News That Matters To Africa©️
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The child you sired hasn’t sired you. So, don’t expect the same level of commitment.”
HIGHLIGHTS
South Sudan ready to restart pumping oil through Sudan
Mali capital under control after attack
Critics slam new Angolan law to ban demonstrations
Israel offering residency to African asylum seekers for joining its Army.
TOP NEWS
Eastern Africa
Third Ethiopia-Somalia Talks delayed
How the west’s wellness industry is driving the Horn’s frankincense trees towards extinction
President Ruto slammed over ‘opaque’ Adani and foreign deals
Ruto blames fake news for protests, defends police in German interview
Editorial: Why the Kenya airport deal flew into a storm
OpEd: Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia border: what’s driving insecurity in the region
Turkey to deploy frigates to guard energy exploration ship in Somalia
As Mogadishu’s skyline transforms, the urban poor call for economic inclusion
South Sudan ready to restart pumping oil through Sudan
Sudan’s Burhan in Juba for bilateral talks
Sudan army chief Burhan seeks political legitimacy on the back of damaging war
Starvation in war-hit Sudan ‘almost everywhere’ says WHO
OpEd: UAE diplomatic mission leaves Sudan as pressure to declare RSF a terrorist organisation mounts
West Africa
Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso rollout non-ECOWAS passports
Ghana opposition holds protests over voter register
Ghana lost 160,000 tons of cocoa to smuggling in 2023/24 season
Mali says capital under control after insurgent attack
Al Qaeda linked group says it was behind Mali attack
Nearly 300 prisoners escape Nigerian prison after floods
OpEd: Nigerian farmers lack insurance: payouts triggered by weather data offer a solution
Togo bans cell phones in schools
The online scammers of West Africa now training others
Southern Africa
Angola: Critics slam new law to ‘ban demonstrations’
Eswatini activists say park rangers shoot suspected poachers with impunity
Economist says no plan can revive Air Namibia
SAfr coal mining firm to cut over 1,000 jobs
Remains of 50 apartheid freedom fighters to be returned to SA from Zimbabwe and Zambia
OpEd: South African agriculture needs to crack the Chinese market. How to boost exports
OpEd: Fungi to the rescue: South African scientists use innovative approach to protect apple trees
How a beauty queen became the face of South Africa-Nigeria tensions
Electricity in short supply as Zambia deals with drought-driven energy crisis
North Africa
OpEd: Egyptians are rebelling through the electricity power lines
Morocco blocks mass migration attempt into Spain’s Ceuta enclave
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
EASTERN AFRICA
ETHIOPIA/SOMALIA
Ethiopia-Somalia Talks #3 delayed
The third round of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, initially scheduled for Tuesday, 17 September, 2024, in Ankara, Turkey, has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts with the United Nations General Assembly, according to diplomatic sources. This development comes amid rising tensions between the two nations, which were initially sparked by Ethiopia’s memorandum of understanding with Somaliland in January. Two senior Somali officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorization, confirmed the postponement to Voice of America (VOA). One official told VOA that “the talks were postponed because of preparations for and travel related to the UN General Assembly.” The second official stated that the time available to prepare for the talks was “too short.” While a new date for the talks has not been set, it is expected that they will resume after the conclusion of the UN General Assembly, according to VOA. Türkiye has been facilitating dialogue between the two countries, with two previous rounds of talks held in Ankara in July and August under Turkish mediation. However, these discussions failed to produce any significant breakthrough in the ongoing dispute. The postponement comes amid heightened regional tensions, following reports of Egypt sending military officers and heavy equipment to Somalia. Media reports have suggested this could involve up to 10,000 Egyptian soldiers.
