TheNewsGuru

Tag: South Africa

  • Another Nigerian shot dead in South Africa

    Another Nigerian shot dead in South Africa

    The Nigerians Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA) says another Nigerian, Mr Tony Elochukwu from Nnobi Anambra State has been killed by an unidentified gunman in South Africa.

    The President of NICASA, Prince Ben Okoli, said this in a letter sent to the Consular General, Nigerian Consulate in Johanesburg.

    Three Nigerians had been killed between April 6 and April 9 at different locations in the country.

    In the letter, obtained by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday, Okoli decried the death and continued killings of Nigerians in South Africa.

    “We received yet again the sad news of the death of another Nigerian in Witbank Mpumalanga province.

    “Mr Tony Elochukwu from Nnobi Anambra State was shot twice in the head by an unidentified Nigerian gunman on April 24 at around 2:45pm,” he said.`

    Okoli said that a lone Nigerian man walked to some Nigerians at a restaurant and inquired from them where to get some weed to smoke

    He said those standing, however, told him that they did not know where since they do not smoke.

    Okoli said the man then pulled out his gun and shot Elochukwu on the head and sped off in a car parked down the street.

    He added that a case of murder had been opened at the police station by NICASA Chairman in Mpumalanga, Mr Obeji Chukwuma.

    “This look like another case of Nigeria killing themselves. This ugly trend of Nigerians killed by fellow Nigerians is on the increase and is disturbing to our community.

    “NICASA is deeply worried over the death and continued killings of our citizens in South Africa.

    “People are worried and scared, since none of the perpetrators had been arrested or charged over it,” he said.

    He appealed to the consulate to pressure the South African police to pursue the case of death of any Nigerian with seriousness.

    “The South African police must stop attempting to encourage this killings by lack of investigation and prosecution with aim of bringing to justice every criminal involved in these heinous crimes,” he said.

    The Consul General, Nigerian Consulate Johannesburg, Mr Godwin Adama, had condemned the killing of Nigerians at different locations in the country.

    “It is clear that as much as any form of criminality and xenophobic attacks against foreigners, including Nigerians in South Africa is condemnable, the killings do not fit into xenophobic attacks.

    “The cases are the stabbing of a Nigerian, Mr Bonny Iwuola, in Turfontain in Johanesburg on April 6 at about 23:30 hours in front of his house, by unknown assailants, and more of crime related murder.

    “Another Nigerian, Gozien Christian, from Agbor in Delta State, was stabbed to death by three unknown assailants. No arrest has been made but cases were opened and police are investigating the murders,” he said.

    The third case of murder which happened on the night of April 8 at Sunnyside in Pretoria happened at the usual place of cult-related murders by Nigerian cult groups.

    “This particular case had more connection with business-related disagreement that turned sour.

    “Investigations are on but eye witness accounts indicated that he was killed and his new Mercedes car-2019 model was snatched and driven away. All these cases do not appear to be xenophobic.

    “They are part of the usual crime-related killings in South Africa. Police statistics in South Africa indicate that over 18,000 murders take place in South Africa in a year,” he said.

  • TRAGEDY: 13 killed as church collapse in South Africa [Photo]

    TRAGEDY: 13 killed as church collapse in South Africa [Photo]

    Thirteen people were killed and 16 injured when part of a church collapsed on worshippers following a violent storm near the eastern South African city of Durban, officials said Friday.

    The accident happened late Thursday when a brick wall under a makeshift roof collapsed during a service at a Pentecostal church, a converted hangar, in the town of Ndlangubo, north of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal province.

    “Such a tragedy. 13 fatalities 16 people treated by paramedics,” tweeted Robert McKenzie, spokesman for Kwa-Zulu Natal province’s emergency services.

    Authorities said the incident happened during a Passover service around 1115 pm (2115 GMT) as hundreds of worshippers gathered for the long weekend of Easter services.

    “The congregants were sleeping in the building after the church service ended just after 10pm,” said provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele.

    “There was heavy wind and rain and the walls collapsed. The 13 confirmed dead are 12 women and one boy. An inquest docket has been opened and police are still at the scene,” added Mbele.

    Dozens of local people, dazed by the tragedy, spent hours pacing the ruined interior of the building.

    “There was no (mobile phone) network so I just ran to the police station and called the police, they responded very quickly and they helped us,” Pastor P.Y. Sibiya told AFP.

    Zwelihle Dhlamini, who lost a colleague in the tragedy, told AFP of his shock.

    “Right now, I cannot believe what has happened. I still have not recovered from the shock and so are our colleagues. They are still calling me, they are still sending messages as if something is going to change.”

