Here are the top stories from Africa: South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has launched the ‘Alive Status’ service, allowing citizens to verify whether they are dead or alive.
In Zimbabwe, retailers are threatening store closures due to challenges with the exchange rate. Meanwhile, cases of mpox continue to rise across the continent, prompting public health concerns. In a significant move, Ghana has finally approved a gender equality law after decades of effort. Additionally, decomposed bodies have been discovered on a boat off the coast of Senegal, raising alarms about the ongoing crisis in the region.
Check out all the top stories below:
SOUTH AFRICA: DEPT. OF HOME AFFAIRS LAUNCHES ‘ALIVE STATUS’ SERVICE TO CHECK IF YOU ARE DEAD OR ALIVE
The Department of Home Affairs has launched its Alive Status Verification service, allowing South Africans to confirm their status and ensure they have not been incorrectly listed as deceased in the population register.
This initiative is part of the department’s Track&Trace system for ID status verification, a self-service tool that simplifies how citizens interact with the department without needing to visit its offices.
The Alive Status Verification is the fourth self-service feature within the Track&Trace system, which also allows users to track ID books, passport applications, and verify marriage status.
Citizens can verify their alive or deceased status through the department’s website or by SMS, with online users visiting www.dha.gov.za to click on “Check your Status” and select “ID status verification (Alive/Deceased).”
They will be required to enter their ID number and press the Verify button to see if they are ‘alive’ or ‘deceased’,” the department said.
People can also use their mobiles using the SMS service; by typing the letter L, followed by their ID number to 32551.
“An SMS will be sent to confirm their status as either ‘alive’ or ‘deceased’. Each SMS costs R1 by all network service providers.
The two options are also available through the department’s call center at 0800 60 11 90, where clients can inquire about their alive or deceased status, and those who find an error should visit their local Home Affairs office with an affidavit.
NIGERIA: PRESIDENT TINUBU CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST STOLEN VEHICLE TRAFFICKING
On Sunday, President Bola Tinubu directed security and law enforcement agencies to address the issue of stolen vehicle trafficking.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have been assigned this task.
Tinubu stated that Nigeria would continue collaborating with international partners to ensure that cybercriminals and organized crime groups involved in transnational car theft do not benefit from their illegal activities.
His special adviser, Bayo Onanuga, noted that one of the most effective strategies for law enforcement is to cut off criminals from the profits of their actions, highlighting the recent handover of 53 vehicles and $180,300 by the EFCC to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on behalf of two Canadian victims of cybercrimes committed by Nigerian nationals.
Tinubu expressed concern about the involvement of transnational organized crime groups in exporting stolen vehicles to Nigeria and praised the Commission for collaborating with partners to address the issue.
The president clearly expressed, “Nigeria is not a destination for stolen vehicles and a haven for illicit wealth from foreign countries.”
ZIMBABWEAN RETAILERS THREATEN STORE CLOSURES DUE TO EXCHANGE RATE ISSUES
Zimbabwean retailers have cautioned that they may be forced to close their stores if the government enforces an official exchange rate that they consider overvalued and harmful to their competitiveness.
Five months after its introduction, Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency, ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold), is facing challenges and has lost nearly 80% of its value on the black market, where it trades at 20 to 26 ZiG per dollar.
Official guidelines mandate that formal retailers price their goods according to the official exchange rate of 14.8 ZiG to $1, or risk fines.
However, retailers like OK Zimbabwe, Spar, and TM Supermarkets claim this overvalued rate is causing their prices to be higher than those in informal shops, pushing customers away.
“The situation is clearly untenable and will lead to company closures if authorities do not intervene with policy measures to protect the formal retail sector,” Retailers Association of Zimbabwe (RAZ) said in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Finance and seen by Reuters.
Retailers stated that although they must follow the official exchange rate set by authorities, their suppliers are using black market rates, which forces them to raise prices.
“Implementing a pricing model that reflects real-time market exchange rate fluctuations can help us remain competitive while managing costs,” the retailers said.
MPOX CONTINUES TO HIT AFRICA
With the increase in mpox cases across Africa, public health experts and global leaders are raising concerns and calling for more efforts to control the viral outbreak.
Fifteen African countries are currently experiencing active outbreaks, with Morocco recently reporting its first case.
