Category: General

While millions across Europe sweat through a summer of record-breaking heat, they're skiing in Africa.

Don't worry. This isn't another sign of climate change but rather the fascinating anomaly of Lesotho, a tiny mountain kingdom completely surrounded by South Africa. Lesotho has an obscure geographical claim to fame: It's the only country on Earth where every inch of its territory sits more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above sea level.

That gives Lesotho snow in the southern hemisphere's winters. And while cold winters aren't rare in southern Africa, snow is and ski resorts are even rarer. At an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,842 feet), Afriski in Lesotho's Maluti Mountains is Africa's only operating ski resort south of the equator.

“I've never seen snow in my life,” said Kafi Mojapelo, who traveled the short distance from South Africa for a skiing vacation she never thought she'd take. “So, this is a great experience.”

Bafana Nadida, who comes from the sprawling urban township of Soweto in Johannesburg, was delighted with putting ski boots on for the first time. He planned a day of ski lessons, taking pictures and just playing about in the snow.

Skiers and snowboarders lined up to rent the proper gear. Some were given pointers by Hope Ramokotjo, who is from Lesotho and has worked as a self-taught ski and snowboard instructor for 12 years. His wide smile and deep, reassuring voice puts beginners at ease.

“Push your heels out. Don’t pull your shoulders," Ramokotjo called out to his class of keen yet inexperienced African skiers as they wobbled along on the snow. "Here you go! Nice!”

Afriski's Kapoko Snow Park is the only freestyle snow park on the continent. Competitors lined up last month for the annual Winter Whip Slopestyle snowboard and ski competition. Sekholo Ramonotsi, a 13-year-old from the Lesotho city of Butha-Buthe who practices regularly at Afriski, won the junior snowboard and ski divisions.

“I would really like to ski in Europe,” he said.

London-born Meka Lebohang Ejindu said he has taught skiing and snowboarding in Austria for more than a decade, and this is his first season in the southern hemisphere. He has family roots in Lesotho.

“For a competition like this to happen in southern Africa is so heartwarming,” he said.

Afriski may not be at the level of Europe's vast Alpine resorts, but a love of winter sports is catching.

At Afriski's Sky Restaurant and Gondola Cafe, happy hour starts at 10 a.m. and skiers and boarders show off their winter fashions and party to house music, beers in hand. Some claim the bar is the highest in Africa, although that's challenged by the Sani Mountain Lodge, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the east on the Lesotho-South Africa border.

What no one can dispute is this crowd went skiing in Africa.

Source: Voice of America

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Africa on Sunday, in what analysts say is an attempt to counter Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

Relations between the U.S. and South Africa became strained during President Donald Trump's time in office. President Joe Biden has taken pains to repair them, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has proved contentious.

The secretary of state's second trip to Africa, and his first to South Africa — the continent's most developed economy and a key democratic ally — comes after a flurry of visits to the region by top Chinese and Russian officials.

Analysts say that after disregarding Africa for some time, the U.S. is now playing catch-up and trying to counter the growing influence of Beijing and Moscow in the region, in what some say has elements of a new "Cold War."

Washington also wants to build support for Ukraine, as many African governments have been loath to condemn Russia's invasion, in part due to the Soviet Union's support for African liberation movements during the years when the continent threw off European colonial rule.

Steven Gruzd, head of the African governance and diplomacy program at the South African Institute for International Affairs, said he doubted South Africa would be pushed into criticizing Russia, its partner, along with China, in the BRICS group of countries.

"I think Secretary Blinken is not going to find a receptive audience for his message that South Africa must come down on the side of the West, and the U.S. in particular, on the Ukraine-Russian conflict," Gruzd said.

Meanwhile, Bob Wekesa, director of the African Center for the Study of the United States at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, noted that China's influence in Africa has grown considerably, and many African leaders look to Beijing for no-strings-attached infrastructure investments. Russia, too, to a far lesser extent, has made investments in the continent, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a four-country visit to Africa last month.

"It's actually true that there's some form of Cold War, even if it's not the kind of Cold War we saw from the end of the World War II, but it's a form of geopolitical competition and the U.S. must, therefore, be prepared to be seen to be competing with other powers for influence in Africa," Wekesa said.

