Page 13 - South Africa

Foreign experts move SC over being uninformed on cheetah project in India

The experts, all members of the national cheetah project steering committee, under which 20 cheetahs have been translocated to India, have raised "serious concerns" over the project's management

Indian-origin creator receives S Africa's NSTF award for aircraft project

A team led by a South African Indian-origin innovator has received a national award for a project he has been working on for almost a decade to create a pioneering vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The Pegasus Universal Aerospace Team, led by well-known aesthetics doctor Reza Mia, 40, received the prestigious National Science and Technology (NSTF) award in the category for Innovation and research. The NSTF Awards - which are endorsed by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation - honour and celebrate outstanding contributions to science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation. For the design and development of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that is envisaged to create between 7,000 and 11,000 new jobs and the development of the necessary skills locally, the award goes to the Pegasus Universal Aerospace Team," said the citation which was read before Mia collected the Award. I'm excited and grateful to have been awarded this innovation

Cheetah deaths at KNP troubling but not unduly alarming: NTCA to SC

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have told the Supreme Court the death of five adult cheetahs and three cubs at KNP is troubling but not "unduly alarming", and the surviving big cats are being captured and medically examined as a precautionary measure. Under the Project Cheetah, a total of 20 radio-collared animals were imported from Namibia and South Africa to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh and later four cubs were born from Namibian cheetah 'Jwala'. Out of these 24 feline, eight including three cubs have died. Some cheetahs were reported to have developed infections due to radio collars. The joint affidavit, filed on behalf of the environment ministry and NTCA, said the provisional diagnosis of mortality events points towards "natural causes" and none of the cheetahs have died due to unnatural reasons such as poaching, snaring, poisoning, road hits, electrocution etc. "It is respectfully submitted that the

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization. The Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments. The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people's expectations for delivering dividends of democracy. They say they will usher in a new democratic government to address those shortcomings, but the process gets delayed. Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region. This increases political instability going forward and makes the

Soldiers declare Niger general as head of state after he leads a coup

Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation's fight against jihadists and boost Russia's influence in West Africa. Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge. Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 ...

Chasing Cheetah

Poor management and lack of transparency raise doubts

S African Reserve Bank applies to court to liquidate Habib Overseas Bank

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on Friday launched proceedings in the High Court for an order for the final winding up of the local subsidiary of Pakistan-based Habib Overseas Bank Limited (HOB). The application, brought by SARB together with the Prudential Authority (PA), is to be heard on August 8, 2023, or as soon thereafter as determined by the Court, SARB confirmed in a statement. This follows the decision by the Minister of Finance, on the recommendation by the PA, to place HOB under curatorship in March 2023. HOB was placed under curatorship to deal with its governance, compliance and operational failures. Since the curatorship, in-depth assessments undertaken by the curator found that HOB's financial position was significantly worse than that reported by the bank's management. The findings by the curator concluded that HOB is insolvent. In accordance with the requirements of the Banks Act 94 of 1990 (Banks Act), Craig du Plessis, who is the appointed representative

BRICS came into being to create more just world: S African ambassador

The BRICS bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was created to address the inequities in the current world order, South African diplomat Anil Sooklal said on Thursday. Sooklal, the Ambassador at Large: Asia and BRICS at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, was speaking on radio station 702 after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not personally attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the summit. However, Putin will deliver his speech via video conference at the BRICS Summit that will take place between August 22 and 24. South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS. The ICC has indicted Putin for war crimes over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children. As a member of the ICC, South Africa is expected to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country. "President Putin decided n

Twenty two nations apply for BRICS membership, says South Africa

Sooklal has previously said that countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran have formally asked to become BRICS members

Putin to skip summit next month because of ICC arrest warrant: South Africa

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS economic summit in Johannesburg next month, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement Wednesday. The decision means South Africa will not face the dilemma of whether it should carry out an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Russian leader. South Africa is a signatory to the treaty that created the ICC and would have been obliged under that to arrest Putin, although the country had given strong hints that it would have likely not executed the arrest warrant. But Wednesday's announcement allows South Africa to avoid the problem and comes after Ramaphosa spoke with Putin by telephone in recent days. The decision for Putin not to attend was by mutual agreement," Ramaphosa's office said. Russia will instead be represented at the Aug 22-24 summit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The BRICS economic bloc is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa

Arresting Putin in S Africa would be declaration of war: Prez Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa argued in his affidavit that South Africa's Bill of Rights required the government to protect and promote certain rights, including "the right to be free from all forms of violence."

Reports attributing some cheetah deaths to radio collar speculative: Govt

The environment ministry on Sunday said five out of the 20 adult cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa died due to natural causes and media reports attributing the deaths to factors like radio collars were based on "speculation and hearsay without scientific evidence". In a statement, the ministry also said several steps have been planned to support the cheetah project, including the establishment of a Cheetah Research Center with facilities for rescue, rehabilitation, capacity building, and interpretation. "Out of 20 adult cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa to India, five mortalities of adult cheetahs have been reported. As per the preliminary analysis, all mortalities are due to natural causes. There are reports in the media attributing cheetah deaths due to radio collar etc. Such reports are not based on any scientific evidence but on speculation and hearsay," the statement said. The ministry said consultations are being conducted with international cheetah .

