Cape Town's 5 Most Beautiful Beaches

Where to swim: Cape Town’s top Blue Flag beaches this summer Looking for the ultimate Cape Town beach-cation this summer? Here are five top-rated Blue Flag beaches you have to visit in the city… By Sundeeka Mungroo 19-11-25 15:09 in Cape Town blue flag beaches cape town Camps Bay Beach. Image: canva Cape Town’s coastline is stacked with choices, but its Blue Flag beaches stand out for consistent water quality, safety, and environmental management. With the holiday season around the corner, these five spots are among the best places to swim, relax, and enjoy the city’s peak summer weather. Take a look… 1. Camps Bay Beach blue flag beaches cape town Camps Bay Beach. Image: canva Camps Bay remains one of Cape Town’s most photographed coastal stretches. The beach offers wide sands, lifeguards during peak hours, and easy access to restaurants and cafés along the strip. The Atlantic water is crisp, the sunsets are bold, and the mountain backdrop gives the beach its signature look. Expect crowds, but the space is generous enough to stretch out. 2. Clifton 4th Beach, Clifton, Cape Town Clifton Beach, Cape Town. Image: canva Clifton 4th is the jewel of the Clifton series and consistently earns Blue Flag status for its clean water and strong safety record. Sheltered from the wind by surrounding granite boulders, it’s one of the few Atlantic beaches where you can spend an entire afternoon without battling the south-easter. Pack light, though. The steps are steep. 3. Muizenberg Beach blue flag beaches cape town Muizenberg Beach. Image: canva On the False Bay side, Muizenberg offers warmer water and a laid-back surf culture. Known for its gentle waves and colourful beach huts, it remains Cape Town’s most accessible spot for beginner surfers. Lifeguards are visible throughout the season, and the long shoreline gives swimmers plenty of space. Families tend to stay here for good reason. 4. Llandudno Beach Aerial view of Llandudno Beach. Image: canva Llandudno doesn’t have commercial development, which is part of its draw. Tucked between mountain slopes and large boulders, the beach stays pristine and quiet even when busy. The water is cold, but the scenery makes up for it. Strong waves make it a favourite for bodyboarders and experienced surfers, with seasonal lifeguards keeping watch. 5. Bikini Beach, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town blue flag beaches cape town Bikini Beach, Gordon’s Bay. Image: canva This small, protected beach often delivers some of the warmest summer water in the region. Bikini Beach faces west into False Bay, giving it calmer surf and a more intimate atmosphere than Cape Town’s larger beaches. It’s a reliable choice for wind-free afternoons. Why Blue Flag matters Blue Flag status is given to beaches that meet strict standards for cleanliness, safety, lifeguard presence, environmental education, and water quality, and this year, Cape Town was awarded eight flags! The program helps holidaymakers identify beaches that are monitored and well managed throughout the season. Cape Town continues to rank among South Africa’s top coastal destinations, and these five Blue Flag beaches are easy proof. Whether you want waves, warm water, or a scenic sunset spot, each of these shores offers something worth the trip.

African President Arrested in Military Coup

African president arrested in military coup as generals announce 'we have total control' By Allison Bloom, 23 hours ago Alfonso Ribeiro throws an annual Friendsgiving for the entire Dancing with the Stars cast and their dance partners, with attendees like Jenn Tran joining last year. Speaking to US Weekly, he explained, "We invite all of the Dancing With the Stars dancers that don't have homes to go to, that [don't have] family that live here. We have them over and say, 'Come on, let's all get together and share this wonderful holiday.'" A coup is actively transpiring in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Military officers appeared on television to say they have claimed "total control" of the country. Nov. 26th is a date that will go down in Guinea-Bissau's history books. The scene began this morning when shots were fired outside the Presidential Palace in Bissau, where the election commission headquarters are located. Hundreds of civilians fled as armed officers seized the government complex and detained President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. All borders have reportedly been closed. The takeover comes just three days after a highly contested presidential election. Key Virginia congressional races that could determine control of house 200 Kenyans recruited by Russia to fight on Ukraine frontlines Both Embaló, the incumbent, and opposition candidate Fernando Dias prematurely declared victory, raising fears of a repeat of the 2019 electoral crisis, when competing claims sent the country into four months of political chaos. A coup takes place in Guinea-Bissau on Nov. 26 Alfonso Ribeiro throws an annual Friendsgiving for the entire Dancing with the Stars cast and their dance partners, with attendees like Jenn Tran joining last year. Speaking to US Weekly, he explained, "We invite all of the Dancing With the Stars dancers that don't have homes to go to, that [don't have] family that live here. We have them over and say, 'Come on, let's all get together and share this wonderful holiday.'" Brigadier General Denis N'Canha spoke on national television on behalf of the military's high command, announcing their grievances and intentions. "The High Military Command for the reestablishment of national and public order decides to immediately depose the President of the Republic, to suspend, until new orders, all institutions of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau," said N'Canha. He claimed the intervention was prompted by a destabilization plot orchestrated by "certain national politicians" and "well-known national and foreign drug barons" seeking to commit election fraud. He claimed that "domestic and foreign nationals" attempted to "manipulate electoral results to implement this plan." A soldier holds his weapon while patrolling a street near the scene of gunfire Alfonso Ribeiro throws an annual Friendsgiving for the entire Dancing with the Stars cast and their dance partners, with attendees like Jenn Tran joining last year. Speaking to US Weekly, he explained, "We invite all of the Dancing With the Stars dancers that don't have homes to go to, that [don't have] family that live here. We have them over and say, 'Come on, let's all get together and share this wonderful holiday.'" Guinea-Bissau has a long history of instability. The UN identified Guinea-Bissau as a "narco state" in 2008 because of its role in the global cocaine trade. Located between Senegal and Guinea, its geography has made it the perfect drop-off point for Colombian drug cartels. Additionally, according to the World Bank, the average yearly income in 2024 in the country of 2.2 million was just $963, making it one of the poorest nations in the world. Just days earlier, leading up to the election, political analyst Augusto Nansambe said that, "The democracy we knew ... is no longer the model we are experiencing; we are experiencing a model defined by a single person." This election was said to be one of the most contentious votes in recent history because of the exclusion of the main opposition party. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo

The Wild Tunnels Of Johannesburg

Post See new posts Conversation k9_reaper | T.I.A @k9_reaper I'll do one better.. Johannesburg has a massive underground tunnel network that the zama's have dug over the years. The Johannesburg CBD alone is one huge spiderweb of connected systems.. and some of these systems allow you to walk for km's without anyone ever seeing you. These networks are truly massive. And here's the fun part.. your rich Sandton/Fourways/Benmore/Hyde Park home isn't exempt - you will have tunnels at certain depths. Sorry for you. In some places, the tunnel networks are so advanced that separate rooms have been dug for sleeping, cooking and even firearm storage (yes.. the zama's book out firearms to the next guy who comes on shift). There are even tunnels that link directly to the old underground train and mail network in the Johannesburg CBD (again, yes.. the CBD has an underground rail and old mail network) - they've done this to facilitate easier movement. Even the old storm water drains that are big enough for a man to stand up and walk through have been accessed. On the West Rand - you can walk from one end to the other, underground. It's the same on the East Rand. And they have access to serious firepower - not forgetting literal mortars (yes.. pew pew tubes) and "heavy" machine guns. Some even run thermal scopes and have specialized squads who's sole purpose is to engage anyone that comes within a certain distance of their operations. Want to assault some of these places? Good luck. They also build fortified fighting positions - complete with multiple layers to fall back on. And they have an endless supply of manpower to back it. Not even children are exempt as they often use them to load the AK and other mags that they use - mid firefight. You will have a literal kid sitting their who's sole job is to punch 7.62x39 into magazines. South Africa will literally eat you alive. Never forget that. Quote Cecil @CeeCeeMcFee · 20h There is a vast network of tunnels underneath Johannesburg.. running in from Soweto and the dumps in the south, burrowing as far to the north as Delta park and the botanical gardens.. possibly even Sandton.. 1000s of kms of tunnels.. you have no idea how bad it really is.

