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Ugandan entrepreneurs Sandra Namboozo (26) and Samuel Muyita (28) have scooped both the People’s Choice and Community Healers awards at the prestigious 2025 Young Inventors Prize, organised by the European Patent Office (EPO). The duo was recognised for their groundbreaking innovation, Karpolax—a biodegradable sachet that preserves fruit freshness without refrigeration. The invention impressed both the public and an independent jury. The sachet, placed inside fruit packaging, emits a blend of plant-based volatile organic compounds derived from cloves, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and wintergreen. These compounds suppress ethylene emissions to slow ripening and protect against mould, fungi, and bacteria.

In pilot trials conducted with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Karpolax extended the shelf life of mangoes from 11 to 33 days. The technology has also been tested successfully on bananas, apples, and oranges.

The innovation offers a critical solution for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, where cold storage facilities are often unavailable or unaffordable.

Since its launch in 2020, Karpolax has supported over 100 farmers, 20 exporters, and 250 vendors, helping prevent the spoilage of more than one million tonnes of fruit. The sachets are now being adapted for use with pineapples, capsicum, and berries.

“One sachet can preserve a five-kilogram box of fruit for up to 30 days, after which its active ingredients are used up,” Namboozo explained.

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A photo album from Gauteng, South Africa. ©Lesego Seshabela

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south african gothic

it is loadshedding. the power was supposed to come back on two hours ago. it is loadshedding. your device is on 2%. it is loadshedding.

you want to go to campus. you cannot go, you are told, because there are protests. what are the protests about? you ask. no-one will tell you. you cannot go to campus.

you are walking in the centre of town. a homeless person asks you for help. you buy them a loaf of bread. after thanking you they tell you not to walk alone in this area again. it's too dangerous, they say.

you are sick. you go to a government hospital. you fight to the front of a queue. you are directed to a corridor that doesn't exist. they cannot find your file. you do not exist either, they tell you.

you are waiting for a train. you are going to be late. you are waiting for a train. this appointment is important. you ask the station assistant about the train. there is no train. there have never been trains here.

you are driving on the highway. you look to your left. you see the start of a huge suburb. there are large houses, swimming pools, and cars. you look to your right. there are shacks crammed together.

there's going to be a drought next year. maybe this time we'll actually run out of water.

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recently got a chance to watch this at Center For Less Good Ideas, it was really really good. its currently showing on Mubi (i think), if you get a chance please watch it.

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kind of amazing how three of the five languages in the South African national anthem are click languages, but those verses are composed entirely of words without clicks

and yet some people still insist they "can't pronounce those parts" and refuse to sing it. absolute disgrace if you ask me

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Re: favourite music

Yayy a chance to spread the word about this band!

Shameless Band SA - 4x4 and Nakhu Ses’Fika

oh this is awesome

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Local Public Library Port Elizabeth South Africa.I used to go here alot as a kid but it's changed as it's a tourist destination rather than an actual library.

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KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

And just sometimes, my reality has mornings and daylight. It’s filled with fallen leaves, purple mist, endless pink grass, tea, long walks, books, imaginary worlds and gentle love. The world is what you make of it.

By: Elsa Bleda

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Johannesburg, South Africa

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Parkview, Johannesburg, South Africa | traveltrotters_za

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Also the department of education of South Africa has been drafting a plan to introduce unisex toilets and uniforms, the banning of deadnaming and the stopping of segregating boys from girls. This is like... insanely progressive and the fact that it's even being considered is like... fucking amazing when the USA and UK are currently backsliding into trans panic.

The reactionaries of South Africa have ofc took issue with this claiming that GBV and rape will increase (you know the usual bs) but like that's to be expected from white nationalists and Christian fundamentalists. Here's an article on it that isn't insane:

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Recipe #1 - Vetkoek

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour

Sprinkle of salt

Tablespoon of sugar

1/4 of a cup of oil

Teaspoon of yeast

1 cup of water

Oil for cooking

Recipe:

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl or equivalent container.

Create a well in the middle and add oil and water.

Mix well into a dough and then knead into a ball.

Cover the container using cling film and keep in a warm place until it doubles in size - this can be between 30 minutes and an hour (use a cloth or towel to provide extra heat).

Once risen, take the dough and separate it into smaller balls, approximately the size of a tangerine.

Fry them in oil at a medium temperature; They should be submerged to about halfway and should be flipped through cooking so that they are cooked both ends.

Drain on a paper towel and serve along with a mince curry for a full meal or with jam or for a snack.

Submitted by @onesettleronebullet - the recipe is an adaptation of Salwaa Smiths.

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Trump has cut aid to South Africa because we stood with Palestine and have signed an Act which is being grossly misrepresented

Hi, I'm a white, Afrikaans South African with a family of farmers, and I will not allow the false conservative rhetoric to go unchecked. I also am a researcher in sustainable economic development who engages in real life with this discourse.

I am only taking it to Tumblr now because I believe it is important for Americans and people from other nations to understand what is really happening, and what Trump's cutting of aid really means, because the administration is already using this in its own propaganda. This propaganda also has an impact on foreign investment, as it makes people in other nations wary of investing in us.

First, the cutting of Aid

I'm going to use an analogy to help you understand what's happening. A surgeon tells you that they are going to save your daughter, no charge. You're elated by this act of compassion, and you agree. The surgeon is midway through the surgery, and then calls you and says that you must cut down the trees outside your house, the surgeon doesn't like them. You say, but it's my house? The surgeon then says that they will kill your daughter if you don't comply.

