/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>21467438

>State owned enterprises in South Africa date back to the 19th century when Paul Kruger’s Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek tried to promote local industries to stave off British control.

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>>21512748

“British Concentration Camps: Second Boer War of Independence”

https://youtu.be/8wR-HXyBljc

Oct 28, 2022

The concentration camps in South Africa during the Second Boer War were formed by the British army to house the residents of the two Boer republics of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. They were established towards the end of 1900, after Britain had invaded the Boer Republics.

The suffering experienced in the camps left a lasting legacy of bitterness amongst the Boers. Between 18,000 and 28,000 Boers died, 80% of them children. Less known are the "native" refugee camps, which functioned as forced wartime labour camps, and are today known as African concentration camps. About 20,000 African people also died in the concentration camps.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3069/3069-h/3069-h.htm

THE GREAT BOER WAR

By Arthur Conan Doyle

September 1902

Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the world. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots who gave up home and fortune and left their country for ever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon earth. Take this formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances under which no weakling could survive, place them so that they acquire exceptional skill with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman, and the rider. Then, finally, put a finer temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all these qualities and all these impulses in one individual, and you have the modern Boer—the most formidable antagonist who ever crossed the path of Imperial Britain. Our military history has largely consisted in our conflicts with France, but Napoleon and all his veterans have never treated us so roughly as these hard-bitten farmers with their ancient theology and their inconveniently modern rifles.

Look at the map of South Africa, and there, in the very centre of the British possessions, like the stone in a peach, lies the great stretch of the two republics, a mighty domain for so small a people. How came they there? Who are these Teutonic folk who have burrowed so deeply into Africa? It is a twice-told tale, and yet it must be told once again if this story is to have even the most superficial of introductions. No one can know or appreciate the Boer who does not know his past, for he is what his past has made him.

“27 justice department officials dismissed for misconduct”

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2024-08-27-27-justice-department-officials-dismissed-for-misconduct/#google_vignette

27 August 2024 - 14:58

Offences included fraud, theft, sexual harassment and absenteeism

The department of justice and constitutional development has dismissed 27 officials for misconduct.

Spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi said the department is dealing with 81 appeal matters regarding 55 dismissals, 25 suspensions and one warning.

Masibi said the appeal matters were lodged by officials found guilty of misconduct.

The offences include fraud, theft, sexual harassment, bringing the department into disrepute, absenteeism, abuse of state vehicles and insubordination, the department disclosed.

“Out of 81 appeals lodged, the department has to date finalised 31 appeal matters. There were 27 dismissals upheld and four reduced sanctions,” Masibi said.

She said all the outstanding appeal matters are being processed expeditiously.

“Increase in murder cases in NW”

https://youtu.be/Vt2ydNcYfoA

Sep 1, 2024

North West is one of the provinces seeing an significant increase in murder cases, going by the recent crime statistics released by the police ministry. Some of the province's residents say they live in constant fear. Refiloe Seboko reports.

“Discussion | Another delay in Zuma's arms deal case”; "the arms trade is responsible for about 40% of world corruption… controls the politicians in Europe and… US"

https://youtu.be/zdreQNWxFhg

Sep 1, 2024

Former president Jacob Zuma recently appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for a pre-trial hearing in the long-running arms deal corruption case, nearly 25 years after the scandal first emerged.

Despite progress in May, when Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwati scheduled the trial for six weeks between April and September next year, further delays have surfaced.

To shed more light on the ongoing obstacles, we are now joined by arms deal and corruption activist, Terry Crawford-Browne.

2:52 – “In 1998, I learned that BAE was laundering bribes via two Swedish trade unions to the ANC ahead of the 1999 election. Through a contact in London, I asked the British government to investigate. Scotland Yard was appointed to do so and it came back, it was not illegal in English law to bribe foreigners at that stage and therefore there was no crime for Scotland Yard to investigate. So there was that cover up. That then however led to the Serious Fraud Office in Britain opening an investigation of BAE bribes to Saudi Arabia, South Africa and six other countries and Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2006 then squelched the whole thing saying, “it violated British national security.” So it’s not just our government that is covering it up. There are governments in Europe as well; the British, the Germans, the Swedes… because I am sad to say it has been estimated that… the arms trade is responsible for about 40% of world corruption that can be traced back to the arms trade. So it’s a hugely corrupt business but it controls the politicians in Europe and also in the United States.”

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/zumas-delay-tactics-prove-effective-in-arms-deal-case/

30 Aug 2024

Charged with French arms company Thales for fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering, linked to the 1999 multi-billion-rand defence procurement project, Zuma’s pre-trial hearing yesterday resumed at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg, with his defence again pushing for the recusal of prosecutor Billy Downer.

Breaking from his earlier undertaking of not giving reasons on Downer’s non-recusal, Judge Nkosinathi Chili said “exceptional circumstances” existed that justify him providing reasons for the decision, that he would provide on 11 September.

Djibouti Planning To Offer Ethiopia Port Access To Ease Tensions

By Mohammed Omar Ahmed Bloomberg August 31, 2024

Aug 31, 2024 (Bloomberg) –Djibouti’s government plans to offer Ethiopia exclusive access to a new port to defuse tensions sparked by the landlocked nation’s ambitions to have a direct route to the sea.

Ethiopia triggered a diplomatic row in January when it unveiled a proposal to recognize the semi-autonomous state of Somaliland as a sovereign nation, in return for access to a harbour on the Gulf of Aden. Somalia, which regards Somaliland as part of its territory, opposed the plan and relations between the two countries have deteriorated since then.

Djibouti, which shares borders both Ethiopia and Somaliland, is “on the verge of proposing” to Ethiopia an alternative route to the Gulf of Aden, Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said in an interview with the BBC, broadcast on Friday.

“We are offering 100% management for a port in the north, a new corridor that is already built” in Tadjoura on the Horn of Africa nation’s coast, he said. Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh came up with the proposal to “find a way for dialogue” stop an escalation in tensions in the Horn of Africa region, he said.

"Djibouti is ready to offer Ethiopia 100% port access to defuse regional tensions," the foreign minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told me in an exclusive interview on #FocusOnAfrica. Coincidentally he is also one of four men vying to succeed AU Chair Moussa Faki next year. pic.twitter.com/Dl6auW99Q9

— Waihiga Mwaura ?? (@WaihigaMwaura) August 30, 2024

Somalia has responded to the standoff with Ethiopia by signing a military cooperation pact earlier this month. Egypt has subsequently begun supplying arms to Somalia and will provide training to its troops, according to the Somali government.

Egypt has tense relations with Ethiopia over that country’s construction of a giant hydropower dam on a tributary of the Nile River. The authorities in Cairo are concerned that the Ethiopian reservoir risks reducing the flow of the Nile, on which Egypt depends for almost all of its fresh water.

Djibouti, situated on a global shipping choke-point that links the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is concerned about growing tensions in the region, Youssouf said.

“Although Djibouti is a stable country, quite safe, we cannot say that tensions in the neighboring countries do not affect us,” he said. It would be a “major source of concern” if the crisis in the region escalates further, the minister said.

Djiboutian leader Guelleh plans to meet regional leaders at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that takes place in Beijing next week to discuss the issue, Youssouf said.

Ethiopia would be the first country to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state. No other nation has done that since the state proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991.

Somaliland warned on Thursday that the military assistance that’s being provided by Egypt to Somalia risks destabilize the region, and may have “far-reaching and catastrophic consequences.”

“We call upon the international community to urgently condemn this potentially dangerous move by Egypt,” it said in a statement.

https://gcaptain.com/djibouti-planning-to-offer-ethiopia-port-access-to-ease-tensions/

>>21519608

Turkey is also involved

“Egypt sends military aid to Somalia as tensions soar with Ethiopia”

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/08/egypt-sends-military-aid-somalia-tensions-soar-ethiopia

Aug 28, 2024

Tensions in the region are high following the signing of a controversial agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland as several countries including Egypt and Turkey seek a foothold in Somalia.

Egypt delivered military equipment to Somalia on Tuesday amid rising tensions in the Horn of Africa region following a controversial deal struck between neighboring Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland earlier this year.

Three diplomatic and Somali government sources confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that two Egyptian military planes carrying weapons and ammunition landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on Tuesday morning.

Local reports said two Egyptian C-130 aircraft arrived in the Somali capital. The Egyptian and Somali governments have not commented on the news.

Background: The arrival of military equipment to Somalia comes nearly two weeks after Egypt and Somalia signed a defense pact and a military cooperation protocol.

The pact was signed during an Aug. 14 visit by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Cairo, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

In a press conference following the meeting, Mohamud hailed the pact as a “testament to a future of common defense against the international terrorism we are combating both at home and abroad.”