BBC Boer Baiting

Boer-baiting at the BBC James Myburgh | 24 November 2025 James Myburgh on how the organisation's reporting on the Afrikaner question has breached its editorial guidelines. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has recently been plunged into a crisis following the leaking of a memorandum by the journalist Michael Prescott, who served as an independent advisor to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board. The document, which was submitted to the BBC’s board, but seemingly disregarded, highlighted serial breaches of the BBC’s editorial guidelines – particularly when it came to reporting on Donald Trump, trans issues, and Israel-Palestine, particularly by the BBC’s Arabic service. An area which the memorandum did not deal with was the nature of BBC reporting on South Africa, particularly when it comes to the recent Expropriation Act, enacted earlier this year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and the question of violence against farmers under African National Congress (ANC) rule. Much of the BBC’s recent reporting and commentary has been in response to Trump’s typically wild and hyperbolic statements on these topics. And yet correctly noting that there is not a “genocide” in South Africa – an impossible yardstick given both the rarity and enormity of that evil – does not absolve the BBC of its obligation to: “establish the truth” on such fraught matters and: “use the highest reporting standards to provide coverage that is fair and accurate.” This should not be difficult to do as there is good data on farm attacks and farm murders stretching back to 1991, and a sophisticated debate on how to interpret it. In its factcheck of Trump’s Oval Office confrontation with Cyril Ramaphosa – where the United States President screened a video of hundreds of white crosses along a road symbolising the victims of farm murders – BBC Verify answered the question: “Has there been a genocide of white farmers?” by pointing to the fact that only 23 white people and nine black people were killed in attacks on farms and smallholdings last year. Inexplicably, however, BBC Verify failed to then go on and provide a full picture of the extent of such killings over the three decades of ANC rule. Here the data shows that during the ANC’s first decade in power about 1 300 people were killed, with two-to-three times that number injured, in over 7 000 attacks on farmsteads. Although the ANC regime blocked the release of a racial breakdown of the victims, we know from various sources that over three-quarters of those killed (about 1 000) were white, though many Coloured and Indian farmers were murdered as well. The attacks, usually by groups of armed youth, almost invariably involved an element of robbery or the looting of the property of the often-elderly deceased. If one wishes to apply a more appropriate yardstick than “genocide” one could compare these figures to the total number of Israeli civilians killed between 2000 and 2010 through the period of the Second Intifada (about 750 deaths); white civilians killed during the Rhodesian Bush War (about 500); or the number of civilians killed during the first decade of the troubles in Northern Ireland (about 1 500). The population of the commercial farming community at the time was small – probably fewer than 250 000 people – with the violence falling predominantly on those living and working on the land in the eastern half of the country. The peak of the violence against farmers was reached in the late 1990s and early 2000s with over 140 people being killed in around 1 000 farm attacks annually between 1998 and 2001, according to official police figures. Since then, the intensity of that violence has gradually diminished, and the numbers have recently fallen to the current lows highlighted by the BBC. Clearly, farmers came to be regarded as fair game for systemic robbery-murder-type as the ANC took over the country. If the BBC reported fairly and accurately on this topic – as required by its guidelines – it would have outlined that well-documented reality. Instead, its journalists go on air to deny that there exists any “problem about farmers being murdered.” The BBC’s coverage of the Afrikaner question has also breached its guidelines in more obvious ways, beyond the failure to include key historical context. In another article on whether there was a: “white genocide” in South Africa the BBC baldly declared – under the subtitle: “who are the Afrikaners” - that under apartheid the Afrikaner-led government had deliberately denied black people: “a decent education, with Afrikaner leader Hendrik Verwoerd infamously remarking in the 1950s that ‘blacks should never be shown the greener pastures of education. They should know their station in life is to be hewers of wood and drawers of water’.” The insertion of this seventy-year-old quote was clearly intended to cast the Afrikaner minority in an odious historical light. (Afrikaners have also been accused on air of having regarded black people as “subhuman.”) The gratuitous inclusion of material likely to ignite feelings of hate in this manner happens to be against the guidelines. More to the point: though a widely circulated internet meme, the quote itself is fraudulent. Its inclusion was thus against the guideline which requires that: “Fact must be distinguished from rumour, particularly—but by no means exclusively—on social media, where misinformation and disinformation may be deliberate.” Five months after publication it is still sitting uncorrected on the BBC news website, a contravention of another guideline which states that: “Serious factual errors should be acknowledged and mistakes corrected promptly, clearly and appropriately.” When it comes to the Expropriation Act BBC reporting has gone out of its way to minimise the dangers of the law, which provides government with a legal instrument to confiscate minority-owned property for submarket value compensation. Instead, the corporation’s journalists have suggested that it is necessary as: “the majority of South Africa’s farmland is currently owned by the white minority. The 2017 Land Audit says: Black people who make up over 80% of the population only own 4% of farmland held by individuals more than thirty years after the end of apartheid. So, the ANC’s idea with this bill is to help rebalance South Africa’s land.” This repeated presentation of the Land Audit’s figures as authoritative by the BBC is in clear breach of yet another guideline which states that: “statistics must be accurate and verified where necessary, with important caveats and limitations explained.” The obvious limitation of the Land Audit figures is that they refer only to: “individually owned” land, a form of land ownership which covers 30,4% of the extent of the country, most of which is in the semi-arid West of the country. The vast majority of black-owned agricultural land is state-owned or held communally through trusts. Three decades after the end of white rule in South Africa the great majority of land in the high rainfall eastern crescent of South Africa is today in black hands. If one includes communal, state, and company-owned land, and adjusts for land potential, the best current estimate is that black ownership of agricultural land is ten times what the BBC claims it to be. One could carry on with other examples of the egregious way in which BBC reporting on racially loaded questions in South Africa flouts these and other guidelines. Yet the BBC’s propaganda on such matters has been so pervasive and unrelenting – and successful in shaping perceptions of these topics – that it is unlikely to ever be effectively challenged. This article first appeared in The Common Sense. ….and of course, the colonialists had nothing whatsoever to do with the mess passed down through the generations. Sixpence!! Warm regards / groete Cliff photo

Is Norse Atlantic's Cape Topwn Route A Bargain Or Scheduling Nightmare?

Is Norse Atlantic’s Cape Town route a bargain or a scheduling nightmare? South Africans are used to airlines’ remarkable punctuality and dynamic customer service. Norse Atlantic is playing in a different league altogether… By SAPeople Staff Writer 22-11-25 11:35 in News Composite image of a man frustrated at an airport, along with visual of Norse Atlantic jet Images: Norse Atlantic UK via Wikipedia and Freepik Budget airline Norse Atlantic launched direct flights between London Gatwick and Cape Town in October 2024, offering fares from as little as £499 (R11,334) return. But one reader’s experience of not one but two major reschedules on a single trip raises questions about whether Norse’s rock-bottom prices come with hidden costs. When Norse Atlantic Airways touched down at Cape Town International Airport on 28 October 2024, it was hailed as a game changer. The Norwegian low-cost carrier was breaking the British Airways and Virgin Atlantic duopoly on the London to Cape Town route, flying from Gatwick rather than Heathrow three times a week. The promise was simple: modern Boeing 787 Dreamliners, comfortable seats, and prices that undercut the legacy carriers by hundreds of pounds. With return fares starting at £499 in economy and £1,199 in premium, Norse positioned itself as the people’s airline to South Africa. And by most accounts, the service itself has been solid. The inaugural flight was fully booked, passengers have praised the cabin comfort, and demand has been strong enough that Norse has already announced plans to expand the route to six flights weekly during peak 2025-2026 season. But when things go wrong on Norse Atlantic, they really go wrong Which brings us to our reader’s experience. They’ve asked to remain anonymous, but their story raises serious questions about Norse’s operational reliability. The family had booked flight Z0795 on Friday 17 October 2025 to attend a friend’s wedding in Cape Town. Then on 23 September, more than three weeks before departure, Norse rescheduled their flight to Thursday 16 October. With kids still at school, this wasn’t workable, so they opted for the next available day, Saturday 18 October. The inconvenience was significant. Car rentals had to be rebooked. Hotel reservations had to be changed. All at the customer’s expense, with no offer of compensation from Norse. Fast forward to 8 November at 14:45, less than 24 hours before departure. Another email lands: “We are sorry to inform you your flight is significantly delayed.” What followed was a cascade of schedule changes throughout the day. The flight that should have left on Sunday 9 November at 12:30 was eventually rescheduled to depart at 00:30 on 10 November, a full 12 hours later. In the end, the plane actually took off after 1am. Compensation? £10 Norse’s response? A generous offer of R250 (approximately £10) to cover extending the Airbnb (which wasn’t available for an extra night), extending the car rental (which they managed to arrange themselves), and expenses for an additional 12 hours in Cape Town with nowhere to stay. The family ended up checking in early, spending more than five hours milling about at the airport. The cherry on top? Their son missed his first day at a new job. “On the whole we loved the existence, cost, service, seats, booking process etc but the rescheduling was a nightmare, twice in one trip,” our reader wrote. “Were we unlucky or are things at Norse always this messy?” A pattern emerges It’s a fair question. And the evidence suggests this may not be an isolated incident. There’s a dedicated Facebook group called Norse Atlantic Complaints & Grievances with 7,300 followers, filled with similar stories of delays, cancellations, and poor communication. On Trustpilot, Norse Atlantic has a dismal 1.8-star rating, with complaints about flight delays and particularly about the airline’s customer service, or lack thereof, dominating the reviews. Norse doesn’t operate a phone line for customer service, relying instead on email and a chatbot named Odin. Multiple passengers report sending numerous emails about compensation claims only to be met with silence, sometimes for months. One analysis of Norse’s JFK to Rome route found a concerning 40% delay rate. Customer reviews consistently mention difficulties getting compensation even when they’re legally entitled to it under UK and EU regulations. The low-cost trade-off To be fair to Norse, operational hiccups aren’t uncommon for a relatively young airline. The company only launched commercial operations in June 2022, making it barely three years old. Growing pains are to be expected. And for many passengers, the experience has been positive. When flights run on time, the value proposition is compelling. You’re getting a direct flight to Cape Town on a modern aircraft for hundreds of pounds less than the competition. But the question is whether the savings are worth the risk. If you’re flying for a time-sensitive event like a wedding, a job interview, or to catch a connecting safari booking, can you afford to have your flight rescheduled not once but twice? Our reader made an interesting observation: “Perhaps South Africans measure their flight expectations and standards based on FlySafair!” It’s a tongue-in-cheek comment, but there’s truth to it. South Africans are used to FlySafair’s remarkable punctuality record and responsive customer service. Norse Atlantic is playing in a different league altogether. Norse stays silent We reached out to Norse Atlantic on Wednesday, 19 November, requesting comment on the rescheduling issues, compensation policies and myriad of customer service complaints. At the time of publishing, we’ve heard nothing back. The silence is, unfortunately, on brand. It’s the same complaint we hear again and again from passengers: when things go wrong, Norse goes quiet. Your turn Have you flown Norse Atlantic to Cape Town? Did your flight leave on time, or did you experience delays and rescheduling? Were you able to get compensation when things went wrong? We’d love to hear your experiences, good or bad. Email us your Norse Atlantic stories and let us know whether this budget option to South Africa is a genuine bargain or a gamble you’d rather not take. After all, cheap flights are not much of a bargain if they do not get you there, when you need to be there. 'SA People' is hiring! Freelance writer positions availabl

