Category Archives: International News

Fact check: Zimbabwe's deputy defence minister did NOT threaten US over Iran

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On Wednesday, a Twitter account purporting to be Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) tweeted a claim that raised many eyebrows.

The tweet said, “Breaking News. Deputy Minister of Defence Cde Victor Matemadanda has warned the US that if they do not retreat from Iran, Zimbabwe may be forced to intervene.”

The account, @zbcnewsonline_, accompanied the tweet with a picture of Matemadanda. The tweet had racked up more than 1,300 likes, 600 retweets, and close to 1,000 replies by Thursday evening.

Fake and/or parody account

A number of influential figures on Twitter, including journalist Clement Manyathela and popular personality Christo Thurston, retweeted the tweet.

However, a closer look at the account’s handle reveals that it is a fake and/or parody account and not the ZBC News Online‘s official Twitter handle, which is @ZBCNewsonline.

A screenshot of the tweet from the fake/parody Twitter account purporting to be ZBC News Online’s.

The fake account was started in December 2019. Furthermore, it only has 543 followers and 72 tweets so far.

The official ZBC News Online account has been in existence since 2012 and has more than 275,000 followers. By Thursday evening, it had not tweeted anything about Matemadanda.

Matemadanda denies issuing ultimatum

According to Zimbabwean publication bulawayo24.com, Matemadanda denied on Thursday ever issuing an ultimatum to the United States (US).

In a statement, he said, “Cde Victor Matemadanda dismissed this as fake news. [He] asks the social media handlers to refrain from disseminating manipulative false information about the activities in the Middle East.

“Zimbabwe has not issued any official statement. In any case, such information is issued by the ministry of information or by the President himself.”

Earlier this week, another tweet circulated on social media purporting to emanate from US President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

It claimed, “Just spoke to Cyril. South Africans will be conscripted if we need them. Let’s stop Iran!”

Head of Digital Communications in Ramaphosa’s office, Athi Geleba, tweeted that it was “fake news.”

OPINION | US-Iran crisis: SA must show leadership

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By Rebone Tau | The South African government, through Department of International Relations and Cooperation, needs to understand that issuing a statement on the escalating tensions between Iran and the United States (US) is not enough.

South Africa is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the government has a responsibility to do things differently this time around and show leadership during difficult times on matters of peace and security.

We can’t just have a government that just issues a statement when they have a seat at the dinner table, which in this case is the UNSC. While we all know that the US is a permanent member of the UNSC and has powers to veto resolutions it opposes, a clear message must be sent that it continues to bring instability in the world as if people’s lives don’t matter.

It is in South Africa’s best interests to strongly pursue this matter at the UNSC. As the incoming Chair of the African Union (AU), South Africa has a responsibility to make sure that there is peace and stability on the African continent.

The recent attack on the Kenyan Simba Naval Military Base in Lamu County that houses US and local troops sends a clear signal that what is happening in the Middle East will affect us in the continent.

The South African government, under the leadership of President  Cyril Ramaphosa, needs to find a way to link its AU Chairmanship term to its UNSC term as its own legacy.

The government talks about “Building A Better Africa and A Better World,” but without peace and security being top on the agenda, this ideal world that the government talks about will just be a mere dream and nothing more.

Without peace and security, it is difficult to grow the economy of any country. Investors would not want to put their monies where they are not sure if it will bear profits for them.

The government needs to show the world that indeed this is a new dawn in which things are done differently and there are serious efforts to bring about peace and stability.

Civilians are always casualties of wars at the end of the day, and children and women suffer the most. Peace, stability and human rights have long formed the basis of South Africa’s foreign policy and now is the time to show the world what South Africans stand for.

We saw what happened during our last term at the UNSC when we voted for Resolution 1973 which led to a multi-state NATO-led military intervention in Libya.

To date, Libya is still not politically stable, so it is in the best interest of South Africa to really make sure that peace and security is high on the agenda of the AU and to influence the UNSC to stand up to aggressors, such as the US, who continue to undermine global stability.

Rebone Tau is a political commentator.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the contributor’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Current Affairs ZA.

Uganda's President Museveni: 'Fake Africans in SA carried out xenophobic attacks'

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Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has referred to perpetrators of xenophobia in South Africa as “fake Africans.”

Museveni made the comment in a Twitter thread on Tuesday after meeting legendary musician Kanda Bongo Man, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He said Bongo Man, 64, fled the DRC because of political instability when he was just 17 years old and first went to France.

‘Bongo Man had to flee SA because of xenophobia’

However, Museveni said when Bongo Man came to South Africa more recently, he had to flee to the United Kingdom after a spate of xenophobic attacks.

He wrote, “Bongo Man tells me that he has personally suffered the plight of instability from his home country, forcing him to go to France when he was 17 years [old], and recently had to relocate from South Africa to the U.K. when the fake Africans in South Africa carried out xenophobic attacks.

“This is a total shame because the majority of present South Africans originated from Cameroon. In Uganda however, nobody can talk against a fellow Africans because it is not the way of our culture.”

Museveni’s comment has raised eyebrows among some South Africans on Twitter. Prominent journalist Qaanitah Hunter commented, “Haibo, we are now fake Africans?”

Kanda Bongo Man and South Africa

Kanda Bongo Man, who is best known as a pioneer of the Congolese Soukous genre and more specifically the kwassa kwassa sub-genre, was last in South Africa in 2015.

He performed at several venues, including at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park and at a concert against xenophobia held in Mamelodi, Pretoria.

In an interview with Mail&Guardian at the time, he said, “I come to South Africa to do work – perform and record – but normally I live in London. I do have a house in South Africa, in Limpopo. I travel a lot all over the world. I’m always on tour.”

In April of the same year, there were some xenophobic attacks reported in Durban and some parts of Johannesburg. It’s unclear if Museveni was referring to these attacks.

Nevertheless, Bongo Man has close ties with South Africa. In the same interview, he said a South African, Jumbo Vanrenen, boosted his international career.

Bongo Man also has an album titled Welcome to South Africa, which he recorded in 1995.

‘Hayi no, SA doesn’t play:’ AKA says after Burna Boy concert is cancelled

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Rapper AKA has reacted to the cancellation of the Africans Unite concert following public objections against Nigerian musician Burna Boy’s participation.

Writing on Twitter less than an hour after the announcement on Wednesday, AKA said, “Hayi no. South Ahhh doesn’t play.”

Together with the Tshwane Entertainment Collective, he was among leading local artistes who questioned Burna Boy’s inclusion.

‘Threats of violence’

In a statement, the concert’s organisers, Phambili Media and Play Network Africa, said “threats of violence” prompted them to withdraw Burn Boy and cancel the shows.

They said, “The decision to cancel the Africans Unite Concert comes after the call from the Tshwane Entertainment Collective to boycott the Africans Unite concert in Tshwane.

“With the increasing threats of violence from other unfortunate segments of the public and without any government intervention, Phambili Media and Play Network Africa were prompted to take the threats and warnings seriously, as the safety of all artists and attendees could not be guaranteed.

“We then decided to cancel the concert. The safety of all attendees, artists and crew comes first.” Those who had bought tickets will be fully refunded, they added.

Burna Boy and Africans Unite concert controversy

The Africans Unite concert had been scheduled for 23 November in Cape Town and 24 November in Pretoria. Its aim was to spread a message of unity to help tackle xenophobia.

However, Burna Boy’s controversial tweets in September during the xenophobic unrest in parts of Gauteng sparked public objections to his inclusion. AKA led calls for an apology from him.

On 3 September, Burna Boy tweeted, “I personally have had my own xenophobic experiences at the hands of South Africans and because of that I have not set foot in SA since 2017.

“And I will NOT EVER go to South Africa again for any reason until the SOUTH AFRICAN government wakes up and really performs a miracle because I don’t know how they can even possibly fix this.”

In another tweet, he seemingly threatened AKA, who had called him out for reacting to fake news and outdated videos doing the rounds on social media at the time.

The Ye hitmaker tweeted, “And @akaworldwide I knew you was retarded but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Next time I see you, you better have a big security bro. On Gambos grave you gonna need it [sic].”

Despite the objections, Burna Boy refused to apologise and insisted that he would still come. He also received support from Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema.

He had not publicly reacted to the cancellation at the time of publishing this article.

EFF asks members to pass proposals for African federal govt, army, 1 currency

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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has asked its members to consider passing resolutions calling for an African federal government and army as well as one African currency.

These proposals are contained in the party’s discussion document for its second National People’s Assembly (NPA) set for 13-16 December in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

Thousands of branch delegates are expected to elect EFF’s national leadership and pass resolutions on a range of issues at the Assembly.

‘Pan-Africanism and progressive internationalism’

In a chapter titled “Economic Freedom Fighters, Pan-Africanism and Progressive Internationalism,” the EFF urges its members to “take note of the need for a continental and diaspora-wide Pan-African Movement.”

It adds, “The EFF must resolve that for complete unification of the African continent, there must be one currency for all the countries of the continent.

“The conference must further resolve to have one African language at least, Kiswahili as a recommendation, to be developed fully and be integrated into school curriculums with the aim of making the language a common language of communication in Africa. 

“The EFF must agitate for a united African continent, with one federal government and army, and affirm the higher authority of the Pan-African Parliament as the ultimate legislative body for continental matters.”

‘Elimination of unnecessary borders’

The party has urged the Assembly to call for a “continental and diaspora Pan-African Congress” to discuss these and other proposals to strengthen African unity.

It says it “will also advocate for the ultimate integration of the African continent through the erosion and eventual elimination of unnecessary borders” such as those separating South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

The EFF also vows to promote socialism internationally because “socialism will never work if still confined to nation states.”

It added, “Therefore, the EFF must unashamedly be in solidarity with all revolutionary forces, and support attempts to overthrow imperial regimes and usher in progressive governments.”

When EFF leader Julius Malema was still President of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), he controversially said the ANCYL would establish a “Botswana command team” to unite oppositional forces in Botswana to oppose the “puppet regime” of then President Ian Khama.

Other “internationalist” proposals in the document include expansion of the United Nations Security Council and a “complete withdrawal from the International Criminal Court by all African nations.”

Burna Boy thanks Malema for his support: ‘I look forward to meeting you’

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Nigerian musician Burna Boy has thanked Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema for supporting his inclusion in the upcoming Africans Unite concert.

Malema has come under fire on social media for strongly backing Burna Boy against South African music fans demanding an apology from him.

Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, Malema said he was “looking forward to receiving and being entertained by my brother @burnaboy here at his home called South Africa.”

He added, “There’s no mascot that can stop him from performing, he’s one of our own and we will protect him. We must resolutely oppose regionalism led by political illiterates.”

‘I look forward to meeting you’

On Saturday, Burna Boy tweeted his appreciation, “Thank you @Julius_S_Malema. Africa must Unite and I am willing to die for that cause just like you brother. I look forward to meeting you.”

In other tweets, the artiste said he loves South Africa but “loves Africa more.” He was seemingly unprepared to offer the apology many South Africans on social media have demanded.

“Let’s not act like xenophobia is not real in South Africa; let’s not act like Nigerians, Tanzanians, Zimbabweans and many other AFRICANS have not been victims in the last three years. Please Let us all do our part to Unite Africa,” he wrote.

Burna Boy and Africans Unite concert controversy

Burna Boy is set to be among headline acts at the Africans Unite concert scheduled for 23 November in Cape Town and 24 November in Pretoria.

The controversy surrounding his inclusion stems from his controversial tweets in September during the xenophobic unrest in parts of Gauteng.

On 3 September, he tweeted, “I personally have had my own xenophobic experiences at the hands of South Africans and because of that I have not set foot in SA since 2017.

“And I will NOT EVER go to South Africa again for any reason until the SOUTH AFRICAN government wakes up and really performs a miracle because I don’t know how they can even possibly fix this.”

In another tweet, he seemingly threatened local rapper AKA, who had called him out for reacting to fake news and outdated videos doing the rounds on social media at the time.

The Ye hitmaker tweeted, ““And @akaworldwide I knew you was retarded but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Next time I see you, you better have a big security bro. On Gambos grave you gonna need it [sic].”

As a result, some local artistes under the banner of Tshwane Entertainment Collective have objected to his participation in the concert.

AKA has led social media demands for an apology to South Africans from Burna Boy, but given the latter’s latest tweets, it may not be forthcoming.

Julius Malema backs Burna Boy: ‘No mascot can stop him from performing’

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Nigerian musician Burna Boy is facing stiff resistance from some local artistes and music fans who have objected to his inclusion in the upcoming Africans Unite concert.

However, he has received support from none other than Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema.

Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, Malema said he was “looking forward to receiving and being entertained by my brother @burnaboy here at his home called South Africa.”

‘Regionalism’

He added, “There’s no mascot that can stop him from performing, he’s one of our own and we will protect him. We must resolutely oppose regionalism led by political illiterates.”

Malema and EFF have been vocal in their opposition to xenophobia and their strong support for the abolition of African borders to promote African unity.

Burna Boy is set to be among headline acts at the Africans Unite concert scheduled for 23 November in Cape Town and 24 November in Pretoria.

Its aim is to help combat xenophobia by “rebuilding trust and respect amongst African nations by changing the current narrative to that of unity and solidarity.”

Other headline acts are local rapper Kwesta, Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna and singer Busiswa, among others. Minnie Dlamini will be the host.

Tshwane Entertainment Collective objects

Burna Boy’s inclusion has become controversial because of his tweets during September’s xenophobic unrest in parts of Gauteng.

On 3 September, he tweeted, “I personally have had my own xenophobic experiences at the hands of South Africans and because of that I have not set foot in SA since 2017.

“And I will NOT EVER go to South Africa again for any reason until the SOUTH AFRICAN government wakes up and really performs a miracle because I don’t know how they can even possibly fix this.”

Local fans felt he was being irresponsible by reacting to “fake news” and outdated videos doing the rounds on social media at the time.

Among those who took offence was local rapper AKA. However, Burna Boy reacted to him by tweeting, “And @akaworldwide I knew you was retarded but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Next time I see you, you better have a big security bro. On Gambos grave you gonna need it [sic].”

As a result, a group calling itself Tshwane Entertainment Collective has joined the fray and strongly objected to Burna Boy’s participation in the concert.

In an open letter to Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa earlier this week, they wrote, “Not only did he spread falsehoods through his extensive platforms, he literally incited violence and hate.”

They added, “He further promised to inflict his own violence on locals before giving your government an ultimatum which you seem to have received and succumbed to.”

On Wednesday, AKA said he was open to Burna Boy coming to South Africa, but asked for an apology from him first.

Malema’s entry into the controversy has further split opinion among fans on social media. Burna Boy hasn’t publicly reacted to the debate yet.

Billionaire Richard Branson apologises for SA photo ‘that clearly lacked diversity’

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British billionaire Richard Branson has apologised to South Africans for his choice of a photo that he said “clearly lacked diversity.”

In a now-deleted tweet he posted on Monday, Branson said he was in South Africa for the launch of his new Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

He accompanied the tweet with a photo of himself and eight other individuals who are apparently the Centre’s staff members.

‘Lack of diversity’

Twitter users, both local and from his home country, immediately pointed out the lack of diversity in his team.

Image credit: eNCA

“Mr Branson, you are a good man and a role model to many… Please be sensitive to diversity issues still facing the business [community] in South Africa. I would suggest that you also add racial & gender diversity in measuring your impact. Thank you,” tweeted @lepzaa.

The backlash eventually prompted Branson to delete the tweet and post another one expressing his apologies on Tuesday.

He wrote, “The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship is for all South Africans, but yesterday’s choice of a photo to go with my tweet clearly lacked diversity. Apologies.”

He added, “I hope you will take a look at my blog which does far better justice to the amazing work of the Centre and its team.”

‘Supporting entrepreneurs’

According to the its website, the Branson Centre “has been supporting entrepreneurs in the country for many years, and has now been reimagined as a social enterprise supplier-development hub.”

It partners with Virgin Active South Africa and Virgin Atlantic airline, which are both owned by Branson.

The Centre’s Executive Director is Wesley Noble, who also serves in its Board of Trustees alongside Phila Zulu, Nwabisa Mayema and Bess Nkabinde.

Its Board of Directors include Noble, Tsholo Kubheka, Rowan Le Roux, Greg Sara, Ross Faragher-Thomas and Fiona Ross.

Branson is one of the world’s best-known entrepreneurs and philanthropists. He founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984.

According to his blog, there are now “more than 60 Virgin companies worldwide, employing approximately 71,000 people in 35 countries.”

Africans Unite Concert: Arts & Culture slammed for ‘funding foreign-owned company’

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The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has been slammed for allegedly funding a foreign-owned company to organise the upcoming Africans Unite Concert.

A group calling itself “Tshwane Entertainment Collective” has written an open letter to Minister Nathi Mthethwa to raise objections against the alleged funding.

It wrote, “As creatives, artists and event organisers who seem to never do enough to warrant receiving funding from your department in particular, we were surprised to see a foreign-owned company, “Play Network Africa,” soliciting funding and support at the drop of a hat without any signs of due process.”

‘Arduous funding processes for local companies’

The concert has been scheduled for 24 November at the Sun Arena in Tshwane, while the Cape Town event will be on 23 November. It seeks to spread messages of unity following the recent xenophobic incidents in parts of Gauteng.

Several entities signed off on the open letter to Mthethwa, including TrapLords, HomeComing Events, and Mams Arts Festival.

They claimed that local companies often endure “arduous processes,” including long waiting periods, while seeking funding from the state.

They asked Mthethwa to clarify “how this particular event managed to receive such tremendous support in such a short period of time.”

Objection to Burna Boy’s participation

Several artistes, including local rapper Kwesta and Nigerian musician Burna Boy, are set to headline the Africans Unite Concert.

The Tshwane Entertainment Collective has however objected to Burna Boy’s participation because of his controversial tweets during the xenophobic unrest in August and September.

They accused him of incitement and spreading falsehoods, adding, “He further promised to inflict his own violence on locals before giving your government an ultimatum which you seem to have received and succumbed to.”

The group further questioned the logic of holding such a concert in an affluent area of Tshwane, noting that people affected by xenophobia don’t usually live there.

“They live in our townships and central business districts and quite frankly cannot afford to splurge R400.00 – R1200.00 on attending a concert that does not seek to address their lived realities in any meaningful way,” they argued.

They called on Mthethwa to cancel his department’s sponsorship of Africans Unite Concert and to respond to their open letter within three working days.

Ramaphosa: Fake news fuelled much of recent xenophobic unrest

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has said fake news fuelled much of the recent spate of xenophobia in parts of Gauteng.

Ramaphosa was speaking during an “Invest in Africa’s Space: Conversation with African Heads of State and Government” session at the ongoing Africa Investment Forum on Monday in Johannesburg.

He said, “The problem that often happens with all this is that fake news becomes the order of the day. In our situation, much of what happened was fuelled by fake news.”

‘South Africans are not xenophobic’

He cited pictures of “people jumping out of burning buildings” being circulated on social media as an example, saying the alleged incident happened in another country but was being purported to have happened in South Africa.

Ramaphosa explained that this fuelled reactions in other countries, which necessitated sending out special envoys to give a proper account of the situation.

The President said, “Inherently, South Africans are not xenophobic. The government of South Africa is irrevocably committed against xenophobia. We abhor it.”

He nevertheless acknowledged that while South Africa has welcomed foreign nationals fleeing difficult political and economic conditions in their countries, South Africans often want to “protect their own self-interest” when the local economy worsens.

In August and September, a number of shops, both local and foreign-owned, were looted and damaged during the unrest.

12 people lost their lives, two of them foreign nationals, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Hundreds of foreign nationals subsequently decided to return to their countries of origin.

Africa Investment Forum 2019

According to its website, the Africa Investment Forum is “Africa’s investment market place – a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary platform dedicated to advancing projects to bankable stages, raising capital, and
accelerating the financial closure of deals.”

The annual event kicked off on Monday in Sandton and will conclude on Wednesday, 13 November. This year’s theme is “Accelerating an Integrated Marketplace.”

In addition to President Ramaphosa, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo are also in attendance.

It comes on the back of the South Africa Investment Conference 2019 held last week, where Ramaphosa raised about R363 billion in investment pledges.

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