    Mildred Oliphant, provincial minister of labour and a member of the church, said it was difficult to come to terms with the disaster, “but we know God has his own reasons.

    “I was going to attend the church today. Probably by the end of next week, we will know exactly whether the structure was properly built or what were the challenges about the structure before we say anything.”

    Police have meanwhile launched an investigation while other congregations joined authorities in passing on condolences.

    “We have been praying for them, our sincere condolences to the families. As Christians, we pray for one another in bad and good times. Indeed those people of Empangeni are in our prayers,” said South African Council of Churches (SACC) provincial deputy chairperson Father Mlungisi Ntsele.

  • 2023 Women World Cup: South Africa battles for hosting right

    After successfully hosting the 2010 World cup, South Africa have again indicated interest in hosting the 2023 edition of the Women’s world cup.

    World soccer ruling body FIFA confirmed the Rainbow Nation’s bid on Tuesday the thus bringing to nine the number of countries interested in hosting the event.

    Other countries in the running for the hosting right include Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South & North Korea and New Zealand.

    Although all documents relating to the bid are expected to be in the custody of the world soccer ruling body by October 4th 2019, decision on which country eventually gets the nod will not be made until March 2020.

    South Africa will be banking on her wealth of experience garnered in the course of hosting the world in 2010, the first time the African continent will be hosting the prestigious tournament regarded as the highest celebration of soccer excellence.

    The women’s world cup made its debut in 1991 with China hosting the very first edition which the United States won beating Norway in the finals.

    Other countries that have hosted the championship in include Sweden 1995, USA 1999 and 2003,China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015 while this year edition has will hold in France

    Although Africa is yet to host the Championship Nigeria has participated in all the editions of the women’s world cup posting an impressive outing in 1999 in the USA where the Falcons made it to the quarterfinals losing 4-3 to Brazil after extra time.

    Interestingly Bayana Bayana of South Africa who will be participating in this year’s edition in France, are qualifying for the event for the first time in 25 years after finishing as runners up in the African Women Nation cup in Ghana.

  • Consortia complete design for world’s most powerful radio telescope in South Africa

    The two engineering consortia tasked with designing the entire essential infrastructure for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) sites in Australia and South Africa have formally concluded their work, bringing to a close nearly five years of collaboration both within and between the consortia.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the SKA project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, led by the SKA Organisation based at the Jodrell Bank Observatory near Manchester, UK.

    The SKA will conduct transformational science to improve understanding of the universe and the laws of fundamental physics, monitoring the sky in unprecedented detail and mapping it hundreds of times faster than any current facility.

    The SKA is not a single telescope, but a collection of telescopes, called an array, to be spread over long distances. The SKA will be constructed in Australia and South Africa; with a later expansion in both countries and into other African countries.

    Already supported by 12 countries – Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – the SKA Organisation has brought together some of the world’s finest scientists, engineers and policy makers and more than 100 companies and research institutions in the design and development of the telescope.

    The completed infrastructure in South Africa includes access roads, power, water and sanitation, buildings, antenna foundations, communication, security and site monitoring equipment required to support the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said.

    The South African consortium, Infrastructure South Africa (INSA), was led by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), which designed, built and operates the 64-dish SKA precursor telescope, the MeerKAT for which South Africa has already invested more than 760 million rand (about 54.3 million U.S. dollars) in infrastructure.

    Following the successful review of the key infrastructure components of the SKA, the project will now move on to the bridging phase, Kubayi-Ngubane said.

    This phase will bring together all the individual detailed designs of elements of the SKA and integrate them on a system level, said the minister, adding that a system critical design review will be conducted in December 2019, after which the project will enter the procurement phase, to be followed by construction.

    “I am proud of the sterling work by our engineers who are part of the SKA project,” Kubayi-Ngubane said in a statement.

    The SARAO, led by the South African National Research Foundation, has provided world-class infrastructure for the MeerKAT, which has already attracted other international radio astronomy instruments to the SKA site in South Africa, Kubayi-Ngubane said.

    “I have no doubt the expertise and best practice developed during the delivery of this precursor telescope enabled the INSA consortium to meet the SKA Organization’s stringent standards for infrastructure design,” she said.

     

  • 2019 Elections: Davido missing in action

    Nigerian pop star, Davido won’t be participating in the 2019 Presidential elections as he is presently in South Africa.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that months ago, the revered entertainer began to show his interest in politics by means of campaigning for his uncle, Senator Ademola Adeleke who was vying for the seat of the Governor in Osun state. Senator Adeleke eventually lost, but the singer wasn’t deterred from showing support for his preferred presidential candidate

    Weeks back, the ‘Assurance’ crooner endorsed the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. He also launched a campaign dubbed “Defend Your Vote”.