ETHIOPIA
How the west’s wellness industry is driving Ethiopia’s frankincense trees towards extinction
As rich westerners fuel demand for the ancient fragrance, a lucrative race for the resin is killing the trees but leaving little of the trade’s profit for those gathering it. Frankincense’s moisturising properties, including its alleged ability to smooth out fine lines caused by smiling and squinting, leads to a popularity that now far outstrips other botanicals. It also fetches high prices. In London stores, a small bottle of frankincense skin cream or vial of eye serum can cost upwards of £80. At one counter, a luxury brand sells “virile” perfumes infused with frankincense for hundreds of pounds a bottle. An aromatherapy company hails frankincense as the “king of essential oils” and claims it can promote cellular health and immunity. Their 15ml bottles retail at almost £90. Frankincense has been harvested in the Horn of Africa and across the Red Sea in the Arabian peninsula for millennia. In ancient Egypt, it was prized for its deep, woody fragrance. The three magi are supposed to have brought a gift of it to the baby Jesus along with gold and myrrh, and many churches still burn it during services. Until about 20 years ago, “the demand for frankincense was mostly from churches,” says Frans Bongers, professor of forest ecology and management at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Recently, however, this ancient resin has become a hot commodity globally as its alleged health benefits catch the attention of the wellness industry, a sector worth about $5.6tn a year. “Now big companies are buying up everything they can,” Bongers says. “Anything you can produce, there is a market.”…The largest concentrations of frankincense trees are found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Yemen and Oman. In addition to entrenched poverty and the climate crisis, many of these countries are also ravaged by internal conflicts. In Somalia, jihadists are a constant threat, while Yemen has been gripped by civil war since 2014. Not only does insecurity hinder conservation by making ecologists’ work harder , it also destroys livelihoods and encourages local people to harvest frankincense at a time when demand is soaring…”There is a massive disconnect between consumers and western companies on one hand, and what actually happens on the ground,” says Stephen Johnson, an ecologist and director of FairSource Botanicals. A wellness company in New York might make $200 a kilo, compared with $2 a kilo paid to harvesters, he says.
KENYA
President Ruto slammed over ‘opaque’ Adani and foreign deals
NARC-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua, along with three other political leaders, are the latest to condemn the government’s dealings with Adani, stating that the company’s tainted reputation does not inspire confidence among Kenyans. The leaders also issued a scathing critique of President William Ruto’s two-year tenure, accusing him of betraying the promises he made during his pre-election campaign. Delivering what they termed a “State of the Nation” address in a 13-page speech critically assessing Ruto’s two years in office, the leaders raised the stakes on the controversial Government-Adani dealings. These deals have been criticized from both within and outside government circles due to their opaque nature and Adani’s infamous reputation. The leaders argued that no positive outcome would come from the deals, implying deeper issues were at play. “Adani is the face of a cartel that includes top leadership. It is not just about Adani; you saw what the Guptas did in South Africa,” said Mukhisa Kituyi, a former UN Undersecretary General & Director-General of UNCTAD…”A conviction rate of 12.7% for corruption cases is a travesty of justice. It sends a chilling message that those who rob public coffers do so with impunity, shielded by networks of complicity,” added Karua.
Ruto blames fake news for protests, defends police in German interview
President William Ruto, in an interview with German media, attributed the recent Gen Z protests, which left 50 people dead and 66 missing, to fake news and misinformation. Responding to questions from Deutsche Welle (DW) journalist Fatou Ellika Muloshi, Ruto said that many Kenyans stopped protesting once they realised the demonstrations were fuelled by disinformation. “When people realised that the negativity surrounding the finance bill was based on fake news, they stopped. The demonstrations were fuelled by misinformation, fake news and disinformation,” Ruto said in the interview, which was published on DW’s website. Ruto, who was interviewed during a state visit to Germany, cited misinformation about certain taxes as a primary driver of the protests. “There were rumors of tax on dogs, land, which did not exist. Criminals took advantage of the situation. A peaceful protester does not burn down buildings,” he said, referring to reports of arson during the demonstrations. When asked about claims of excessive force by police, Ruto defended law enforcement, stating that the police have a responsibility to protect property and lives. DW published the video interview over the weekend but has not transcribed it on its website.
