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Tag: South Africa

  • Nigerians in South Africa to march in solidarity with youths on #EndSARS

    Nigerians in South Africa to march in solidarity with youths on #EndSARS

    Hundreds of Nigerians based in South Africa say they will join the #EndSARS protests in solidarity with Nigerian youths who are demanding for an end to police brutality and good governance among others.

    They made the disclosure in a statement by the President of the Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA), Mr Adetola Olubajo, on Monday in Lagos.

    “Nigerians based in South Africa will gather on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 for a Peaceful Protest March to the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Arcadia, Pretoria.

    “A memorandum will be submitted to the Nigerian High Commissioner, Amb. Kabir Bala.

    “The Peaceful Protest March is in support and in solidarity with Nigerian youths back home in Nigeria with regards to the ongoing #EndSars, #EndSWAT, #EndPoliceBrutality Protest,’’ Olubajo said in the statement.

    He added: “We have been following the protest with keen interest to see what direction the Nigerian government will follow.

    “But unsatisfied with the government’s response and pace in dealing with the issue, we deem it fit as Nigerians based in South Africa to join our voices to appeal to the Nigerian government to meet the demands of millions of Nigerian youths all over the world.

    “We invite members of the media to cover the Peaceful Protest March.’’

  • Nigerians in South Africa mark Nigeria @60 in sober reflection

    Nigerians in South Africa mark Nigeria @60 in sober reflection

    Nigeria’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, Godwin Adama says Nigerians living in South Africa are marking Nigeria @60 in sober reflection.

    Adama, who disclosed this in a telephone interview on Thursday, said Nigerians in South Africa were excited over the anniversary celebrations and would join numerous Nigerians globally to celebrate Nigeria at 60.

    According to him, Nigerians in South Africa marked this year’s diamond anniversary of Nigeria’s independence without fanfare, but were in sober reflection.

    “Particularly, when there is restiveness among sections of South African population on condemnation of high rate of crimes in their country, for which some Nigerians are allegedly perpetuating.

    “This led to a peaceful demonstration against Nigerians to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, on Sept. 23.

    “Another peaceful protest is expected on Oct. 16, to the country’s Home Affairs against foreigners, including Nigerians.

    “We have so far managed the development, to avoid it spreading to attacks on Nigerians,” he told NAN.

    He noted that a number of Nigerians resident in South Africa are professionals, including medical doctors, the clergy and the academia and had condemned crimes in all its ramification.

    He also said that the mission had advised against profiling of all Nigerians as criminals, while condemning crimes perpetuated by Nigerians and other nationals, including South Africans.

    “Nevertheless, Nigerians are confident that the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence will be celebrated with prayers for their safety in South Africa, as well as for strengthening of Nigerian sovereignty and peace.

    “No fanfare though but celebrations are on; the mission is on top of the situation and has appealed for calm, while wishing all Nigerians in South Africa, fruitful celebrations,” he added.

    The consul-general disclosed that the mission, as at Sept. 29, met with a group of South Africans United Against Crimes, an NGO, to collaborate on fighting crimes and project positive image of Nigerians in that country.

    He explained that Nigeria’s independence was celebrated by the mission among Nigerians, particularly in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively.

    “We used the opportunity of celebrations to showcase Nigeria’s culture, as well as celebrating arts and women development in arts in 2019 with the theme, “Rise Up Naija.

    “A celebration of Nigerian artists, comedians and Nollywood actors along with their South African Counterparts, on promotion of peace between the peoples of the two countries and Africa generally.

    “It was well received and led to participation and endorsement of Nigerian authorities, the Nigerian community, led by the Nigerian Citizens Association actively participated and celebrated Nigerians.

    “This year, we shall be celebrating few Nigerians who proved themselves in service and impacted others positively, including medical doctors and the academia,” he also said.

    More so, he said that the Nigerian Doctors Forum, led by Dr Emeka Ugwu recently organised its Annual General Meeting, as a measure to celebrate Nigeria’s independence, saying other Nigerians there equally did same.

