On The Discourse this morning, we look at wildlife trafficking and a fast-emerging and largely overlooked criminal market - the illegal trade in insects. Recent reporting and analysis, including work by Elliot Doornbos, highlights how cases in Kenya involving the smuggling of thousands of live ants are drawing attention to a growing demand for insects as exotic pets, and the wider gaps in enforcement and policy. So what is driving this market, how significant is the global trade in insects, and are current legal frameworks keeping up? To explore those questions, Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Elliot Doornbos, Senior Lecturer of Criminology at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

On The Discourse this morning, we look at wildlife trafficking and a fast-emerging and largely overlooked criminal market - the illegal trade in insects. Recent reporting and analysis, including work by Elliot Doornbos, highlights how cases in Kenya involving the smuggling of thousands of live ants are drawing attention to a growing demand for insects as exotic pets, and the wider gaps in enforcement and policy. So what is driving this market, how significant is the global trade in insects, and are current legal frameworks keeping up? To explore those questions, Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Elliot Doornbos, Senior Lecturer of Criminology at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

Africa Rise & Shine

Rise & Shine

Illegal insect trade grows as traffickers exploit rising global demand for exotic species and weak laws

US President Donald Trump says Gulf nations should help pay for the protection of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes. Speaking at the White House, Trump said countries in the region should reimburse the United States for safeguarding the strategic waterway.

US President Donald Trump says Gulf nations should help pay for the protection of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes. Speaking at the White House, Trump said countries in the region should reimburse the United States for safeguarding the strategic waterway.

Trump calls on Gulf nations to help pay for US protection of the strategic Strait of Hormuz

On the Discourse this morning, we turn our attention on one of the most provocative and historically explosive claims to emerge in recent regional conversations, and it strikes at the very heart of Southern Africa's geopolitical borders. Professor Pali Lehohla, the former Statistician-General of South Africa, has publicly declared that South Africa "stole" the Free State province from neighbouring Lesotho. In recent statements, Professor Lehohla has argued that the land was stolen by British colonial forces and Dutch settlers before being inherited by successive South African administrations, a matter he insists remains entirely unsettled. This comes amidst a broader, highly charged national debate sparked by a motion in Lesotho's National Assembly seeking the official return of the Free State, alongside parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The land claim sits at odds with the African Union, which explicitly requires member states to respect colonial-era borders to avoid regional conflict. For a deeper look at his claims, Peter Ndoro spoke to Professor Lehohla

On the Discourse this morning, we turn our attention on one of the most provocative and historically explosive claims to emerge in recent regional conversations, and it strikes at the very heart of Southern Africa's geopolitical borders. Professor Pali Lehohla, the former Statistician-General of South Africa, has publicly declared that South Africa "stole" the Free State province from neighbouring Lesotho. In recent statements, Professor Lehohla has argued that the land was stolen by British colonial forces and Dutch settlers before being inherited by successive South African administrations, a matter he insists remains entirely unsettled. This comes amidst a broader, highly charged national debate sparked by a motion in Lesotho's National Assembly seeking the official return of the Free State, alongside parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The land claim sits at odds with the African Union, which explicitly requires member states to respect colonial-era borders to avoid regional conflict. For a deeper look at his claims, Peter Ndoro spoke to Professor Lehohla

Former SA statistician-general claims South Africa ‘stole’ Free State from neighbouring Lesotho

Several African nations experience an escalating trend of informal political repression during an election period, where elite actors employ youth gangs, street thugs, and party militias to subvert democratic processes. As Kenya heads to the 2027 general vote, the country's human rights organisations are warning of an alarming rise in the use of hired gangs-commonly referred to as "goons"-by political actors seeking to intimidate rivals, disrupt demonstrations and suppress civic activism ahead of the polls. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Wellington Muzengeza, Independent Journalist, Political Risk Analyst and Author

Several African nations experience an escalating trend of informal political repression during an election period, where elite actors employ youth gangs, street thugs, and party militias to subvert democratic processes. As Kenya heads to the 2027 general vote, the country's human rights organisations are warning of an alarming rise in the use of hired gangs-commonly referred to as "goons"-by political actors seeking to intimidate rivals, disrupt demonstrations and suppress civic activism ahead of the polls. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to&nbsp;Wellington Muzengeza, Independent Journalist, Political Risk Analyst and Author

Illegal insect trade grows as traffickers exploit rising global demand for exotic species and weak laws

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