Editorial: Why the Kenya airport deal flew into a storm
OpEd: Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia border: what’s driving insecurity in the region
SOMALIA
Turkey to deploy frigates to guard energy exploration ship in Somalia
Turkey plans to deploy frigates to Somali waters to protect a Turkish energy research vessel, said two sources familiar with the issue. Under a deal signed between Turkey and Somalia earlier this year, Ankara is authorised to protect Somali waters against external threats, as well as giving it rights to explore and drill energy sources in the Somali exclusive economic zone. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar last week told Turkish media that Turkish Petroleum has a licence for three areas in Somali seas, each field being 5,000 square kilometres. Bayraktar added that Oruc Reis will conduct a 3D seismic study in the area, “which had never been done before”. He also said that Turkish naval forces will guard the ship. Two sources familiar with the issue said Ankara was planning to deploy two frigates and additional auxiliary ships to secure the area. Tunc Demirtas, an analyst on African affairs at Seta think tank, said that Ankara was taking utmost caution to guard the ship because it would operate in the open ocean…Turkey and Somalia signed a defence and economic cooperation deal in February, aimed at bolstering Somalia’s maritime defence capabilities and establishing a navy for the African nation. The secret deal was reportedly concluded in response to Ethiopia’s agreement with the breakaway state of Somaliland in January, which grants Addis Ababa the right to build a military port there.
As Mogadishu’s skyline transforms, the urban poor call for economic inclusion
The flow of desperate rural families heading to Mogadishu to escape insecurity and climate shocks has given Somalia one of the fastest urbanisation rates in the world. An estimated 700,000 displaced people have settled in recent years in the city’s overcrowded and neglected informal settlements. Yet a creeping gentrification is also underway as wealthy business elites – including returning diaspora Somalis – take advantage of the slowly improving security in Mogadishu to invest. The new construction is a vote of confidence in the country’s future, despite the bomb attacks by the jihadist group al-Shabab that have targeted the popular beaches and restaurants where people gather. But the urbanisation free-for-all has a social cost, discriminating as it does against those living on the margins of society – the displaced and the urban poor. They lack documentation and legal protections, and, as land values increase, there has been a related rise in forced evictions in a city where those with money and clan backing can act with impunity.
SOUTH SUDAN/SUDAN
South Sudan says it is ready to restart pumping oil through Sudan
South Sudan and Sudan have made progress towards restarting the pumping of South Sudan’s crude oil through a pipeline running to a port in its neighbour, South Sudan’s Finance Minister and the President’s office has said. The exports are a crucial source of revenue for South Sudan and Sudan takes a cut of the oil as a transit fee. The main pipeline carrying oil from South Sudan through Sudan for export was halted in February because of damage stemming from a war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces. South Sudan’s economy has been under pressure in recent years amid communal violence, with crude oil export revenue having dwindled since a 2013-2018 civil war and more recently export disruptions due to war in neighbouring Sudan. At its peak before the civil war, South Sudan’s crude oil production stood at 350,000 to 400,000 barrels per day.
SUDAN
Burhan in Juba for bilateral talks
Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in Juba on Monday for high-level bilateral talks, the second such bilateral meeting between the Sudanese leader and Khartoum’s immediate neighbours in two months. In South Sudan, Khartoum has been a reliable ally even in the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that broke out in April last year. South Sudan, itself recovering from a civil war, has had to take in Sudanese refugees, raising humanitarian concerns there as there are 2.2 million Sudanese refugees in overcrowded camps in South Sudan. The talks come as both countries grapple with the lingering effects of the conflict in Sudan. An estimated 607,000 South Sudanese refugees originally in Sudan have fled back to South Sudan, along with 183,000 Sudanese nationals and 3,500 migrants and refugees from other countries, according to official data. This brings the total number of Sudanese refugees to 2.2 million, including those who fled sporadic clashes before the war broke out. The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Nicolas Haysom, who is also the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan, highlighted another alarming concern. “We have heard that there may be recruitment of young men taking place in South Sudan by the warring parties in Sudan to bolster the numbers of their fighters,” he revealed. Further complicating the situation, South Sudan’s oil exports have been halted since February 6, following damage to the Jabelyn-Port Sudan pipeline. A force majeure was declared on March 16 following the discovery of gelling between pump stations 4 and 5, which are located in a military zone.