The Egyptian leader further said he was ready to deploy troops to the current African Union peacekeeping force (ATMIS) stationed in Somalia, but “only if we are asked to.”

Details of the defense pact were not made available to the public.

Egypt is preparing to support the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which is set to begin its mission in January 2025, replacing ATMIS, whose mandate expires at the end of 2024.

The AU's Peace and Security Council confirmed in an Aug. 1 communique Egypt’s plan to join the AUSSOM and send troops to Somalia as part of the new mission that aims to support the East African country in the face of security challenges.

Egyptian-Somali relations have steadily grown since Mohamud’s election in June 2022. Cairo sought Mogadishu’s support in its dispute with Addis Ababa over the latter’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Egypt has also backed Somalia in its dispute with Ethiopia after the latter struck a deal with Somaliland in January, giving landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea via the port of Berbera in Somaliland, and in exchange, Addis Ababa would recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.

In contrast, Egypt has been engaged in a more than decade-long dispute with Ethiopia over the latter’s controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which it is building on the Blue Nile.

The dam, whose construction began in 2011, has caused serious concern among Ethiopia’s downstream neighbors, including Egypt, which fears it will affect its share of Nile waters, on which it depends almost entirely to meet its drinking and agricultural needs.

Ethiopia says the $4.6 billion project is vital for its economic development and efforts to pull millions of people out of poverty.

Somalia-Ethiopia tensions: Somalia has vehemently rejected the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal, which it deemed a violation of its territorial integrity.

Somalia recently threatened to expel thousands of Ethiopian troops stationed in the country as part of ATMIS unless Ethiopia scraps its deal with Somaliland, Somali national security adviser Hussein Sheikh-Ali told Reuters back in June.

In another move further deepening the Somali-Ethiopian dispute, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority earlier this month warned it would suspend Ethiopian Airlines' flights to Somalia after the air carrier allegedly replaced the names of Somali airports with codes on its booking systems and websites. The authority viewed the move as a “violation of its sovereignty.”

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>>21526890

“Regional water war looms as Ethiopia ignites new crisis”

https://www.egyptindependent.com/regional-water-war-looms-as-ethiopia-ignites-new-crisis/

August 22, 2024

Ethiopia’s final filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) might pose significant threats to Egypt.

Egyptian water expert Abbas Sharaky has issued a grave warning regarding Ethiopia’s commencement of the fifth and final filling of the GERD on July 17, which he asserts could have severe repercussions for Egypt.

The goal of this final filling is to reach the dam’s middle corridor to a height of 640 meters above sea level.

If the current filling rate continues, the total storage is projected to reach approximately 64 billion cubic meters by mid-September.

The dam’s turbines are currently releasing only a fraction of the incoming water, with just 50-70 million cubic meters being discharged daily compared to the 500-600 million cubic meters flowing into the dam.

Sharaky has outlined the potential threats arising from Ethiopia’s actions, classifying them into both water-related and economic categories.

Any water retained in the GERD, regardless of the quantity, would have otherwise flowed into Sudan and Egypt, he stressed.

This year alone, an estimated 23 billion cubic meters of water have been lost due to the dam’s filling. This direct loss, if utilized for agriculture, could have generated significant economic benefits.

Egypt would then be compelled to undertake substantial measures to mitigate the negative impacts of the GERD’s filling. These measures include reducing rice cultivation by 1.1 million acres, constructing wastewater treatment plants, lining canals, implementing modern irrigation systems, expanding greenhouses, and drilling numerous groundwater wells.

This would also deplete the reserves of the Aswan High Dam.

Sudan could also face significant challenges, including disruptions in dam operations, the cessation of flood-reliant agriculture, and decreased agricultural productivity due to the dam’s impact on sediment, groundwater levels, and production costs.

And even Ethiopia itself would not be immune to the consequences.

Additional arable lands would be submerged, despite the lack of agricultural activities in the area even after five years of filling. Mining regions would also be affected by rising water levels, and the full capacity of the dam’s turbines would remain unutilized.

https://apnews.com/article/f2c30802d80247efa6872d5852882057

But the Nile is different: few nations rely so completely on a single river as much as Egypt does. The Nile provides over 90 percent of Egypt’s water supply. Almost the entire population lives cramped in the sliver of the Nile Valley. Around 60 percent of Egypt’s Nile water originates in Ethiopia from the Blue Nile, one of two main tributaries.

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>>21526892

“Egypt Addresses the UN Security Council on Ethiopian Dam Developments”

https://egyptianstreets.com/2024/09/01/egypt-addresses-the-un-security-council-on-ethiopian-dam-developments/

September 1, 2024

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdel-Atty, addressed the Chairman of the United Nations Security Council regarding the fifth phase of filling the Renaissance Dam on Sunday, 1 September, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Abdel-Atty expressed Egypt’s firm rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies, which violate international law and breach the 2015 Declaration of Principles Agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. He emphasized that these policies also breach the Security Council’s presidential statement of September 15, 2021.

The minister also condemned the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s claims about reserving Blue Nile waters and completing the dam’s concrete structure, describing them as “unacceptable and detrimental to regional stability.”

In his address, Abdel-Atty highlighted that, after 13 years of earnest negotiations, it has become evident that Addis Ababa seeks to use negotiations as a pretext while solidifying its unilateral policies.

Abdel-Atty also warned that Ethiopia’s illegal policies could have severe repercussions for Egypt and Sudan.

Despite the challenges posed by the dam and efforts by Egypt to mitigate its effects, the country remains vigilant and prepared to take all necessary measures to safeguard its interests and those of its people under the UN Treaty.

In July, the Ethiopian government announced its intention to move forward with the fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir this month, even as negotiations with downstream countries have yet to reach an agreement on the dam’s operational protocols.

The 2015 Declaration of Principles, signed in Khartoum by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, established key provisions: the GERD should not cause significant harm to any of the three countries; the dam should promote economic development and cross-border cooperation; and operational agreements must be in place before any reservoir filling.

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“Egypt and Somalia to hold military drills in show of force”

https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/middleeast/egypt-and-somalia-to-hold-military-drills-in-show-of-force/ar-AA1pRLvz

02/09/2024

Egypt and Somalia are to hold joint military exercises in the Horn of Africa nation, in what appears to be a show of force that could increase tension between the two Arab League members and Ethiopia, security officials told The National on Monday.

The war games, which are expected to be held this month, will involve ground, air, and naval forces, regional security sources close to Cairo said. They declined to disclose the start date, duration or the number of troops to be involved.

"The drills will send a clear and loud message about our firm commitment to co-operate and protect Somalia," one of the officials said. "They'll mean much more than just war drills."

News of the joint war games broke only a day after Egypt said it had written to the UN Security Council to protest against what it regarded as Ethiopia's unilateral policies over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Cairo rejects Ethiopia's plan to move ahead with completing construction of the dam and filling its reservoir without consulting downstream nation Egypt, the letter written by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty said. Those policies threaten regional stability, it added.

Egypt and Ethiopia have been at loggerheads for more than a decade over the construction of the massive Nile dam, which Cairo says will reduce its vital share of the river's waters.

“Egypt has negotiated in good faith [with Ethiopia] for 13 years. The negotiations have been halted after it became clear to everyone that Addis Ababa wanted them to continue indefinitely as a cover while it created a de facto situation on the ground,” the letter said.

News of the military drills came less than a week after Egypt began sending troops, arms and military hardware to Somalia under the provisions of a military co-operation agreement signed last month.

Ethiopia was deeply angered by the move that it said would destabilise the Horn of Africa region and take it into “uncharted waters”.

Somalia called the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal an assault on its sovereignty and said it would block it by all means necessary. It has also threatened to send home an estimated 10,000 Ethiopian troops who are in Somalia as part of a peacekeeping mission to fight Al Shabab militants, if the deal is not cancelled.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has repeatedly said the impact of the dam on his country amounts to an existential threat that cannot be ignored. Talks between the two countries have failed to reach a diplomatic solution.

A possible outbreak of hostilities between Egypt and Ethiopia would further destabilise the Horn of Africa, as well as the larger East Africa region, already shaken by a 16-month civil war in Sudan that has created a severed displacement crisis, with two million of the 10 million displaced having fled to neighbouring nations.

Attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have contributed to the instability in the region, with world powers vying for a foothold in the strategic stretch of water.

The attacks on shipping have also significantly reduced Egypt's foreign currency revenue from the Suez Canal, which links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and earns Egypt billions of dollars a year in transit fees.

