Africa Rise And Shine

Botswana and Zambia have opened the 260 million dollar Kazungula bridge, which may help alleviate congestion at one of Africa's busiest border crossings in neighbouring Zimbabwe. The 923 metre road and rail bridge offers a faster and cheaper alternative to a route via Beitbridge on Zimbabwe's border with South Africa. Kazungula has a one-stop border facility located near the quadripoint that links Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Zambian President Edgar Lungu presided over the ceremony on Monday to mark the opening of Kazungula. More from Hilda Akekelwa... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With vaccination for COVID-19 lagging in Africa, the World Health Organisation and the Global Vaccine Alliance are urging countries that have received doses to increase vaccine uptake. It has been revealed that the continent has administered only one per cent of the worldwide COVID-19 vaccine. Experts warn that if vaccine hesitancy continues, the region risks wasting vaccines after working hard to get them. Jane Rabothata has more…

India could see one million Covid deaths by August 1. The terrifying prediction of US researchers published by Lancet has spread disquiet. The authorities face suspicions of fudging numbers in India, where daily cases crossed 400-thousand, for the fourth time this month. Single-day casualties are hovering at around four-thousand. From New Delhi, Correspondent Rana Sen reports...

The Ethiopian parliament has endorsed a recent cabinet decision to classify the Tigray People's Liberation Front -TPLF, which has long dominated Ethiopian politics and until recently ruled the Tigray region, as a terrorist organization. The resolution, which was unanimously passed by ruling party MPs, also includes the Oromo Liberation Army -OLA, an armed group active in the Oromia and Amhara regions. The classification of the TPLF as a terrorist entity makes the prospect of peace talks in Tigray even more complicated, six months after the federal army launched a major military operation to overthrow the regional authorities there. According to Professor Constantinos Berhuetefsa, who is an Ethiopian Political expert, the designation of the two groups as terrorists will jeopardise mediation talks.

South Africa's ruling ANC Special NEC meeting enters its third and final day with mounting calls for NEC members to go on a retreat or to hold a special conference in a bid to find ways to save the party from imploding. For the first time in over 100 years, the governing party is holding its NEC meeting with its Secretary General suspended. And as if this is not enough, its Secretary Ace Magashule was kicked out of the meeting on Saturday for defying his suspension orders. Ntebo Mokobo has more…

African health ministers will meet this Saturday, to review the Covid-19 strategy that the continent set at the beginning in 2020, to tackle the pandemic and seek better ways to keep the continent with minimal cases. Africa is preparing itself to avoid another surge of the COVID -19 pandemic, as it watches India closely. Colleta Wanjohi has more from Addis Ababa...

South Africa's world-leading data science training institute the Explore Data Science Academy will soon be offering its range of online data science and data engineering coursed in Africa, focusing on Nigeria and Kenya. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of Explore Data Science Academy, Shaun Dippnall...

South Africans have been watching the infighting within the ruling African National Party since the announcement that the party's Secretary General, Ace Magashule was temporarily suspended until his corruption case is finalised. In response to this Magashule made his own attempt to suspend the party leader and president, Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa responded to this suspension by telling parliamentarians that the letter of suspension issued to him by SG as null and void. Magashule insists he remains the secretary-general as he has lodged an appeal with the party. He said the party's 2017 resolution called for all those facing allegations of corruption to step aside and not just those facing corruption and serious charges. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Political Analyst, Dumisani Tembe...

Former South African rugby player, Lindani Myeni, has been described as a gentle giant who loved people. Myeni's family and friends gathered at the Empangeni Rugby club in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province to remember him. Twenty-nine-year-old Myeni was shot and killed in a confrontation with police in Honolulu in Hawaii in the United States last month, after they responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a location near his home. Nonhlakanipho Magwaza reports ...

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says the variant of the Covid-19 virus that is raging in India is very worrying. He was answering questions during a hybrid sitting of the National Assembly, where he was grilled by opposition, mainly, on the country's vaccination procurement and the roll-out of vaccination programme. While awaiting a report from the National Coronavirus Command Council, government will soon make decisive decisions on what measures to take. Zalene Merrington reports...

