  team kit, not to compete but to perform with various South African celebrities, including Francois van Coke and Amy Tjasink, singing “The Crossing” by Johnny Clegg.

“The song was chosen by team management as Johnny Clegg was a nation-builder who crossed over different communities — much like the Springboks did by winning the Rugby World Cup in 2019,” the Stormers said in a press release. “Their goal in the Stormers’ 2020 Super Rugby campaign was to build on that concept of unity and ‘The Crossing’ epitomised that spirit of uniting people and moving forward to a new world.”

Elizabeth Stricklin

Tropical Cyclone Harold rips through Pacific islands

April 8, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN IMAGE: NASA satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Harold over Solomon Islands on Friday.

A Level 5 Cyclone, dubbed Tropical Cyclone Harold, has ploughed its way through several Pacific archipelagos since Monday, leaving a swathe of destruction across impoverished island nations already girded against the global coronavirus pandemic.

The storm is now headed for the Tonga archipelago.

The cyclone formed on April 1 between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. According to Reuters, the cyclone hit Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as a Category 5 hurricane, but was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane before hitting Fiji.

🚨Happening now 🚨 Tropical cyclone Harold is hitting Northern Vanuatu hard.

Red Cross teams are working around the clock supporting their communities by helping people evacuate, undertaking assessments and sharing life-saving info.

📹 @vanuaturedcross #TCHarold pic.twitter.com/t1vsIsbkue

— IFRC (@ifrc) April 6, 2020

Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga are three of the 17 countries that had reported no coronavirus cases by this week, but had instituted preemptive travel restrictions to combat the global pandemic. With these restrictions in place, it is unclear whether the affected island nations will be able to receive international aid.

The cyclone took its first casualties off of the Solomon Islands early Friday, when 27 people were swept off a ferry into the ocean as the cyclone passed by. As of Monday, police had recovered just five bodies, according to The Independent website. Flooding and downed trees were also reported as the cyclone ravaged the archipelago.

Tropical Cyclone Harold made landfall on Vanuatu on Monday, destroying buildings and flooding streets. The island nation had been under a state of emergency since March 26 in response to the coronavirus, but officials relaxed social distancing regulations in preparation for the cyclone’s landfall, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

First photos of the destruction caused by of #TCHarold VANUATU are beginning to come in

Heartbreaking.

I join my colleagues at @UN in NY in calling for solidarity; speedy mobilization of support @UNOHRLLS @PSIDSnyc @RRegenvanu tks Pax Keo and @burebasgal pic.twitter.com/Xcrn7ItE8p

— Satyendra Prasad (@sprasadfj) April 8, 2020

Vanuatu officials have now revoked the nation’s domestic travel ban to enable relief efforts to reach some of the archipelago’s islands. New Zealand has allocated some resources to help Vanuatu and the foreign minister has announced that more will be available should Vanuatu request it.

According to the Daily Maverick, the cyclone reached Fiji on Wednesday, tearing through the capital city of Suva and destroying at least 10 buildings and flooding streets.

Not too long ago around our cafe in Ba @MaiLifeMagazine #TCHarold #fiji pic.twitter.com/4b97XTvz2U

— Lisi Naziah Tora Ali-Roy (@Alinaziah) April 7, 2020

Emergency officials have been scrambling to establish telecommunications connections between the archipelago’s islands, as the storm has cut off islands like Kapavu, according to the Daily Maverick.

The capital city of Suva has been under lockdown since Friday, with the country’s total reported coronavirus cases hitting 15 on Wednesday. Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama urged citizens to stay indoors unless ordered to evacuate, according to Reuters.

The Weather Channel predicts Tropical Cyclone Harold will continue on its trajectory toward Tonga, hitting the archipelago by Thursday.

Environment

Coronavirus cases pass one million, but virus-free pockets remain

April 4, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

MAIN PHOTO: Samoa is one of the few nations that has not reported any coronavirus cases. SOURCE: Simon Steinberger, Pixabay

Global COVID-19 cases have exceeded one million, global news outlets reported yesterday.

According to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University, cases have been confirmed in more than 180 countries and territories, with the United States containing the most confirmed cases at 243,453 and Italy following with 115,242 confirmed cases. There have been over 50,000 confirmed global deaths due to COVID-19, according to the John Hopkins data.

Only 18 countries have not yet confirmed any cases of the virus: Comoros, Kiribati, Lesotho, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, North Korea, Palau, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Yemen.

Four African countries; Comoros Islands, Lesotho, South Sudan, and Sao Tome and Principe (and the territory/nation of Western Sahara), are among only the 19 in the world that are still coronavirus free.
📸Moroni, capital of Comoros. pic.twitter.com/Rb8L3wCB8O

— Charles Onyango-Obbo (@cobbo3) April 3, 2020

The majority of these countries are small Pacific island nations, including Kiribati and Nauru. One similarity is that none of the reportedly virus-free nations are tourist hotspots, with seven of the world’s ten least-visited places on the list.

Despite having no confirmed cases, these nations all took precautions to limit internal spread of the virus. Lesotho has been under lockdown since March 13, when it was the first African nation to close its borders. South Sudan, Samoa and Tonga have also been under lockdown since late March. Island nations like São Tomé and Príncipe, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu have declared states of emergency and limited or suspended international travel.

#Pacific countries are stepping up preparedness to ensure they’re ready for #COVID19, working w/ @WHO @MFATgovNZ @dfat @UNICEF @spc_cps.
Equipment to protect health workers (masks, gloves, gowns) sent by WHO has arrived in #Kiribati & #Tonga.#coronavirushttps://t.co/0MHNV9iV5N pic.twitter.com/331tsvb9yV

— World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) February 25, 2020

However, some experts believe that the lack of confirmed cases in some of these countries may be because of lack of sufficient reporting. Reuters reported that North Korea has requested foreign aid and supplies like masks and test machines to help fight the virus, despite denying any cases. Various other sources have alleged varying numbers of cases and casualties in North Korea, but the country has not officially reported any COVID-19 cases.

Reportage of the extent of the virus is constrained in countries like Turkmenistan as well, where zero cases have been reported but the word “coronavirus” has been removed from official informational brochures, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Turkmenistan will reportedly arrest you for saying the word "coronavirus" https://t.co/aCAGiQs15K pic.twitter.com/i2YnisWZ3G

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 1, 2020

According to coverage by the BBC, health experts like Peter MacPherson of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Andy Tatem of University of Southampton predict COVID-19 will eventually infect every country, but suggest that small Pacific island nations may hold out the longest due to their natural isolation.

Elizabeth Stricklin

Warnings as Victoria Falls thunders again

April 3, 2020 By Lizzie Stricklin

By Lizzie Stricklin

Victoria Falls is thundering again after a deluge of rainfall increased Zambezi River flows this week, prompting a deluge of beautiful photographs – but also public concern about the stability of the Kariba Dam downriver.

The Beauty of Africa. Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe this week. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/SpjvllX7qC

— Sophie Mokoena (@Sophie_Mokoena) April 1, 2020

Images of a surging waterfall posted to social media sites by photographers show the waterfall traditionally known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, or “the smoke that thunders”, living up to its name for the first time in years after an extended drought that had reduced the African landmark to a shallow stream.

The Zambezi River Authority, a corporation that oversees the maintenance of dams on the Zambezi River, reported last week that the Zambezi River flows recorded at Victoria Falls were 54% above the long-term average.

The surge in water is expected to continue, as upstream Zambezi River flows recorded in Chavuma, Zambia, were 523% above flows recorded in 2019, the Zambezi River Authority reported. These are the highest flows reported in the past 20 years, indicating that Victoria Falls will soon experience a further surge in flows as the water moves downstream.