Egypt, a mainly desert country with a population of 106 million, depends on the Nile for almost all of its freshwater needs. Considered one of the world's driest nations, it claims any reduction in its share of the Nile waters would upset its delicate food balance and wipe out hundreds of thousands of agricultural jobs.

>>21422340

The Gates Foundation was in Ethiopia recently.

Gates Foundation: “What did Mark Suzman learn in Ethiopia?”… “foundation’s Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa, the first office we opened on the continent 12 years ago”

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/ethiopia-health-mark-suzman

Aug 07, 2024

By Mark Suzman

In May, I spent a week visiting partners, grantees, and colleagues in Ethiopia. It’s hard to believe that my last trip to the country was in 2018. The world has changed so much since then, and perhaps even more so in Ethiopia.

In the first two decades of this century, Ethiopia made remarkable progress toward its health and development goals, including improvements in maternal and newborn health, vaccination rates, agricultural productivity, and financial inclusion. Since then, communities there have been dealt some major challenges—including COVID-19, drought, floods, and a major conflict—which have disrupted hard-won gains in health and development.

But, as I saw first-hand, one thing has not changed: Ethiopia’s incredible potential for progress. Getting back on track will require resilience and creativity, two things Ethiopians have in abundance.

Twelve years of partnership in Ethiopia

I started my trip with an energizing visit to the foundation’s Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa, the first office we opened on the continent 12 years ago. Here I am with my colleagues there, who are true exemplars of how our foundation aims to work with local partners. Throughout the trip, I heard from grantees, partners, senior members of government, and the wider donor community about just how unique and trusted our relationships are in Ethiopia.

I met with the staff to learn what was top of mind for them, including what we mean when we say “Impact First,” how we balance urgency and patience, and how our regional and country offices can have even greater impact. 

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>>21526942

“Ethiopia's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reappointed as WHO Director General”

https://youtu.be/ICS65nL5E_s

May 25, 2022

1:16 – “He is the first African to lead the agency and the only Director General not qualified as a medical doctor.”

“Meet the world’s most powerful doctor: Bill Gates”

https://www.politico.eu/article/bill-gates-who-most-powerful-doctor/

May 4, 2017 12:00 pm CET

The software mogul’s sway over the World Health Organization spurs criticism about misplaced priorities and undue influence.

Over the past decade, the world’s richest man has become the World Health Organization’s second biggest donor, second only to the United States and just above the United Kingdom. This largesse gives him outsized influence over its agenda, one that could grow as the U.S. and the U.K. threaten to cut funding if the agency doesn’t make a better investment case.

Concerns about the software billionaire’s sway — roughly a quarter of WHO’s budget goes toward polio eradication — has led to an effort to rein him in. But he remains a force to be reckoned with, as WHO prepares to elect one of three finalists to lead the organization.

Already a decade ago, when Gates started throwing money into malaria eradication, top officials — including the chief of the WHO’s malaria program — raised concerns that the foundation was distorting research priorities. “The term often used was ‘monopolistic philanthropy’, the idea that Gates was taking his approach to computers and applying it to the Gates Foundation,” said a source close to the WHO board.

“He is treated liked a head of state, not only at the WHO, but also at the G20,” a Geneva-based NGO representative said, calling Gates one of the most influential men in global health.

However, his sway has NGOs and academics worried. Some health advocates fear that because the Gates Foundation’s money comes from investments in big business, it could serve as a Trojan horse for corporate interests to undermine WHO’s role in setting standards and shaping health policies.

Dues paid by member states now account for less than a quarter of WHO’s $4.5 billion biennial budget. The rest comes from what governments, Gates, other foundations and companies volunteer to chip in. Since these funds are usually earmarked for specific projects or diseases, WHO can’t freely decide how to use them.

In January, 30 health advocacy groups penned an open letter to WHO’s executive board protesting against making the Gates Foundation an official partner of the agency because its revenue comes from investments in companies that are at odds with public health goals, such as Coca-Cola.

Gates’ influence over the WHO was called into question once again during the race to succeed [Margaret] Chan as its director general.

The final three candidates include Sania Nishtar, a cardiologist from Pakistan who has pledged to take the agency “back to its former glory”; David Nabarro, a British physician and former U.N. special envoy for Ebola; and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has served as health minister and foreign minister in the Ethiopian government.

Tedros, who like many in Ethiopia goes by his first name, is supported by the African Union. He has promised to reform the organization to better deal with crises like Ebola and to push for universal access to health care all over the world.

Last year, a French diplomat suggested that Gates also supports Tedros, having funded health programs in his country when he was health minister. Several foundation officials have denied this, saying that the foundation cannot take a position given that it is not a voting member country and thus has to remain neutral.

One big unknown is what will happen with the foundation’s money once it meets its target of eradicating polio, which started in the late 1980s and now appears to be nearing its goal. Chan has warned that if the polio money dries up in 2019, the global health body will be on the lookout for even more money.

“The foundation’s impact on the WHO is enormous,” said Garrett, of the Council on Foreign Relations. “If they weren’t there, if they walked away with their money, the deleterious impact would be profound, and everyone is all too aware of that.”

>>21526947

>Some health advocates fear that because the Gates Foundation’s money comes from investments in big business, it could serve as a Trojan horse for corporate interests to undermine WHO’s role in setting standards and shaping health policies.

>>21526942

>>21422340

>>21454171

>>21507050

>>21507053

>Rhodes scholar

>>21379971

>>20970999

>>20970977

>>20970855

>Helen Suzman

“Suzman on public health setbacks”

https://youtu.be/QEoz15yuHlM

Mar 2, 2023

1:50 – “The inevitability that there will be another virus and pandemic at some point.”

Mark Suzman; CEO at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, South African, Rhodes Scholar, Helen Suzman is his great aunt

https://theorg.com/org/bill-melinda-gates-foundation/org-chart/mark-suzman

A native of South Africa, Suzman joined the foundation in 2007 as director of Global Development Policy & Advocacy, becoming president of Global Policy & Advocacy in 2012 and taking on the additional responsibilities of the foundation’s first chief strategy officer in 2016. As president, he helped build and manage the foundation’s growing global presence in Europe, Africa, India, and China, as well as overseeing all government relations, philanthropic partnerships, and strategic communications in the United States and globally. As chief strategy officer, he led an overhaul of the foundation’s approach to developing and measuring strategic priorities.

Before joining the foundation, Suzman held multiple positions at the United Nations, including senior advisor for policy and strategic communications in the Office of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and policy director at the United Nations Development Program. Prior to that, he was a correspondent for the Financial Times, serving in Johannesburg, London, and Washington, D.C. He holds a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

https://www.influencewatch.org/person/mark-suzman/

Mark Suzman was born in South Africa. Suzman’s great aunt was Helen Suzman, an anti-apartheid activist who served in the South African Parliament for 36 years. Suzman himself lived through apartheid and personally knew anti-apartheid campaigner and later democratically elected President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. 5

https://www.brenthurst.org.za/about-bl/harry-frederick-oppenheimer/

But thought [Harry Oppenheimer] was now out of Parliament he never lost his love for and involvement in politics. His view of the future of South Africa had always involved all South Africans and, in this regard, he was on the left wing of the old United Party. It would have surprised no one that he was the principal backer of the Progressive Party when it split from the United Party. Sadly, at that time, not many other South Africans shared his political beliefs and in no time, the party was reduced to being represented in Parliament by only Helen Suzman (though many would have claimed she was worth more than the rest of the Opposition put together!). But my father’s support for the party and the principles it stood for (and Helen Suzman) never wavered, even though this support had a negative impact on Anglo American and De Beers. To him, some beliefs were more important than even these two great companies.

>>21518362

>That then however led to the Serious Fraud Office in Britain opening an investigation of BAE bribes to Saudi Arabia, South Africa and six other countries and Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2006 then squelched the whole thing saying, “it violated British national security.” So it’s not just our government that is covering it up. There are governments in Europe as well; the British, the Germans, the Swedes… because I am sad to say it has been estimated that… the arms trade is responsible for about 40% of world corruption that can be traced back to the arms trade. So it’s a hugely corrupt business but it controls the politicians in Europe and also in the United States.”

>French arms company Thales

“RFK Jr.: Who Really Profits from The Ukraine War?”

https://youtu.be/LD6kvDHbIYY

Jan 6, 2024

Few people understand what the war in Ukraine means for big business—namely, opportunity. It’s not just the weapons and reconstruction contracts. Ukraine’s vast agricultural lands—among the most fertile in the world—are up for grabs, and American companies like BlackRock are at the front of the line.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/26/im-not-profiting-from-misery-im-averting-more-thaless-uk-boss-on-making-missiles-for-ukraine

Tue 26 Mar 2024 15.00 CET

Thales: In Britain, defence accounts for most of its business – and is growing rapidly. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, the group’s shares have gained more than 80%, its value has swelled to €33bn and its order book has reached a record high, at €45bn.

