South Africa, like many of its peers in the Global South, is awash in digital optimism. Coding bootcamps for youth, broadband projects spanning provinces, and classrooms equipped with sleek tablets.

A friend of mine, a young mother, vented her frustration on Facebook. “In today’s day and age it’s not hard to spend a bit of time looking at the sources,” she wrote. That sounds plausible — until you ...

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 29: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent gives remarks during a roundtable meeting at the U.S. Treasury Department on May 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. Bessent addressed ...