    He said that the missions remained resolute to ensure adequate protection of Nigerians living in South Africa, while revealing plans to organise a Pan-Nigerian meeting of representatives of all ethnic and cultural associations.

    He said that such meeting would include the leadership of Nigerian Citizens Association, to discuss issues that surrounds crime and profiling of Nigerians, come-up with lessons and actions that would benefit Nigeria’s image and protection of lives and property.

    “This is a proactive measure to avoid future attacks on Nigerians and reduce xenophobic feelings against them,” he said.

  • South Africa actress, Thandeka Mdeliswa shot dead

    South Africa actress, Thandeka Mdeliswa shot dead

    Acclaimed South African actress, Thandeka Mdeliswa has been shot dead at her family home in Evander, Mpumalanga in South Africa.

     

    The actress, popularly known for her role as Khanya in the SABC 1 drama series Ikani, got shot after she got involved in a heated argument her older brother has with two men at their family home.

     

    The quarrel got violent as one of the men grabbed his friend’s gun and shot the actress.

     

    The two men immediately fled the scene as Mdeliswa was quickly airlifted to Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria where she died on Saturday September 5.

     

    Her family in a statement confirmed her death adding that:

     

    “Her condition was critical but stable. She passed on in the morning of September 6th.

     

    “The circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation by SAPS.”

     

    “The brutality which was inflicted on our daughter us left us deeply hurt. This is another incidence of violence against women,” the statement read in part.

    The police in a statement confirmed that the owner of the hub has been recognized, however no suspects arrested yet.

     

    “We are currently investigating the incident but have not arrested anyone. Yesterday, we brought the owner of the gun to book and we were advised to get the person who pulled the trigger,” the police said.

     

    The police urged anyone with information to approach the Evander Police Station or any police station around.

  • MTN rolls out commercial 5G network

    MTN rolls out commercial 5G network

    MTN has launched its commercial 5G network from it’s birthplace of South Africa, providing access to 100 sites across the country.

    The launch, which happened officially on Tuesday, is coming on the heels of the government’s allocation of temporary 5G spectrum to the telecoms company.

    The launch culminated from the allocation of the temporary spectrum to MTN by the government and an extensive 5G trials and testing in the country.

    “Today, from MTN’s birthplace of South Africa, we are stepping up our digital revolution with the next generation of telecommunication technology, demonstrating to all South Africans that 5G is no longer just an idea – it is here, it works and it has the capacity to bring about exponential improvements to our economy, and to the lives of the people we serve,” says MTN SA’s CEO, Godfrey Motsa.

    The 5G network from MTN will serve 100 sites, covering areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

    According to Chief Technology and Information Officer of MTN SA, Giovanni Chiarelli, the telco has been developing innovation around 5G for the past two years.

    “For the past two years we have been actively innovating around the potential of 5G, using different bands and various vendors and across different platforms and devices, to ensure MTN South Africa can maintain leadership in 5G, as we have been able to maintain our leadership in 4G.

    “Our 5G strategy has been years in the making and we are confident that we have built a strong foundation to grow and support our 5G ecosystem to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers,” he said.

    One of the key innovations driving the broad rollout by MTN has been a strategic approach to Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), as these deployments overcome the challenges of lack of dedicated 5G spectrum.

    MTN will deliver 5G connectivity on four different spectral bands: 3.5 GHz at 58 sites; 2100MHz and 1800MHz at 35 sites; 700MHz at 5 sites and 28GHz at 3 sites.

    Motsa says MTN’s rollout of its 5G network will be ramped up to even more sites once government allocates permanent spectrum through the planned auction later this year.

    “We are extremely encouraged by the release of the temporary spectrum. Our call to the regulator and government is to release permanent 4G and 5G spectrum as a matter of urgency, so that we can fuel the digital revolution our nation needs to bridge the digital divide that currently deepens the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’,” says Motsa.

    “The biggest telecommunication opportunities for the masses of South Africans, are for operators to deliver ultra-fast broadband to townships that continue to be significantly underserved by fixed line fibre services. If the spectrum is made available, the coverage is a given and the affordability can be achieved. Although we are starting relatively small our growth plans for our 5G ecosystem are huge,” Motsa said.