Missiles made by Thales in Belfast have been supplied – via the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – to fighters in Ukraine, to shoot down Russian jets, drones and helicopters, and to hit tank targets. “They’ve been used to great effect in defending Ukraine,” Cresswell says. Sales have doubled since just before Moscow’s invasion, and he expects them to double again in the next two years.

It was against that backdrop that [Alex] Cresswell’s future was forged. His father was a production chemist working on the commissioning of factories and refineries. The job moved Cresswell around, giving him a “Heinz 57 schooling”, in Cambridgeshire, South Africa, the US and Hertfordshire.

He began his career with eight years at British Aerospace (now BAE) in Stevenage as a guided weapons systems engineer. He joined what would become Thales in 1992, holding various positions, including running its land defence division. In early 2020, he took on the top UK job.

Thales also finds itself at the centre of an international tug of war over the Aukus pact – the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US.

Australia scrapped a submarine project with France when it joined Aukus, angering Thales’s benefactor. But Cresswell says Thales has sovereign status in all three Aukus countries, and he has high-level security clearances. He adds that the pact is attracting talent, as the “most exciting” event since the 1958 US-UK nuclear weapons treaty.

General Research #26389 >>21540948

A fire in a school in Kenya has killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police say

BY EVELYNE MUSAMBI Updated 2:23 AM EDT, September 6, 2024

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A fire in a school dormitory in Kenya killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police said Friday.

There are fears that the death toll may rise, police said.

The cause of the fire Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said.

“We are investigating the cause and will take necessary action,” she said.

President William Ruto called the news “devastating” and said action would be taken against those responsible.

“I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged school administrators to ensure that safety guidelines recommended by the education ministry for boarding schools are being followed.

School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, where many students stay because parents believe it gives them more time to study without long commutes.

Some fires have been started by students during protests over the workload or living conditions. In 2017, 10 high school students died in a school fire in the capital, Nairobi.

https://apnews.com/article/kenya-school-fire-nyeri-7017997f40514fefe817a820a7f6c6c9?

>>21500613

I'd love to know the reason the case against Bank of America N.A. was dropped

>>21500613

>>21540965

It is still appealing Bank of America, just under different names due to technicalities.

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/banking/524066-competition-commission-taking-banks-to-constitutional-court-over-alleged-rand-manipulation.html

6.02.2024

There are noteworthy technicalities here — it is appealing the Nedbank Limited ruling, not Nedbank Group; and FirstRand Bank Limited, not FirstRand Limited.

>>20970955

>Beit Trust Scholarship

>Beit Trust

>January 1983

>The Trust was initially set up in 1906 by the Will of Mr Alfred Beit, a brilliant financier and a director of the British South Africa Company with many interests including the development of Rhodesia’s railway system.

>>21507100

>>21507168

>>21507174

>British South Africa Company

>>21507050

>>21507053

>Cecil Rhodes

Beit Trust

“Beit Trust Postgraduate Scholarships (2024/ 2025)”

https://youtu.be/kEtgvps3FoM

Dec 5, 2023

https://beittrust.org.uk/beit-trust-history/

The Trust was established in 1906 by the Will of Alfred Beit, a financier and philanthropist. He had many interests, including the development of the railway system in Southern Africa. On his death in 1906, at the age of 53, he left a substantial legacy to a wide range of charitable causes.

The Original Terms of the Will

Under The Railway Fund’s original terms of reference, the Trust funded the construction of most of the great bridges of Southern Africa – over the Limpopo at Beitbridge, on the border of Zimbabwe and South Africa; over the Save in Zimbabwe; over the Kafue in Zambia; over the Luangwa on the Great East Road from Zambia to Malawi; and the Otto Beit Bridge (above), opened in 1939, which spans the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe at Chirundu. Over four hundred smaller or low-level bridges were also built, which still provide much needed communication in rural areas.

Alfred Beit laid down the Trust’s objectives in his Will. These were re-emphasised in The Beit Trust Act 1954. The Trust’s benevolent mandate is exclusively for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

https://beittrust.org.uk/beit-trust-organisation/

We have supported over a hundred Beit Scholars at universities in the UK and South Africa, as well as regional training for surgeons from ZZM.

>>21543498

>In recognition of his bequests the Royal School of Mines, a faculty of Imperial College London, erected a large memorial to Beit flanking the entrance to its building. The Imperial College residential halls on Prince Consort Road was named Beit Hall after him.

“Imperial College London’s Cancel Campaign Against Its Own Founders”

https://quillette.com/2022/01/21/imperial-college-londons-campaign-to-libel-its-own-founders/

21 Jan 2022

The connection with the Beit family and its financial generosity has continued almost unbroken since the founding of the College.

Imperial College London was founded in 1907. It is one of the top 20 universities in the world, and among the leading technical universities in Europe. Two individuals were central to its foundation.

The first is 19th-century English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, who became known as “Darwin’s Bulldog” due to his singularly strenuous advocacy of Charles Darwin’s ideas. In South Kensington, he collected the pieces from which Imperial was later assembled: the Royal School of Mines, The Royal College of Science, and the City and Guilds of London Institute. Although he died before the creation of Imperial College, Huxley is described by his biographer Cyril Bibby as its “chief builder.”

The second main founder is Alfred Beit, a German Jew who made his fortune from diamond and gold mining in South Africa. Beit, who moved to London in 1889, was one of the first to see the desirability of creating a new science university in London to compete with developments in Germany. Together with his business associate Sir Julius Wernher, they provided the financial backing necessary to secure the construction of Imperial College. Beit died in 1906, a year before the opening, but the family connection was sustained through his brother Otto, who inherited part of Alfred’s fortune. In 1931, the Rector of Imperial College, Sir Henry Tizard, wrote in the journal Nature: “Practically the whole of the endowment of the College since its incorporation has been provided by Sir Julius Wernher, Mr Alfred Beit and Sir Otto Beit.”

Up to October 26th, 2021, when the Imperial History Group published a report aimed at examining “the history of the College through its links to the British Empire, and to report on the current understanding and reception of the College’s legacy and heritage in the context of its present-day mission,” Huxley had been revered by the College. (For example, it held a celebratory conference in 1995 on the centenary of his death.) The generosity of Alfred Beit, and the continuing generosity of the Beit family up to the present time, has been gratefully acknowledged at regular intervals, notably in 2007 by the Rector Sir Richard Sykes, when the College celebrated its own centenary. And yet, despite no new pertinent facts emerging, the History Group suddenly has proposed, among other things, that Imperial College disown its two main founders. Specifically, the report authors recommended that “the bust of Huxley should be moved from the building for preservation … and the building should be renamed,” and that “Beit Quad and Hall are renamed subject to consultation with students. The consultation should clarify the history and then gather and understand any strong objections. This is not intended to be a majority vote which is not always representative and inclusive.”

However, the standout recommendations in the report may be described as negative: Huxley is charged with “scientific racism,” and espousing “a racial hierarchy of intelligence,” while Beit is denounced for “the treatment of workers during the expansion of the Kimberley mines [in South Africa].” Yet it is difficult to find the reason for the sudden change in the College’s attitude toward its founders.

>>21543428

>>21543498

>>21543509

“Imperial [College] commits to ‘ambitious understanding’ of history”

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/234096/imperial-commits-ambitious-understanding-history/

25 February 2022

Imperial has responded to a community dialogue and independent report into its history, pledging to deepen understanding of its past.

President’s Board, representing the College’s leadership, met this week to consider how to respond to the History Group’s report and feedback received on the report and its recommendations from Imperial staff, students and alumni during the subsequent community dialogue.

The College will consider a joint name for its Huxley Building - named after biologist Thomas Henry Huxley - with the aim of adding the name of a pathbreaking scientist from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic background. While the name and bust of Huxley will be retained, it will be clearly put into a fuller context in order to provide everyone with a more complete understanding of Huxley’s complex character and achievements as well as his flaws, including his racially prejudiced writings. Historical context will also be provided for any person whose name is added jointly.

A similar approach will be adopted for the Beit Building and statue, with a focus on providing a fuller understanding of the Beit brothers’ impact in southern Africa. The College will consult with students and explore whether to add an African scientist to the building’s name.

In partnership with the Beit Trust, the College will also seek to redirect its Beit Scholarships to African scientists. This follows Imperial’s new scholarship fund for Black and other underrepresented students, launched last year.

.

