STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: S. AFRICA’S CRAZY COALITION GOVT!

2024 was a year of elections. Voters in more than 60 countries went to the polls. Some incumbents hung on to power, while others got the boot.

One of the countries where elections took place on our continent was South Africa, where the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority for the first time since coming to power in 1994, after the fall of the apartheid regime.

Its failure to secure a majority saw the former liberation movement go into coalition with other political parties - including, astonishingly, with its longtime nemesis, the rightwing Democratic Alliance (DA).

The political marriage between the ANC and the DA has led to fears that the country is falling into the hands of pro-Western interests. This can only further delay efforts to emancipate the nation fully and improve the welfare of the majority-Black population, which has yet to see any social or economic mobility worth writing home about.

Continued……That’s the topic that we delve into in this extract from our bumper end-of-year review discussion. What do you think about the ANC's political gamble?

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIES BLEACHING AWAY RACISM, AGAIN

Like others before him, Dominican Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Álvarez Gil tried whitewashing his country’s historical identity in an April 2024 interview with @aljazeera. 

‘Unlike Haiti, unlike the United States and unlike most [Caribbean Community] CARICOM countries, the Dominican Republic is mestizo or mulatto,’ according to Gil, which apparently frees the island from racism. It’s a hard sell not only because the Dominican Republic has deported tens of thousands of Haitians back to their half of the Hispaniola island amidst political instability due to foreign interventions, but it fails to address what happened to Gil’s compatriot, former Major League Baseball slugger Sammy Sosa. Responding to comments about his new complexion, several shades lighter than his former self, Sosa said, ‘I do whatever I want.’ 

African Stream’s William Sakawa unpacks the contradiction. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments.

CHICK-FIL-A VS. POPEYES: WHAT'S IN THE CHICKEN? PT. 1

Brother Nuri Muhammad (@brothernuri on X, @nurimuhammad on IG), a prominent figure within the Nation of Islam and an author, activist, mentor, life coach and entrepreneur, breaks down why many Black people in the United States are emotionally attached to fast-food restaurants, like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.

In this August 2023 clip, the minister explained that the chemical composition of these companies’ products acts as addictive substances and destroys our health. 

What do you think of Muhammad’s remarks? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit: @ineverknewtv (YouTube)

SOMALIA & CUBA’S ROCKY RELATIONSHIP

The presidents of Cuba and Somalia were all smiles at the COP 28 summit in Dubai. They met on the sidelines as if old-time friends. But it wasn’t always like that. For decades, the relationship between their countries was on the rocks over geopolitics.

But things have been patched up, their interests have married again, and a win-win future is being promised.

Let us know your thoughts below.

Bee stings hurt, but imagine life without honey. This week’s proverb reminds us that overreacting can be self-defeating.

WHO IS DAN GETLER?

Israeli businessman Dan Gertler is a prominent figure in the exploitation and control of mineral resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reportedly earning about $200,000 daily from his operations there. Allegations suggest that his profits contribute to the construction of apartheid-like walls in the West Bank. Gertler’s family has a legacy of diamond exploitation in Africa dating back to the colonial era, and he has continued this tradition. His business expanded significantly due to questionable deals made with the former ruling Kabila dynasty in the DRC.

Continued……In December 2017 and June 2018, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Gertler and more than 30 of his companies, accusing him of leveraging his close ties with former Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure highly profitable mining contracts. However, the US administration considered easing these sanctions to allow Gertler an opportunity to sell his interests and exit Africa, purportedly to demonstrate that its enforcement actions can be effective.

So, who is Dan Gertler? Wambura Mwai from African Stream provides an overview of what you need to know.

PENTA-CON? THE PENTAGON’S MEGA CORRUPTION

Imagine this: $10,000 for a toilet seat cover. $90,000 for a bag of insulator joints. These expenditures illustrate the staggering reality of corruption at the Pentagon, leading to seven consecutive failed audits. Comedian and commentator Jon Stewart doesn’t hold back as he confronts US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, pointing out the astronomical levels of corruption that have left US military personnel applying for food stamps (government benefits), despite the department’s $850-billion budget.