Eswatini Agrees To Take Deportees From The US

SA’s neighbour confirms getting R86 million from US in cash-for-criminals deal The funds were received under a secretive agreement struck with the Donald Trump administration. By Tebogo Tsape 21-11-25 07:48 in Africa President Tsai attends the double celebration of the 55th year of the Kingdom of Eswatini's independence and the 55th birthday of King Mswati III. (2023/09/07) This image accompanies an article about Eswatini's acceptance and housing of US deportees, receiving $5 million for it. King Mswati III. Image: Wang Yu Ching / Office of the President of Taiwan The Kingdom of Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has finally confirmed that it accepted $5.1 million (R86.2 million) from the United States government as part of a controversial deal to house dangerous deportees. The revelation, coming after initial secrecy, has amplified regional security fears, with neighbouring South Africa deeply concerned about its exposed borders. The funds were received under a secretive agreement struck with the Donald Trump administration to accept migrants expelled under a third-country deportation programme. Although Eswatini originally agreed to take up to 160 deportees in exchange for the $5.1 million – money supposedly intended to “build its border and migration management capacity” – the arrangement has been fiercely condemned by local critics. The largest opposition party in Eswatini, Pudemo, branded the deal as “human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal”. Eswatini-US deal Eswatini’s Finance Minister, Neal Rijkenberg, confirmed receipt of the $5.1 million in the country’s parliament, noting that the ministry was kept in the dark throughout the process and only later told the funds were for the US deportees. The money was funnelled into the account of Eswatini’s disaster agency, NDMA, and still requires legal regularisation, according to reports. So far, the tiny kingdom has accepted 15 men in two batches (five in July and ten in October), though one Jamaican national has since been repatriated. The US Department of Homeland Security described some of these individuals, originating from Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Yemen, and Jamaica, as “depraved monsters”. Their convictions include severe crimes such as child rape and murder. Inmates in the ‘Jungle’ Prison These deportees are currently being held at the maximum-security Matsapha Correctional Centre, located outside the capital, Mbabane. The facility has long held a chilling reputation, routinely used to silence pro-democracy activists and political dissenters who oppose King Mswati III’s regime. Conditions inside Matsapha are notoriously poor, with former inmates describing life there as “like a jungle” and operating on a “survival of the fittest” principle. Credible reports from 2023 cite arbitrary or unlawful killings and torture within the system. Alarmingly, the US deportees are reportedly being held without charge or access to legal counsel, and were initially placed in solitary confinement. One Cuban national was reported to be on a hunger strike after being arbitrarily detained for over three months. The US deal did fund new infrastructure, however. New blocks constructed at Matsapha offer individual bathrooms and mounted televisions, a sharp contrast to the crowded dormitories of the older blocks. Yet, critics fear these new, tightly-controlled structures – which feature transparent walls for constant surveillance – may ultimately be used to house local political dissenters rather than just foreign criminals. South Africa’s Security Nightmare over Eswatini-US deal The decision by Eswatini to accept these high-risk individuals has sparked serious regional security concerns, particularly in South Africa, which entirely landlocks the kingdom except for a border with Mozambique. The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation has officially raised its anxieties, stating it is “deeply concerned about the profile of these individuals and the potential adverse impact on South Africa’s national security and immigration policy”. Given the porous nature of the border, there are palpable fears that if the deportees are not properly managed, these convicted criminals could easily cross into South Africa, posing significant risks to public safety and straining the country’s existing border management systems. As one veteran prison warden in Eswatini reportedly questioned: “If America couldn’t keep them, what can a mere Swaziland [Eswatini previous name] do?” 'SA People' is hiring! Freelance writer positions available. Send us your CV

Nigeria: Gunmen Kidnap 300 Catholic Students

Gunmen Kidnap 300 Catholic Students in Nigeria Nigeria Gunmen abducted more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in central Nigeria over the weekend, the latest incident to draw scrutiny from US President Donald Trump, who has threatened military action over what he has described as persecution of Christians in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported. Early Friday, attackers stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in central Niger state, firing into the air and forcing students from their dormitories into the surrounding forest. Nigerian authorities initially suggested that a majority of the student body – more than 600 students – had evaded capture. However, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) later said that 303 students and 12 teachers were taken. On Sunday, the association confirmed that roughly 50 students had managed to escape, lowering the number of those still held to 253 – including 250 students from the school and three children belonging to staff members, CNN wrote. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, with officials suggesting that bandit gangs seeking ransom are the most likely perpetrators – part of a long-running pattern of mass kidnappings in rural areas where the state has little presence, Agence France-Presse noted. The incident prompted the state Governor Mohammed Umar Bago to order the shuttering of all schools in Niger state as security agencies conduct search operations. Nearby states have taken similar precautions, and the federal education ministry instructed 47 boarding schools nationwide to close. Friday’s kidnapping is among the largest mass abductions in Nigeria, and follows other attacks last week: On Monday, gunmen raided a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi State, kidnapping 25 students, mostly Muslims. The next day, a separate incident saw armed men attack a church in western Nigeria, killing two people during a service being streamed online and abducting dozens more. Another church attack was reported on Wednesday, killing two. The violence and abductions underscore the ongoing security crisis in Nigeria, which is still recovering from the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls by the militant group, Boko Haram, in northeastern Borno state more than a decade ago. Some of those girls remain missing, according to AFP. The incidents also come less than a month after Trump accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians, saying he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare military options aimed at destroying Islamist militants. On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Nigeria to take “urgent and enduring action” to stop violence against Christians. Nigerian officials have countered that insecurity affects both Christians and Muslims, and blame a mix of extremist insurgents and criminal gangs operating across the northwest and central regions. Even so, local Christian leaders welcomed the possibility of outside support, with CAN regional chairman Joseph Hayab saying that the incidents “point to the fact that the federal government is not doing enough.”

Tunisians Protest President's Autocratic Rule

Tunisians Protest President’s Autocratic Rule Tunisia Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital Tunis over the weekend to protest against President Kais Saied’s increasingly authoritarian rule, while calling for the release of dozens of political prisoners and a reversal of the government’s widening crackdown on dissent, Al Jazeera reported. On Saturday, at least 2,000 protesters filled central Tunis, chanting “the people want to overthrow the regime,” while carrying signs reading “Enough repression” and “Not my president.” The demonstration was held under the banner “Against Injustice” and brought together activists, families of detainees, civic groups, and opposition parties in a rare show of unity across ideological lines. The weekend rally came amid a surge of nationwide protests over political and economic turmoil under Saied’s governance. Earlier in the week, journalists marched against restrictions on press freedom and the temporary suspension of around 14 non-governmental organizations. The show of defiance follows a series of arrests targeting critics of Saied. Protesters have accused the president of using the police and the courts to silence opponents and warned that political and civic gains made since the 2011 revolution were being dismantled. Organizers told the Associated Press that Saturday’s demonstrations also sought to shed light on the plight of detainees, some of whom have gone on hunger strikes. Others pointed to broader grievances, ranging from political repression and a failing economy to environmental pollution. In recent weeks, Tunisians have been demonstrating against the pollution and environmental degradation in the phosphate-producing city of Gabes. Human rights officials have warned that more than 50 activists, lawyers, journalists, and politicians have been arrested or prosecuted since late 2022, often under broad anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws used to criminalize peaceful expression and political activity. Elected in 2019, Saied assumed sweeping powers after suspending parliament in 2021, launching a crackdown on dissent and opposition parties. He has denied accusations of operating like a dictator and insists he is cleansing the state of corruption and “traitors.” But his critics counter that Tunisia, once seen as the Arab Spring’s lone democratic success story, is now sliding rapidly toward one-man rule. Share this story

Nigeria: Church Attack, School Kidnapping Rock Nigeria

Church Attack, School Kidnapping Rock Nigeria Nigeria Gunmen attacked a church in central Nigeria this week, just days after at least 25 schoolgirls were abducted in the country’s northeast, Reuters reported. The incidents have increased pressure on the Nigerian government as it faces mounting scrutiny over deteriorating security and threats to the nation’s Christian community. On Tuesday evening, armed men stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in the town of Eruku in Kwara state during a service, killing at least two people and kidnapping the pastor and several worshippers. Video footage showed parishioners diving for cover as gunfire erupted when the assailants entered the church and seized people’s belongings amid continued shooting. Kwara’s governor requested the immediate deployment of additional security personnel. Tuesday’s attack came barely 24 hours after a separate incident when unknown gunmen assaulted a girls’ boarding school in the predominantly Muslim town of Maga, in Kebbi state. Authorities said the attackers exchanged gunfire with police guards, killing two staff members before abducting the schoolgirls. Two girls managed to escape, and officials are cooperating with locals to find the abducted students, the BBC added. The separate attacks prompted Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to postpone a planned trip to South Africa and Angola. He ordered agencies “to do everything possible” to rescue the girls and hunt down the attackers in the church shooting. The United Nations condemned the Kebbi abductions and urged the “swift release” of the students, according to Africanews. The dual assaults have heightened political pressure on Abuja as US President Donald Trump and American conservatives amplify claims that Christians are being “targeted” in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has rejected those accusations as a misrepresentation of complex, overlapping security crises involving Islamist insurgents, armed bandits, and communal conflicts. The West African country has been grappling with a years-long Islamist insurgency in the northeast, kidnappings and killings by armed gangs in the northwest, and deadly skirmishes between mainly Muslim herdsmen and mostly Christian farmers in the central regions. Security analysts warned that persistent abductions and failures to prosecute known attackers continue to embolden armed groups and erode public confidence. While one such analyst said abductors often “dictate the terms” in negotiations, Nigeria’s chief of army staff said failure to rescue the children is not an option, the Associated Press noted. Share this story