    5G, the new generation technology as believed, will unlock the full capabilities of next generation services such as virtual and augmented reality, ultra-high definition video streaming, artificial intelligence, robotics, automated cars, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

  • Nigeria, US, South Africa citizens can’t enter Europe when airspace lockdown is lifted in July

    Nigeria, US, South Africa citizens can’t enter Europe when airspace lockdown is lifted in July

    The citizens of Nigeria, the United States, and South Africa won’t be able to join 54 world countries that will benefit from the reopening of the European Union external borders, which is scheduled beginning of July.

    According to sources of Euronews, EU officials failed to agree on a common list of the countries that would definitely be banned from entering the block upon the border reopening but managed to create a list of the countries with a better epidemiological situation, the citizens of which will be able to enter Europe by the end of next week.

    The same sources have also confirmed that citizens of Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia will only be able to enter Europe at a later date when the epidemiological situation in these countries improves.

    Nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia

    “The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travellers,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said last Thursday, adding that its decisions are “based on health criteria.”

    On June 11, the Commission presented its recommendation on the reopening of internal Schengen borders on June 15, so that Europeans can travel within the borderless area freely, just as they did pre-pandemic.

    At the same time, the Commission recommended that the Member States should start allowing third-country nationals to enter the EU starting from July 1, gradually and partially, based on the epidemiological situation in each third-country.

    The Commission recommended the following objective criteria for the Member States, when drafting the list of countries, the citizens of which may visit the EU after July 1: epidemiological situation and coronavirus response in that country, the ability to apply containment measures during travel, and whether or not that country has lifted travel restrictions towards the EU. Based on these conditions, the Commission recommended that the nationals of the six Western Balkan countries should be the first to benefit from the abolishment of travel restrictions, all of which are in the above list.

  • JUST IN: Buhari mourns death of APC chairman in South Africa

    JUST IN: Buhari mourns death of APC chairman in South Africa

    The Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC South Africa chapter, Dr Taiye Abe, is dead.

    He was aged 65.

    President, Muhammadu Buhari in a statement on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said he received the news of Abe’s death with sadness.

    Buhari sympathised with the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased, and urged them to take heart, praying that God will comfort them at this time of sorrow.

    He recalled many meetings with the deceased on visits to South Africa and remarked that he was a man with an unmistakable love for Nigeria, and a deep commitment to the ideals of the APC.

    “Dr Abe looked forward to a Nigeria that would take its rightful place among the comity of nations, and passionately believed in a resurgent country we could all be proud of.

    “We will not relent in working towards that goal,” the President said.

    He urged members of the APC in South Africa to continue the good work pioneered by Abe, particularly in being worthy ambassadors of the party and their fatherland.

  • 2 sons stab fathers to death in South Africa

    2 sons stab fathers to death in South Africa

    Two sons are expected to appear in Magistrates’ Courts in South Africa on Monday, 8 June 2020 for separate cases of murder.

    In Christiana, a town in North West province of South Africa, a 19-year-old suspect was on Friday, 5 June 2020 apprehended for allegedly stabbing his stepfather to death.

    Police were called to a house in Marikana Township, just outside of Christiana, where the body of Eric Thomson (43) was found with a stab wound on his back.

    He was declared dead on the scene by Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS).

    Initial investigations into the matter revealed that the suspect and his stepfather were involved in an argument, which led to the fatal stabbing of the latter.

    In another unrelated incident in Ventersdorp, a town in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, North West Province, South Africa, also on Friday, 5 June 2020, police were summoned to a house in Tshing Location in the early hours of the morning.

    On arrival, a 56-year-old Moses Mahambehlala was found on the floor with what appeared to be stab wounds on the upper body.

    He was also declared dead on the scene by Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS).

    The police were initially informed that the victim was allegedly killed by intruders. However, preliminary investigations led to the arrest of the victim’ son aged 26 for murder.

    The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena condemned both incidents. He applauded the members for their quick response that led to the arrests.

    The Provincial Commissioner reiterated the importance of engaging in peaceful conversations and resolution of conflicts to avert incidents like these.

