Category: General

Basking in the euphoria of his feat as the first African and Nigerian ever to play at the quarter-finals of international badminton classics, Anuoluwapo Opeyori has set his eyes on becoming a legend of the game.

Currently the highest ranked player in Africa, Opeyori in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos, disclosed that he wants to win as many medals as possible.

NAN reports that Opeyori at the just-concluded 6th Lagos International Badminton Classics, powered his way to the quater-finals of the Men’s Single category.

Opeyori was sent out of the competition by the category’s eventual winner, 22-year-old Brazilian Jonathan Matias.

The 26-year-old Opeyori, a three-time gold medalist at the National Sports Festival (NSF), 2018, 2020 and 2022, told NAN that he is proud of his achievements so far, and willing to step up his game.

“I feel elated with this feat and I am proud of myself being the first Nigerian in the quater-finals of the Lagos International Classics, it is a good one for me.

“At first, I was pessimistic about my form to go through the knockout stage; but because I need the results, it took me a bit of a fight to get through the first round.

“Also playing in front of the home fans is another thing for me.

“However, after the first match and round of qualifications, I got another level of confidence and able to get to the next stage.

“The future is there for me; it’s just for me to continue to play more competitive matches to get cumulative points required; maybe up to 12,” he said.

On the next challenge of qualifying for the Olympics, Opeyori, also a three-time African Champions, 2019, 2022 and 2023, said playing at the Paris 2024 would be a dream come true.

“The qualifiers for the Olympics started in May, and we are still acquiring more points till next year when the qualifications will end.

“For me, I will continue to play at my best and doing it right and getting the right results that will be a high point for me, and a dream to play at the Olympics.

“I want to keep dominating till I become a legend eventually. There is nothing wrong in having multiple titles; we have people like me achieving such, so it’s not out of place.

“I want winning matches to be a norm for me, whenever I am playing I should play at my best,” he said.

Opeyori added: “I would have loved to play at the next classics in Guatemala, but it won’t happen because of issues with transit visa.

“There are lots of problems with transit visa to that country because it’s not a direct flight and it’s difficult to get visa.

“As a green passport holder, it is sometimes difficult to get visas.

“However, I am looking forward to the next classics also in this September in Vietnam; that is if I am able to get their visa,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between her department and Airbnb to support the continued recovery of the tourism sector and build inclusive tourism in South Africa.

“The MoU will see the Department of Tourism work closely with Airbnb to advance tourism services that are aimed at growing tourism in South Africa and creating more jobs in the sector,” De Lille said.

The MoU seeks to grow collaboration between government and the private sector, as it is “a collective responsibility to grow and enhance tourism sector”.

“As government, if we want to significantly grow tourism and its contribution to the economy and job creation, collaboration with the private sector is vital. We are delighted to be the first African Ministry of Tourism to sign a collaborative MoU with a successful global company such as Airbnb,” she said.

The Minister explained that by leveraging Airbnb’s global reach and understanding of the market, the collaboration seeks to create a positive impact on local communities, travellers and the tourism industry as a whole.

“The primary goal of this collaboration is to develop a relationship between the Ministry, entity and Airbnb to harness and drive tourism domestically and internationally.

“As shared in the department’s Green paper, insufficient information is available about the unregulated short-term rental subsector, and this hampers informed policy decision making. Access to the Airbnb data can only assist in informing better decisions,” De Lille said.

As part of the MoU, the parties will have regular engagements to evaluate opportunities for strategic collaboration on driving inclusive tourism and ensuring fair and proportionate regulation of short-term rentals.

Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead: Middle East Africa at Airbnb, said they look forward to working with the Department of Tourism to help build a more inclusive and sustainable tourism economy in South Africa.

Corcoran said the Airbnb platform can help anyone, anywhere, to become a tourism entrepreneur, and that they hope to continue to break down systemic barriers to entry and enable more South Africans to participate in the sector.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with the department to develop a clear, proportionate national framework for the regulation of short-term rentals and see huge power in public and private sector collaborations. We also know from our work with the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, that together, we can make a tangible difference and enable more people, in more places, to benefit from tourism,” said Corcoran.