Nontobeko Hlela, a researcher at the South African office of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, said negative comments about African and other developing countries by former U.S. president Donald Trump did nothing to improve relations.

"The U.S. will have to work hard to walk back some policy decisions and statements made by the former occupant of the White House," Hlela said.

While in South Africa, Blinken will visit Johannesburg's famous Soweto township, once home to liberation icon and first democratic president Nelson Mandela, as well as take part in South Africa's Women's Day celebrations.

On Monday, he will meet South African counterpart Naledi Pandor and launch the new U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change, trade, health and food insecurity will all be topics of discussion.

America's top diplomat then heads to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which are in the middle of a conflict.

Source: Voice of America

NAIROBI — Candidates in Kenya's August 9 presidential election are wrapping up their campaigns after parties spent heavily in often lavish displays of wealth.

Despite economic woes and a massive rich-poor gap, spending in Kenya's election was among the highest in the world, raising concerns about its impact on the nation's democratic development.

"Kenyan elections are among the most expensive in the world in terms of the cost [incurred by] the electoral management body, but also in terms of on-the-ground financing," said Tom Wolf, an American pollster and political researcher in Nairobi.

Derrick Makhandia, a program officer at Transparency International Kenya, agreed.

"It'll cost you a bit more than 4 billion Kenyan shillings [$33.5 million] just to become a president," he said.

A race for governor runs about $336,000, and a bid for parliament costs roughly $168,000, according to Transparency International Kenya.

Critics say the high cost of running for political office in Kenya has been a barrier for many women, the young and persons living with disabilities.

Beth Ngunyi is running for parliament in Kirinyaga County, her fourth attempt as an independent. She said it is too costly to run as a candidate for a political party because of the high nomination fee required.

"The higher the seat, the higher the money they demand," she said. "And you've got to give them because if you don't give them, they won't even allow you to address the gatherings."

Political campaigns around the world are inherently expensive. But observers say in Kenya, campaigns are largely unchecked and unregulated.

Because many people live below the poverty line, observers say voters are more susceptible to bribery by wealthy politicians, fueling a cycle of government corruption.

"Because of this unregulated spending, those in power always look towards corruption as a reliable source of money for their campaigns because they cannot afford to use their money, that would be too risky. What if they fail?" Makhandia said.

Kenya's 2010 constitution requires the country's electoral body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, to develop campaign financing and spending regulations. All proposals by the commission have been rejected by parliament.

Unless checks and balances are put in place, observers say, politics in Kenya will remain almost exclusively for the rich.

Source: Voice of America

Rwanda's government has rejected a United Nations report that said Rwandan troops have been conducting military activities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and are supporting M23 rebels there.

The Rwandan government issued a communique late Thursday aimed at discrediting the claim, which was first reported by Reuters earlier that day.

The statement, issued on the government’s official Twitter account, said: “Rwanda cannot comment on an unpublished and unvalidated report. The U.N. Security Council received a U.N. Group of Experts report on DRC in June 2022, which contained none of these false allegations, and a mid-term report is expected in December.”

The report from the U.N. Group of Experts, according to Reuters, said there was “solid evidence” that members of the Rwanda Defense Forces had carried out military operations in Congo’s Rutshuru territory.

It said RDF members conducted joint attacks with M23 fighters against Congo's army and Congolese armed groups, and provided the rebels with weapons, ammunition and uniforms.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied accusations by the DRC that it has placed troops in eastern Congo and is supporting M23.

The Rwandan government said it is the DRC that supports rebels in the region and said there have been attacks and shelling from the DRC into Rwandan territory on multiple occasions, resulting in fatalities and destruction of property.

The statement Friday said Rwanda has the right to defend its territory and citizens, and not just wait for disaster to unfold.

Source: Voice of America

KINSHASA— The United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, have held talks on calls by Congolese that UN troops should exit eastern Congo.

According to Congolese officials, Tshisekedi and Guterres held a telephone conversation following recent clashes between UN troops and Congolese civilians, who have mounted protests demanding the exit of UN troops from DRC.

“The Head of State had a telephone conversation this afternoon (Wednesday) with Guterres, the secretary general of the UN. The two men discussed the situation of blue helmets in eastern DRC, particularly the recent altercations with the population,” DRC Government officials said in a statement.