The names of key buildings, including those named after Thomas Henry Huxley or Alfred and Otto Beit, will be retained, but the College will launch an ambitious project to put these figures into context and clarify their histories, the Board concluded.

The College will find new, prominent ways of ensuring that their complexities are fully understood alongside the College’s modern values. This will include acknowledging both their positive contributions to science and to Imperial in parallel with the ways in which they have furthered historic injustice or hampered progress towards racial equality.

Acknowledging the precedent set by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, Imperial will explore the possibility of jointly naming some buildings, signaling its commitment to ensuring a broader range of people are recognised on campus.

“Police not succeeding in dealing with extortion – Mofokeng”

https://youtu.be/9UimXkhzIzc

Sep 9, 2024

Security analyst Prof. Jacob Mofokeng says it's not true that the police are succeeding in defeating the scourge of extortion in South Africa. He adds that extortion crimes are underreported because people do not have trust in the police.

>>21558287

“Extortion Crimes | Understanding SA's widespread extortion crisis”

https://youtu.be/EFGET8TcAl0

Sep 9, 2024

National Commissioner of the South African Police Service General Fannie Masemola has warned would-be criminals that attacks on police officials will not be tolerated.

This was after an attack on a member of the National Intervention Unit at a base of the unit in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. extortion in townships is carried out by organised crime elements

Members of the base are investigating allegations of extortion in the area. Masemola has also lamented the underreporting of extortion cases in the Eastern Cape.

Extortion incidents have reportedly spiralled out of control in Mthatha, with businesses and schools regularly targeted by criminals demanding protection fees.

Last week, traditional leader Dalinzolo Mareke, who was implicated in alleged extortion cases, was killed during a shootout with police.

To help us understand the extortion crisis, we're now joined virtually by the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police Ian Cameron and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime's senior analyst Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane.

“How OUTA exposed R898 million “tender manipulation” by French multinational”

https://youtu.be/dbsYYyMOE50

Sep 9, 2024

A French multinational company has become embroiled in a third tender controversy, this time to produce “smart driving licence cards” at an inflated cost of R898,597 million - nearly double the budget. In this interview with BizNews Wayne Duvenhage, the CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), describes how the findings of its investigation into the tender led to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s decision to refer it to the Auditor-General (AG) for further investigstion. The same company recently had its R115-million contract with Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) terminated. And there have been delays in its delivery on a Home Affairs contract. Meanwhile, more whistleblowers are coming forward with inside information on the latest tender awarded to the company. “So the more evidence we gather, the more we'll pass over to the Auditor General. Hopefully then to the police and what we're actually asking for the authorities and the Minister is don't only cancel this tender, find out who in your department is involved, have disciplinary hearings, fire them if need be and then don't stop there, have them charged for the criminal conduct that they have instituted.”

“Extortionists have better intelligence than SAPS – Allis”

https://youtu.be/oObl0TzqQMY

Sep 10, 2024

Criminal Law expert Ian Allis suggests that the lack of resources to fight crime within SAPS has given extortion syndicates an upper hand. Allis claims that these syndicates have better intelligence than the police.

South Africa Investigates Pharmaceutical Bottles Washing Ashore Amid Uptick in Cargo Losses

Mike Schuler September 12, 2024

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is actively investigating the source of pharmaceutical bottles washing up along the country’s eastern coastline. The incident comes amid a surge in container losses from cargo vessels traversing the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope.

“We are aware of pharmaceutical bottles containing pills that have been washing ashore in the Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks, and Boknes areas since Monday, September 9, 2024,” said a SAMSA spokesperson. The authority is working with an Incident Management Systems (IMS) committee, including various government departments, to identify, analyze, and safely dispose of the products.

The influx of medicinal products coincides with reports of several cargo vessels collectively losing nearly 200 containers in the past eight weeks amid a series winter storms. SAMSA confirmed that vessels involved include the MV Benjamin Franklin, MV CMA CGM Belem, MV Maersk Stepnica, MV Rio Grande Express, and MSC Antonia.

“These incidents highlight the risks posed by severe weather conditions and the challenges of responding to coastal shipping emergencies,” SAMSA explained. The authority is actively monitoring the coastline and collaborating with local authorities to track any further containers or goods that might wash ashore.

The incidents coincide with an increase in vessel traffic around the Cape of Good Hope, attributed to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. SAMSA assured that vessel owners are cooperating fully and have committed to undertaking clean-up operations if necessary.

As investigations continue, coastal residents are advised to report any unusual findings to local authorities and refrain from handling unidentified substances.

https://gcaptain.com/south-africa-investigates-pharmaceutical-bottles-washing-ashore-amid-uptick-in-cargo-losses/

>>21396682

>>21396698

>Status in the Zulu kingdom was measured by the number of wives and cattle in an individual's possession.

>>21396704

>Lands with no private claims were deemed royal lands, and later, government property, which was a deviation from African communal land ownership system. The colonialists therefore succeeded in transforming the ritual function of the chief into a political one.

>Chiefs were made actual owners of land rather than the whole community. From them, the colonialists could easily obtain mining concessions, plantations, and other resources without much resistance.

>>21454006

>“That’s where patriarchy and abuse creeps in exactly. Remember, it happens at country level. Whoever pays for the South African election, owns us. Whichever man pay for you, owns you women.”

“Jacob Zuma’s Daughter Becomes the 16th Wife of Eswatini's King | Vantage with Palki Sharma”

https://youtu.be/IlzBbAZYiIc

Sep 4, 2024

Jacob Zuma’s Daughter Becomes the 16th Wife of Eswatini's King | Vantage with Palki Sharma

A daughter of South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma was among hundreds of women and girls who danced for the king of Eswatini in a traditional ceremony, confirming her engagement to the monarch. 56-year-old King Mswati chose 21-year-old Nomcebo Zuma who will be his 16th wife. The kingdom justifies this as tradition. But is it culture or a grotesque power dynamic? Palki Sharma tells you.

“Zuma's arms deal trial postponed yet again”

https://youtu.be/Os_ABWfDfnA

Sep 11, 2024

Former president Jacob Zuma's arms deal trial has been postponed yet again.

Zuma and his co-accused the French arms manufacturer Thales will be back in court on 6 February 2025.

That's when the Judge Nkosinathi Chili will hear arguments on the former president's application for leave to appeal his dismissal of Zuma's second attempt to remove lead prosecutor Adv. Billy Downer from the case.

Newzroom Afrika's senior politics reporter Ziyanda Ngcobo has more.

>>21582568

>>21396698

>The President is a billionaire, two of his brother-in-laws are billionaires

>>21416431

>Mervyn King: “The company… is the most important citizen in every country in the world”

>>21454242

>>21454308

>>21467416

>>21467430

>Hoek Report

>>21495015

“What Aristotle Knew About Oligarchy That We Forgot”

https://youtu.be/HMguSl8PHS4

Sep 11, 2024

How do the wealthy few come to rule, and why does it matter? Aristotle tackled these questions 2300 years ago, and his answers are still eye-opening today.

In this video, we explore Aristotle's book "Politics," where he breaks down different types of government, including oligarchy - when the rich call the shots. Aristotle didn't just theorize; he studied 158 constitutions from Greek city-states and beyond, giving us deep insights into how governments really work.

Following our last video on tyranny, we now turn to oligarchy, another system Aristotle saw as problematic. We'll examine how leadership based on merit can gradually shift into rule by the wealthy, and the various forms this can take. Aristotle's keen observations help us spot the signs of wealth steering the ship of state, even in seemingly democratic systems.

We'll also discuss Aristotle's thoughts on the fall of oligarchies. How did these regimes topple if money speaks louder than the voices of ordinary citizens? Aristotle's analysis of how money and power intertwine is as relevant now as it was in ancient Greece. His insights shed light on political dynamics that continue to shape our world today.

>>21582652

>>21507050

>>21507053

>The seizure of the wealth necessary

>>21507100

>>21396724

“The Timeless Truth About Tyranny According to Aristotle”

https://youtu.be/2gkYbrzMAE4

Aug 8, 2024

Is your government slowly becoming tyrannical? Aristotle warned us 2,300 years ago.

In this eye-opening exploration of Aristotle's analysis of tyranny, we delve into the timeless insights of one of history's greatest political thinkers. Drawing from Aristotle's great work "Politics," we uncover the mechanisms of tyrannical rule that are as relevant today as they were in ancient Greece. Discover how Aristotle's experiences with the Thirty Tyrants of Athens and his personal relationship with the tyrant Hermias shaped his understanding of unjust rule.

