Category: The Outlier
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Not all fun and games: Online sports betting boosts gambling revenues to record highs
South Africa’s gambling industry generated R47.2-billion in revenue in the last financial year, the highest amount ever recorded. This record growth is being driven largely by online betting, which accounted for more than half the revenue, according to the National Gambling Board’s most recent annual report. South Africans placed R418-billion worth of bets last year,…
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Of the 65 Nobel prizes women have won, half were awarded in past 20 years
Since 1901, only 65 prizes have been awarded to women, 6.5% of the 1,000 awarded in total. In 2023, four of the 11 winners were women, making it one of the best years for women in history of the Nobel prize. The peace prize has been awarded to 19 women, three of them Africans: Kenyan…
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Keeping the lights on: Eskom’s capacity to generate power breaches 70%
Eskom is finally making headway in keeping the country’s lights on. A key improvement has been an uptick in the energy availability factor (EAF), the average percentage of Eskom’s installed capacity that is in working order and ready to run if needed. In the last week of July, Eskom power stations had an EAF of…
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Despite progress, problems remain: 287 schools in SA have pit toilets, three out of four do not have libraries
Despite the progress that has been made to improve South Africa’s public schools in the past decade, significant challenges remain, according to a new report released by the department of basic education. The department monitors infrastructural shortages or backlogs at schools through the Education Facility Management System. Its latest report, released in July 2024, shows…
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Famine looms in Southern Africa: El Niño-driven drought has caused maize shortages
In Southern Africa, maize makes up about 20% of the average diet, consumed as pap, sadza and nshima. The recent decline in production across the region because of the dry and hot weather caused by El Niño is having devastating implications for the people who live in the region. Three countries have already declared a…
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How South Africans are changing their banking habits
South Africans are moving away from traditional banking halls and physical cards to banking on smart devices and cellphones. Standard Bank clients spent R9.3-billion using digital wallets in the past year. It sounds incredible, until you compare it with FNB clients, who spent R31-billion using their smart devices in the six months between July and…