“Taking advantage of this exchange, the secretary general of UN expressed his condolences to the President of the Republic, to the bereaved families and the entire Congolese population,” officials added in their statement.

Tshisekedi and Guterres telephone talks have come against the backdrop of recent altercations between UN blue helmets under the United Nation Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the population, which worsened last week with the killing of four UN soldiers and over 30 civilians in eastern Congo.

“It all started with the shooting that occurred on July 31 at the Kasindi border post, where the blue helmets, returning from leave, opened fire, causing the death of civilians and serious injuries,” Congolese officials said.

The altercations have also sparked off demonstrations in the city of Beni, with people demanding for the immediate exit of MONUSCO.

Guterres said he was “outraged by the serious incident that occurred” in Kasindi border point between Uganda and DRC.

On August 1, Tshisekedi chaired a security meeting, which the DRC spokesperson and Minister for Information, Patrick Muyaya, said re-assessed the MONUSCO withdrawal plan as agreed under the UN Security Council resolution 2556.

The UN resolution gave MONUSCO up to December this year to drawdown.

According to Patrick Muyaya, the official death toll arising from the anti-MONUSCO demonstrations following the Kasindi border point shooting has risen to 36, while 170 people have been rushed to hospital with injuries.

“In its report, the special commission led by the deputy Prime Minister gave a human toll of 36 dead distributed as follows: 13 in Goma, 13 in Butembo, including four blue helmets (UN troops), four in Uvira, three in Kanyabayonga and three in Kasindi,” Muyaya said.

Muyaya added that during the telephone conversation with the UN secretary general, the DRC President expressed “his total disapproval of the behavior of the blue helmets at the root of these incidents and the need to ensure that the culprits are severely punished.”

Tshisekedi also told Guterres that the withdrawal of the M23 rebels from all localities in eastern Congo should be enforced in accordance with the Nairobi communique’ by the East African Community Heads of State, the Luanda peace talks between DRC and Rwanda roadmap and the June 1, 2022 declaration of the UN Security Council.

On June 20 this year, EAC leaders approved the deployment of joint troops to pacify eastern Congo during the 3rd Conclave meeting on the DRC crisis in Nairobi.

Under the Nairobi Conclave, EAC leaders agreed to create a joint force to crackdown armed rebel groups operating in eastern Congo that refuse to surrender, unconditionally disarm and participate in dialogue processes.

In 2021, Uganda deployed troops in eastern Congo, on the invitation of DRC, to fight Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Congo.

Eastern Congo is a haven to over 100-armed rebel groups, including the ADF, Red Tabara, Mayi-Mayi, M23, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), CODECO, FOREBU, among others.

Source: Nam News Network

The United States has donated 24 armored personnel carriers to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, three months after the deadliest attack in years on the U.S.-backed peacekeeping mission.

The handover, attended by U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Larry Andrè and senior officials of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, ATMIS, took place Thursday in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

The 24 armored personnel carriers (APCs), donated by the U.S. government will boost the A.U. forces’ capability to fight militant group al-Shabab.

The specialized vehicles will be used by the A.U. Djiboutian contingent in joint military operations with the Somali National Army (SNA) in and around Beledweyne — the capital of Somalia’s central region of Hiran.

Ambassador Andrè said the APCs will protect troops against roadside bombs.

"The expression of our support, amongst other ways, is the donation of these vehicles to help protect African Union forces–in this case Djibouti’s military contingent–as they travel the roads of Somalia which too often will be trapped by dangerous explosive devices put there to harm those who only seek to help Somalia," he said.

A top African Union official, Fiona Lortan, said the military hardware had arrived at an opportune time as the mission is reconfiguring its troops and equipment.

“On behalf of the African Union, its membership, and all the ATMIS troop contributing countries, including Djibouti and all the others since ATMIS is a collective effort of solidarity and support to the Somalia people, I would like to thank the government and the people of the United States for the generosity and steadfastness in supporting our presence in Somalia,” said Lortan.

Al-Qaida affiliated al-Shabab has been fighting Somalia’s government and A.U. peacekeepers in Somalia for 15 years, seeking to install a strict Islamist state like the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In May, the group attacked an ATMIS base in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region, using suicide bombers detonating three cars filled with explosives.

Islamist fighters then pounded the facility with heavy gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, killing several dozen African Union peacekeepers from Burundi.