Army chief Burhan seeks political legitimacy on the back of damaging war
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is seeing September, again, as a lucky month to market himself to the global audience as the legitimate leader of his country. It comes even as the ongoing war churns out a king-size humanitarian crisis. Last week, Burhan travelled to Beijing where he met with President Xi Jinping. The occasion was the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) where dozens of African leaders gathered. But it was a personal triumph for a man who was forced to relocate from the country’s capital Khartoum to Port Sudan, from where he has tried to defend his fort…With China, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, it means Burhan has two on his side, with Russia having already backed him. Both China and Russia have defended Sudan in UN forums, even in the face of Western criticism. Indeed, some diplomatic sources in Khartoum indicated hope that Burhan’s moves may now force the US to endorse Burhan as the legitimate leader of Sudan’s transition period, or lose out in influencing events there. This month, Burhan is expected to make his second address to the UN General Assembly, the annual ritual where world leaders arrive in New York to give speeches at the global body. General Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces elicited widespread reactions when he stated confirmed that al-Burhan will remain the head of state with full sovereign powers even after several electoral terms. Al-Atta’s comments indicate the army’s intention to maintain political control, even amid upcoming elections.
Starvation in war-hit Sudan ‘almost everywhere’ – WHO
Starvation in war-stricken Sudan “is almost everywhere”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the BBC’s Today programme after visiting the country. “The situation in Sudan is very alarming… the massive displacement – it’s now the largest in the world, and, of course, famine,” director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. He said 12 million people were already displaced, adding that attention in the global community to Sudan was “really low” and race was a factor. Thousands of people have been killed since a civil war broke out in April 2023 between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). … Dr Tedros urged mainstream media to give more attention to Sudan, describing the situation there as a “tragedy”. In August, a UN-backed committee of experts declared a famine at a camp housing about 500,000 displaced people near the besieged city of el-Fasher in Darfur, one of the regions worst affected by the conflict.
OpEd: UAE diplomatic mission leaves Sudan as pressure to declare RSF a terrorist organisation mounts
WEST AFRICA
BURKINA/MALI/NIGER
Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso rollout non-ECOWAS passports
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will introduce new biometric passports as part of their withdrawal from a West African bloc in favour of a new Sahel alliance after military leaders seized power in all three countries, Mali’s leader said on Sunday. The three junta-led Sahel neighbours jointly announced in January they would leave the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has sought to persuade them to reconsider their decision. Burkina Faso announced earlier this month that it was rolling out new passports without the ECOWAS logo…ECOWAS has warned that the three countries’ withdrawal would undermine the freedom of movement and common market of the 400 million people living in the 49-year-old bloc.
GHANA
160,000 tons of cocoa lost to smuggling in 2023/24 season
Ghana has lost more than a third of its 2023/24 cocoa output to smuggling, reported a top official from the cocoa marketing board (Cocobod), as low local prices and payment delays push some farmers to sell to increasingly sophisticated trafficking rings. Poor harvests in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s second largest and largest producers, have pushed markets into a four-year supply deficit, driving up global cocoa and chocolate prices this year. Charles Amenyaglo, director of special services at Cocobod, who leads the board’s anti-smuggling task force, said smuggling losses more than tripled in 2023/24. “Conservatively, I will say we lost 160,000 tons,” he said, adding that the task force also intercepted about 250 tons, up from 17 tons in 2022/23. Smuggling rings, which offer farmers higher prices, began to take hold in 2022, when Ghana was at the height of an economic and currency crisis. Amenyaglo said significant quantities of cocoa were crossing into Togo, Burkina Faso and even Mali…“This comes back to (the) money issue … If we’re liquid and actively on the field, smuggling can be curtailed,” said Samuel Adimado, president of the Ghanaian cocoa buyers’ group. Ghana opened the 2024/25 season earlier than usual, with a new funding model and a 45% increase in the farmgate price. Farmers are hopeful the changes will help discourage smuggling, though they fear a weakening currency will erode the price hike.
Ghana opposition holds protests over voter register
Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), held nationwide protests on Tuesday, intensifying its call for an audit of the voter register, three months before a presidential election. The NDC alleges there is tampering of the voter registry to favour the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its candidate, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. Bawumia faces a tight contest with opposition flagbearer and former president John Mahama. Thousands of NDC party supporters flooded the streets across the country’s 16 regions on Tuesday, chanting patriotic songs and carrying placards with slogans such as “EC, stop the rigging, let the people decide,” and “No clean register, no peace.” The opposition claims the EC (Election Commission) colluded with the NPP to add 50,000 deceased individuals to the voter roll, illegally transfer votes, and omit legitimate voters. The EC has rejected the accusations, dismissing them as “unfounded” and reiterating that the voter register’s recent public exhibition was intended to allow for corrections and ensure transparency.