Guinea Bissau Is Having Political Instability

‘The Absurd Is Becoming Normal’ in Guinea-Bissau as It – Finally – Holds Elections Guinea-Bissau Decades ago, the African Party of the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) led a 12-year liberation struggle against Portugal, which culminated in independence for Guinea-Bissau in 1974. Fifty-one years later, that party, Guinea-Bissau’s largest, has been essentially banned from running in the presidential and legislative elections on Nov. 23 for reasons critics call a “concocted” technicality. “…The absurd (is) becoming normal in our country,” said opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira, PAIGC presidential candidate, of the ruling by the Supreme Court on Sept. 23 to block his candidacy: Judges said his application submitted on Sept. 19 was too late to meet the deadline of Sept. 25. But those types of political and legal absurdities are not unusual in this West African country, which has struggled with coups and authoritarian leaders for half a century, analysts say. “To survive (in the country), one must be in power,” wrote Vincent Foucher of France’s Sciences Po in the French-language edition of the Conversation. “This creates a cycle: a coalition of malcontents and opponents forms, and it manages to seize power through legal means via elections, the formation of a new majority coalition in the legislature, or through illegal means. Then the distribution of benefits provokes discontent within the coalition, which gradually fractures, inspiring the formation of a new coalition and attempts to seize power…” This current “cycle” started in 2020 after President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, a former army general, swore himself in as the president at a hotel in the capital of Bissau. Since then, he has overseen an “armed coup” against the Supreme Court judges, dissolved the elected parliament, and dismissed the opposition-led cabinet, replacing it with one of his own choosing. Pereira’s PAIGC won legislative elections in 2023 but says the president stopped them from forming a government. Meanwhile, voters in Bissau-Guinea were initially scheduled to choose a new president in November 2024. But Embaló postponed the vote, rescheduling it to November 2025, saying the country was not ready to hold elections. Critics, however, say his term expired at the end of February. In early February, the country’s top court extended his term to September 2025. Still, Embaló had pledged in 2024 to step down after his term expired. But then he backtracked earlier this year and said he would actually run again: “I will be a candidate in my own succession,” he said in March. While he has outlasted his initial five-year mandate, Embaló legally can run for a second term. As a result, analysts say, he’s doing everything he can to stop his leading rival from winning the presidency and the opposition from getting a majority in parliament. The Africa Center for Strategic Studies says the election chaos is just part of a long pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau. The country has experienced four coups, more than a dozen attempted coups, and had 23 years of military-led government since 1974. Embaló says he has survived two alleged attempted coups since he took office in 2020. After an alleged attempt to overthrow him in 2023, he dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament, saying it was doing nothing to improve security. Critics say the coup attempts were not real but a ploy by the president to consolidate power and remain in office. Still, at the end of October, multiple senior military officers were arrested for plotting yet another alleged coup. Meanwhile, the political jockeying, the repression of dissent and the media, and the lack of focus on development leaves the average citizen struggling: With its monoculture agrarian economy – it’s one of the world’s leading producers of cashew nuts, accounting for much of its exports and providing a livelihood to about 80 percent of the population – the country is one of Africa’s poorest, heavily dependent on foreign assistance.  As a result, the country is looking to tap its mineral wealth, having made overtures to Russia this year for help in developing a bauxite mining operation. However, it will likely also remain a central cog in the international cocaine trafficking system – the country is dubbed “Africa’s first narco state” – an enterprise mainly run by the political elite. Regardless, analysts say the elections come as the country is at a crossroads, grappling with power struggles between the president and the legislature, the president and the opposition, and the president and a vigorous, albeit repressed, civil society – all watched over by a military that feels entitled to interfere. “Guinea-Bissau faces two possible paths: It could transition into a liberal democracy if presidential and legislative elections restore functioning institutions,” wrote Democracy in Africa. “Alternatively, it could slip into dictatorship marked by unchecked presidential power, repression of opposition, and lawlessness, including armed groups and drug trafficking. In a region already struggling with Islamist insurgencies and instability, Guinea-Bissau’s trajectory matters.”

South Africa: Do Afrikaners Regret That Apartheid Was Abolished?

Profile photo for Kyle Baston Kyle Baston · Follow Feb 3 Do Afrikaners regret that apartheid was abolished, with South Africa looking like the Balkans in the 1990s? I think most white South Africans who were realistic about the prospects of South Africa, left after apartheid ended. 2/5 to be exact. 2/5 black university graduates are leaving as well. My family filled out the immigration paperwork to Australia in 1994. The reality is if you can accept an African standard of living and government, then South Africa is for you. Africa belongs to Africans, and the African mind set will always treat white and Indian people who have lived there for generations as outsiders. I understand why they would hate us, I just sometimes wish they would look at the lessons of the Indian expulsion from Uganda and the white expulsion from Zimbabwe, and accept reality. South Africa is extremely corrupt, and it’s the Indian and the white population that are the main drivers of the economy. There is the constant tiresome excuse of apartheid = lack of progress. There are 52 countries in Africa. South Africa represents 1/7 of africas gdp. Africa despite being one of the most resource rich continents on the planet represents 2.5 % of global gdp. Despite colonisation being blamed Ethiopia and Liberia are the two examples of places in Africa that were never colonised . Ethiopia has been in a constant state of famine and war for decades, and Liberia has just been through a brutal civil war in which cannibalism was rampant. Driving the white farmers from Zimbabwe resulted in 79.5 billion percent peak inflation. 25 % of their food supply comes In a form of a gift from the evil colonising countries who run the world food program. Colonisation existed everywhere in Europe, and in the americas and Africa on a tribal warfare level. It’s called tall poppy syndrome , its easier to resent another persons success than it is to acknowledge your own societies failings. The Jews despite enduring a 1000 years of oppression, not being allowed to own land in Europe and enduring a genocide in world war 2 , managed to build the only democracy and most successful dynamic economy in the Middle East in less than 20 years. It is possible , it’s about societal and cultural standards. If you don’t get that right then expect to be as impoverished as the rest of Africa.

Gabon Court Sentences Former First Lady and President's Son To 20 Years In Prison

Gabon court sentences former first lady and president's son to 20 years in prison By Jves Laurent Goma, 1 days ago Gabon President Family Trial AFP or Licensors Gabon's former first lady and her son were sentenced in absentia by a special criminal court to 20 years in prison following a two-day trial in Libreville. Sylvia Bongo and Noureddin Bongo Valentin were convicted of concealment and embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, criminal association and forgery. The court sentenced the duo late Tuesday, according to a judgement, and also issued an arrest warrant for them. They were ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages for “crimes against the Gabonese state." Valentin said the verdict had long been “predetermined" under the office of President Oligui Nguema and called the trial a “simple formality." Sylvia Bongo and Noureddin Bongo Valentin were influential during former president Ali Bongo's 14 years in power of the central African country. Ali Bongo was ousted in a coup in 2023 after winning a disputed election that the military and opposition said was marred by fraud. The coup put an end to the Bongo dynasty's 56 years in power. Ali Bongo's father, Omar Bongo, ruled for 42 years. The prosecutor accused both defendants of manipulating the former president's health issues to control state funds. Valentin, who held the position of coordinator of presidential affairs, was described by witnesses during the trial as the main person giving orders at the presidential palace after his father suffered a stroke in October 2018. Following Ali Bongo's ouster, both Valentin and his mother were detained for 20 months before being allowed to travel out of the country. The Bongos, who live in London and hold French citizenship, refused to participate in the trial. During the trial, the prosecutor released images of two private jets allegedly procured with laundered money and listed land holdings including a mansion in London and Morocco. “They reigned unchallenged, and tried to pass themselves off as victims of the system they shaped,” said Eddy Minang, prosecutor general at the Libreville Court of Appeal.

Nigeria: The Geography of Violence

The Geography of Violence: Nigeria Grapples with Militants, Bandits, and Tribal Conflicts as the US Mulls Intervention Nigeria Comfort Isfanus was cooking dinner at her home in the Bokkos area of Plateau State in north-central Nigeria, when her husband ran into their kitchen and told her that armed men were heading their way. As she and their children fled to safety, he stayed behind with his brother. “They killed them,” she told Deutsche Welle. “Our houses were burnt down, and now we are suffering with…no shelter for our children. Now they don’t have (anything) to eat, no school, no business, nothing.” For decades, Nigerians across the country and across religions have been grappling with such violence from Islamist militants, criminal gangs, and tribal rivalries. Thousands of people have been killed annually in the violence that the government has struggled for years to contain. But now, the situation in the West African country has sparked anger in the United States, where US President Donald Trump has claimed that there is a “Christian genocide” taking place. He has threatened to cut off aid and send the military into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if the government does not halt the violence, CNN reported. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth. All this attention from the world’s most powerful leader has led to shock in the country. “There is no genocide taking place in Nigeria,” said Daniel Bwala, a spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on X. “Rather, the nation faces serious security challenges that have affected people across all faiths, including Christians.” “Nigeria remains a sovereign nation, and while collaboration with international partners in addressing insecurity is welcome, any form of intervention must respect our sovereignty,” he added. With more than 230 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with more than 200 ethnic groups. The population is almost evenly split between Muslims, predominant in the north, and Christians, who mainly live in the south. The states of Benue and Plateau, in the north-central region known as the Middle Belt, experience the worst of the violence, with armed criminal groups known as bandits regularly murdering or kidnapping residents, and destroying schools, hospitals, and places of worship. Meanwhile, criminal gangs target both Muslims and Christians in rural communities in the northwest of Nigeria, kidnapping individuals for ransom payments and also burning villages. “They bomb markets. They bomb churches. They bomb mosques, and they attack every civilian location they find. They do not discriminate between Muslims and Christians,” Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian lawyer and analyst, told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, jihadist militant groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, active in the northeast of the country, have killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than 2 million over the past 15 years. The groups aim to establish their radical interpretation of Islamic law in the areas they take over, and have often targeted Muslims they deem not Muslim enough. At the same time, the Fulani tribe, mainly Muslims, have been accused of mass killings of mainly Christians across the northwest and central regions, where a decades-long conflict over land and water resources has led to violence between farmers, who are usually Christian, and herders, who are mainly Muslim Fulani. The farmers accuse the herders of allowing their livestock to graze on their farms and destroying their crops. Herders argue, however, that those areas are legal grazing lands, the Associated Press explained. In April, gunmen believed to be herders from the Muslim Fulani tribe killed at least 40 people in a largely Christian farming village. Two months later, more than 100 people were massacred by gunmen in Yelwata, a largely Christian community in Benue state, according to Amnesty International. John Joseph Hayab, a pastor who leads the Christian Association of Nigeria in the country’s northern region, told CNN there is “systematic killings of Christians” in that area, adding that he had presided over numerous mass burials of slain Christians: “Every state in northern Nigeria has suffered its own terrible share of killings targeting Christians.” Still, analysts say that accusations of a “Christian genocide” are false and simplistic. They argue that while Christians have been targeted, most victims of violence in Nigeria are Muslims, the Associated Press wrote. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a US crisis-monitoring group, out of the 1,923 attacks that targeted civilians in Nigeria so far this year, about 50 targeted Christians because of their religion. “The crisis is far more complex than a simple religious framing suggests,” said Taiwo Hassan Adebayo of the Institute for Security Studies. “…geography…largely determines who becomes the victim.” Still, some across Nigeria called on the government to find ways to fight Islamist groups in an effort to prevent foreign troops from entering the country. Analysts say that the Tinubu administration, in power since 2023, has made more efforts to tackle the violence than its predecessors. Still, about 10,000 people have been killed and hundreds abducted since he took office. At the same time, some Christians, while welcoming US support and intervention, said US action could worsen the situation. Ochole Okita, 28, standing outside a church in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, told the Washington Post that she hoped that US intervention would stop the violence ravaging farming communities. “I was excited but with mixed feelings,” Okita said, adding that she was happy the US seemed to care. “(Any intervention) is still going to affect us. We’re the ones (on the ground) and are going to suffer, especially when the aid is taken (away).” Share this story

The Collaborators Who Betrayed Their Country For Donald Trump

https://www.news24.com/opinions/columnists/adriaan-basson-the-collaborators-who-betrayed-their-country-for-trump-20251110-1110?lid=njadl2cw469w

Cape Town Is Now One Of The Most Congested Cities On Earth

Cape Town is now one of the most congested cities in the world For South African expats returning to the Mother City, the shock isn’t just seeing Table Mountain again, it’s surviving Cape Town’s traffic! By James Durrant 10-11-25 09:19 in News Cape Town traffic For South African expats returning to the Mother City, the shock isn't just seeing Table Mountain again, it's surviving Cape Town's traffic! Image: Wikimedia Commons For South African expat Londoners returning home, the shock isn’t just seeing Table Mountain again, it’s discovering Cape Town’s traffic now rivals the gridlock they thought they’d left behind, with drivers losing nearly four full days each year to congestion. Look, I’ve spent years navigating London traffic. I thought I’d seen it all. But coming back to Cape Town? The traffic situation has become genuinely alarming. The numbers don’t lie. According to the INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard, Cape Town drivers lost an average of 94 hours in 2024 sitting in traffic. Think about that. Nearly four full days of your year, gone, just staring at the car in front of you. ITS International and other sources now rank Cape Town in the top 10 of the world’s most congested cities. We’re talking Mumbai levels. Bogotá levels. Manila levels. The daily grind I experienced this first-hand during my week in Cape Town in October. My son was attending a course in Woodstock, which meant a daily commute into town from the southern suburbs. Every single day, the same crawl. You’d think after years of battling London traffic I’d be adjusted to congestion. When special events become traffic nightmares Then came the Redbull Flugtag on the Sunday. Yes, it was a massive international event at the V&A Waterfront. I get that. You expect some traffic for something that big. But the reality was unimaginable. From the moment we hit the backed-up traffic on Nelson Mandela Boulevard, it took over an hour just to find a parking spot at the V&A. Over an hour. For a less than 2km drive. And here’s the kicker – I live in London. I’m supposed to be immune to traffic chaos. I’ve sat through gridlock on the M25. I’ve crawled through rush hour in one of Europe’s busiest cities. Yet even I found myself gobsmacked by how bad Cape Town’s become. When someone from London is shocked by your traffic, you know you’ve got a serious problem. Every road, every day The southern suburbs to town route is now a daily nightmare. Woodstock, Sea Point, the CBD – doesn’t matter where you’re heading, you’re crawling. And it starts early. No beating the rush anymore because the rush is basically all day. The reasons are obvious when you think about it. Cape Town’s squeezed between a mountain and the ocean. There are only so many roads you can build. Add in decades of prioritising cars over public transport, rapid growth, and inadequate infrastructure, and you’ve got a perfect storm of gridlock. What’s really at stake Here’s what worries me most. It’s not just the frustration of sitting in traffic, though that’s bad enough. It’s what this does to Cape Town. People are losing productive hours. Businesses are suffering. The pollution is increasing. And the city’s reputation as a great place to live? That’s taking a serious hit. The data confirms Cape Town has a traffic crisis. The real question is whether there’s the political will to actually do something about it. Because right now, it feels like we’re just watching it get worse. Time’s running out. And so is everyone’s patience. 'SA People' is hiring! Freelance writer positions available. Send us your CV

Tigray Accuses Federal Government Of Attacks Stoking Fears Of Renewed Violence in Ethiopia

Tigray Accuses Federal Government of Attacks, Stoking Fears of Renewed Violence In Ethiopia Ethiopia / Tigray The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) accused Ethiopia’s federal government of launching drone strikes against the northern region of Tigray over the weekend, in the midst of rising tensions following renewed clashes between Tigrayan and Afar regional forces last week, Agence France-Presse reported. The TPLF said the strikes on Friday night “caused casualties among members of the Tigray forces and local residents” and accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of “obstruction and military provocation.” The group called the attacks a “blatant violation” of the 2022 peace deal that ended the country’s two-year civil war between the government and the TPLF. The government in Addis Ababa has not commented on the allegations. The accusations came a day after Afar’s regional authorities claimed that Tigrayan fighters had crossed into their territory, seizing six villages and shelling civilians with mortars and heavy artillery, AFP reported separately. The Afar administration warned that it would “undertake its defensive duty to protect itself” if such incidents continued. A humanitarian source confirmed fighting had occurred but said it had ended by late Wednesday and that no casualties had yet been reported. Tigray’s interim administration rejected the Afar claims as “baseless,” and accused the region of staging “repeated attacks” in recent years and of participating in a “malicious plot to deliberately harm the Tigrayan people.” The TPLF also alleged that the federal government was “recruiting and arming bandits” in Afar as part of a campaign to destabilize Tigray. Relations between the federal government and Tigray, home to about six million people, remain fragile three years after a war that killed an estimated 600,000 people between 2020 and 2022. In May, Ethiopian election authorities banned the TPLF from political activity, and in October, the central government accused the party of forging ties with Eritrea and “actively preparing to wage war against Ethiopia.” Analysts said the flare-ups underscore the country’s unstable postwar trajectory, adding that the country has been on a “path to war” for months, with political trust eroding and regional grievances deepening. The TPLF – which dominated Ethiopian politics from 1991 to 2018 – is requesting help from the international community to prevent the country from sliding into renewed conflict.

South Africa Blasts Trump's Boycott of G-20 Over Alleged Persecution of White Afrikaners

South Africa Blasts Trump’s Boycott of G20 Over Alleged Persecution of White Afrikaners South Africa South Africa’s government over the weekend called “regrettable” US President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott next month’s Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg, after he accused the country of persecuting White farmers and announced that no US officials would attend, CBS News reported. On Friday, Trump said on Truth Social that it was a “total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” claiming that “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.” He wrote that “no US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue” and reiterated his plan to host next year’s G20 in Miami. In response, South Africa’s foreign ministry said the characterization of Afrikaners as an exclusively White and persecuted group was “ahistorical” and “not substantiated by fact,” adding that the government “looks forward to hosting a successful summit.” The ministry reaffirmed that the global gathering later this month would proceed under the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” The boycott deepens tensions between Washington and Pretoria, which have escalated since January over South Africa’s new Expropriation Act – a land reform law allowing the state to appropriate land in limited circumstances, Al Jazeera noted. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the policy amounts to land “confiscation” and that White South Africans face “racial persecution,” accusations that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed as “completely false.” Ramaphosa has countered that the reforms address historic inequalities in land ownership, with roughly three-quarters of privately held land still in White hands more than three decades after apartheid ended. The Trump administration has continued to assert that Afrikaners are being targeted, announcing in October that most of the 7,500 refugees the US will admit annually will come from South Africa’s White minority. In May, Washington granted asylum to 59 White South Africans, describing them as victims of racial discrimination. However, South African analysts and researchers have accused Trump of inflaming racial divisions for political purposes. Historian Saul Dubow of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom told Al Jazeera that Trump’s “fantasy claims of White genocide” lacked merit and suggested his anger may also stem from South Africa’s filing of a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Egypt's Election-A House of Cards

A House of Cards: Egypt’s ‘Managed Democracy’ Rests on an Unstable Foundation Egypt When Egyptians go to the polls from Nov. 10-11, they will be choosing their legislators in an election that holds few surprises because the government led by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has cracked down on the opposition. Even so, the election is significant, say analysts, because it is the last one before el-Sissi concludes his third and final term in 2030. That means the new parliament will set the direction for the country after el-Sissi. Most aren’t optimistic that things will change. “(The election) will either pave the way for a constitutional amendment that would extend Sisi’s term or prepare the ground for a post-Sisi political transition,” wrote Egyptian lawyer Halem Henish of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. “For this reason, these legislative elections represent a pivotal political moment for Egypt – one that exposes the underlying structure of the country’s political system, its relationship with society, and the deepening consolidation of authoritarian rule.” The elections are taking place in a tightly controlled political environment, after years of a government crackdown on dissent, political parties, and restrictions on the opposition and the media. Since 2013, political parties have been either dissolved or co-opted, while independent opposition candidates have faced imprisonment, harassment, or exile. Still, in the past two elections, it allowed a token opposition. But not this time. Just weeks before the vote, Egypt’s government disqualified an opposition legislator, Haitham al-Hariri, marking a turning point: The government is no longer even maintaining the pretense of limited political competition that it once did, analysts say. Al-Hariri was disqualified based on a new interpretation of the military service law that now labels those individuals who were “excluded” from military service as “draft evaders.” He told Egypt’s Mada Masr that the ruling party is now in effect sentencing him to “political death” simply because his father was a well-known opposition figure. As a result, the US-based risk analysis firm RANE predicted the elections will produce a parliament that offers “almost no checks and balances” to the executive branch but instead will be a rubber stamp. Meanwhile, past voting patterns suggest the results are already predetermined. Turnout is expected to mirror the Senate elections in August, when just 17 percent of voters participated – a level the Associated Press reported reflected voter frustrations over Egypt’s stagnant economy, with voters grappling with record inflation, seeing rising costs for food, fuel, and other necessities. Egypt is also struggling with a sliding pound and more than $160 billion in foreign debt. Instead of addressing the cost of living, however, in the August elections, the government sought to push patriotic propaganda. The Middle East Monitor observed scenes of voters singing and dancing outside polling stations, describing them as a state-encouraged spectacle rather than a genuine outburst of enthusiasm by voters. “The ruling Egyptian regime is seeking to project an image that contradicts reality, amid notably low voter participation,” it said. What Egypt is perfecting is managed democracy, say analysts, using the courts the government has brought under its control to disqualify opposition politicians, to control parliament, and to create the illusion of democracy. As a result, they add, the vote is about consolidating authority before 2030. Meanwhile, Egypt’s elections are watched globally. Home to 116 million people and a linchpin of Middle East stability, Egypt receives more US military aid than any country except Israel – not because of its resources, but because instability here destabilizes a region that stretches from Libya to Gaza. The European Union has poured billions into Egypt to prevent migration flows that could dwarf the 2015 crisis, making these elections a test case for how much authoritarianism the West will tolerate from strategically vital allies. The real question is whether el-Sissi will extend his rule or hand-pick a successor. Most analysts believe that even if el-Sissi leaves office, little will change: The military will still be the power behind the president, and who runs the country will likely be decided by the military. Parliament will just go through the motions, and the state control over the judiciary, the press, the public, and the opposition will continue. Still, as Yezid Sayigh of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut wrote, the regime is being built on a house of cards that is becoming more unstable. “Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is building a new republic defined by a social ethos of ‘nothing for free,’ a new form of state capitalism, and hyper-presidential powers set within a military guardianship that secures his regime but leaves it unable to resolve political, economic, and social challenges,” he said. “Only repeated massive injections of capital by external partners have kept the regime from failing dramatically, but this has enabled it to maintain public policies and investment strategies that have exacerbated economic problems and left it ill-equipped to confront future challenges.”