The signing of the MoU is in line with the aims of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, which is key to the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

The Tourism Sector Recovery Plan (TSRP) was adopted by Cabinet in March 2021 to facilitate the recovery of the sector to preserve jobs and livelihoods, facilitate new job opportunities, match demand and supply, and strengthen transformation.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) has during the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year arrested at least 611 suspects who have appeared before various courts across the country.

The National Head of the DPCI, Lieutenant General Advocate Godfrey Lebeya, on Monday said during these arrests, the DPCI (also known as the Hawks) seized various exhibits including precious metals and diamonds, endangered species, vehicles, cash, firearms, ammunition, counterfeit goods, explosives and electronic devices worth R6 112 768 985.

Addressing media in Pretoria, Lebeya said of the total number of arrests made, 229 accused persons were convicted and sentenced.

“As the DPCI, we would like to present to the public that our members are hard at work in dealing with national priority offences,” Lebeya said.

Of the 229 convicted persons, 16 were sentenced for money laundering.

“Most of the arrests relate to fraud, which accounts for 203 suspects, while money laundering amassed 48 suspects. Seventy-two suspects were equally arrested for narcotics and endangered species. The remaining 288 suspects were arrested for the other 17 types of national priority crimes,” Lebeya said.

The DPCI continues to deal with those who committed crimes related to the COVID-19 Relief Fund, as coordinated at the Fusion Centre, which is housed at the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).

According to Lebeya, as at the end of June this year, 190 suspects were secured before various courts. Of these, 64 accused persons were convicted in 49 cases.

“In this brief, I shall only highlight 30 cases which represent 4% of these 840 successes. Of these 30 cases, 19 are for arrest while 11 are for convictions.

“The signing of a new memorandum of understanding between the DPCI and South African Revenue Service (SARS) has bolstered cooperation and collaboration that promotes joint initiatives and effective operational arrangements.

“This important accord boosts the ability of the country’s law enforcement agencies to enhance corruption, contraventions of tax laws, money laundering and other financial crimes.

“Amongst the successes achieved in this quarter is 19 arrests and five convictions for tax administration offences. Over and above, five arrests and a conviction were secured for contravention of the Customs and Exercise Act,” Lebeya said.

Human trafficking

With regard to human trafficking cases, Lebeya said trafficking in persons is modern day slavery and a crime against humanity, and that South Africa has not been spared this twin-pandemic of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

During this reporting period, seven potential victims of trafficking in persons were rescued, while nine suspects were arrested and two life imprisonment sentences secured.

In one case, two females aged 20 and 31 were found at the home of Esther Mwanza (41). They are alleged to have been trafficked from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa, where they allegedly endured labour exploitation.

Mwanza was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation based in Klerksdorp. She made a brief appearance before the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court for trafficking in persons.

The victims were interviewed and subsequently taken to a place of safety, which was provided by the Department of Social Development.

Lebeya said 48 suspects were arrested on drug related charges.

“The majority of these suspects were arrested by the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) within the component Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) of the DPCI. Drugs valued at R3 642 641 782.41 were seized and five drug laboratories in Gauteng, North West and Western Cape were dismantled,” he said.

Lebeya said cash-in-transit heists continue to be a thorn in the economy of the country and that the DPCI, in collaboration with private organisations such as Cash-In-Transit Association of South Africa continue to strengthen the fight against these crimes.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A South African government inquiry has found no evidence to support claims by the US that a Russian ship collected a cargo of weapons in the country last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday.

The US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused Pretoria in May of supplying Russia with arms and ammunition, which he claimed had been loaded onto the Lady R cargo ship in the port of Simon’s Town in December of 2022. Brigety condemned South Africa for allegedly failing to adhere to its non-alignment policy amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The allegations resulted in Brigety being summoned to the South African Foreign Ministry, while President Ramaphosa criticized the US for “undermining the spirit of cooperation.” The leader stated at the time that there was no evidence to support the envoy’s claims, although he pledged to open an investigation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov advised Brigety to “mind his own business” and not interfere in relations between Moscow and Pretoria.

Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that a government panel had “found no evidence that any cargo of weapons was loaded for export onto the ship Lady R,” or that the vessel had transported arms destined for Russia. He added that the allegations had damaged South Africa’s economy and global standing, and that the people behind them had provided no evidence to back them up.

