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Many treks made Rhodesia
Olivier, C. P. (Cape Town, H.B. Timmins [1957], 1957)
In the history of well-nigh every land and nation there are men and women whose good deeds, as Shakespeare said, are interred with them. When the silence of death has been reigning over them for a considerable period (and when written records are few) before an attempt is made to record something of the part played by these men and women in the service of their country, it invariably happens that either such a layer of dust and dirt and doubt - or a coat of shining varnish - has descended upon them; it is as difficult to do justice to their pioneer-work as it is to arrive at the real truth and motive. This is indeed the case of those pioneer trekkers from Natal, Transvaal, the Free State and the Cape Colony, who, on the inspiration of Rhodes and Jameson, moved into and helped to shape the destiny of Southern Rhodesia - and particularly of the Eastern part called Gazaland - during the first five years of its occupation (1890–1895). This area, geographically, is bound by Portuguese East Africa on the east; on the north and north-west by Umtali or Manicaland, and on the west by the Great Sabi River. The area is about one million morgen or 3,133 sq. miles. The watershed on that most enthralling range of mountains, the Chimanimani, forms the boundary between Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa. The whole area consists of a series of plateaus, with Melsetter in the centre. In the Lowveld, the climate is a little unhealthy (the Lundi-Sabi area is only about 1,000 feet above sea-level), but otherwise it is exhilarating. Streams from the Umvumvumvu, Marari, Nyinganza, Chanzadzi, Myungu, Tanganda, Tchipanga, Dakati, Spongur, Myamvuvu, Musasi flow, practically the whole year round, into the Sabi, and eastwards the Haroni, Busi, Lusite and Umzebezwe flow into Portuguese territory. The rainfall varies from about 40 inches at Melsetter to about 70 in Helvetia and is perhaps the highest in Southern Rhodesia. From an agricultural point of view this territory is one of the best and prettiest in the whole of the Rhodesias, some maintain in the whole of Southern Africa. Dr. Carl Peters, famous traveller, wrote in his Eldorado of the Ancients that this part had "the finest climate in the world . . . I can only recall certain September days in North Germany, and nothing else ... But how much more intense is everything here, light, colour, even the air . . . One cannot well describe it". The soil is fertile and almost any kind of grain and fruit will flourish on the plateaus. The grass is rich and suitable for cattle and sheep grazing. In short - a land literally flowing with milk and honey. It was to this hinterland that the sons and daughters of South Africa cast their northward gaze. Their aim was, in many instances, to obtain a piece of land, or to start all over again, and many had the fire of the pioneer spirit in them. When it was realised that the territory was to become British and that the "Land Settlement Scheme of the British South African Company" was encouraging farmers to settle in Mashonaland, the flow of settlers continued unabated from as far east as Utrecht and as far south as Cape Town and Paarl. The treks to Gazaland, however, differed radically from those to other parts of the country during these first few years. In essence they were civilising treks with nothing opportunistic about them. In all cases the whole family accompanied the trek with the aim of establishing a home and a community as soon as possible.
Soil invertebrate body size groups and effect magnitude jointly influence global soil CO2 emissions
Liu, Cheng; Parr, Catherine Lucy; Guenard, Benoit; Cen, Xiaoyu; Chai, Hua; Li, Mingxu; Zhong, Zhiwei; Zhao, Shenliang; Li, Jie; He, Nianpeng (Wiley, 2026-02)
Soil invertebrates represent vital components of belowground biodiversity and play pivotal roles in regulating key carbon (C) cycling processes, particularly soil respiration. Despite the recognised effects of invertebrates on soil respiration, previous studies suffer from a major blind spot: a lack of global-scale interpretations of inferred associations describing how these organisms mediate C release. In this study, we integrated 556 datasets spanning 90 publications to systematically assess the global patterns and inferred associations by which soil invertebrates influence soil respiration. The results revealed that soil invertebrates, on average, enhanced soil respiration by 52%. Across climatic zones, the magnitude of this positive effect tended to decline from tropical to temperate regions. When classified by body size, among the large-bodied soil invertebrates, ants and termites increased soil respiration by 60% and 62%, respectively, whereas earthworms stimulated it by 47%. In contrast, small-to-medium-bodied soil invertebrates exerted no significant effect. Across ecosystem types, soil invertebrates stimulated soil respiration more strongly in forest ecosystems, with an increase of 55%, compared to a 44% increase in grassland ecosystems. The pathways through which soil invertebrates influence respiration varied markedly among body-size groups and ecosystem types. Overall, soil invertebrates primarily influenced soil microbial biomass C, fungal biomass and bacterial biomass, as well as soil organic N, soil organic C and soil pH, which in turn were closely associated with soil respiration. These findings underscore the key role of soil invertebrates in influencing soil CO2 emissions and provide insights essential for improving Earth system models under ongoing climate change.