Tanzanian Authorities Under Scrutiny For Post Election Crackdown

Tanzanian Authorities Under Scrutiny For Deadly Post-Election Crackdown Tanzania Authorities in Tanzania are facing mounting pressure over allegations of mass killings, secret burials, and disappearances following a violent crackdown on protests that erupted after last week’s general elections, the Associated Press reported. The unrest broke out after the Oct. 29 election saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan secure a landslide victory with nearly 98 percent of the vote. However, opposition parties and international observers decried the results, saying the vote failed to meet democratic standards after key rivals – including Tundu Lissu of the main opposition Chadema party – were barred from running. The controversy sparked protests across the country, with authorities declaring a nationwide curfew and cracking down on protesters. The Chadema party has claimed that security forces have killed more than 1,000 people during the post-election crackdown and accused them of secretly disposing of bodies to conceal the scale of the violence. The party added that its deputy chairman, John Heche, was reportedly detained Tuesday and has since gone missing. It accused security forces of abducting him from a police station in Dodoma. The government has not commented on the allegations, though Hassan acknowledged during her Monday inauguration that there had been “loss of lives and destruction of public property,” the BBC wrote. Residents and witnesses in Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, and Arusha described scenes of severe violence, with authorities firing live ammunition and tear gas during days of clashes. A doctor at Muhimbili Hospital told the BBC that trucks marked “Municipal Burial Services” had collected bodies at night and taken them to undisclosed locations. Families continue to search for missing relatives as reports emerge of victims being buried without identification. Human rights groups have condemned the use of lethal and excessive force and called for accountability. The United Kingdom, Norway, and Canada cited credible reports of large-scale fatalities, while the Catholic Church said deaths were in the “hundreds.” The Tanganyika Law Society said it was preparing a report for international legal bodies, calling the killings “pre-planned” and targeted at politically active regions. Meanwhile, authorities lifted a six-day curfew in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday as the internet was gradually restored following a nationwide shutdown. Still, police warned citizens not to share images of protests and victims, saying such acts could lead to “treason charges.”

Zohran Mamdani From Cape Town To Mayor Of New York City

Here’s how Cape Town-schooled Zohran Mamdani made New York City history The bedrock of Zohran Mamdani’s meteoric rise to mayor was a commitment to tackling the New York City’s crippling affordability crisis. By Tebogo Tsape 05-11-25 14:04 in Cape Town New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani Zohran Mamdani at the Resist Fascism Rally in Bryant Park on 27 October 2024. This image accompanies a story about Zohran Mamdani making history as New York City's first Muslim mayor New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Wikimedia Commons The Ugandan-born, Cape Town-educated Zohran Mamdani has clinched the New York City mayorship in a truly historic election. Democratic socialist Mamdani, 34, clinched the mayorship of New York City on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, capping a stunning political ascent that sees the charismatic politician defeat establishment rivals in a historic win focused on affordability. Mamdani – the city’s youngest mayor in over a century and its first Muslim leader – also makes history as the first mayor born in Africa and the first of South Asian heritage to lead America’s largest city. Born in Kampala, Uganda, his family – renowned in academic and film circles – later moved to the Mother City, where the young Mamdani attended St George’s Grammar School in Little Mowbray, Cape Town. His father is the distinguished post-colonial scholar Mahmood Mamdani, who taught at the University of Cape Town between 1996 and 1999. His mother is Oscar-nominated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Mamdani’s affinity for his African and Ugandan identity is partly attributed to his father’s work and activism. ‘Mayor Freeze-the-Rent’ battles Trump and affordability crisis The bedrock of Mamdani’s meteoric rise was a commitment to tackling the New York City’s crippling affordability crisis. Campaigning heavily on bread-and-butter issues, the former foreclosure prevention counsellor promised ambitious socialist policies aimed at alleviating the pressure on working-class New Yorkers. His key pledge centred on a four-year pause on rent increases for stabilised units, which earned him the nickname “Mayor Freeze-the-Rent”. His platform also advocates for free city bus service, universal childcare, along with higher taxes on the wealthy to fund these initiatives. This “people first” approach proved revolutionary in one of the world’s most expensive cities, drawing stark parallels with the housing struggles faced by citizens in metropolitan areas like Cape Town. The campaign leveraged immense grassroots support, mobilising a powerful movement backed by thousands of volunteers and small-dollar donors. The political battle drew relentless scrutiny, notably from former US President Donald Trump, who attacked the Democratic socialist by casting him as a “Communist Candidate” and threatening to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani won. Mamdani, who became a US citizen in 2018, defiantly addressed his critics in his victory speech on Tuesday, proclaiming that New York will remain a city led by an immigrant. Zohran Mamdani: The seismic shift felt from Queens to Cape Town Mamdani’s journey – from Kampala to the madrasa classes at Cape Town’s Claremont Main Road Mosque to becoming a New York State Assemblyman and eventually mayor – is viewed as a powerful moment of political imagination across the Global South. Mamdani refused to apologise for his identity, saying he is “young… Muslim… a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this” in front of thousands on Tuesday evening. The ascension of the young millennial democratic socialist to lead America’s largest city, defeating political heavyweights like incument mayor Eric Adams, former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, is seen as confirmation of a desire among voters for a city that genuinely serves the many, not just the wealthy few. 'SA People' is hiring! Freelance writer positions available. Send us your CV

In Praise Of South African Wines

Saturday, November 8th 3-7pm South Africa Why South Africa? South African wine makes up less than 1% of all U.S. imports — yet it’s one of the most dynamic and inspiring wine regions in the world. When Peter Andrews, founder of Culture Wine Co., first visited, he discovered a thriving community of passionate, skilled producers making world-class wines through organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming. Today’s generation of winemakers is redefining South African wine — crafting vibrant, energetic Pinotage and expressive single-varietal wines from grapes like Colombar, Palomino, and Fernao Pires. Beyond the wines themselves, what sets South Africa apart is its spirit of collaboration and inclusivity — a community genuinely invested in elevating one another. There’s never been a better time to explore South African wine, and we’re thrilled to share that story with you. Meet the Founder: Peter Andrews Join us in welcoming Peter Andrews, founder of Culture Wine Co., the only U.S. importer and retailer exclusively dedicated to South African wine. A 15-year wine industry veteran and DipWSET, Peter has worn many hats — from managing boutique wine shops and holding executive trade roles to teaching wine business at Johnson & Wales University, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, and through WSET programs. He’s also served on the board of the Glancy Wine Education Foundation and currently sits on the Program Development Committee for the Unified Grape Symposium, North America’s largest wine industry conference. Peter’s path began in the kitchen — after earning his culinary degree, he cooked across the U.S. and in Italy’s Friuli and Piemonte regions, where he fell in love with wine. That experience bridged his passion for food, history, and culture, inspiring him to earn an MBA and eventually launch Culture Wine Co. — a company built to champion underrepresented regions and the people behind the wines. What we'll be pouring: About Van Hunks Jan Van Hunks is a legendary Cape Town figure known for his love of adventure — and his infamous pipe-smoking contest with the devil, said to have created the “Tablecloth” of fog over Table Mountain. His spirit lives on through Van Hunks Drinks: sparkling wines made for fun, adventure, and accessibility, yet crafted with utmost care. The wines are produced by 14th-generation sparkling winemaker Matthew Krone, a lifelong specialist in bottle-fermented wines. Though the brand celebrates playfulness and approachability, the craftsmanship behind it is deeply serious — a perfect reflection of South Africa’s modern Cap Classique movement. Van Hunks Brut Cap Classique 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Sourced entirely from Stellenbosch fruit, the Van Hunks Brut spends 36 months aging on the lees within the very bottle you’re holding. During this time, yeast autolysis develops its hallmark richness, fine texture, and toasty complexity — the hallmark of serious, Champagne-method sparkling wine. About Processus Processus is more than a wine label — it’s a journey of becoming. Founded in 2020 by curator Beata America and winemaker Megan van der Merwe, the project explores the intersection of art, ecology, and storytelling through wine. Together, they bring a holistic, intentional approach that honors both place and process, giving voice to minority grape varieties and the people behind them. Beata, also a curator at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, approaches wine as an art form — a sensory exhibition where each vintage tells its own story. Megan, currently winemaker and viticulturist at Beau Constantia, brings experience from both hemispheres, having produced wines in Paso Robles and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Her dual artistry and scientific precision position her among South Africa’s most exciting rising stars. 2023 Processus Fernão Pires 100% Women-Owned. 100% Fernão Pires. Known in Portugal as both Fernão Pires and Maria Gomes, this duality inspired Processus to personify the label — a wine with many identities and an equally layered story. Brought to South Africa through Portuguese influence, Fernão Pires found an unlikely home here decades ago. Today, Processus sources from a nearly 40-year-old vineyard, farmed by four generations with deep-rooted care. Too often blended into anonymity, Fernão Pires finally takes center stage in this bottling. About Brookdale Estate Brookdale Estate is one of South Africa’s most exciting producers, located in Paarl and led by a new generation of winemaking talent. Founded by Tim Rudd and guided early on by Duncan Savage and Kiara Scott Farmer (first person of color to win winemaker of the year in South Africa), the estate is now in the capable hands of rising stars Shanice DuPreez and Xander Sadie. Their minimal-intervention approach and focus on sustainable farming have positioned Brookdale as a benchmark for modern South African wine — elegant, honest, and full of life. 2024 Brookdale Estate, Mason Road, Chenin Blanc The Mason Road Chenin Blanc is from a mix of young and old vines. The younger vines bring a freshness, while the older vines highlight the unique granite and saline mineral components of the vineyard. Most of the blend is coming from the young vines aged in stainless steel. 15-20% is coming from older vines that are aged in French oak, which gives depth, richness, and mineral notes. This creates layers of flavors and complexity with a long finish. Quite simply, this is a stunner of a wine at a very friendly price-point. 2022 Brookdale Estate, Mason Road, ‘Serendipity’ Rosé Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault made in a Provençal-style. Pale salmon hue and lifted aromas of hibiscus, fynbos, and wild strawberry. The palate is bright and red-fruited, showing raspberry, mulberry, and ripe cherry, balanced by refreshing watermelon notes and lively acidity. Subtle structure from neutral oak aging adds depth and length to the finish. 2023 Brookdale Estate, Mason Road, Syrah (Paarl) This bright, aromatic Syrah bursts with notes of violet, red cherry, and smoked olive tapenade, offering Rhône-like elegance with a South African edge. The palate is savory and lifted, framed by fine-grained tannins and a mouthwatering finish. It’s proof that young-vine Syrah can deliver both structure and grace when handled with care.

