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One of the much-talked-about stories today. The US claims the giant Chinese balloon it shot down was spying on key military sites across America. The US Department of Defence confirmed its fighter jets brought down the balloon over the country's territory. China's foreign ministry is unhappy with this and says the balloon was not involved in any nefarious activity. We are now joined by Senior Research Fellow, Africa Asia Dialogues, Thembisa Fakude.
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The Presidency has confirmed that Deputy President David Mabuza has been asked to remain in office to ensure a smooth transition. Mabuza said he was stepping down to make way for Paul Mashatile, who was elected as the ANC's deputy president at December's national conference. Mashatile is due to be sworn in as a member of parliament tomorrow. Political analyst Thembisa Fakude shares his views on the developments in the presidency.
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Sweden's top diplomat says Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to South Africa is of concern. Tobias Billstrom was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, dedicated to coordinating military support for Ukraine. EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, announced after the meeting that he will soon be heading to South Africa for ministerial talks. Thembisa Fakude is a senior researcher for Africa Asia Dialogues (Afrasid), he joined via Zoom.
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According to a report by Gun Free South Africa, gun violence is the leading cause of murder in South Africa. In 2022, 30 people were murdered by gunshot in South Africa every day between 1 April and 30 June 2022, which is up from the 23 killed in 2020 over the same period. Now let us discuss this we are now joined via Zoom by Thembisa Fakude, Senior Research Fellow at the Africa-Asia Dialogues.
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Chad opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, in efforts to rebuild relations with Israel. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Chadian President Mahamat Deby and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. CGTN speaks to Thembisa Fakude, a Senior Research Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues, on the recent developments.
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The ANC's January 8 statement has detailed some of the key areas for the party's 2023 agenda. Party President Cyril Ramaphosa's address looked into several issues, including unity (or lack thereof), loadshedding and racism in the country. The party marked 111 years of existence yesterday. Ramaphosa reiterated that there is no room in the ANC for those who are against renewal, and that unity is the only way to restore public trust. Political analyst Thembisa Fakude weighs in.
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South Africa will assume the chairmanship of BRICS for 2023. International Relations and Corporation minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, says South Africa's tenure will be marked by a sustained emphasis on concrete cooperation between BRICS nations that directly and indirectly benefits Africa and the world at large. We are now joined via zoom by Thembisa Fakude, the Senior Research Fellow at the Africa-Asia Dialogues.
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December marks 10 months since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia launched its "special military operation" in February saying Ukraine's close ties with the West posed a security threat. Kyiv and its allies say the invasion was an illegal war of aggression. According to the United Nations, at least 6-thousand-700 civilians have died in the conflict. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians or committing atrocities on occupied territory. Senior research fellow at the Africa-Asia Dialogues, Thembisa Fakude, joins us to wrap up the world's biggest stories.
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Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has barred women from attending universities across the country. It also enforced the order at gunpoint in some places, disregarding global condemnation and inflicting another blow to half its population's rights. According to a cabinet decision, institutions are instructed to immediately carry out the mentioned order of suspending girls' education until further notice. The Taliban barred most girls from going to school when they seized power in 2021 as U.S. forces withdrew. Late in 2020, they dismissed thousands of Afghan women from government jobs and prevented them from travelling alone unless accompanied by a male relative. Women are also again required to wear head-to-toe burkas in public. Most teenage girls across the country have already been banned from secondary school education, severely limiting university intake. Senior research fellow at the Africa-Asia Dialogues Thembisa Fakude joins us on Zoom to share some insights on this story.
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ANC Decides On its next Leadership
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South Africa's ruling party the African National Congress is holding its elective conference on Friday, where members will decide who will lead the party for the next five years. President Cyril Ramaphosa is up against former cabinet minister Zweli Mkhize. Earlier this week, Ramaphosa survived a vote in parliament that could have threatened his place in office. Thembisa Fakude, a senior research fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues, explains what could be ahead for the party and president.
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Some Limpopo and North West delegates have indicated they will vote against their branch mandate, in favour of presidential hopeful, Dr Zweli Mkhize. He will battle incumbent ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who last month appeared to have a commanding lead over his rival. Political analyst Thembisa Fakude shares his views on the latest developments.