The revival of one of Zambia and Zimbabwe’s major tourist drawcards comes only a few days after the two governments announced Victoria Falls would be closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak. On the Zimbabwean side, tourist bookings in the area had already fallen by 50% before the lockdown as the government’s earlier Covid-19 restriction that all incoming tourists present a ‘health certificate’ prompted many cancellations.

Victoria Falls has recorded its highest water flow in 3 years – 97cm higher than last year! 💦

📷 IG/lenusikpetrusik #EveryoneFallsForZambia pic.twitter.com/xmmBso0m6v

— Zambia Tourism UK (@zambiatourismuk) April 1, 2020

Energy and environmental experts have expressed concern about the structural integrity of the Kariba Dam, which lies downriver from Victoria Falls and will take on the surging flow in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/RangaMberi/status/1174619378068983808

The Kariba Dam has been undergoing repairs since 2015, in the wake of concerns that its retaining wall could collapse. A 2014 report on the damn’s possible collapse by the Institute of Risk Management of South Africa warned that 181 billion cubic metres of water could be released if the dam wall failed. It would take eight hours for a wall of water to reach and destroy the Cahora Bassa dam in central Mozambique. It was estimated at the time that the lives of 3.5 million people would be at risk and some 30 million others would suffer severe economic impact.

Repair work, according to the World Bank, has included reshaping the plunge pool to limit erosion and renovating spillway infrastructure. According to The Herald, repairing the spillway is especially important because it allows water to be released from Lake Kariba if water levels are too high. Without repair, the sluice gates may jam and cause the dam to overflow, putting downstream communities at risk, The Herald reported.

According to the ZRA, repairs to the plunge pool and spillway are not expected to be complete until 2023 and 2025, respectively. The authority has not commented on whether the dam will be able to withstand the increased river flows. The Kariba Dam provides electricity for both Zambia and Zimbabwe, but its inflow in the past year was below average, the Zambezi River Authority reported. This lack of water has been one of the causes of load shedding and electricity shortages in both countries.

Environment

Primary Sidebar

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo of the Day, 14 February 2020

The Mzamba bridge hangs across Mzamba river in the Eastern Cape. Completed in 2015, the … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 14 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

This painting of a black woman in an upscale restaurant in Durban's Florida Rd shows the stark … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

An inspirational poster of Nelson Mandela sits alongside two Bibles in the entrance of the iCare … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 12 February 2020

A pile of quarried lime in one of multiple informal markets located at Warwick Junction, Durban, … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 12 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 11 February 2020

Buses arrive at the transportation port near Warwick Juncture. Commuters arriving at this bus and … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 11 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 10 February 2020

Traders have their wares on display at the Warwick Junction Markets. With thousands of informal … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 10 February 2020

The Program

Reporting South Africa is produced by US college and university students on an SIT Study Abroad program called “South Africa: Social and Political Transformation”. They are mentored by veteran journalists in a program applying technology and global consciousness to produce high-impact journalism on vital social issues.

Reporting South Africa strives to be a reliable resource for news and information about South Africa.

Learn More

SIT Logo

A pioneer in experiential, field-based study abroad, SIT (founded as the School for International Training) provides more than 60 semester and summer programs for undergraduate students in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations.

South Africa: Social and Political Transformation is a program of SIT Study Abroad.

FOLLOW REPORTING SOUTH AFRICA

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • The World Learning Inc. Family:
  • experiment.org
  • https://studyabroad.sit.edu
  • worldlearning.org

Footer

  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Apply
  • Alumni
  • Alumni Connect
  • Give
  • Media Center
  • Request Info
  • SIT Stories
  • School for International Training

    1 Kipling Road • Brattleboro, VT 05302 • 802 257-7751 • 800 257-7751 (toll-free in the US)
    SIT is a private nonprofit institution of higher education.

  • Explore SIT Graduate Institute

    © Copyright World Learning, Inc.