Tanzania: Police Fire On Protestors DUring Post-Election Rallies

Police Fire on Protesters in Tanzania During Post-Election Rallies Tanzania Clashes erupted in Tanzania on Thursday after demonstrations broke out following elections this week, with protesters disputing the results, Al Jazeera reported. Following a low-turnout election on Wednesday, in which the most prominent opposition candidates were disqualified, protesters took to the streets, burning a bus and a gas station, attacking police officers, and vandalizing polling facilities, the Associated Press wrote. In response to the unrest, the government shut down the Internet, deployed the military on the streets, and imposed a curfew on Wednesday evening in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, where most of the demonstrations took place. However, protests continued late into the night, with police firing tear gas and gunshots at crowds defying the curfew. A civilian and a police officer died during the rallies, according to Amnesty International. The organization called for an investigation into the police’s use of force against protesters. The government requested public servants to work from home on Thursday to limit the movement of non-essential staff. Roadblocks staffed by the Tanzanian army were set up across the country. Hundreds of demonstrators also breached security barriers to reach a road leading to the country’s main airport, but were stopped from entering it. The turmoil was set off by actions by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or CCM party, in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961, which attempted to retain office in Wednesday’s election by banning candidates from the two main opposition parties from running. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ran against 16 candidates from smaller parties who carried out limited election campaigns. With vote counting still ongoing, the electoral commission has put Hassan in the lead in many constituencies, prompting fears of further tensions in the country, the BBC noted. The European Union called the vote a “fraud” that had been “unfolding for months.” Tanzania’s election is the latest on the continent to trigger unrest among voters, angry over attempts by longtime leaders or parties using repression to stay in power. For example, protests are ongoing after Cameroon’s recent elections, where leader Paul Biya won his eighth term at age 92.

Cameroon: Opposition Rejects Incumbent's Reelection

Opposition Rejects Incumbent’s Re-Election, Raising Fears of More Election Unrest Cameroon Cameroon’s opposition leaders this week rejected the results of the Oct. 12 presidential election that extended President Paul Biya’s four-decade rule, setting the stage for potential post-election unrest in a country already battling a separatist conflict, Reuters reported Tuesday. On Monday, the country’s constitutional council declared Biya, 92, as the winner with more than 53 percent of the vote. The announcement followed the council’s dismissal of eight petitions alleging electoral fraud, including ballot stuffing. The council’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed, with observers saying they expect more violence to break out. Sporadic protests erupted nationwide ahead of the official results and turned violent over the weekend. Supporters of the main opposition leader, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, clashed with police and blocked roads in the commercial capital, Douala. At least six people were killed during demonstrations on Sunday and Monday, according to the opposition. On Tuesday, Cameroonian authorities vowed legal action against Tchiroma, accusing him of fomenting the unrest, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Tchiroma and other opposition candidates have rejected the vote’s outcome and accused the constitutional council of being “nothing more than the rubber stamp of a tyranny.” Former presidential candidate Akere Muna pointed to suspiciously high turnout figures in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions – where a separatist insurgency has raged since 2017 – as evidence of manipulation. The European Union expressed “deep concern” about the polls, the unrest, and the police crackdown on protests. Meanwhile, Tchiroma has urged his supporters at home and abroad to march peacefully to “liberate Cameroon.” He previously declared himself the winner and published a tally on social media showing he won around 55 percent of the vote, based on what he claimed were returns representing 80 percent of the electorate, according to the BBC. Tchiroma warned that he would not accept any other outcome. Biya and government officials have repeatedly rejected the allegations of fraud, while also dismissing Tchiroma’s claims as illegal because only the constitutional council can proclaim official results. Biya, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, has ruled Cameroon since 1982. If he finishes this eighth term, which ends in 2032, he will be almost 100 years old.

Sudan's Army Withdraws From Dafur Stronghold Amid Reports of Atrocities

Sudan’s Army Withdraws from Darfur Stronghold, Amid Reports of Mass Atrocities Sudan The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have withdrawn from the city of el-Fasher, their last stronghold in Darfur, amid reports of mounting ethnically motivated mass killings by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose takeover marks a major turning point in Sudan’s 18-month civil war, raising fears that the country will split apart, Al Jazeera reported. Army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan announced late Monday that his troops had retreated “to spare civilians” after what he called the “systemic killing” by the RSF. The retreat followed days of intense fighting that left el-Fasher, a city of more than a quarter of a million people, under RSF control. Humanitarian groups reported the looting of hospitals, civilians detained or executed, and thousands fleeing toward nearby towns. Satellite analysis by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab indicated evidence consistent with large-scale killings by RSF fighters following their capture of the city, the Guardian wrote. The United Nations Human Rights Office said it had received “multiple alarming reports” of summary executions of civilians, particularly those belonging to non-Arab communities. The Joint Forces – who are allied with the SAF – accused the RSF of executing more than 2,000 unarmed civilians over the weekend, a figure that could not be independently verified. The RSF – a paramilitary group that grew out of the Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in Darfur two decades ago – said it had “liberated” the city from “mercenaries and militias.” African Union Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the “atrocities” and urged an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access, Agence France-Presse added. The army’s retreat marks a turning point in the conflict between the military and RSF that began in April 2023 following a power struggle between Burhan and RSF commander, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The war has since killed more than 150,000 people, displaced nearly 12 million, and plunged parts of Sudan into famine. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes and other atrocities – allegations both sides have rejected. Observers noted that the army’s withdrawal leaves the RSF in control of all five state capitals of the Darfur region, effectively excluding the SAF from a third of Sudanese territory and cementing the paramilitary group’s parallel administration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. With Darfur now effectively under RSF rule and the army confined to the north, east, and center of the country, analysts and officials cautioned that the situation has revived fears of a national breakup reminiscent of South Sudan’s secession in 2011. That split followed decades of civil war and left Sudan permanently weakened, both politically and economically.

Mali Shutters Schools and Universities Amid Fuel Shortages Caused By Militants

Mali Shutters Schools and Universities Amid Fuel Shortages Caused by Militants Mali Mali suspended schools and universities across the country Monday as the military government continues to grapple with a fuel shortage caused by a weeks-long blockade imposed by al Qaeda-linked militants, the BBC reported. On Monday, Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane announced that all education institutions will remain closed until Nov. 9, adding that the government is “doing everything possible” to end the crisis. The landlocked West African nation has been hit by fuel shortages since early September, when jihadist militants from the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, announced a blockade on fuel imports. The militants have attacked convoys of fuel tankers attempting to enter the country or making their way to the capital of Bamako. Mali imports fuel supplies by road from neighboring African states, including Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Analysts told Reuters that the blockade is part of a pressure campaign by militant groups against the country’s military government. While the government said earlier this month the blockade was temporary, the crisis has persisted: Some fuel stations in Bamako have closed, and the capital’s usually crowded streets have fallen silent in recent weeks. The shortages have prompted fears of potential unrest. Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako announced that non-essential staff and their families would leave the country, warning that disruptions to fuel and electricity supplies “have the potential to disrupt the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.” Mali has been under military rule since Gen. Assimi Goïta seized power in a 2021 coup, amid growing public frustration over worsening insecurity caused by separatist and jihadist insurgencies in the north. Since then, both the United Nations peacekeeping mission and French forces – deployed more than a decade ago to combat the insurgency – have withdrawn from Mali. The junta has since turned to Russia and Moscow-backed mercenaries to confront militant groups. Share this story

Tanzania: "The Song Remains The Same"