    Judging from his Instagram post, Davido is reportedly out of the country as Nigerians go to the polls. His last Instagram post from just 17 hours ago was geo-tagged Johannesburg, South Africa.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BuMZiFthZka/

    However he has been lending his voice on Twitter, urging young Nigerians not to be deterred by the technical hitches encountered in their polling units.

     

     

    Celebrities like Desmond Eliot, Tiwa Savage, Toke Makinwa , DJ Cuppy, 2face and others have taken to their social media platforms, encouraging Nigerians to come out and vote.

  • Looters now stash funds in Seychelles, South Africa, Niger, Ghana – Magu

    The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, Friday said looters now stash illicit funds in Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa, Niger Republic, Morocco and other African countries.

    He said the preferred destinations for looters had traditionally been the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Seychelles, but they are now expanding fast to African countries.

    Magu made the disclosure at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between EFCC and its Nigerien counterpart, the High Authority Against Corruption and Relating Crimes( HALCIA), in Niamey.

    He said: “From available intelligence and our investigations, it has been revealed that looters from Nigeria now go to Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Morocco, Seychelles and so on, to stash their loots.

    “This has led to sharp increase in the number of Nigerians buying properties in African countries.

    “Nigerians even go to the extent of changing their names and acquiring the destination countries’ international passports in collusion with corrupt public officers in their countries of residence in order to hide their identities and evade detection,” he said, adding that, “the fight of the EFCC against looters’ safe havens is total.”

    The EFCC boss further disclosed that his visit to Niger was part of his ongoing tour at mobilising international effortsto deny looters safe haven abroad.

    He said: “We have already visited Ghana and Cameroun, today we are in Niger Republic and we will continue to reach out to other preferred looters destinations in Africa and beyond. Interestingly, the efforts of the Nigerian Government to trace, recover and return assets stolen from Nigeria coupled with our increased advocacy to discourage safe havens have begun to yield results.

    “It is my conviction that our collaborative efforts will go a long way in eliminating safe havens. In fact, this is in tandem with renewed global commitment by countries to shut their doors to stolen funds.

    “I also want to call for conscious measures to sanitize and strengthen the legal framework so as to make it difficult for looters to transfer illicit funds to Niger Republic for investment or whatever purpose.”

    Magu called on the global community to redouble its efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption.

    He also called on the international community to ensure the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.

    According to a statement by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Tony Orilade, the MoU will strengthen the collaborative efforts between the EFCC and its Nigerien counterpart.

    Section seven of the MoU captures how the parties will exchange information, including those which are necessary to achieve its objectives.

    According to the section, “The parties will exchange information in accordance with this Memorandum of Understanding in conformity to the relevant laws of Niger and Nigeria relating to the protection of privacy and confidentiality.”

    To help the Commission take its fight against corruption to Nigerians looters who have found safe haven in Niger Republic, Magu made a five-point appeal to the President of Niger Republic, which are as follows:

    (i) Identifying huge cash in the financial system owned by Nigerians to enable us find out if they are looted funds/proceeds of crime.

    (ii) Identifying the numerous properties owned by Nigerians including the details of the owners in order to enable the Commission ascertain if such Nigerians acquired the properties from looted funds/proceeds of crime

    (iii) Stopping moves by persons who plan to move funds at this period through the usual medium to destabilize the political stage in Nigeria.

    (iv) Increased clamp down on Nigerians who are involved in cyber-crime and handing over their details to us for further necessary action.

    (v) Assisting the EFCC in the arrest of persons on the wanted list of the Commission who absconded to Niger Republic due to the free movement granted to citizens of the ECOWAS states.

    The EFCC boss praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the Commission, noting that “Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.”

    While meeting with the parliamentarians, at the Assemblee Nationale, Magu told the second Vice President, Mohamadou, that, there was the need to rework existing legislations in Niger to help strengthen anti-corruption fight in the country.

    He also noted the need for the country to domesticate the United Nation’s Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in order to make its meaning and impact bear on the lives of the country’s citizens.

    While decorating the Nigerian Ambassador to Niger Republic, Ambassador Haliru and all the embassy staff with the EFCC lapel, Magu urged them to acknowledge the anti-corruption fight as a collective one.

    “Whether you are at home in Nigeria or in the Diaspora, you need to make your contribution. Add your voice to the crusade against corruption. The fight is real. Don’t also forget that corruption is fighting back, but together, we shall win,” he said.

    Ambassador Haliru, in turn, praised the EFCC boss for his zeal and passion for the job. “We are hearing and seeing all your achievements in the fight against corruption. We are praying to God Almighty to give you good health and long life to confront the corrupt”.