MALI
Govt says capital under control after insurgent attack
Mali said on Tuesday that the capital Bamako was under control after insurgents attacked a gendarmerie training school and other areas before dawn, firing gunshots that reverberated around the city. “Early this morning, a group of terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Faladie gendarmerie school. Mopping-up operations are currently under way,” the army said in a statement. It called on residents to avoid the area and await further official communication. The gendarmerie school is in Faladie, a district on the southeastern outskirts of Bamako, near the main international airport. Gunfire was heard in the Banankabougou neighbourhood near Faladie before sunrise. People heading to the mosque for morning prayers turned back as shots rang out. Mali is one of several West African countries fighting an Islamist insurgency that took roots in Mali’s arid north in 2012 and has since spread across the Sahel and more recently to the north of coastal countries. Jihadist attacks have escalated despite the juntas’ promises to improve security, in part by replacing alliances with Western countries with Russian support, including mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private army. Experienced Wagner fighters were killed at the end of July during a battle near the Algerian border between Tuareg rebels and the Malian army, which suffered heavy losses and was ambushed by jihadists as it withdrew. It is however rare for insurgents to strike inside the capital. In 2015, armed men launched a dawn raid on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako that killed 20 people.
Al-Qaeda-linked group says it was behind Mali attack
An al-Qaeda-linked group has said it was behind an early morning attack in the Malian capital, Bamako. Armed men targeted a military training school and other areas in the city, the authorities said, blaming “a group of terrorists” for the assault. Jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility, saying it had inflicted heavy human and material losses. The attack was the first of its kind in years to hit Bamako. Before Tuesday, the city had largely avoided the Islamist insurgency that has wracked Mali for more than a decade. JNIM is considered to be one of the most active militant groups in the wider Sahel region, having staged numerous attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. It said “special operation” on Tuesday struck both the training centre and Bamako’s military airport, leading to casualties on the military’s behalf.
NIGERIA
Nearly 300 prisoners escape Nigerian prison after floods
Devastating floods collapsed walls at a jail in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria early last week, allowing 281 prisoners to escape, prison authorities said on Sunday. Seven of the escaped inmates have been recaptured in operations by security agencies, a spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services said in a statement. Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state which early last week suffered its worst floods in decades. The flooding began when a dam overflowed following heavy rains, decimating a state-owned zoo and washing crocodiles and snakes into flooded communities. The flood has killed at least 30 people according to the country’s emergency agency and affected a million others, with hundreds of thousands of people forced into camps for displaced people.
OpEd: Nigerian farmers lack insurance: payouts triggered by weather data offer a solution
TOGO
Togo bans cell phones in schools
The government has banned the use of cell phones in all public and private primary and secondary schools. In a statement published by the Togolese Press Association, the decision took effect on Monday, September 16, which coincides with the start of the 2024-2025 academic year school year. The law prohibits students from using their phones on school grounds, with limited exceptions for emergencies and educational activities. The ban includes students of vocational training schools, primary and secondary schools. The government acknowledged concerns about the impact on communication and access to information but insists the ban will create a more conducive learning environment. Authorities also stressed the ban was to tackle instances of cyberbullying and other negative online behaviours. The Togolese Press Association reports the decision has been met with mixed reactions from students, parents, and teachers.