Learn the tactics tyrants use to rise to power and maintain their grip on society - from manipulating public opinion to undermining social trust. We'll explore the true nature of tyranny according to Aristotle, how tyrants differ from legitimate rulers, the ways tyrannies often come to power, Aristotle's list of tyrannical tactics, many still used today, and why Aristotle believed all tyrannies are doomed to fail.

“South Africa: Outrage as Russia's Naval Ship Docks at Cape Town | Firstpost Africa”

https://youtu.be/NwsGWZe0ot0

Premiered Sep 6, 2024

South Africa: Outrage as Russia's Naval Ship Docks at Cape Town | Firstpost Africa

The recent docking of a Russian navy ship at Cape Town harbour has triggered outrage. The Ukrainian Association of South Africa has expressed anger saying the incident calls into question South Africa's purported neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Democratic Alliance, President Cyril Ramaphosa's coalition partner, has also condemned the incident as "cosying up to Russia". Amid the outrage, the South African National Defense Force said the Russian vessel docked for re-supply purposes. South Africa and Russia share decades-long ties. Both countries are also BRICS partners. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also refused to criticise Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Watch this video for details.

>>21628167

“South Africa snubs US Defence while welcoming Russia at Pretoria Aerospace Expo”

https://youtu.be/39di3tpuEbQ

Sep 18, 2024

The United States has officially withdrawn from the African Aerospace and Defense Expo (AAD), currently taking place at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa. Emma Powell, the DA’s Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, attributes the US’s withdrawal to the South African Department of Defence’s failure to confirm diplomatic immunity and privileges for the US delegation during their visit.

In an interview with National Security News, Powell described the delay in securing these essential guarantees for the US—an important trade and economic partner—as either a staggering display of incompetence or an act of sabotage. In stark contrast, she noted that Russia aircraft, despite its ongoing war in violation of international law, has been invited to showcase some of its aircraft at the expo.

https://www.aadexpo.co.za/

Emma Powell

https://www.vryeweekblad.com/en/news-and-politics/2024-04-12-emma-powell-itll-get-hot-in-the-kitchen-in-the-next-8-weeks/

She quit and moved to Italy to teach English at Deloitte in Milan, but she returned in 2012 when she was offered a job in the City of Cape Town administration where Patricia de Lille became mayor.

Powell says she's a radical feminist.

>>21628174

>https://youtu.be/39di3tpuEbQ

Embedded

>>21628174

>Deloitte

>Emma Powell

“ANC is up in arms over DA’s ‘provocative’ letter to the United States” from Emma Powell

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/anc-is-up-in-arms-over-das-provocative-letter-to-the-united-states/

11 Mar 2024

The Democratic Alliance has asked for increased Western support in monitoring the 2024 elections.

The uproar caused by a Democratic Alliance (DA) letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for increased Western support in monitoring the May polls has led to two leading political analysts perceiving the move differently.

This comes against the background of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) having a limited budget to deal effectively with possible security breaches like hacking – which has been seen in previous US elections.

Dear America

In a letter to Blinken, sent through US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E Brigety, DA MP and shadow minister for international relations Emma Louise Powell said the party wanted “to sharpen our appeal to the international community in helping to ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections”.

Assistance requested by the DA from the US includes:

• An increased contingent of international observers to monitor the 2024 polls with resources made available “to bolster the deployment of additional, independent, domestic observers”; and

• Empowering of civil society organisations to provide voter education and capacity-building for domestic monitors.

“Your country can help to safeguard against any attempts to disrupt the democratic process or negatively influence the South African electorate through misinformation and disinformation campaigns,” said Powell.

https://explain.co.za/2024/03/11/das-calls-for-us-and-eu-election-help-raise-eyebrows/

The letter, written by the DA’s Shadow Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Emma Powell, calls on the US and some EU countries for support in observing the upcoming national elections on 29 May 2024, voter education and establishing a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) system. The DA believes that the plummeting (according to polls) support for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the rapid rise of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto We Sizwe party (MK) pose a significant threat to democracy and the rule of law. “We are of the view that MK poses a substantive risk to the continued peaceful nature of our political discourse as a nation,” said the letter.

>>21628174

>Deloitte

>>21628184

“How Deloitte masked scandals in business and politics”

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/03/05/news/how-deloitte-masked-scandals-business-and-politics

March 5th 2019

The story of Deloitte and the Duffy affair is important because it highlights how the Big Four auditing giants can be open to corruption and political influence. And how they’re often not objective or neutral.

Deloitte is the largest of the Big Four – which also includes KPMG, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Together, these four firms form a powerful cartel that wields tremendous clout in the finance, business and government circles worldwide. Their influence seeps into every aspect of the economy.

Indeed, collectively, the Big Four audit 490 of the S&P 500 companies. In turn, they’ve evolved into huge conglomerates themselves – with combined 2017 revenues of US$134-billion, employing 945,000 people around the world. In fact, according to Forbes, Deloitte is the fourth-largest private company in America.

Moreover, the Big Four are important because modern societies rely on accountants to verify financial records for shareholders, thereby safeguarding the economy at large. “An audit is about a public good,” says Natasha Landell-Mills, a partner with the London, UK-based investment firm, Sarasin & Partners LLP, and a critic of the profession.

Today, however, the Big Four are facing a crisis of credibility of their own making, embroiled in scandal after scandal in multiple jurisdictions. Increasingly, they stand accused of turning a blind eye, and even enabling, corporate fraud and questionable accounting. They’ve also emerged as central players in the creation and abuse of offshore tax havens. And they've become champions of the privatization of government services. And yet they “perform their duties with relative impunity,” writes Richard Brooks, a British journalist in his recent book, Bean Counters: The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism. “They are free to make profit without fearing serious consequences of their abuses.”

In Canada, court cases, scandals and insights from experts suggest Deloitte is the most egregious of the lot. “Deloitte sells the public an image that they are wonderful, they’re up-to-date, they are professional, they are experts,” says Prem Sikka, an accounting professor at the University of Sheffield in the UK whom I spoke to when researching my Globe article. “But at the same time, there is a dark side.”

Founded in the UK in the late 1800s, Deloitte is now a privately-held giant with global revenues of (US) $43.2-billion, 264,000 employees in 150 countries and headquartered in London, England.

“Deloitte dragged into South African state corruption scandals”, 22 Oct 2019, https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/347850/deloitte-dragged-into-south-african-state-corruption-scandals/

“Auditing giant Deloitte’s R260m Tongaat Hulett settlement ‘pathetic’ – Logan”, 24 Feb 2023, https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/auditing-giant-deloittes-r260m-tongaat-hulett-settlement-pathetic-logan/

“Deloitte agrees to pay out up to R1.3bn in compensation to claimants against Steinhoff”, 15 Feb 2021, https://www.news24.com/Fin24/deloitte-agrees-to-pay-out-up-to-r13bn-in-compensation-to-claimants-against-steinhoff-20210215

“Deloitte Fined Record $19M Over Audit Failures”, Sept. 18, 2020, https://www.cfo.com/news/deloitte-fined-record-19m-over-audit-failures/656213/

“BELA [Basic Education Laws Amendment] BILL : Everything you need to know”

https://youtu.be/WRJARxeKBIw

Sep 15, 2024

Most people do not fully understand what the BELA bill, that was signed into law on the 13th of September entails. It is also not understood what this bill means for their and their children's future.

In this video, I shall be doing an in-depth, but easily understandable explanation of what the bill entails in its entirety.

Additionally

https://filestore.referendums.co.za/1e201957-b5db-4627-89b4-8b61ea789344/BELA_D-Bill.pdf

any parent who, without just cause and after a written notice from the Head of Department, fails to comply with subsection (1)[,] is guilty of an offence and liable, on conviction, to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding [six] 12 months, or to both a fine and such imprisonment, alternatively a court may impose a sentence within the court’s discretion as contemplated in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act;’’; or

any other person who, without just cause, prevents a learner who is subject to compulsory attendance from attending [a] school[,] is guilty of an offence and liable, on conviction, to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding [six] 12 months, or to both a fine and such imprisonment, alternatively a court may impose a sentence within the court’s discretion as contemplated in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act;’’; and

Clause 39 seeks to amend section 61 of the SASA to extend the powers of the Minister to make regulations on the management of learner pregnancy

https://referendums.co.za/@belabill

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill B2B-2022 proposes:

1. Many controversial proposals that the public have opposed at every turn.

2. Granting open-ended powers to the Minister to create regulations without describing procedures by which the proposed regulations will be enforced, which could provide a back door for comprehensive sexual education and mandatory vaccination.

3. To enable government to dictate one-size-fits all curricula, language, and admissions policy and more, thereby centralizing control of all educational modalities, including Home Education, which are providing viable alternatives to the government school system.