The military support by the U.S. comes as Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, announced that he is determined to wage war against al-Shabab militarily, as well as on economic and ideological grounds.

The Somali military said it conducted an operation against al-Shabab in Somalia’s central Hiran region this week, killing 30 al-Shabab fighters.

In May, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized re-deployment of U.S. troops to Somalia to help fight the militants. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, pulled around 700 American troops from the east African country during the final month of his presidency.

Source: Voice of America

Foreign ministers from ASEAN's member states and its dialogue partners are arriving in Phnom Penh for a summit likely to focus largely on regional and global crises, including the murderous military regime in Myanmar, Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine and climate change.

Ukraine is expected to draw the spotlight given the planned presence of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the series of meetings, which run from July 29 to August 5.

Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute in Phnom Penh, noted that differing alliances within ASEAN had prevented joint statements from being issued in Russia's war at recent summits.

"Tensions and controversy will arise, especially with regard to Russia's presence at the meeting, as the West is opposed to Russia's presence," Chheang Vannarith told VOA Khmer on Friday. "It's hard to reach a consensus because it already has two blocs."

Cambodia, as the rotating chair of ASEAN, is tasked with promoting regional and international cooperation on a range of issues, from revitalizing economic activity after the COVID-19 crisis, to ensuring food security, which has also been threatened by Russia's blockade of Ukraine's major ports, and efforts to limit carbon emissions and advance energy security.

The first foreign representative arrived on Saturday.

Among the key initiatives to bolster regional economic growth is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which came into force at the start of this year after a decade of negotiations, noted Chheang Vannarith. Besides the ASEAN countries, RCEP, the world's largest trade pact includes China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

The 10 ASEAN members — Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines — will be joined by top diplomats from 11 dialogue partners — Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also confirmed his participation in the upcoming meetings in Phnom Penh.

Blinken is scheduled to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen while in Phnom Penh from August 3 to 5, and then will travel to the Philippines to meet with new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before beginning a tour of Africa.

The State Department said Blinken will focus on the need for "ASEAN centrality," and "will also address the COVID-19 pandemic, economic cooperation, the fight against climate change, the crisis in Burma [also known as Myanmar], and Russia's war in Ukraine."

Political scientist Em Sovannara in Phnom Penh told VOA Khmer that the crisis in Burma, which began with the military coup in February 2021, could remain a hot topic among the foreign ministers. The regime made global headlines and U.S. condemnation last week when it executed four pro-democracy activists, including a former lawmaker. Myanmar will not attend.

Chum Sounry, spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told VOA Khmer on July 29 that "up to now, we have received only confirmation that no non-political representative from Myanmar to attend the 55th AMM (ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting) and related meetings."

Em Sovannara said, "Perhaps the issue of Burma is a necessary point for discussing security issues in the region. Another point could be the issue of the so-called ASEAN position on building and maintaining relations with the United States, as agreed on May 13 at a special meeting with the United States on the United States' soil."

He added that other issues, such as China's occupation of islands in the South China Sea, a central issue at past summits, will not be discussed in depth, despite China's territorial claims overlapping with those of other ASEAN member states including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia.

However, Pou Sothirak, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, believes that the Philippines is likely to raise the South China Sea issue as its new president, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr., asserts his administration.

"They can raise it again … . Anything related to interests and points related to South China that affect their national interests, they can raise," he said.

As for the crisis in Burma, Pou Sothirak said it was time for ASEAN to either find a solution to the situation or send it to the United Nations and admit it can't be resolved at the regional level.

"I think there should be a summit at the United Nations, which means internationalize the crisis, make it an international issue," said Pou Sothirak, adding that junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, "seems to ignore, he is very defiant, and he is mocking" other countries.

The other 10 ASEAN member states agreed on a five-point consensus to end hostilities in Myanmar last year, but there are few signs that the military-led regime is abiding by the plan, which includes an end of violence and initiating dialogue.

Pou Sothirak said Cambodia should also be prepared to respond to unforeseen problems, including U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit of to Taiwan, which has drawn warnings from Beijing that it will damage U.S.-China relations and escalate regional tensions.

He added that the attendance of Blinken and Lavrov at the Phnom Penh gathering could also prove to be a logistical challenge.