The online scammers of West Africa now training others
As the world becomes increasingly connected, digital fraud has evolved from a local problem into a global one. West Africa, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, is witnessing the rise of “hustle kingdoms” – informal academies that train individuals to carry out digital scams. The term “hustle kingdoms” originated from online scammers themselves, used to describe their training centres. These environments are glorified in certain pockets of popular culture. The hustle kingdoms operate both online and offline, blending virtual training with in-person sessions. Real-life scams linked to “graduates” of these academies include various scams such as online romance fraud and business email compromise scams…These academies, once local training hubs, have evolved into global threats. They now export their skills worldwide, fuelling more persistent and widespread fraud. The United States alone lost about US$50 billion in 2023 to online scams, many of which are linked to west African fraudsters. This figure only represents reported losses – many more crimes go unreported. Similar to the “Sakawa Boys” (Ghanaian online scammers) and the “Yahoo Boys” (Nigerian online scammers), “hustle kingdom” fraudsters sometimes justify their actions as seeking restitution for past injustices, viewing themselves as descendants of victims of the slave trade, economic exploitation and colonialism, while westerners are seen as descendants of colonialists. This framing suggests that their online scams are, in part, a response to historical wrongs.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
ANGOLA
Critics slam new law to ‘ban demonstrations’
The Angolan parliament approved a law for protection against vandalism during demonstrations…The so-called vandalism bill, which was signed into law on August 29, penalizes crimes of vandalism of public goods and services. The law also makes it a crime to film or take photos of public services. This means those who take images of a police officer mistreating someone at a rally, for example, face up to 10 years in jail…The new law violates key principles of the Angolan constitution, [Bangula Quemba, a lawyer and a professor of criminal procedure law at the Catholic University of Luanda] said. “This law was simply passed to prevent critical citizens from participating in demonstrations by threatening them with harsh punishments in the event of riots or property damage,” Quemba said…The offenses defined as vandalism in the new law are already covered by other existing Angolan legislation, Quemba pointed out, such as those covering property damage or theft…For this reason, the new law also potentially restricts the right to peaceful assembly.
ESWATINI
Activists say park rangers shoot suspected poachers with impunity
Some Eswatini legislators, backed by human rights activists, are calling for an urgent review of the Game Act of 1991, a law they say allows wildlife park rangers to shoot and kill suspected poachers with little or no accountability. Game park owners have defended these shootings for years as necessary to protect animals. But critics contend that the Game Act instead jeopardizes human life. Human rights lawyer Thabiso Mavuso of the Law Society of Swaziland, who has represented the families of shooting victims, says the law not only allows game rangers to use lethal force with impunity but also shields them from legal accountability. “We have seen here in Eswatini the killing, injury and torture of people, some as young as 13 years and some in their 60s, but nothing has been done against the perpetrators … ,” Mavuso said. “This law needs reform. It must be aligned with human rights and general principles of constitutionalism such as accountability and responsibility.” No one has exact numbers for how many suspected poachers have been killed in Eswatini’s game parks, but the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs estimates dozens are slain each year.
NAMIBIA
Economist says no plan can revive Air Namibia
Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu says no business plan or model would successfully bring back the now defunct Air Namibia from the grave. “We can’t go back there,” he said yesterday when responding to revelations by Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah over the weekend that the party is planning to revive the national airline. Nandi-Ndaitwah said this during the official launch of Swapo’s manifesto. “No business plan or model would successfully bring back Air Namibia from the grave. Let’s swallow our pride of not flying the Namibian flag on the tail of a bottomless pit. “We can use those funds for other high-yielding projects,” Kakujaha-Matundu said. “A national airline is sometimes a nice-to-have but not a necessity. Airlines are not money spinners. We have seen giant airlines collapsing. “In the case of Air Namibia, flying the national flag drained the fiscus of billions in bailouts. Should Namibia want to invest in the airline business, a completely new model is needed, such as buying stakes in profitable airlines. “Once bitten twice shy,” he said. The 74-year-old airline has been shut down for almost four years now, yet some of its former workers have not received their severance packages.
SOUTH AFRICA
Coal mining firm to cut over 1,000 jobs
Seriti Resources, a major South African coal miner, has announced plans to cut 1,241 jobs due to declining coal prices and ongoing challenges with rail transportation. The move has been met with opposition from the National Union of Mineworkers. The mines “are not currently commercially sustainable and require material restructuring to improve unit costs and the prospects of future sustainability,” Seriti said in a statement on Tuesday. The job cuts will affect workers at the Middleburg mines and Klipspruit South-East pit, both of which were acquired by Seriti in 2021. These operations have been struggling with high costs and market volatility, exacerbated by the underperformance of South Africa’s freight rail operator, Transnet. Coal prices have fallen significantly from their peak in 2022, and Transnet has been unable to provide adequate services due to various issues, including a shortage of locomotives and infrastructure damage. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it would fight the latest round of job cuts at Seriti.
