Try GOLD - Free
Madagascar’s university: Ruin, revolt
Cape Argus
|October 16, 2025
THERE was a stagnant puddle in the hallway of the university residence that opened only two years ago, but the rainy season had not yet started in Madagascar.
-
“Come see our dormitories,” student Ulric Sambizafy offered at one of a wave of protests that have rocked the Indian Ocean island nation since September 25.
Trash floated in an open-air wastewater drain two metres from his back door.
“During the rainy season, we'll have sewage up to here,’ said the 24-year-old master’s student in renewable energy, pointing to his mid-calf. “That's what justifies our revolt? he said.
Originally from eastern Madagascar, Sambizafy is among the educated Malagasy youth swelling the ranks of the Gen Z movement behind the protests that led parliamentarians to vote to impeach President Andry Rajoelina on Tuesday and an elite military unit to seize power.
The building in Ankatso, a neigh-bourhood in the capital Antananarivo, was only opened in 2023 but cracks and leaks reveal major construction defects.
This story is from the October 16, 2025 edition of Cape Argus.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Cape Argus
Cape Argus
Langa firefighter eyes world boxing title
A 24-YEAR-OLD firefighter from Langa who spends her days battling dangerous blazes on Table Mountain is now preparing to face a different kind of heat, a world boxing title fight in Poland.
1 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
How the chief heat officer is tackling City's heatwave crisis
RISK ASSESSMENT
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Chiefs risk repeating mistakes with reported move for Da Cruz
IT is often said, “once bitten, twice shy”.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Slot frustrated by sloppy Reds in Galatasaray defeat
ARNE Slot was left to rue Liverpool's sloppy finishing as Galatasaray earned a 1-0 win in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
City champions Africa's largest jazz fest
CAPE
1 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Body parts trade a threat to survival of SA’s lions
THE increased targeted poaching of lions for the illegal trade in their body parts poses an undeniable threat to the species in Africa.
4 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Residents loot alcohol truck during heatwave
A CROWD in Langa took advantage of the scorching heat on Tuesday afternoon by looting an alcohol truck, with temperatures reaching around 38°C in Cape Town.
1 min
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Amakhosi face a crucial match against Durban City
THE biggest football club in South Africa by fanbase, Kaizer Chiefs, will be a nervous bunch in their next Betway Premiership encounter against a trickey Durban City.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Fourie ready to prove doubters wrong after 'turning odometer back'
FOR Stormers and Springboks legend Deon Fourie, the last 24 months have been an arduous cycle of injury, surgery, rehabilitation, and fleeting returns to the field.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
WC ramps up foot and mouth vaccination drive
THE Western Cape's fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has received a major boost after 100000 additional vaccine doses arrived at Cape Town International Airport, allowing authorities to accelerate vaccinations across key livestock regions.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size