    For the President of HALCIA, Abdourmane Gousmane, there is no better time than now for stronger collaboration between Nigeria and Niger Republic in the fight against corruption.

    “We are ready and willing to partner with Nigeria. Nigeria has the experience and the human capacity and with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a renowned anti-corruption icon, we have no choice than to leverage on Nigeria for capacity building in taming the corruption monster,” Gousmane said.

    One of the side attractions of the visit was Gousmane’s presentation of a horse as a special gift to Magu.

  • South Africa turns down Zimbabwe’s $1.2bn loan request

    South Africa turns down Zimbabwe’s $1.2bn loan request

    South Africa turned down a request from its southern African neighbour Zimbabwe for a 1.2 billion dollar loan in December, a spokesman for the finance ministry said on Monday.

    National Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane said in Johannesburg that “South Africa doesn’t have that kind of money.”

    Zimbabwean officials were not immediately available for comment.

    Zimbabwe was hit by anti-government protests last week after a hike in fuel prices stoked anger over an economic crisis.

    Police say three people died during demonstrations that turned violent in the capital Harare and second city Bulawayo.

    But human rights groups say evidence suggests at least a dozen were killed.

    Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Sunday that he would return home from a European tour and skip the World Economic Forum in Davos to address the crisis.

    (Reuters/NAN)

  • Church Stampede: Nigerian community in South Africa protest misrepresentation of facts

    The Nigerian community in South Africa says it has protested the misrepresentation made against their country by an official of a South African Organisation on air.

    Mr Emeka Ezinteje, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Union, South Africa, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that Mr Abram Mashishi, a representative of the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) wrongly referred to a pastor of a church as a Nigerian.

    He said that Mashishi was reacting to a stampede at Enlightened Christian Church of God in Pretoria, owned by Prophet Bushiri, from Malawi, which led to the death of three persons, while nine others were injured.

    “The SANCO representative said on South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) news that Prophet Bushiri is a Nigerian.

    “That those prophets from Nigeria should go back to Nigeria and make money from where they are coming from,’’ he said on telephone from Johannesburg.

    Ezinteje said the union was disturbed by the statement because it was reckless, dangerous and capable of fuelling xenophobic attacks on innocent men of God and Nigerians at large.

    “This gross misinformation is capable of undermining a number of social cohesion and integration programmes engaged by Nigerian Union, South Africa in recent times.

    “Our numerous efforts to foster unity and peaceful co-existence within South Africa is greatly threatened by this comment,’’ he said.

    Ezinteje said the union had called on SABC and SANCO to issue a statement and correct the misinformation.

    “This is the sort of statement that tend to pin every wrong doing on Nigerians. Prophet Bushiri is not a Nigerian but the information on the public space is that a Nigerian prophet has contributed to the death of South Africans,’’ he said.

    He said that the union was in touch with its legal team on the matter and expects SABC and SANCO to do the needful.

     

  • AWCON 2018: NFF speaks ahead of Super Falcons’ final tie with South Africa

    Dr Mohammed Sanusi, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, General Secretary has spoken up on the Super Falcons’ 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations final clash with Bayana Bayana of South Africa.

    The Super Falcons will tackle the Bayana Bayana on Saturday evening at the Accra Sports Stadium.

    Sanusi, however, expressed confidence that the Super Falcons will defeat South Africa and retain the trophy.

    Nigeria head to the game after defeating the Lionesses of Cameroon in the semi-final, while South Africa defeated Mali.

    “I have confidence in our girls to carry the day. Though the Bayana Bayana are younger and fitter but experience will help our team to retain the trophy and I know the girls are ready to show their supremacy in Women’s football in Africa,” Sanusi told SportingLife.

    The kick-off time for the match is 5pm.

  • South Africa to face Super Falcons in 2018 AWCON final

    Banyana Banyana of South Africa defeated Mali 2-0 at Cape Coast in the second semi-final game of 2018 AWCON in Ghana to set up a mouth-watering clash with Nigeria on Saturday.

    South Africa will be making a debut at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after securing one of the tournament’s tickets at the ongoing 2018 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON).

    The match will be a repeat of the both teams’ opening match in the tournament, where the defending champions lost by a lone goal to their South African counterparts.

    Thembi Kgatlana opened scoring for the South Africans in the 31st minute, for the forward’s fifth goal of the championship.

    With 10 minutes to the end of the game, Lebohang Ramalepe increased the tally for Banyana Banyana to seal the victory.

    Meanwhile, winners of the third-place match between Mali and Cameroon on Friday will complete the trio for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.