The Song Remains The Same: In Tanzanian Elections, Voting Is Just a ‘Mere’ Formality Tanzania This summer, the Tanzanian government banned foreigners from owning and operating certain small-scale businesses in a move aimed at protecting and preserving job opportunities for locals. Under the new rules, foreigners are prohibited from participating in 15 specific business sectors, including small retail shops, eateries, salons, tourism businesses, mobile money kiosks, mobile phone services, small-scale mining, and radio and TV operations, among others. Trade Minister Selemani Jafo said foreigners had increasingly become involved in the informal sector and that these jobs are important for Tanzanians. The move, meanwhile, has generally been welcomed among Tanzanians amid growing concerns that foreigners, including Chinese nationals, have been encroaching on the smaller trades, the BBC wrote. The British news outlet noted that last year, traders at Dar es Salaam’s bustling Kariakoo shopping district went on strike to protest against unfair competition from Chinese traders. “We’ve welcomed this decision because it protects the livelihoods of Tanzanian traders,” Severine Mushi, the head of Kariakoo traders’ association, told Tanzania’s Citizen newspaper. The move by the government came in the run-up to national elections. But analysts say that attempts to please voters don’t mean much: When Tanzanians go to the polls on Oct. 29, they won’t have much choice anyway. “But this erosion of democracy will also come at the cost of (the country’s) economic potential,” wrote British think tank, Chatham House. The incumbent, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has held power since 1977, took office after the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021, and will face election for the first time. But her most serious challenger, opposition leader Tundu Lissu, has been imprisoned since April on treason charges due to his demands for electoral reform. His CHADEMA party has been banned from the election. Another prominent contender and ruling party defector, Luhaga Mpina, is also banned from running. That’s normal in the East African country, say analysts. Tanzania has had six elections since multiparty democracy was introduced in 1995, and the CCM has won them all, making it one of Africa’s longest-ruling independent parties, wrote the Institute for Security Studies. Much of this electoral dominance has resulted from exclusion, censorship, electoral fraud, and violence against the opposition, it added: “The current electoral situation shows that Tanzania is sliding further into a de facto authoritarian system where voting is reduced to a procedural coronation ritual for the ruling party.” Still, the country continues to slide: Since 2016, Freedom House has categorized Tanzania as “Partly Free” but almost a decade later, it has dropped to the “Not Free” category, signaling an increasingly authoritarian turn by Hassan, analysts say. When Hassan took office in 2021, there was hope that she would be a different kind of Tanzanian leader, one that would allow civil liberties, halt government repression, and promote the development the country so desperately needs. In the first year, she got off to a good start, say observers, promoting the “Four Rs” of reconciliation, resilience, reforms, and rebuilding, becoming a marked contrast to her predecessor, an authoritarian leader. The president released political prisoners, removed restrictions on media outlets, began working with the opposition, lifted a ban on opposition party rallies, and started a program of electoral reform. But that was then, before a crackdown on the opposition began last year, one that has been intensifying this year, and has included the abduction of and attacks on civil society activists, journalists, and religious leaders, as well as opposition politicians. “The façade of progressive change that had been constructed under (Hassan) is crumbling and could presage a return to authoritarian rule in Tanzania,” wrote World Politics Review. Now, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, October’s election promises to be a repeat of local elections in November, where many CHADEMA candidates were disqualified, and the CCM ended up winning 99 percent of the local races. That means the elections will be a missed opportunity for the country, especially economically, analysts say. Tanzania, a leading gold exporter worldwide, with abundant natural resources, and a growing economy, continues to grapple with deep poverty: Almost half of its 62 million people live on less than $3 a day, according to the World Bank. For many voters, small-scale farmers, informal traders, street vendors, and unemployed youth, the cost of living has become untenable, say observers. New rules banning foreigners from working in certain sectors won’t change that, just create tensions with other countries in the region that may retaliate against Tanzanians working in their countries and impose trade penalties. “People are tired,” one Tanzanian voter, Muhemsi, told Peoples Dispatch. “Access to dignified work, education, or health has become a privilege. Most ordinary people live in daily struggle while a few elites grow richer.” “ “The crisis isn’t just electoral, it’s systematic,” he added. “But people know what isn’t working. And they’re looking for alternatives.”

South Africa: Utilities Move Forward With Controversial Plan For More Nuclear Reactors

Business Utility moves forward with controversial plans at nuclear plant: 'Not the best site' By Christine Dulion, 22 hours ago South Africa's state-owned utility Eskom is moving forward with plans to expand nuclear generation, marking a major step toward the country's long-term clean energy goals. IOL reported that the announcement followed government approval from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment. The agency cleared the way for Eskom to add up to 4,000 megawatts of new nuclear capacity to its Duynefontein Nuclear Plant — roughly the output of four large reactors. The expansion will align with the government's forthcoming Integrated Resource Plan, which will determine South Africa's future energy mix and outline how nuclear power fits alongside renewables and coal phaseouts. While the plan represents progress toward energy diversification, it has also drawn criticism. The Koeberg Alert Alliance argues that the 2007 Environmental Impact Assessment used to approve the expansion is outdated. "It is of note that the EIA consultants found that Duynefontein was not the best site for a new plant, due to seismic risks and population density in the area," said Peter Becker, a group spokesperson. Becker urged the government to reassess the site in light of population growth and cleaner alternatives. Still, some experts view nuclear power as an essential bridge in the transition away from coal. Des Muller, managing director of NuEnergy Developments, said the sites "are both licensed for 4,000MW" and could later accommodate Small Modular Reactors — compact systems that don't require ocean cooling. "SMRs are also ideal to repurpose our retired coal power stations and keep those communities sustained and contributing to our economy," Muller commented. How would you feel about a nuclear power plant being built near your home? I'd be excited I'd be scared I'd be angry I wouldn't care Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Algeria: The Pot Boils As Geberation Z Protestors Prepare To Ignite

The Pot Boils: As Gen Z Protests Ignite Around the World, Some Say Repressive Algeria Is Next Algeria Youth-led protest movements using social media to organize against poor government services, elite corruption, and other grievances are springing up around the globe. The list is long – and it’s growing: Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Mongolia, and Indonesia in Asia, Madagascar, Morocco, and Kenya in Africa, Peru and Paraguay in South America, and Serbia in Europe. While the triggers vary, what unites these spontaneous and often decentralized movements are the age of their leaders – mostly calling themselves Gen Z after the generation born between 1997 and 2012 – and their use of symbols such as pirate flags inspired by the Japanese manga comic, One Piece, to define themselves as they take over city streets and squares. They have been having some successes, too: In Nepal and now Madagascar, they have toppled governments within weeks or even days. Now, some wonder, is it Algeria’s turn? “Algeria appears to be the next flashpoint,” wrote the Africa Report. Algeria, some believe, is an unlikely country to host such a movement: Its shadowy “junta” government led by an elected president in elections many say were fraudulent is among the most repressive in the world. However, for the past few months, calls to demonstrate have been circulating on Algerian social media. The movement calls itself #Gen Z 213 – an echo of Morocco’s protest movement and a reference to Algeria’s international dialing code – and is demanding via TikTok and Facebook better public services, a crackdown on elite corruption, political pluralism, the lifting of restrictions on civil liberties such as free expression, and the release of political prisoners. “Freedom for Algeria,” “social justice now,” and “free our homeland from the gang,” read some of these posts. Some depicted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as a witch, while others displayed images of individuals jailed by the government for their posts or protesting. But unlike in most countries where the protests have erupted, the Algerian government doesn’t even attempt to pretend it tries to serve its public, analysts say. Instead, it manages a highly repressive regime that has for years restricted free expression and muzzled its media. It has escalated its ongoing crackdown on expression this year. Still, the burgeoning online protest movement has the authorities spooked, wrote French-language newspaper Jeune Afrique. “Without waiting to gauge the movement’s power, the authorities flexed their muscles and put security forces on a war footing, while blaming an ‘international conspiracy’ by Morocco…to export Moroccan problems (such as protests) to Algeria,” it said. The pro-government Algeria Press Service also spoke about a “desperate manipulation” and interference by Morocco – Algeria and Morocco have long been at odds – adding that such “manipulation” won’t be effective because Algeria remains a “solid social state” offering its youth “broad prospects for the future.” “Far from being a superficial model, the Algerian welfare state constitutes a concrete bulwark against marginalization and poverty, and a guarantee of national cohesion,” the state agency wrote. However, commentators say that Algeria faces severe economic challenges: unemployment among those under 24 exceeds 30 percent, while inflation and rising living costs have eroded purchasing power over the past few years. As a result, young Algerians attempt to migrate to Europe by the thousands. And this migration has been rising: European border-control agency Frontex recorded a 22 percent year-on-year increase in attempted migrations by Algerians via the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. Algerians are now the leading nationality to emigrate to Spain by sea, seven times more numerous than Moroccans, usually the top country in recent years. “Relying on a declining oil and gas income, the regime has left the younger generation, often described as ‘sacrificed,’ increasingly determined to take up the mantle of protest,” wrote the Agence de Presse Africaine. Still, what is underlying Algerian authorities’ nervousness is the memory of the Hirak movement, which staged huge protests for months starting in 2019 and ousted the country’s longtime dictator, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, before being stamped out by government crackdowns and also the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the government saw the ouster of President Bashar Assad in Syria in December as a warning, say analysts. Meanwhile, there have been power struggles within the Algerian government, which burst into view this fall after the escape of Maj. Gen. Abdelkader Haddad: Known as “the devil,” the feared former head of the General Directorate of Internal Security allegedly fled to Spain after he fell from grace and was arrested for undisclosed reasons. That escape has set off purges within the military, wrote French-language publication Sahel Intelligence. As a result, the government has stepped up its arrests of individuals for posting comments on social media complaining about the country’s leadership, and it has refused permits for protests such as those organized in August by political parties in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Algeria has long been a leading supporter of Palestinians. “Since the Hirak protest movement…the Algerian authorities have weaponized the criminal justice system to clamp down on peaceful dissent, arbitrarily arresting and prosecuting hundreds of activists, human rights defenders, protesters, and journalists for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly, association and expression, notably on social media, leading to a steady erosion of human rights in the country,” wrote Amnesty International recently, detailing cases of those imprisoned for social media posts this year. Even so, the escalating crackdown is evidence of worry, and of things to come, say commentators. “All the ingredients are there for things to get going again – in fact, the hashtag #Manich radi (I am not satisfied) has been trending on social media in recent weeks (with) Algerians denouncing repression, economic and social problems…They are demanding peaceful change,” said Adel Boucherguine of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, which was dissolved by the government in 2022, but resurrected in exile in France, in an interview with France’s L’Express newspaper. “…the desire to turn the page on authoritarianism and inaction is shared by a large proportion of Algerians,” he added. “The disenchantment between the governed and those who govern has never been greater, and the anger is there, silent and unpredictable.”