South Africa’s Complex New Marijuana Laws Produce Hope, Fear and Confusion
The unclear nature of South Africa's new marijuana laws is creating confusion and operational hazards amongst a fast growing grey market.
Tag: south africa
🦄 Global
Fourteen South African Troops Killed as Congolese War Escalates
Durban, South Africa — Renewed fighting between rebels and government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu province has resulted in the deaths of 14 South African soldiers. The fallen troops were a part of two separate international “peacekeeping” missions aimed at…
🦄 Global
South Africa Becomes the First African Country to Partially Legalize Cannabis
Durban, South Africa — On May 28, 2024 South Africa made history by becoming the first African nation to formally legalize recreational cannabis drug use. The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill — otherwise abbreviated as “CfPPA” — was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa…
🦄 Global
South Africa’s Energy Crises Increasingly Target Poor Communities
Durban, South Africa — For nearly two decades, South Africa has been experiencing a steadily increasing number of pre-planned rolling blackouts. Known as “loadshedding” these pre-planned outages are intended to prevent the grid from completely blacking out due to the lack of sufficient generating capacity.…
🦄 Global
Historic South African Election Dethrones Ruling Party ANC
For the first time in its relatively short history, the Republic of South Africa is no longer a de facto one-party state. This coming after a heavily contested 2024 South African election held on May 29 that saw a larger number of voters turning against…
🦄 Global
Analysis: The Cause and Impact of South Africa’s ICJ Case Against Israel
South Africa made history by filing charges against Israel for "committing genocide in manifest violation of the Genocide Convention," at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). These charges were filed in response to Israel’s actions in the ongoing Israeli-Gaza war, which has so far killed over 35,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2-plus million residents.
🦄 Global
Kendrick Lamar in Africa – Big Stepper’s Heritage Plug
The following article is a cultural commentary on the music career of American rapper Kendrick Lamar, and how his tours of the African continent has influenced his music. The views and opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of Unicorn Riot.
Kendrick Lamar’s hip…
Zimbabwean Government Mounts Post-Election Propaganda Campaign
Emmerson Mnangangwa’s government has mounted propaganda in the Southern African Development Community in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s disputed August 23-24 elections.
![[Cover Photo] sourced via Creative Commons.](https://unicornriot.ninja/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Untitled-1.png)
Uganda’s Death Sentence on its LGBTI+ Communities
For the first time since 2005, a man may be sentenced to death in Uganda. Uganda has recently joined eleven other nations that retain the death penalty for same-sex relations. Despite some marked progress in Africa around its treatment of LGBTQ+ people over the past few decades, this is a staggering setback.
‘Makeba’ – A Viral TikTok Trend Pays Homage to Mama Africa
Whether you use TikTok or Instagram Reels, if you’ve been doom scrolling the last eight weeks, chances are you’ve heard the catchy “Can I get a ooh wee?” chorus of the song “Makeba,” a pop dance release by the French singer Jain. The meme, which…
#FeesMustFall – South Africa’s Student Movement for Free Education
Durban, South Africa – Beginning in October of 2015, South Africa’s #FeesMustFall movement has gone on to send shockwaves through a country struggling with the ever persistent issues of shrinking public budgets, mass unemployment and poverty. As a result, almost every year since, tens of…
South African Military to Guard Power Stations After Record Power Outages
Durban, South Africa – As the ongoing South African Energy Crisis enters its sixteenth straight year, continued substation breakdowns coupled by widespread sabotage and corruption at the nation’s virtual energy monopoly, ESKOM, has resulted in an unprecedented surge of rolling blackouts. As a result South…
Union Infighting Threatens to Derail South African Workers Movement
Durban, South Africa – On Tuesday, Nov. 22, three of South Africa’s largest trade union federations in the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) initiated a one-day…
South African Water and Electricity Supply Crises Grow After Deadly KZN Riots and Floods
As the global climate change steadily increases, so too have its negative effects on the overall health of the world’s living species and their environments. Global temperatures measured in the first-half of 2022 alone have only confirmed this pattern as this year is yet again…
South Africa Ranks as World’s Most Unequal Nation
Durban, South Africa – South Africa remains the most economically unequal nation on Earth, that is according to a recent report from the Washington D.C. based World Bank, an international financial institution which “provides loans and grants to the governments of low-and middle-income countries.”