@jonstewart (X) rightfully calls a spade a spade, noting that ‘corruption’ is the word that defines the Pentagon’s failed audit. Yet, conversations and headlines around the audit—for the most part—have not been as quick to describe it with the same vigour they do when speaking of misgovernance in the Global South.

Continued……Here, we analyse these contradictions and highlight why the US Department of Defense is accountable to US taxpayers and the rest of the world, subject to US political machinations and economic exploitation. We also discuss the US-style two-party system that’s driven chiefly by big money from donors like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which spent over $100 million in the 2024 US elections. African elections have been going the way of the corrupt US political system, where candidates with the fattest wallets lubricate their way into power by buying advertisements and obtaining favourable news coverage.

For a more in-depth look at this issue, please watch the full video on our X handle @african_stream and remember to subscribe for more Pan-Africanist content.

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BRITISH MIGRANT PLANS TO BREAK UP SOUTH AFRICA

A British migrant campaigning to separate Western Cape from the rest of South Africa says he wants to create the equivalent of an ‘Israel for the Jews’.

Phil Craig heads the Referendum Party and in this clip doesn’t hold back outlining his dream of the province having its own hard borders, police and military. As far as he’s concerned, he’s appealing to people with ‘Western values’ who want to live in the ‘Western world’. He also says it’s necessary because people in the Afrikaans community are ‘vulnerable’.

Western Cape is the second-richest province in South Africa, and White people make up 16 per cent of its population.

Continued……. Craig wants to pressure its Democratic Alliance (DA)-led provincial government to hold a referendum on the issue. So far, the DA has rejected the idea, but he continues to push his divisive views.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party has labelled him a ‘White supremacist’ who’s ‘running the dog of imperialism’. A petition to get Mr Craig deported has nearly 45,000 signatures at change.org. After watching this clip, you may want to sign it.

HOW IMF SPARKED KENYA’S BIGGEST PROTEST IN YEARS

In our end-of-year review, William Sakawa takes us through the Kenyan protests against William Ruto’s government.

The June-July protests in Kenya traced back to reforms the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pushed. In January, the IMF advised the Kenyan government to raise taxes, openly admitting that such measures would likely incite social unrest but urging the government to push ahead regardless. Pressured by the need to raise $2.7 billion for the fiscal year, President William Ruto proposed a Finance Bill introducing taxes on essential goods such as bread, diapers and sanitary products and increasing the cost of medical equipment. These measures disproportionately affected the most vulnerable, fuelling widespread anger.

Continued…….. Kenya’s severe corruption problem exacerbates public frustration. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta estimated the country loses some KES 2 billion (around $15.5 million) daily to corruption, while the country’s anti-corruption chief put it at a third of Kenya’s budget.

Meanwhile, debt repayment consumes seven out of every ten shillings collected in taxes, yet much of this borrowed money ends up in offshore accounts rather than benefiting the public. Kenyans’ anger is not just about taxes but also the misuse of funds and unfulfilled promises that have left citizens to shoulder the burden of corruption and mismanagement.

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UAE’S AFRICAN LAND GRAB

There’s a new scramble for Africa few are talking about. Countries are buying up huge swathes of the continent’s forests to off-set their own carbon footprints. And UAE is one of the biggest buyers. The Middle East petrostate aims to be a net-zero nation by 2050 and has snapped up African forests covering the size of Great Britain. But this sell-off comes at a huge cost for local populations.

According to NGO, Fern, millions of people depending on Africa’s wildlife havens for their livelihood, are having their rights violated and sold off to a foreign entity. Meanwhile, major oil and gas producers of the world get to ‘whitewash’ their image as polluters. They can also make millions by selling their stake in forests to other polluting nations in the form of ‘carbon credits’. Ahmed Ghoneim looks at the dirty game being played in Africa as the world strives to go green.

ZIONISM’S GRIP ON AFRICAN LIBERATION

Many African people are shocked by the number of African politicians, celebrities, and friends coming out in support of Israel on social media. But African support for Israel is just as old as the Zionist manipulation of African freedom dreams and liberation struggles around the world. African Stream takes a look at just one of those histories of manipulation that took place in the United States.

Let us know if your friends, relatives and favourite celebrities have surprised you.