The cutting of US aid is currently happening to all nations. The only difference is that Trump's America had made a point to say that South Africa is essentially on their permanent ban list. This sudden disappearance of aid (which includes American healthcare providers) is going have a massive impact on all countries. In South Africa, it is going to lead to the death of many people with HIV/Aids through the cutting of Pepfar (which Bush, fucking Bush, started to help combat HIV/Aids globally).

Trump's America is holding the lives of thousands of the most vulnerable people in South Africa hostage in order to influence our nation's policies, therefore challenging our sovereignty. That is what is happening.

What is The Expropriation Act?

The Expropriation Act would allow government to seize land which is currently not used and does not have much market value. Technically, all governments can do this in order to build infrastructure like public transport, roads, and airports. Land which is being used for any activities (including farming, housing, and business) is not affected by this at all.

Furthermore, the only reason why conservatives are accusing the government of being racist towards white people is because the white population (which is around 8% of the entire population) owns 75% of land. So, they perceive this as a threat to white majority ownership.

Whether the Act is constitutional is being challenged in our courts. No land has been taken from anyone through this Act.

The Expropriation Act is not the same as Land Reform. South Africa has been conducting Land Reform through a willing-buyer and willing-seller model, wherein those selling land can have it bought by the government to be given to beneficiaries from disadvantaged population groups. This has been considered largely unsuccessful, due to factors such as slow implementation, the land often not being of high quality, and there being no training or further support for beneficiaries. That being said, the Expropriation Act could allow the government to accelerate Land Reform.

There are many concerns around Land Reform and Expropriation, though I personally do not think any of the political parties care about the issue of land rights and protecting farmers. Smallholder farmers, who are typically people of colour and women, are particularly at risk of losing land they farm on (and feed communities with). But this risk does not directly come from the government. It comes from local government rezoning land they farm on and selling it to private developers. Smallholder farmers have less resources to counter these developers legally, and may also not formally own the land (which is not to say that they have stolen or are squatting on it, many of them have lived on it for many generations). A key example of this is the ongoing legal battles over the Philippi Horticultural Area - check the resources for more information.

Are white South Africans being persecuted?

Western conservatives like to use us white South Africans as an example of how white people can be oppressed. This is not just something America has done, nations like Australia are also guilty. Along with cutting aid, America has also declared that "the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation."

So, are white South Africans refugees?

For fuck's sake. No.

I know very well that poverty and unemployment is at an all-time high for white South Africans. I know many white South Africans who are struggling to get food and healthcare. However, this is not because we are oppressed. This is because we are less shielded from the reality of the socioeconomic crises South Africa faces. I must emphasise, we are LESS shielded, but still much MORE shielded than the vast majority of South Africans.

Decades of Apartheid rule gave our families opportunities, education, occupations, and land which has given us a very strong net in the forms of private asset ownership, as well as professional networks. White South Africans usually have family they can lean on. Heck, I am one of them - I cannot afford my extremely high healthcare costs (I have an autoimmune condition which would leave me disabled without expensive medication), but my immediate family are able to financially support me.

It is through this accumulated wealth and professional networks that leads to all of the socioeconomic ills our nation faces being disproportionately levied on people of colour. In fact, white South Africans of all educational backgrounds have an unemployment rate of 7.9%, compared to an unemployment rate of 37.6% for black South Africans.

Affirmative action tries to balance this. I know, for a fact, that I did not get a job because of affirmative action. But I also knew that I had family that could sign my new lease for me when I had no contract. The person who got the job was statistically much more likely to have not had that luxury. And, regardless, I got a (better paying) job two weeks later. Yes, I worked hard for it. But I also have had so many educational and professional opportunities granted to me because of my privilege. (I should also note here - my family is not extremely privileged compared to other white South Africans, my parents are blue collar workers, not vineyard or mine company owners.)

There is a lot more I could cover here, like farm murders, but I will add an article in the resources for those who are curious.

Palestine.

In December of 2023, South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice that accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ ruled that, yes, what is happening in Gaza is genocide.

Now, Trump wants to turn Gaza into a "Riviera". He wants to move all the people living there to neighbouring nations (who are in opposition to this), and if they don't want to leave then he is willing to use the US military to 'remove' them.

So, I ask you this. Which is the country that wants to take land from an oppressed group? Which is the country that is creating international refugees?

Trump's America clearly stated that South Africa is working against its geopolitical interests and threatening the States, and that this was one of the reasons why aid was cut. I believe that this is actually the primary reason for the aid cut. The whole 'saving Afrikaners' angle is just to make Trump's America look like heroes. In truth, Trump's America is punishing us for standing for human rights.

Do you smell that?

Musk. You have played a major role in all of this. For years, you have been working on trying to make South Africa the oppressive state your Canadian grandparents moved to.

Since you're only two generations South African, and you are a Canadian and American citizen, maybe you can't understand what I'm about to say. But I'm fucking saying it.

Hou op om Trump se poephol te lek en luister. Jy is 'n rassistiese en seksistiese fokker. Voetsek Mars toe en los ons uit.

Sources and further information

A breakdown of US aid to South Africa.

An article on the impact of losing Pepfar.

A ten minute video explaining the Act.

An article summarising Trump's cutting of aid.

A more in-depth article looking into the context of him cutting aid.

An example of how smallholder farmers of colour are the people getting their land stolen through private developers.

A Facebook group with the most recent updates on the activists in the previous bulletpoint - they are facing more legal battles.

Unemployment rates in South Africa.

An article discussing farm murders.

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Magical Namibia 🏜️🐘🦒🌊🇳🇦 !.

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Oulimata Gallet by Elena Iv-skaya for Glamour South Africa Magazine - November 2020

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South Africa took accountability for their original sins.