Kate Bartlett

Snakebite victims in Southern Africa struggle to get anti-venom

Snake bites are classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization. In South Africa and other countries in the region, there are numerous barriers to getting the antivenom necessary to save limbs and lives. But scientists are working to make antivenom cheaper, safer and easier to produce. Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg.

South Africa’s 'gangster' sports minister promotes the art of "spinning"

South Africa’s newly-appointed minister of sports – a self-described former gangster – wants to promote a sport that has associations with South African gangster culture. The sport of "spinning" involves fast-moving cars and dangerous stunts, and as Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg, the way it’s conducted is not always legal.

Rural South Africans flock to Chinese classes

China’s Confucius Institutes teach Chinese around the world, but there’s more to them than that. Kate Bartlett visited a new one that is hundreds of kilometers outside the capital in rural South Africa that’s also focusing on green technology.

China, trying to address trade deficit, moves to boost agriculture imports from Africa

China is expanding its imports of semi-processed agriculture from Africa in an effort to address a trade imbalance and also as a way of diversifying global food chains amid geo-political tensions. Kate Bartlett visits South Africa’s rural Limpopo province where avocado farmers are getting ready to export their products to the Chinese market for the first time.

New sports minister promotes South African car 'spinning'

South Africa’s newly-appointed minister of sports – a self-described former gangster – wants to promote a sport that has associations with South African gangster culture. The sport of “spinning” involves fast-moving cars and dangerous stunts, and as Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg, the way it’s conducted is not always legal.

Johannesburg: The evolving face of Chinatown and South Africa’s Chinese

South Africa has seen several waves of immigration from China, with early generations of migrants fleeing extreme poverty at home and newer arrivals seeking business opportunities. Kate Bartlett has the story about Chinese South Africans who have established businesses in Johannesburg’s old and new Chinatowns.

South Africans vote in most pivotal elections since apartheid

South Africans voted Wednesday in elections being described as the most important in thirty years because the governing African National Congress could get under 50% of the vote for the first time and lose its absolute majority in parliament. Kate Bartlett spoke to voters in two very different areas of Johannesburg about why they felt it was important to turn out.

Report: China’s taste for ‘blood timber’ may be fueling Mozambique conflict

World Press Freedom Day: South African journalists fight climate change

Oxpeckers, a South African media outlet is using this year’s World Press Freedom Day commemorations which focus on “journalism in the face of the environmental crisis,” to advance their cause of fighting climate change. VOA’s Kate Bartlett has more.

South Africa prepares to end captive-bred lion hunting

South Africa's treatment of its big cats has long tarnished its reputation for conservation, from allowing captive-bred lion hunting to selling lion bones to East Asia for their purported "medicinal" qualities. But now, the country is ending all that. Kate Bartlett reports from Lionsrock Sanctuary in Free State province. Camera and video editing by Zaheer Cassim.

South Africa prepares to end captive-bred lion hunting

South Africa's treatment of its big cats has long tarnished its reputation for conservation, from allowing captive-bred lion hunting to selling lion bones to East Asia for their purported "medicinal" qualities. But now, the country is ending all that. Kate Bartlett reports from Lionsrock Sanctuary in Free State province.

African beats entice China, US investors

Africa’s entertainment industry is another stage where global competition between China and the U.S. is playing out. African artists see it as an opportunity. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg.

South Africans Prepare for 2024 Polls Amid 30th Anniversary Commemorations

South Africans are preparing for the upcoming 2024 general elections that will see former President Jacob Zuma seeking re-election under the newly formed Umkhonto weSizwe party against incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa of the governing ANC. The nation is also marking its 30th anniversary since gaining independence from the apartheid regime. For more on the commemorations and the upcoming elections, reporter Kate Bartlett took to the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa’s most populous city, to speak to residents, experts, and liberation fighters.

Taiwanese and Chinese in South Africa Unite to Celebrate Lunar New Year

With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, the specter of a clash between China and Taiwan — which could draw the U.S. into a new conflict — is of global concern. But an ocean away in South Africa, which has seen waves of immigration by ethnic Chinese over centuries, there is more unity than division. Kate Bartlett reports from Chinese New Year celebrations near Johannesburg. Video: Zaheer Cassim.

South Africa to Resume Meat Exports to Saudi Arabia After 20 Years

Livestock farmers in South Africa are excited to resume exporting beef and lamb to Saudi Arabia after a long hiatus. Kate Bartlett reports from a ranch outside Johannesburg that stands to benefit from the new trade partnership. Camera and edit: Zaheer Cassim.

African Businesses Navigate Trade With US, China Amid Competition

African leaders are pushing for renewal of a U.S. trade policy that allows them duty-free access to the U.S. market. Kate Bartlett spoke with U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai about U.S.-China competition and visited a factory that does business with both countries. Camera — Zaheer Cassim.

International Conservation Group Saves Rhino’s in South Africa

An international conservation group has come to the rescue of the world's largest private rhino breeding operation after the owner in South Africa said he didn't have the funds to sustain his farm. Kate Bartlett spoke to experts about plans to eventually relocate the 2,000 animals and release them into the wild.

South African Sisters Say US Trade Act Helped Their Sustainable Business

South Africa is hosting a summit for participants in the U.S.'s duty-free Africa Growth and Opportunity Act from Nov. 2 to 4 as the act comes up for renewal. Kate Bartlett spoke to the owners of a company about how the trade initiative helped them enter the U.S. market. VOA footage by Zaheer Cassim.

Prominent Zimbabwean Author Awarded Africa Freedom Prize

JOHANNESBURG — Renowned Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga was in Johannesburg on Thursday to receive the Africa Freedom Prize, an award given to individuals who promote freedom, democracy and human rights on the continent.

South African Entrepreneurs React to China Energy Assistance Pledge

South African entrepreneurs, who continue to decry the nation’s energy shortages effects on their businesses, have expressed hope that a recent pledge by China to aid in the crisis would help their attempts to reach international markets. For more, reporter Kate Bartlett produced this report from Johannesburg, South Africa’s business capital.