Guest: Izaak Breitenbach: Chief Executive Officer, The SA Poultry Association (Sapa)

 

 

27 January 2025

1. DR Congo- North Kivu – Goma

At least 12 peacekeepers, Nine South African, three Malawian peacekeeping soldiers including two from the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO, have been killed in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Congolese troops and peacekeepers have been battling in recent days to stop an advance by M23 rebels on the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

United Nations Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Delivered by South Africa Permanent Representative at the United Nations Ambassador Mathu Joyini.

1. Tanzania – Nigeria

Tinubu arrives in Dar es Salaam for Africa energy summit

President Bola Tinubu has arrived Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to attend the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, which starts on January 27. The two-day summit is being hosted by the government of Tanzania, the African Union, the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group.

1. USA- Haiti

Haiti’s leader warns of crisis from Trump's policies

Leslie Voltaire, the President of Haiti's Transitional Presidential] Council, has warned that recent decisions by the Trump administration—specifically to freeze aid programmes, deport migrants, and block refugees—will have "catastrophic" consequences for Haiti.

1. Zimbabwe – Harare

Zanu-PF Bosses Fall Over Each Other Defending Mnangagwa On ED2030 Mantra

ZANU PF politburo member Ziyambi Ziyambi has jumped to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's defence amid growing calls, from within the party, for him to rip apart Zimbabwe's constitution and extend his term to 2030.

 

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day 27 January 1961 when the Pondoland revolt, a manifestation of resistance against the Bantu Authorities Act, led to mass arrests. The conflict, primarily in Eastern Transkei, was a response to the imposition of tribal authorities and the land reclamation program.

 

 

Guest: Frank Hinda: General Manager for Tariffing, City Power

The advocacy group, Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA), is calling for a critical shift in the way South Africans discuss child sexual abuse material. This follows the recent arrest of Darren Wilken, a 35-year-old man found with disturbing evidence linking him to a transnational sex crime syndicate. WMACA’s campaign, “Stop Calling it Child Pornography,” seeks to challenge the minimisation of these horrific crimes and to advocate for a stronger response to online child exploitation.

Guest: Miranda Jordan: Women and Men Against Child Abuse

 

 

Guest: Advocate Moyahabo Sebjeni: Practicing Advocate of the High Court in SA

 

 

Guest: Mpumelelo Nyoka - Attorney and Constitutional Commentator

 

 

Guest: Andrew Lukhele: Founder and Chairperson of the National Stokvel Association of South Africa (NASASA)

 

 

Guest: Lizzy Suping: Spokesperson for Independent Police Investigative Directorate

24 January 2025

1. Sudan – Khartoum

Over a million individuals have escaped the conflict in Sudan, seeking safety in neighbouring South Sudan, as reported by the United Nations and Sudan’s army clashes with RSF over oil refinery near Khartoum

In its most recent update on this significant displacement crisis, the UN revealed on Tuesday that over 770,000 people have crossed through the Joda border point on South Sudan's northern frontier with Sudan in the past 21 months.

 

2.Gabon- Libreville

Gabon announces date for Presidential election

Gabon will hold a presidential election on April 12, the council of ministers said. The military currently rules the West African country following a coup in August 2023.

“Under this decree, the electoral college is convened on Saturday, April 12, 2025,” a government statement, issued late this week  after a ministerial cabinet meeting, said.

 

1. Nigeria - Gabon

Health Ministers Decries High Use of Skin Bleaching Products Among Nigerians and Across the Afrikan Continent

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, has raised concerns over the increasing prevalence of Skin-Lightening Products (SLPs) in Nigeria and across Africa despite their well-documented harmful effects.

Mr Salako, while speaking at a high-level segment of the regional awareness-raising workshop on eliminating lightening cosmetic products held in Gabon, noted that Nigeria is among the countries with the highest global usage of bleaching products.

A Continent in crisis

Africa is fast becoming a hotspot for the sale and use of SLPs, with the continent experiencing a rising trend in their usage.

According to a 2023 fact sheet by the WHO, the prevalence of skin bleaching among women varies across the continent, with approximately 25 per cent in Mali, 32 per cent in South Africa, 39 per cent in Ghana, 50 per cent in Senegal, 66 per cent in Congo-Brazzaville, and 77 per cent in Nigeria--the highest rate globally

This trend is fueled, in part, by societal perceptions that equate lighter skin with beauty, wealth, and achievement.

While several African countries, including Ghana, South Africa, and Mali, have banned SLPs, the enforcement of these laws remains weak. As a result, skin-whitening creams and soaps continue to flood markets across the continent, including Nigeria.

 

1. Afrika: A Dream Deferred - Why Is Traveling Across Afrika So Hard for Afrikans?

Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, carries his frustration as visibly as he carries his passport.

To travel across the continent he calls home, he needs 35 visas--each a bureaucratic hurdle and a reminder of the barriers to free movement and trade in Africa.

"As someone who wants to make Africa great, I have to apply for 35 different visas," Dangote lamented at a recent Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda. His words echo the larger frustration of a continent grappling with the paradox of cementing regional integration while battling closed borders.

Nearly a decade after African leaders envisioned a borderless continent, the dream is largely unfulfilled.

 

1. In our historical archives , it was this week on the 23rd and 23rd of January 1879 when the  Battle of Isandlwana was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British invaded Zululand in Southern Africa, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of approximately 1,800 British, colonial and native troops with approximately 350 civilians.

The Isandlwana musical play in Gauteng province this week promises to be an unforgettable event, bridging the gap between history and modern-day appreciation. For Mbuso Khoza, it is not just about remembering the past but inspiring pride and a sense of identity in every person who listens to his story.

Khoza’s approach to history is unique. Rather than relying solely on textbooks, he incorporates indigenous music and oral traditions to breathe life into historical events.

 

 

Guest: Sean Phillips: Director General, Department of Water and Sanitation