Both…
The End of One Party Rule in South Africa: A Profile of South Africa’s Political Parties
Durban, South Africa – Since the early 1990s South Africa has undergone the process of deconstructing the racist segregationist legacy of Apartheid. It was at this time that the anti-apartheid movement, broadly represented by Nelson Mandela and his political party in the African National Congress…
Durban Warehouse Fire Leads to Chemical Leak and Criminal Investigation
On July 12, 2021, a warehouse owned by India-based agricultural chemical giant UPL Limited was set on fire near Durban, South Africa. The fire was allegedly started by arsonists, as part of a week-long insurrection which left hundreds of people dead, thousands arrested and billions…
Over 212 Dead and 3,400 Arrested as Protests Rock South Africa
Durban, South Africa – At least 212 people have been reported killed and some 3,400 arrested in what observers describe as the worst political violence South Africa has experienced since the early 1990s. The unrest began on Thursday, July 8 in response to former South…
🦄 Eco, Investigative
ESKOM and the South African Energy Crises
Durban, SA – Since 2007, South Africa has experienced innumerable rolling blackouts and power outages due to the South African Energy Crises. Recurring utility disruptions have had tremendous financial, social and political impact on a country struggling to find ways to keep up with ever-increasing…
South African Unions Form Alliance Against Government
Durban, South Africa – On October 7, 2020, South Africa’s four largest trade union confederations COSATU, SAFTU, FEDUSA, and NACTU organized a national one-day strike in response to ongoing, failed negotiations with the government. These rival union confederations have combined forces in an effort to…
South African Youth Rally as Gender-Based Violence Rises
Durban, South Africa – On Saturday, August 29, thousands of South Africans marched in opposition to rising rates of sexual and gender based violence (GBV). Protesters marched in at least four different cities including Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria.
Unicorn Riot was in Durban…
Coronavirus, Corruption, and Resistance: Life Under South Africa’s Lockdown
Durban, South Africa – Five months ago South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a national state of emergency and announced a “21 day lockdown” in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa. The lockdown’s time frame has since been extended multiple…
🦄 COVID-19
South Africa Under Lockdown as COVID–19 Spreads
Durban, Kawzulu-Natal, South Africa – On March 5, 2020, South Africa reported its first official case of coronavirus (COVID–19) in the Kwazulu-Natal province. Since then, the virus has expanded into all nine provinces, infecting at least 1,280 people and killing two.
On March 23, President…
🦄 Eco
Reclaiming Space in South Africa: I.D Green Camp Gallery
Durban, South Africa – As polar ice caps melt and forests burn there is much uncertainty about what the future holds for the human race. One organization’s response has been to launch a unique experiment unlike any other. In 2012 a man named Xolani Hlongwa…
South African Nazi Exposed In International Terror Training Network
Cape Town, South Africa – In information posted online today, antifascists in Eugene, Oregon claim to have identified a man named Francois Kemp as the South African point of contact for a shadowy fascist group called ‘The Base.’
Leaked records of organizing chats held by…
Far-Right Racists Push Fake South Africa ‘White Genocide’ Narrative
Pretoria, South Africa – The narrative of oppressed “white farmers” in South Africa, now being promoted by US President Trump, is a decades-old neo-Nazi and white supremacist talking point. In fact, current proponents of the South African ‘white genocide’ narrative lie at the intersection of…
International Report #6 – Deprogram Ep. 15
INTERNATIONAL REPORT #6 [Nigeria, South Africa, Taiwan, Philippines, Turkey, Burundi]:
https://vimeo.com/392641979
The Deprogram International Report is a breakdown of protests from across the globe in the last two weeks. By analyzing different struggles we can gain a better context for struggles here at home. We…