"Are they sitting at the same table?" Pou Sothirak said. "For this case, what position would Cambodia and the entire ASEAN take? This is another sensitive issue that I think will happen during meetings for the next few days."

Blinken's itinerary, released over the weekend, did not include bilateral meetings with Wang Yi or Lavrov. VOA Khmer has asked the State Department about other potential bilateral meetings but received no response as of Tuesday. Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry could not confirm whether there could be bilateral talks between Blinken and other delegates.

Source: Voice of America

Sipiwo Makinana lives in Ugie, a small town at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains in a postcard-worthy region of the Eastern Cape province, where he’s a small-scale sheep farmer.

Makinana says he usually makes about 150 rand, or $9, per kilo for his wool. But since April, things have been tough, he told VOA, after China banned South African wool exports due to an outbreak in some areas of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease.

“Out of the ban by China, I’ve lost 60,000 rand, which is a lot of money to me as a small-scale farmer,” lamented Makinana, saying other sheep farmers in his area have wool just sitting in their sheds going to waste.

South Africa’s total wool exports are worth approximately $300 million per year, and about 80% of that goes to China. Local sheep farmers and industry groups are now calling on Beijing to lift the ban.

The ban has caused losses worth some 734 million rand, or $43 million, said Leon de Beer, general manager of the National Wool Growers’ Association.

“The ban is unwarranted since South Africa has protocols in place that regulate the storage of wool after shearing as stipulated,” he said, explaining that after shearing it is stored at the temperature required by the World Organization of Animal Health.

De Beer says there are more than 40,000 small-scale sheep farmers in South Africa who produce close to six million kilograms of wool annually. Their livelihoods and those of another 4,500 seasonal sheep shearers are now at risk.

The farmers were also only just recovering from the effects of drought, de Beer said, and now it looks like the first wool auction of the season, scheduled for 17 August, will be a washout too.

“These producers and surrounding communities will fall back into poverty should the Chinese market remain closed to wool from South Africa,” he told VOA.

Emerging Black Farmers

Christo van der Rheede, head of AgriSA, a federation of agricultural trade unions, echoed those concerns.

“Most our emerging farmers -- we talk about 43,000 emerging Black farmers that are exporting the bulk of the wool to China -- their entire households are suffering at this point in time,” said van der Rheede.

Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, explained that while most commercial farming in South Africa is still White-owned, almost 30 years after the end of apartheid, wool production is the industry has the largest share of Black farmers.

“Black farmers in South Africa make up about 18% of the wool production… and you compare that with other commodities where Black farmers make up roughly on average about 10% in commercial farming,” he said.

“South Africa is in a process of rebuilding or improving the contribution of Black farmers into their agricultural production, so the ban on their exports to China is really weighing on small-farmers,” he added.

Overreliance on China?

AgriSA’s Van der Rheede said the body is lobbying the South African government to take up its concerns with China.

“We’ve assured the China government that we’ve followed very, very strict protocol,” he told VOA.

“All areas where wool is being produced, those areas are not in any way affected by the disease, and they can also ensure that wool that is being exported (is) treated properly, so that no spores of foot and mouth can survive,” he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Pretoria did not respond to repeated request for comment, but Chinese state media has previously written about the foot-and-mouth outbreak in South Africa.

One article by Xinhua in April noted the outbreaks were caused by illegally moving animals out of foot and mouth disease-controlled zones in South Africa.

In 2019, an outbreak led to South Africa losing its World Organization for Animal Health foot and Mouth disease free zone status. At that time China stopped beef imports for several months.

In the most recent outbreak of the disease, China and Mozambique put in place trade restrictions.

For wool, Sihlobo said South Africa also sells to Mexico, the U.S. and elsewhere, but these are much smaller markets.

“South Africa is not really in a position to look for some other markets outside China, because in the world China continues to be the major buyer of wool,” he explained.

When the world’s second largest economy stops importing your product the effects can be devastating.

A Chinese ban on Australian wines as punishment for Canberra’s comments on the origins of COVID-19, hurt that industry.

In another political tit-for-tat, Beijing this week placed import bans on hundreds of Taiwanese food producers after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island this week.

The South African wool ban is not political retaliation, simply the move of a government concerned about contamination, but the ban has made evident the dangers of importing mainly to one country.

“This is hitting us heavily,” said farmer Makinana.

Source: Voice of America