The International Criminal Court has sentenced Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier who became one of the top commanders of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), to 25 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Uganda. In February Ongwen was found guilty of 61 charges including murders, rapes and sexual enslavement during a reign of terror in the early 2000s by the LRA, led by the fugitive Joseph Kony. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to retired Ugandan Journalist, Mike Arereng....

Suspended secretary general of South Africa's ruling ANC Ace Magashule has hit back, claiming that he has suspended party president Cyril Ramaphosa and that he would appeal his suspension. A defiant Magashule, who was suspended yesterday for failing to step aside, described his suspension from party activities as fatally flawed, while questioning his deputy's authority to issue him with the letter. As part of his suspension, Magashule has been barred from addressing public rallies or handling party-related matters while serving his suspension and facing criminal charges in a court of law. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Political analyst, Xolani Dube....

South Africa's ruling ANC has temporarily suspended the membership of its Secretary-General Ace Magashule until the finalization of his court case. Magashule is prohibited from making public pronouncements or participating in political activity. The suspension is effective from Monday, the 3rd of May 2021. For more on this, Francis Heard spoke to SABC reporter Samkele Maseko....

Kenya and Uganda have banned passenger flights from India, where cases of the new covid-19 variant are surging. Reports say, more than three-thousand people are dying daily in India as millions of its citizens gasp for fresh air on streets in various parts of the country. James Shimanyula reports...

Tanzanian businesspeople will now be free to operate in Kenya without the need for work permits and business visas, that's what President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday. Speaking during a joint business forum, President Kenyatta and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, pledged to remove non-tariff barriers that stand in the way of doing business for investors in both countries. Tanzania's bilateral relations with Kenya have been strained over various issues, including visas, free market access, among others. The issues have slowed down trade between the two neighbours. Sarah Kimani reports...

Banks on the continent presented their yearly results in late March 2021 and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the whole industry equally, as expected. Across the board, headline earnings were down, profits took a big hit and the overall outlook remained negative. However, not everything was bad news. Looking in more detail, a bigger trend is taking shape. Several Banks reported double-digit growth on digital active users, digital money transactions and internet-banking services uptake. Moreover, small and medium enterprises across the continent went digital, strengthening banks' digital SME revenue streams. To find out more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Cornel Dixon, Head of Middle East and Africa at Backbase.

South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi will relinquish her Miss Universe crown when the much-delayed pageant is held later this month, but not after being the longest-reigning Queen in the history of the competition. It's an additional achievement that came about as a result of the coronavirus pandemic as her usual year-long reign was extended as the pageant itself was postponed. Our United States Correspondent, Sherwin Bryce-Pease, met up with Zozi in New York for a catch-up before her departure for this year's spectacle in less than two weeks...

It is estimated that there are over 50 million children under the age of 15 living with asthma in sub-Saharan Africa, most of them reportedly in South Africa. Experts say managing the lung condition in children can be complicated and stressful for parents and caregivers. It is therefore befitting that this year's World Asthma Day, an annual campaign on the first Tuesday of May, focused on "uncovering Asthma Misconceptions". To reflect on the prevalence Asthma in South Africa and challenges faced in addressing the scourge, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Paediatric Pulmonologist from the University of KwaZulu Natal, Professor Refiloe Masekela...

Fuel prices in South Africa went down at midnight, which is a turnaround from last month's across-the-board price increase. Petrol will be cheaper by around 9 cents per litre, with diesel at 30 cents per litre drop, and illuminating paraffin down by 23 cents. Petrol prices in South Africa are higher than they've ever been before with the various levies and taxes imposed on every litre of fuel sold. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Layton Beard from the Automobile Association of South Africa...

Black Umbrellas, a non-profit South African incubation organisation that promotes the development and advancement of black-owned small businesses, has repositioned itself to meet the needs of a world altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has included rebranding and restructuring the organisation as well as introducing a host of new products designed to improve the ability of small businesses to access procurement opportunities within supply chains as well as the funding required to deliver on these opportunities. For more on this, Lulu Gaboo spoke to Tina Hlophe, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Black Umbrellas...