4. Criminalizing parents and sending them to prison for twelve months, or charging them a hefty fine for even minor transgressions like forgetting to register their child in time!

5. Reducing the power of school governing bodies.

>>21405857

>>21405895

>>21628813

>>21628891

“AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 55TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS: STRATEGY AND TACTICS” – Part 1

https://www.anc1912.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ANC-55th-Conference-Resolutions-Strategy-Tactics.pdf

16-20 December 2022

1. This strategic objective derives from the character of the national democratic revolution and the three basic and inter-related contradictions of national oppression, class super-exploitation directed at Black workers and the oppression of women.

2. The vision, values and principles of the national democratic society we seek to create are well articulated in the basic documents of the ANC such as the African Claims, the Women’s Charter, the Freedom Charter and the Strategy and Tactics document and they are enshrined in the Constitution of our country.

3. For the ANC to be an effective instrument and powerful vehicle for fundamental transformation or radical change, its members must distinguish themselves as the most loyal, ethical, committed and capable servants of the people of South Africa and agents for change in the struggle to build a better Africa and a more equitable global order, in line with the movement’s longstanding tradition of Pan-Africanism and International Solidarity. The matter of the quality of an ANC members has become a strategic question upon which the survival and success of the movement depends.

5. On the Global Balance of Forces – The Conference identified some distinct developments and dynamic shifts that are reshaping the global order and influencing the prospects of Africa’s Renaissance as well as the future of the national democratic revolution in South Africa:

5.1 We live in an international era characterised by contradictory political-economic trends. On the one hand, there is a deepening crisis of neo-liberalism and a resurgence of populism and right-wing nationalism in the Global North… Most significantly, the ANC welcomes the victory of the progressive forces in the recent Brazilian elections. This victory augurs well for the strengthening BRICS and other progressive forces in the Global South.

5.2 The ongoing war in Ukraine has strategic geopolitical and economic consequences for all the peoples of the world. This can no longer be described simply as a Russia-Ukraine war – it is primarily a conflict between the US and US-led NATO military alliance and Russia in pursuit of the objectives of the Wolfowitz doctrine. According to this doctrine, the US should not allow that any country in the world should have the possibility, in the post-Cold War period to challenge its interests and hegemony. In this regard, its geopolitical strategy has identified Russia and China as the two powers that must be contained. The dividends of peace and globalisation promised at the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a human security ethos towards the new millennium, have been shattered. The doctrine of unilateral domination of every region, is being advanced not through multilateralism and equitable globalisation, but through expansionist military strategies, a persistent unjust and unequal global trade and economic architecture and through regime change. There is a conspicuous failure of the current global multi-lateral institutions to resolve conflicts fairly, justly and equitably in order to safeguard the interests of all nations. The Ukraine war has caused major disruptions to people’s lives all over the world – the disruption of supply chains of food, fuel, fertilizer and energy, sky-rocketing inflation, the cost-of-living crisis at a global scale and the threat of nuclear escalation. This war must come to an end now!

>>21628918

“AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 55TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS: STRATEGY AND TACTICS” – Part 2

https://www.anc1912.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ANC-55th-Conference-Resolutions-Strategy-Tactics.pdf

16-20 December 2022

5.3 The ANC’s attitude and posture regarding conflicts and wars has been shaped over many years of struggle. During the anti-apartheid struggle, the ANC has been part of the nonaligned movement. We are also part of the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial forces… We want a peaceful, just and more equitable global order. Under the leadership of the ANC, South Africa will continue to lead peace-keeping missions and contribute to negotiated resolution of conflicts as part of building a better Africa and a better world.

13. The delegates to the 55th National Conference are at one: South Africa and the ANC, are at a moment of fundamental consequence. This moment requires clarity of thought, firm conviction and courage, decisiveness as well as an unshaken commitment to the ideals that have inspired gener ations of South Africa’s freedom fighters who sacrificed and suffered so that our country can be free, and our people can live as equals, with their human dignity fully restored. We shall not allow the gains of our democracy to be eroded and reversed. We shall not allow the radical socio-economic transformation of our country to be aborted. Nor shall we allow the fundamental renewal of the ANC to be stopped or sabotaged.

14. The democratic renewal of our country and the fundamental transformation of our society and economy is a strategic goal from which the ANC will not retreat. As our country undergoes significant macro-social changes and the world experiences multiple disruptive transitions, the ANC and the progressive forces need to re-invigorate a vision of what it means to be progressive in the 21st century - with respect to strategy and tactics, policy, and methods of organisation – placing the well-being of all of humanity and the planet at the centre of our political life

We dare not fail!

>>21628891

These attachments should have been posted in the below posts.

>>21628918

>>21628929

“Paul O’Sullivan: Once respected CEO Mike Lomas back in SA to ’fess up on R1.4bn Eskom fraud”

https://youtu.be/yxHFC0ou7S4

Sep 20, 2024

Ace forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has landed another big fish in a six year investigation into a R1.4bn Eskom fraud. One of the key facilitators of the heist, former Group Five CEO Mike Lomas, today landed at OR Tambo after losing his case against extradition from the UK. Lomas’s return to SA will accelerate the State’s criminal trial against massive Eskom tender winner Tony Trindade of Tubular Construction and his internal accomplice, Kusile contract manager Frans Hlakudi. O’Sullivan spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

20:36 – “–It’s amazing how the banks assisted in all this money laundering. It’s mind-blowing, in fact, that the banks in South Africa have been so readily able to assist in the money laundering of these criminals and it leaves me no doubt that it’s the conduct of the banks like that, and the lawyers by the way. Law firms that knowingly get paid with the proceeds of crime but are quite happy to receive that money and quite happy to perform services for that money, those are the type of people that have got South Africa onto the grey list and those are the type of people that I would also like to see going down with people like Trindade and Hlakudi. But unfortunately, it seems they get away with it.”

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/fugitive-eskom-kusile-corruption-michael-lomas-extradited-court-video/

20 Sep 2024

The corruption case against Michael Lomas has been postponed to 27 September when the fraud-accused British national will appear at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for a formal bail application.

The former Kusile Power Station contractor’s brief appearance at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Friday afternoon followed his successful extradition to South Africa.

“South Africa: Ramaphosa's Minister Says US Shouldn't Lecture Pretoria | Firstpost Africa”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMv17Ky8Rdo

Sep 20, 2024

South Africa: Ramaphosa's Minister Says US Shouldn't Lecture Pretoria | Firstpost Africa

Geopolitical developments worldwide are complicating the already complex relationship between South Africa and the United States. South Africa's Foreign Minister, who recently concluded a visit to Washington, has asked the US not to tell his country what to do. The South African minister's visit came amid reports of Israeli diplomats lobbying US lawmakers to pressure South Africa to drop its genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. Earlier this week, even Tanzania rebuked the US for alleged interference in its internal affairs. Ties between America and South Africa also worsened when Pretoria chose to opt for a "neutral" stance over Russia's war in Ukraine. In fact, South Africa views Russia and China as friends rather than enemies. Is the US losing the race for influence in Africa?

https://www.trtafrika.com/africa/we-dont-expect-us-to-tell-us-what-to-do-sa-foreign-minister-18210290

19 Sep 2024

South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has concluded his tour of the US, where he said that Washington “should not tell” his country what to do.

Lamola engaged key stakeholders in Washington, including the House of Representatives subcommittee on Africa, the Congressional Black Caucus, the US Chamber of Commerce and bipartisan think tanks, Phiri said.

"Moving forward, efforts to sustain important engagements regularly in a structured system will be explored at a high political level," Lamola said.

Addressing the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 53rd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington last week, Lamola said: "Let us engage on differences but we may agree to dis agree."

"We will not tell the US what to do and we expect the US not to tell us what to do," he said.

>>21650708

In contrast

“Ramaphosa meets with South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk, other investors”

https://youtu.be/eW_CjTvE4D0

Sep 24, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk in New York. After a day, this focused entirely on engagement with American businesses and investors to move the country's tepid economy forward.

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/561999-ramaphosa-meets-with-elon-musk.html

24.09.2024

News of the meeting comes after Ramaphosa revealed earlier this month that the South African government was in talks with Musk’s SpaceX regarding its satellite communication service Starlink.

“I have had discussions with him and have said, Elon, you become so successful and you’re investing in a variety of countries, I want you to come home and invest here,” said Ramaphosa.

“He and I are going to have a further discussion.”

Starlink needs network, service, and spectrum licences from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to launch locally.

However, uncertainty surrounding South Africa’s rules regarding local ownership of communications services presents a hurdle.

Currently, regulations require that a licensee operating a national network or selling Internet services nationally must be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups.

The uncertainty stems from new regulations Icasa published in 2021, which included provisions that changed this requirement to 30% black ownership.

However, following industry backlash, Icasa suspended these specific provisions when it published the regulations.

It may put them into force at any moment or withdraw them entirely. Currently, there is no clarity from the regulator on what it intends to do about the controversial regulations.

Moreover, Icasa has not issued new communications network and service licences for 14 years.

Starlink could only obtain these by buying them from someone or acquiring a company that has licences, or by working through a local company that already possesses the required licences.

Should it wish to operate in South Africa directly, it would need to establish a local entity with a BEE partner.

This is so the ownership and control of the relevant licences could be transferred to Starlink.

Icasa will only approve such a transfer if the receiving entity meets its ownership requirements.

>>21650708

>>21650713

>>21396724

>>21628918

>>21405857

>>21507100

>>21495015

>>21379997

>>21380005

>>21467502

“Why Aristotle Feared Democracy (and so Should You)”

https://youtu.be/rKstmdkYUBQ

Sep 18, 2024

This sounds so much like South Africa. Consider the exploitation of mineral wealth over the centuries, push for ‘majority’ rule, Julius Malema, expropriation without compensation, etc..

It seems that the corporations/liberals who arranged for the ANC (communists, socialists) to take over the country as the supposed ‘majority ruler’ are turning on each other. The same players who were involved in negotiations prior to 1994 are back again; Roelf Meyer, Oppenheimer family through the signing of the “Gdansk Declaration: Solidarity for Democracy”, as well as intelligence and corporations if you consider that a former SA intelligence officer is working for an Oppenheimer organisation and that WestExec Advisors is the only American signatory on the Gdansk Declaration as they “represented major corporations throughout the Trump years. Now it’s in the White House… The pipeline has produced a dominance of WestExec alums throughout the administration, installed in senior roles as influential as director of national intelligence and secretary of state.” https://theintercept.com/2021/07/06/westexec-biden-administration/

I have a sense that many conservatives in South Africa are sitting on the sidelines until the liberals/communists/etc. destroy themselves and the country so that they can rebuild from out of the ashes.

America learn from South Africa to prevent yourselves from getting to this point.

Any South Africa anons near or been near the Port of Durban?

I'm curious to know if any construction is going on there

How's the Order Books for Denel?

Canada #64 >>21782560

Italy's Meloni On Israel Arms Embargo: "We Have Blocked Everything"

The Italian government has imposed the strictest arms embargo on Israel among any European nation, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni having confirmed before the Italian senate that all new arms deals were blocked within weeks of the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

"After the start of [Israeli military] operations in Gaza, the government immediately suspended all new export licenses, and all agreements signed after October 7th were not implemented," Meloni said on Tuesday.

She further described that licenses authorized before the war are being "analyzed on a case-by-case basis by the competent authority at the foreign ministry."

"We have blocked everything," the Italian leader said while acknowledging that her government's ban is "much more restrictive than that applied by our partners—France, Germany and the United Kingdom."

Pro-Israel sources as well as Jewish news agencies in the West have described Italy's rhetoric as "increasingly hostile" toward Israel of late, particularly after the escalation of war in Lebanon.

Meloni in her Tuesday address made reference to ongoing controversy surrounding Israeli forces targeting troops of the UN Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL). Italy and Ireland tend to be Europe's largest contributor of troops to the peacekeeping team which has its command HQ in south Lebanon.

Two UNIFIL troops have been wounded by Israeli forces (IDF) thus far. "Even if there have been no casualties or extensive damage, I think that Israel’s attack on UNIFIL cannot be considered acceptable," the Italian premier said. "We believe that the attitude of the Israeli forces is completely unjustified," she emphasized.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has countered by saying that the real problem is that Hezbollah terrorists are exploiting positions surrounding UNIFIL outposts.

Israel has called on the UN peacekeepers to leave while accusing UNIFIL of allowing Hezbollah to relentlessly bombard northern Israel with missiles from territory under its watch. Meloni meanwhile also unveiled plans to soon visit Lebanon.

As for whether arms embargos on Israel will grow among European countries, Frances is currently in embroiled in a public spat with Israeli leadership. Top German leaders have also of late blocked the sale of weapons to Israel.

The German government has insisted that there is no official arms embargo in effect. Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently vowed that more weapons will be sent to Tel Aviv soon.

However, Politico has highlighted: "Arms export decisions are approved by the Federal Security Council made up of senior ministers. Bild reported that Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock — Green politicians who are in governing coalition with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats — withheld approval for arms exports in the council pending assurances from Israel that it would not use German weapons in a genocide."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/italys-meloni-israel-arms-embargo-we-have-blocked-everything

New China-Backed Megaport Set to Transform South American Trade

Reuters October 19, 2024

LIMA, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Peru’s massive Chancay port, which authorities hope will become a major shipping hub for South America-Asia trade, will ship two container ships a week beginning late next month, an executive for port operator Cosco Shipping said on Friday.

After the port’s inauguration in mid-November, it will initially cover a direct route to Shanghai and then may ship to other points in the Asian market, depending on demand, said Carlos Tejada, general manager of Hong Kong-based Cosco’s local subsidiary, Cosco Shipping Chancay Peru.

“At the end of November, we will begin the stage known as ‘test conditioning,’ which we expect to run until May. However, during this soft launch phase, we can already handle actual cargo, with two direct vessels per week,” the executive told reporters following a Peruvian-Chinese business forum.

Tejada said that cabotage routes will be opened with smaller ships from Colombia, Ecuador and Chile, whose cargo will later be shipped to Asia from Chancay, initially in ships carrying up to 14,000 containers, which will then be progressively increased to larger vessels holding up to 24,000 containers.

Cosco Shipping Ports owns and will operate the port with a 60% stake, with the remaining 40% held by Peruvian miner Volcan, which is controlled by Glencore.

https://gcaptain.com/new-china-backed-megaport-set-to-transform-south-american-trade/

And there it is…Glencore

Are liberation movements losing power in SADC?

https://youtu.be/NqJUGzmrQ4A

Nov 2, 2024

The Botswana Democratic Party lost its parliamentary power after 58 years in power. This has raised questions about liberation movements and their relevance in Southern Africa. International relations specialist at the University of Dundee in Scotland Musa Mdunge weighs in on these recent political shifts.

Canada #65

Kenya gives far-left Gates Foundation special legal exemptions to push its agenda

by Calvin Freiburger Sat Nov 2, 2024

The government of Kenya has extended special legal privileges, including immunity from lawsuits and exemption from various requirements, to the Gates Foundation, which is heavily focused on curbing population growth around the world.

(LifeSiteNews) – The government of Kenya has granted the far-left Gates Foundation broad immunity to operate in the country, ostensibly in the name of its various charitable causes but raising concerns that it will be used to further the organization’s pro-abortion population-control agenda.

Business Daily Africa reports that in a legal notice published October 4, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced that the government had entered into a cooperative agreement with the foundation (known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation prior to the couple’s 2021 divorce) for its work in support of “agriculture, healthcare, immunization, nutrition, sanitation, financial services, gender equality [sic], and family planning [sic].”

As such, the foundation is being granted protection under Section 11 of the Privileges and Immunity Act, which gives designated individuals and entities immunity from lawsuits connected to their official duties, taxes on payment for their work in connection to those duties, from national service obligations, and from immigration restrictions.

However, the Gates Foundation is notorious for its work advancing causes around the world that are far less innocuous than distributing medicine and technology. Over the years, it has spent heavily on abortion and contraception in the name of “family planning,” climate alarmism, and digital ID surveillance, as well as partnering with the United Nations Population Fund. Its founder, Microsoft chief Bill Gates, also appointed himself a public health expert during the COVID-19 pandemic despite his lack of formal medical training, using his influence to promote lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

In 2011, Bill and Melinda Gates explained to Forbes that their “humanitarian” work to extend lifespans in third-world nations is motivated in part by the hope of reducing population size, believing that parents in those nations have large families not because they want eight or more children, but because they expect some to die early. So “if a mother and father know their child is going to live to adulthood, they start to naturally reduce their population size.”

With a current population of 56 million and a growth rate of 2.28%, Kenya has long been a target of population control activists. “Although the fertility rate is less than half of what it was decades ago, Kenya still sees rapid population growth,” according to World Population Review. “This is because there are many more families in Kenya today because of high fertility rates in the past, so women are having fewer children but there are more families having kids. Additionally, Kenyan life expectancy is increasing.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/kenya-gives-far-left-gates-foundation-special-legal-exemptions-to-push-its-agenda/