HIV-pharmacotherapy and pathogenesis of diabetes-induced cardiovascular complications : an updated narrative review
Maswanganyi, Khanyisa; Khathi, Andile; Gamede, Mlindeli (Oxford University Press, 2026-03)
Normal cardiac tissue glucose homeostasis is essential for the physiological function of the heart and the prevention of diabetic cardiomyopathies. The onset of diabetes mellitus has been reported to precede cardiovascular complications including cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension. In addition to metabolic derangements, chronic medications such as HIV-antiretrovirals have also been associated with the risk factors of CVDs such as insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, inflammation and oxidative stress and impaired glucose tolerance. Previous ART regimens have been associated with systemic insulin resistance and ectopic fat accumulation, leading to impaired glucose tolerance. The underlying molecular mechanisms behind the development of diabetic cardiomyopathies in persons chronically taking HIV-antiretrovirals remains unclear. Prediabetes is a condition of impaired glucose tolerance that is associated with low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress, which are precursors of CVDs. The link between chronic HIV-antiretroviral medication and prediabetes remains elusive. However, the increase in dispensation of HIV-antiretroviral medications has been associated with an increase in cases of prediabetes and diabetes, which could contribute to the development of CVDs. Hence, this review aims to provide insight into how the use of ARVs interacts with glucose metabolism and cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients on chronic HIV-antiretrovirals.
Energy poverty and private sector in sub-Saharan Africa : role of governance effectiveness
Pondie, Thierry Messie; Kwakwa, Paul Adjei (Elsevier, 2026-05)
This study examines the effect of energy poverty on private sector development in sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike previous studies that mainly focused on macroeconomic factors such as GDP, financial development, and inflation, it places energy poverty at the center of the analysis. The study is conducted in the specific context of sub-Saharan Africa, where limited access to modern energy remains a major structural constraint. It also introduces governance as a key moderating factor. In particular, it incorporates the rule of law and control of corruption to assess how institutional quality can reduce the negative effects of energy poverty. The analysis uses panel data from 45 sub-Saharan countries covering the period 2000–2022. To ensure robust results, the study applies advanced econometric methods, including Lewbel Two-Stage Least Squares, Kinky Least Squares, Generalized Method of Moments, and quantile regressions. The findings show that energy poverty significantly hinders private sector growth. The quantile results reveal that this effect varies across different levels of development. Strong governance significantly weakens the negative impact of energy poverty, especially in countries with lower private sector performance. Overall, the results provide new and robust empirical evidence on the joint role of energy access and governance. They suggest that sustainable private sector development requires both improved energy infrastructure and stronger institutions. These findings offer clear guidance for policymakers seeking inclusive and durable growth. HIGHLIGHTS • Energy poverty severely constrains the private sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Good governance reduces this negative impact. • High-performing firms are the most affected. • Sustainable growth requires reliable energy and strong institutions.
Spatial linear network Voronoi analysis to quantify accessibility of police stations in South Africa
Antonio, Arthur; Fabris-Rotelli, Inger Nicolette; Thiede, Renate Nicole; Stander, René (Springer, 2026-02)
This study quantifies the overlap between existing police precinct boundaries and theoretically optimal boundaries derived from Voronoi diagrams based on Euclidean and network distances. Accessibility refers to how easily an individual can reach a police station, with closer points being more accessible. There is a need to understand whether current police precinct boundaries effectively facilitate accessibility to police stations, which has an impact on accurate reporting and police response. A novel network Voronoi algorithm, together with spatial similarity measures, is used to determine regions at risk for access to police stations. For police precincts with low similarity values when compared to the proposed network Voronoi areas, which is validated by analysing the proportional change in the number of crimes reported within the different boundaries. The decrease observed suggests that a significant portion of crimes are being reported to other, nearer, and more accessible police stations. By quantifying these relationships, this research evaluates the effectiveness of current precinct boundaries and their potential influence on the accuracy of crime reporting and true police accessibility.