Remains of 50 apartheid freedom fighters to be returned to SA from Zimbabwe and Zambia
The remains of 50 exiled victims of apartheid prosecution will be returned to South Africa from Zimbabwe and Zambia in the next 10 days, the head of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) missing persons task team said on Tuesday. Madeleine Fullard was speaking to parliament from Harare, where she said the team was exhuming the remains of 15 freedom fighters who died in exile. A homecoming ceremony will be hosted on 27 September, and will mark the launch of the state’s programme, approved by cabinet some two years ago, to repatriate the remains of those who died abroad during the struggle. The NPA said the remains of 188 people out of 477 who died in South Africa in unknown political circumstances from 1960 to 1994, have been located and handed over to their families. Fullard referred to the Mamelodi 10 as an example of how long such cases can take to resolve. “I can mention that we first recovered nine of the remains of the Mamelodi 10 in 2005 but we could not find the 10th one and we continued working on this case and we actually used a drone and aerial mapping to locate the last grave.” The group of teenage activists were captured in 1986 after an operative of the ANC’s armed wing uMkhonto weSizwe, who worked as an informer for the state, pretended to recruit them for military training in Zambia. They were killed in a minibus rigged with explosives and buried in unmarked graves north of Pretoria. Fullard said it was the first time drone photography was used in a human rights case in Africa to locate the last member of the group in 2019. Fullard said most of the remains found by the team were those of activists killed in clashes with the police but it has proven particularly difficult to trace those who disappeared in clandestine, covert abductions.
OpEd: South African agriculture needs to crack the Chinese market. How to boost exports
OpEd: Fungi to the rescue: South African scientists use innovative approach to protect apple trees
SOUTH AFRICA/NIGERIA
How a beauty queen became the face of South Africa-Nigeria tensions
South Africa has a long history of simmering anti-foreigner sentiment, and social tensions directed at other Black Africans in the country have turned violent over the years. However, last month, 23-year-old beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina faced such severe xenophobic harassment as a finalist in the Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant that she eventually exited the competition. Adetshina, who was born in Soweto, Johannesburg to two immigrant parents, proudly spoke of her Nigerian heritage during Miss SA, sparking outrage from South Africans on social media. Many insisted she had no right to represent South Africa in the competition. For weeks, Adetshina endured trolling and abuse, with the online vitriol amplifying existing South African-Nigerian tensions that are fuelled by economic frustrations and stereotypes about foreigners. South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie – known for his xenophobic rhetoric – only added fuel to the fire. “We truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition. I wanna get all the facts before I comment, but it gives funny vibes already,” McKenzie posted on X. The abuse had become too much to bear, leading her to quit social media platform X and limit her Instagram engagement. Adetshina later went on to compete in and win the Miss Universe Nigeria contest, representing her father’s homeland on the basis that she carries dual citizenship. In interviews, Adetshina shared how the ordeal left her questioning whether she would ever return to South Africa.
ZAMBIA
Electricity in short supply as Zambia deals with drought-driven energy crisis
As Zambia deals with its worst drought in 20 years, businesses and households are going for days without electricity. Experts say the severe energy crisis could worsen Zambia ‘s already fragile economy and lead to massive job losses. On an average day, millions of people across the country are enduring up to 21 hours of power cuts, locally known as load shedding. The Zambia Association of Manufacturers president Ashu Sagar said his members have not been spared by the energy crisis. He said big companies are struggling with the cost of running alternative diesel-powered generators, while smaller companies have no energy source at all. Sagar added that some of the association‘s members have failed to meet contractual obligations with buyers due to the drought-induced energy crisis. Zambia‘s only public power utility company, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation, or ZESCO, said Monday that it does not have enough power to supply all hospitals. Media reports say some hospitals are turning patients away due to lack of electricity and water. ZESCO spokesperson Matongo Maumbi said the country‘s heavy reliance on hydropower generation has led to a national shortfall of almost 1,300 megawatts as the various water sources are drying up.
NORTH AFRICA
EGYPT
OpEd: Egyptians are rebelling through the electricity power lines
A controversial fatwa — Islamic legal opinion — has been issued in Egypt. It gives a green light to Egyptians to steal electricity, drinking water, gas and other public utilities on the pretext of high prices, inflation and increasing taxes.
MOROCCO
Mass migration attempt blocked into Spain’s Ceuta enclave
Moroccan authorities on Sunday prevented dozens of migrants from storming a border fence to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, after calls on social media for a mass migration attempt. Spain’s two enclaves on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the only land borders of the European Union with Africa. The enclaves sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach Europe. In the most recent attempt, dozens of migrants gathered on top of a hill in Fnideq on the border on Sunday and began throwing stones at Moroccan security forces, a video shared by local news websites showed. Police prevented them from approaching the Ceuta fence. Moroccan authorities said they arrested at least 60 people last week for using social media to incite migrants to attempt a mass crossing…Most of the migrants are Moroccan youths, joined by a smaller number of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Many of them arrive in Fnideq on foot and hide in nearby forests to evade authorities, said Zakaria Razzouki, a rights activist in Fnideq. Moroccan security forces try to prevent crossings at the land border and patrol the beach to prevent migrants from swimming to Ceuta, he said.
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
Tel Aviv luring 30,000 African asylum seekers for permanent residency to join Israeli army: Report
The Israeli government is luring around 30,000 asylum seekers from African countries for permanent residency in the country if they join their armed forces in their offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local media disclosed on Sunday, adding that it could endanger their lives as the majority of them came to work in agriculture fields. Israel is recruiting African asylum seekers to fight in the Gaza Strip in exchange for promises of permanent status, the Israeli daily Haaretz said. “Defense officials realized they could use the help of the asylum seekers and exploit their desire to obtain permanent status in Israel as an incentive. “Israel’s defense establishment is offering African asylum seekers who contribute to the war effort in Gaza – risking their lives – assistance in obtaining permanent status in Israel,” the daily said. Citing defense officials, the newspaper says these procedures are conducted “in an organized manner, with the guidance of defense establishment legal advisers.” However, “the ethical considerations of recruiting asylum seekers have not been addressed.” So far, “no asylum seekers who contributed to the war effort have been granted official status.” According to the daily, approximately 30,000 African asylum seekers, the majority of whom are young men, reside in Israel, with about 3,500 Sudanese enjoying temporary status while their asylum applications are pending.
WTO chief Okonjo-Iweala seeks second term to complete ‘unfinished business’
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will seek another four-year term as head of the World Trade Organization following a broad Africa-led push to start the process early, aiming to complete “unfinished business” from her first mandate. Okonjo-Iweala, 70, a former Nigerian finance minister, made history by becoming the first female and African chief of the 30-year-old trade body in 2021. “I would like to be part of this chapter of the WTO story and I stand ready to compete for the position,” Okonjo-Iweala said on Monday in comments confirmed by a WTO statement. “For my second term, I intend to focus on delivering,” she added, saying among the priorities were addressing “unfinished business”. These include a deal on ending fisheries subsidies and reaching a breakthrough in global agriculture negotiations, as well as reforming the WTO’s hobbled disputes system and decarbonising trade. Officially, she has until the end of November to decide whether to apply again. But the African-led move to start early, initiated in July before U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew from the election campaign and supported by dozens of countries, was seen as motivated partly by a bid to secure her second term ahead of the U.S. vote in November. Under WTO consensus rules, that would be possible if nobody else applies and all states accept her. In 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration blocked her appointment in a step seen by some as an attack on an organisation he once described as “horrible”. She secured U.S. backing when Biden succeeded Trump in 2021.
France: How the ‘positive’ role of colonisation is still discussed in history textbooks
Teaching the history of colonisation remains problematic in France, as illustrated by a revision card recently distributed to Year 6 pupils in a primary school near Paris. The sheet described the French colonial conquest as having both negative consequences – “impoverishment of the natives” and “exploitation of resources to the advantage of the Europeans” – and a positive effect – “construction of schools, roads and bridges”. Moreover, the document echoed the concept of a “civilising mission” used in the colonial propaganda of the Third Republic, France’s system of government from 1870 to 1940, explaining that the country had conquered territories in Africa and Asia in the 19th century to “propagate the European civilisation” and “spread the Christian religion”. While recognising the use of violence, slavery and marginalisation against the colonised people, the revision card also listed the economic reasons for colonisation – the same as those put forward by the colonial ideology to justify the occupation, such as the search for raw materials and fertile land.
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