According to Ramaphosa, the inquiry included testimonies from nearly 50 people and examined more than 100 documents. It established that the ship had delivered equipment ordered for the South African military by Armscor, a weapons-procuring company. However, he refused to make the report public or provide details on the equipment delivered, arguing that doing so could compromise “critical [South African] military operations.”

Ramaphosa said the relevant permits had been obtained for the import of the goods, and that no evidence of criminal conduct had been found.

South Africa has close ties to Russia dating back to the Soviet era. It has declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, but has accused the West of hurting “bystander countries” through its sanctions on Moscow. Last month, South Africa hosted a key summit of the BRICS economic group, which counts Russia among its members. In February it held naval exercises with Moscow and Beijing, a move criticized by Washington.

Source: Russia Today

Mines and Energy Minister, Tom Alweendo, said that Namibia and other developing nations should retain the right to exploit fossil fuel resources, despite ongoing global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Alweendo said this during the Namibia-Korea Energy and Resource Business Forum held here on Monday, emphasising the importance of tapping into the substantial oil and gas reserves recently discovered offshore in the Orange River Basin.

“You’ll hear that recently we have discovered oil and gas. Although this discovery was made at a time when the energy transition discussion has reached its crescendo, we are still of the view that this is a resource that we need to exploit in such a way that it can improve our livelihood.”

“And when we say that, it is not because we are denying the fact that there is climate change. It is simply to say that the energy transition that has been talked about has to be an energy transition that is just. Just in the sense that countries that have resources such as fossil fuel should be allowed to use that resource.”

Despite acknowledging climate change concerns, Alweendo pointed out that developing countries like Namibia should not bear the sole responsibility for global warming.

“We need to transition, but especially in developing countries like ours, we always say our contribution to emissions is very minimal. Even if we were to make use of all those resources, it would not even account for one percent of the global emissions.”

Alweendo informed a South Korean business delegation that Namibia has embarked on a strategy to produce green hydrogen, stating that, “when that happens, we can also affirm that we have been contributing to the solutions to address climate change.”

Sanghoon Lee, President of the Korea Energy Agency, praised Namibia and South Korea for their unwavering commitment to energy development. He highlighted South Korea’s distinction as the first country in the world to establish a green hydrogen plant, while acknowledging Namibia’s leadership in the green hydrogen economy. He also mentioned Korea’s launch of its first large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing pilot project last year.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Swapo Party Secretary-General, Sophia Shaningwa, has announced that there will be no extra-ordinary congress, confirming that Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will be the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

Nandi-Ndaitwah secured her position as the party’s vice president during the seventh congress held in November last year. Namibians are set to return to the polls next year for the Presidential and National Assembly (NA) elections.

Speaking at a Swapo rally in Keetmanshoop over the weekend, Shaningwa urged party members to mobilise and prepare for the 2024 presidential and NA elections, emphasising that Nandi-Ndaitwah is the sole Swapo party presidential candidate.

“Let us go out and vote for Namibia’s first female president. We have a responsibility to ensure that she receives our support. I will not hesitate to endorse her as the candidate for the Swapo party, and there will be no alternative candidate and no extraordinary-congress,” she said.

Shaningwa noted Nandi-Ndaitwah’s qualifications in both domestic and international matters and praised her as a compassionate leader who listens not only with her ears, but with her heart. She urged party members to rally behind Nandi-Ndaitwah as they had done for the first, second, and third presidents of the party and the country.

Matheus Mumbala, Swapo party regional coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, echoed the sentiment of party unity and support for Nandi-Ndaitwah as the 2024 presidential candidate.

‘We are hearing people talking about extra-ordinary congress, that will not happen. It happened once in 2004 but it will not repeat itself, our rules and procedures are clear. We will have an electoral college to elect candidates for members of parliament but as far as presidential candidate goes, congress has pronounced itself, even if you were in support or not,” he said.

On her part Nandi-Ndaitwah said the party’s aim should be to reclaim all lost political ground, adding that the most powerful political weapon available to reclaim the lost ground is by uniting the people towards a shared socio-economic prosperity.

“I urge you to work harder to ensure that come 2024, Swapo party and its presidential candidate are given unreserved support in order to ensure a landslide victory,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency