By Africanews with AP A 75-year-old woman running for mayor of South Africa’s biggest city went snorkeling in a large, water-filled trench in a suburban road in a stunt to draw attention to what she describes as years of mismanagement by the city’s authorities. Helen Zille, a well-known South African politician, wore a wetsuit, a mask and snorkel, and a pink-and-white swimming cap as she doggy-paddled through the pool of muddy brown water in an upscale Johannesburg suburb. The pool has been there for about three years because a burst water pipe hadn’t been properly fixed despite repeated attempts, she…
Author: Montage Africa
By Rédaction Africanews with AP A group of toddlers evacuated as premature infants just a month into the Israel-Hamas war returned Monday to families overjoyed yet worried about their futures in a transformed Gaza. Families gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to receive the children, hoisting them into embraces as celebratory crowds watched. Some said early on they did not know whether their newborns had survived and others said it felt like they were meeting their children for the first time. The infants were early symbols of the collateral damage facing civilians in Gaza after Israel launched an offensive…
The Coca-Cola system in South Africa, comprised of Coca-Cola (http://www.Coca-ColaCompany.com) and its authorized bottlers – Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa and Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages – today announced a planned R17.6 billion investment in South Africa through 2030. The announcement was made by Luis Felipe Avellar, president of The Coca-Cola Company’s Africa operating unit, at the sixth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in Johannesburg. The investment will support expanded production capacity, strengthen distribution and accelerate innovation across the Coca-Cola system’s value chain – reinforcing Coca-Cola’s confidence in the South African market and its long-term economic prospects. With a presence across the country,…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP On a dusty field in Kano, coach Hida Ghaddar is doing far more than running football drills. Through her Breakthrough Soccer Academy, she offers young people an alternative to the growing risks around them combining sport with discipline, education, and job support. Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest city, faces one of the country’s highest drug use rates. At the same time, youth unemployment is a serious concern, with 12.5% of young people out of school, work, or training. For many players, the academy is a lifeline. “It’s not just a football academy,” Ghaddar says. Starting with…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP The presidential term of Niger’s ousted leader, Mohamed Bazoum, officially ends on Thursday, but he is unlikely to be released from detention or even put on trial, leaving the situation uncertain. At 66, Mohamed Bazoum was sworn in as president on April 2, 2021, following democratic elections in which he won 55% of the vote. He has been held since the coup carried out on July 26, 2023, by the junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, in a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey, where he remains with his wife. Since his overthrow, he…
By Africanews U.S. President Donald Trump has told aides that he is willing to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday night, citing Trump administration officials. Trump and his aides recently assessed that a mission to pry open the crucial global energy waterway would push the war with Iran beyond his timeline of four to six weeks, said the report. As a result, Trump decided that the United States should focus on achieving its primary objectives of crippling Iran’s navy and missile stockpiles while simultaneously…
Eritrea have reached the main group stage of Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying following a 19-year absence. They beat Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round ahead of next year’s tournament in East Africa. Forward Ali Sulieman, who plays for Kahrabaa Ismaila in the Egyptian top flight, was the hero with three goals across the two legs. Without a stadium approved for international football, the Red Sea Camels were forced to play their home fixture in Morocco last Wednesday, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Sulieman and fellow forward Siem Eyob-Abraha, who plays for Sheffield United in England’s…
By Africanews with AP At least 30 people were dead and dozens more missing on Monday after a gang renewed its attack on a town in central Haiti, according to human rights activists. Gran Grif attacked Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite early Sunday, burning homes and leaving bodies strewn on the streets. The gang attacked again on Monday, said Bertide Horace, spokesperson for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation and Awareness to Save the Artibonite, an activist group. She told The Associated Press that the gang remained in control of the Jean-Denis neighborhood and set up roadblocks. “The area is completely deserted,” she…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP In a show of force in Cape Town, around 500 military and police personnel paraded ahead of a year-long deployment targeting gangs, illegal mining, and organized crime across the Western Cape. The operation, set to begin in April, will cover five of South Africa’s nine provinces, focusing on areas struggling with rampant crime. “Because for too long our families have been suffering. We’re going to do this properly. We are going to bring peace, we are going to bring unity,” said South African MP Dereleen James. Switching between English and Afrikaans, she added, “My…
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law legislation doubling the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison amid a crackdown on the country’s gay community. The law, which was signed Monday and appeared in the official journal that was distributed Tuesday, passed by an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly and also includes criminal penalties for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships. UN rights chief Volker Turk called the law “deeply worrying” after its passage in parliament and said that it “flies in the face of the…