Zambia reaches deal with China, other nations to rework $6.3 bn in loans

Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure USD 6.3 billion in loans, the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris. The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China Zambia's biggest creditor at USD 4.1 billion of the total. The deal, announced by officials who spoke anonymously in accordance with the French government's customary practices, may provide a roadmap for how lenient China may be with other nations in debt distress. The International Monetary Fund approved the deal, meaning it's going to allow Zambia to receive more financing from the institution, they said. A discussion between French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to praise the conclusion of year-long negotiations is to take place during a dinner of heads of state and government at the Elysee ..

Internationally-acclaimed Sulabh sanitation project to be taken to S Africa

The internationally-acclaimed Sulabh sanitation project established by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak across India is to be extended to South Africa to bring these facilities to rural communities. Dr Pathak was a guest speaker at the Gandhi-King-Mandela International Conference 2023 in Pietermaritzburg last week because the model he developed that brought not just sanitation but also dignity to women in India was based on Gandhian principles. "Gandhi spoke about sanitation. In 1919 he said in India that he wanted a clean India and education first; independence later. So, I have invented a technology which has helped to have toilets inside the house. Because of the support of the government of India, every house has a toilet now," he said. Pathak said that they have also put up public toilets at places like railway stations, bus stops and police stations to solve the sanitation problem of India. Those can be applicable and implemented in South Africa because it is a technology that can be ...

PM Modi speaks to South African President Ramaphosa, reviews bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday as they reviewed progress in their bilateral cooperation, anchored in historical and strong people-to-people ties. Modi also thanked him for the relocation of 12 cheetahs to India earlier this year, according to a statement. They also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in BRICS in the context of South Africa's chairmanship this year, it added. "President Ramaphosa briefed PM on the African Leaders' Peace Initiative. Noting that India was supportive of all initiatives aimed at ensuring durable peace and stability in Ukraine, PM reiterated India's consistent call for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward," it said. In their telephonic conversation, Ramaphosa conveyed his full support to India's initiatives as part of its ongoing G20 presidency and said that he looked forward to his visit to India.

Navy to attend event to mark 130 yrs of Gandhi's rail incident in S Africa

A frontline warship of the Indian Navy is visiting Durban to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the June 7, 1893 incident at South Africa's Pietermaritzburg railway station when Mahatma Gandhi was evicted from a train that led to his fight against racial oppression. INS Trishul's visit to Durban is in continuation with the Indian Navy's celebration of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahostav' by commemorating key moments that shaped India's Independence struggle, the defence ministry said in a statement. The Navy said it will participate in a commemorative event to mark 130 years of the start of the struggle against apartheid at the Pietermaritzburg railway station near Durban. INS Trishul is on a visit to Durban from June 6-9 to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the 1893 incident at Pietermaritzburg, as also to mark 30 years of re-establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa, the statement said. Gandhi arrived in Durban in 1893 to serve as legal counsel to merchant Da

EAM meets South African President Ramaphosa; conveys PM Modi's greetings

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday called on South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa along with other ministers of the BRICS bloc and conveyed the personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries in the world. Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to South Africa to participate in a conclave of the five-nation grouping BRICS in Cape Town. Delighted to call on President @cyrilramaphosa of South Africa along with other BRICS ministers. Conveyed personal greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Value his guidance and thoughts on taking BRICS forward, Jaishankar tweeted. Speaking after a meeting of the foreign ministers of BRICS nations here on Thursday evening, Jaishankar said the leaders of the countries had asked them last year to formulate the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for such admissions. This is still a wo

Jaishankar holds meetings with his counterparts from Africa, Saudi Arabia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Africa and Saudi Arabia during which they exchanged views on the global situation and reviewed the progress in ties. Jaishankar, who is here to participate in a conclave of the five-nation grouping BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), held talks with both the leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting. "A warm meeting with FM Naledi Pandor of South Africa. Thank her for hosting us in the Indo-Atlantic city of Cape Town. Reviewed the progress of our strategic partnership and agreed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic ties in a fitting manner," he said in a tweet. The two leaders exchanged views on BRICS, IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa), G20 and UN where the two sides have a strong tradition of cooperating closely. The BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of

Cheetah revival project officials to be sent on study tours to Namibia, SA

Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav has said officials involved in the cheetah revival plan will be sent on study tours to Namibia and South Africa from where the felines have been brought to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. During his meeting with MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Monday, Yadav said he will visit the KNP, located in Sheopur district, on June 6. Money and all logistic support for the safety, conservation and revival of the felines will be provided, the Union minister said. Notably, six cheetahs have died at the KNP since March this year. Three of the four cubs born to cheetah Jwala died earlier this month. Sasha, one of the translocated Namibian cheetahs, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, while cheetah Uday, brought from South Africa, died on April 13. Cheetah Daksha, brought from South Africa, succumbed to injuries following a violent interaction with a male cheetah during a mating attempt on May 9 this year. The Gandhi S

Project Cheetah officials to be sent on tours to Namibia: Bhupender Yadav

Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said officials involved in the cheetah revival plan will be sent on study tours to Namibia and South Africa from where the big cats have been brought in and housed at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. During his meeting with MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here, Yadav said he will be visiting KNP, in Sheopur district, on June 6. Six cheetahs have died at KNP since March. While three of the four cubs born to cheetah Jwala died on May 23, Sasha, one of the translocated Namibian cheetahs, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and cheetah Uday, brought from South Africa, died on April 13. Daksha, a cheetah brought from South Africa, succumbed to the injuries following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt on May 9 this year. Money and all logistic support for safety, conservation, revival will be provided, the Union minister added. Yadav also said Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is being readied in