  • Serial rapist sentenced to 441 years imprisonment

    Serial rapist sentenced to 441 years imprisonment

    A serial rapist, named Ndumiso Giyani has been sentenced to 441 years imprisonment for a litany of charges in Kimberley, the capital city of South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.

    Giyani’s crimes included 14 counts of rape, 12 counts of robbery with aggravated circumstances, two counts of attempted robbery with aggravated circumstances and six counts of kidnapping.

    Giyani was arrested in January 2019 after a police manhunt that began when investigators linked him to a string of rapes and robberies committed between 2014 and 2018.

    After his four year reign of terror and subsequent arrest, he was found guilty in the Kimberley High Court on more than 30 charges, including 14 counts of rape late last year. He was sentenced June 5th.

    Police officials welcomed the sentence which they felt was appropriate for the egregious crimes which Giyani was convicted of in November 2019.

    “The SAPS in the Northern Cape welcomes the 441 years imprisonment handed down to serial rapist, Ndumiso Giyani in the Northern Cape High Court today, 05 June 2020.

    “The accused terrorised the communities of Kimberley, Galeshewe and Kagisho from 2014 until 2018. After intense investigations, Giyane was eventually linked in 2018 and arrested on 24 January 2019.

    “He was found guilty on 11 November 2019 in the Kimberley High Court on 14 counts of rape, 12 counts of robbery with aggravated circumstances, two counts of attempted robbery with aggravated circumstances and six counts of kidnapping,” SAPS spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock stated.

    Judge Mathebe Phatshoane’s chief concern in handing down the sentence was ensuring that Giyani be prevented from visiting further harm to the community, according to the South African.

  • South Africa opens economy June under key regulations

    South Africa will allow most economic sectors including mining and manufacturing to fully resume operations from next month as the country further eases coronavirus lockdown regulations, the government said on Thursday.

    Africa’s most industrialised economy has been largely shut since a nationwide lockdown began in late March. South Africa has reported 25,937 cases of the new coronavirus, with 552 deaths.

    “This is the most significant reopening of the economy since the lockdown began…It opens up all of our core productive sectors from manufacturing to mining,” said Trade and Industry Minister, Ebrahim Patel.

    Some high-risk businesses such as hotels, lodges, hair salons and sit-down facilities at restaurants will remain closed.

    The government has permitted the sales of alcohol for home consumption from June. Limited domestic air travel has also been permitted, a government statement said, adding that further details would follow.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that the country would ease restrictions to level three of its five-level lockdown plan from June.

    “In opening our economy, we must maintain a firm eye on our goal of flattening the curve and minimising the rates of infections and deaths,” said Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

    The mining industry, which has recorded 320 cases of coronavirus so far, is among the industries that will return to full capacity.

    Mines across South Africa, the world’s biggest producer of platinum and chrome and a leading producer of gold and diamonds, were forced to shut temporarily when the lockdown began.

    Open-cast mines have been allowed to work at full capacity since May 1, while deep-level mines – where social distancing is more difficult to achieve – were restricted to 50 per cent.

  • South African anti-apartheid activist, Denis Goldberg is dead

    South African anti-apartheid activist, Denis Goldberg is dead

    Denis Goldberg, a veteran of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement who spent more than two decades in prison for resisting racist rule, has died at the age of 87.

    A Jewish member of the Communist Party, Goldberg was the only white person to be sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 at the famous Rivonia trials, at which Nelson Mandela was also sentenced to life.

    Mandela later became South Africa’s first black president.

    Like Mandela, Goldberg was found guilty of being involved in the armed struggle by the African National Congress against the apartheid regime.

    Goldberg died late Wednesday after living with lung cancer for two and a half years, Debbie Budlender, manager of the Denis Goldberg Legacy Foundation Trust, said on Thursday.

    The fact that he lived on for so long was “a sign of his determination and courage,” she said.

    After being released from prison in 1985, the trained engineer went into exile, joining his wife – Esme Bodenstein, also a political activist involved in the struggle – in London.

    He returned to South Africa in 2002, according to the trust.