Guest: Mametlwe Sebei - Attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights 

 

Guest: Elijah Mhlanga – Department of Basic Education Spokesperson 

 

The Morning Brief  

Afrika Update Report  

28 November 2024 

1. Namibia – Windhoek  

Namibia waits for results of fiercely contested election 

Vote counting is underway in Namibia after what was widely seen as the most fiercely contested elections in decades. 

There were long queues outside polling stations throughout the day on Wednesday as the country’s youthful population cast their ballot for a new president and parliament. 

Voting closed at nine in the evening local time and initial figures suggest there was a high voter turnout. 

2. Mozambique – Maputo, Nampula, Lebombo  

New clashes in Mozambique as two reported killed; Lebombo blocked again 

• Police reportedly fired on protester blocking traffic in Nampula and killed two. 

• In Maputo, a vehicle the military said was trying to clear road blockages ran over a woman. 

• The South African border was also blocked for much of the day. 

 

3. Tanzania – Dodoma  

Local Government Elections: Tanzanians decided yesterday  

Tanzanians from all walks of life have turned out to fulfil their constitutional right by electing leaders to various posts in local government authorities. 

A total of 31,282,331 eligible voters were registered for the elections, comprising 15,236,772 men (48.71%) and 16,045,559 women (51.29%). This represents 94.83% of the targeted voters, showing a significant increase compared to the 2019 elections, where 19,681,256 voters were registered, or 86% of the target. 

The positions being contested in these elections include 12,280 village chairperson positions, 4,264 street chairperson positions, 63,886 hamlet chairperson positions, 230,834 village council member positions, and 21,320 street committee member positions. 

4. Ghana – Accra  

 MFWA Welcomes Ghana Electoral Commission's Decision to Consult On Election Accreditation 

The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA (MFWA) has read with relief the statement from the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana revoking its controversial restriction on media access to ballots collation centres during the upcoming elections. 

 

5. In our historical archives, it was on this day 28 November 1979 when the then South African Ambassador to El Salvador, Archibald Dunn, 61, was abducted by members of the leftist Popular Liberation Forces in a daring afternoon raid in San Salvador. 

 

Guest: Heidi Svendsen, from the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences: University of Pretoria 

 

 

Guest: Lesiba Thobakgale - SA Police Union Spokesperson 

 

The Morning Brief  

Afrika Update Report  

27 November 2024  

 

1. Namibia- Windhoek 

Namibian decides today- what is the election mood now as voting has begun? Who are other presidential candidates? How does their electoral system work?  

• Voting is due to open at 07:00 on Wednesday with polls closing at 21:00. 

• The youngest of Namibia's 15 presidential candidates is a 37-year-old university professor. 

• The oldest, at 72, is also the only woman in a race where more women than men are registered to vote. 

 

2. Mozambique – Maputo 

Mozambican Presidential Petion Update and Threats. 

The Constitutional Council has reported that its judges, six of whom were appointed by the Frelimo party, “have been the target of threats, including death threats” and has clarified that it can only proclaim the winners of the 7th General Election and 4th Provincial Election as from December 24. 

 

3. Malawi – Lilongwe  

Peter  Mutharika, Get Off Facebook! Malawians Wants Your Presence On Streets, Suffer Teargas With Them 

Malawi is burning, and its people are crying out for leadership. The fuel crisis is paralyzing livelihoods, the economy is on its knees, and the call for free and fair elections next year grows louder with each passing day. Yet, as ordinary Malawians brave the streets to demand accountability, one question looms large:  

Where is Peter Mutharika, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), when his country needs him most?

4.DR Congo- Rwanda- Angola  

DRC, Rwanda ink ‘key document’ to advance peace process in DRC’s troubled east 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring Rwanda signed a key document this week, which they hope will pave the way for the advancement of the peace process in the DRC’s troubled east, ceasefire-broker Angola has said. 

This key peace document signed by both sides, with Angola’s mediation, aims to address the conflict in eastern DRC that has displaced thousands since 2021, creating a humanitarian crisis. Despite ceasefire violations by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel militia that has seized swathes of the eastern DRC, diplomatic dialogue has continued between the two central African neighbors to date amid efforts to stabilize the unfolding humanitarian crisis.  

 

 

5.In our historical archives, it was on this day 27 November 1929 when Billy Nair was born in KwaZulu-Natal. As a young man, Nair worked in a local dairy where he was confronted by poor working conditions and extreme exploitation. After being fired for his efforts to organise the workers into a union, he became full-time Secretary of the Dairy Workers’ Union. 

 

Guest: Zoleka Lisa, Vice President Corporate Affairs, South African Breweries 

The Tshiamiso Trust urges all former gold mineworkers and their families to check if they are eligible to lodge a claim to be compensated for permanent lung damage from silicosis or work-related TB. The Eastern Cape province holds the highest concentration of Tshiamiso Trust claim lodgements and payments in South Africa, with a total of R516 million already paid to 5,443 eligible beneficiaries from the province, and many more set to potentially benefit.   

Guest: Dr. Munyadziwa Kwinda, CEO of the Tshiamiso Trust 

Ahead of World AIDS Day (1 December), a new report by UNAIDS shows that the world can meet the agreed goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 – but only if leaders protect the human rights of everyone living with and at risk of HIV. The report’s message is summed up in its title: “Take the rights path to end AIDS”. 

Guest: Zeenat Abdool - UNAIDS. Communication and Advocacy Officer, UNAIDS South Africa 

 

Guest: Roland Henwood - Political Scientist And Commentator At the University of Pretoria