Samuel Boland, the mpox incident manager for the World Health Organization’s Africa office, noted that although nearly 90 percent of confirmed cases are in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, cases are increasing in other nations as well.
Boland reported that there have been 6,580 confirmed cases of mpox this year, but the number of suspected cases, which are consistent with mpox but may not have been tested due to various constraints in several countries, has risen to nearly 32,000.
NEW SURVEY FINDS SOUTH AFRICANS AMONG THE MOST UNSAFE
A new Gallup poll released on Tuesday shows that South Africa is one of the countries where people feel the least safe walking alone.
The latest Gallup poll on safety surveyed individuals in 140 nations about their feelings of security when walking alone.
About 70% of South Africans reported feeling unsafe, placing the country among the bottom three, alongside Ecuador and Liberia.
Gallup Analytics is a global analytics and advisory firm that provides over ten years of global public opinion data from more than 160 countries and regions.
Julie Ray from Gallup noted that sub-Saharan Africa has consistently received low scores in the annual survey, with feelings of safety declining more in this region than elsewhere.
“The region has ranked amongst the least safe in terms of people’s perceptions for almost two decades,” Ray said.
In contrast, residents of Kuwait, Singapore, and Norway reported feeling the safest, with only 8% to 1% expressing feelings of insecurity.
Ray pointed out that women in South Africa generally feel less secure than men, and trust in the police is below average across sub-Saharan Africa.
GHANA FINALLY APPROVES GENDER EQUALITY LAW AFTER DECADES
Ghana has officially passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act 2024, nearly 30 years after its initial introduction.
The new law requires women to occupy at least 30% of decision-making positions in government, trade unions, and private sectors, with a goal of increasing that figure to 50% by 2030, in line with UN gender equality goals.
It also imposes penalties for gender-based discrimination, including fines and possible jail time for offenders. While women’s rights advocates are celebrating this milestone, concerns about enforcement persist.
The law comes just before Ghana’s general elections in December, aiming to enhance women’s participation in politics as voters and candidates.
This concludes a process that started in 1998, as the bill moved between parliaments before being passed in July, with many advocates criticizing the long delay in Ghana’s legislative process.
Ghana is now part of the group of African countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Mozambique, that have implemented affirmative action laws.
DECOMPOSED BODIES FOUND ON BOAT ALONG ROUTE OFF SENEGAL
The military reported on Monday that at least 30 bodies were discovered on a boat drifting near the coast of Senegal’s capital, amid a rise in the number of migrants departing from West Africa.
Senegal’s military spokesperson, Ibrahima Sow, stated that the navy was alerted about the vessel on Sunday evening and dispatched a patrol boat to the location, which is 70 kilometers (38 nautical miles) from Dakar.
Sow confirmed that “So far, 30 bodies have been counted.”
The military reported that the bodies’ advanced decomposition is complicating identification, but investigations will yield more details about the death toll and the boat’s origin.
This follows the capsizing of a boat with 89 people off Senegal’s coast earlier in September, resulting in numerous fatalities, as many flee poverty and unemployment in hopes of reaching the Canary Islands, where over 22,300 migrants have arrived this year.
KENYA: PRESIDENT RUTO SUPPORTS STARLINK’S COMPETITION WITH SAFARICOM AS PARTIES FAST-TRACK CASE
The High Court has decided to expedite the hearing of a petition that aims to allow US billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink to enter the Kenyan market with satellite internet services.
During a session with Justice Lawrence Mugambi, the involved parties—Kituo Cha Sheria, Safaricom, and the Communications Authority of Kenya—agreed to set aside preliminary matters to facilitate a quicker resolution.
Kituo Cha Sheria initially requested court orders to prevent the Communications Authority and the Competition Authority of Kenya from taking any actions that could harm Space’s Starlink consumers.
In addition, President William Ruto has supported Elon Musk’s Starlink entering Kenya, despite Safaricom’s petition to review the licenses granted to satellite internet providers.
During a U.S.-Kenya Business and Investment Roundtable in New York, President Ruto highlighted how the entry of the satellite internet provider has sparked competition, prompting existing companies to improve their services.
He advocated for competition among all providers to enhance quality and efficiency in service delivery.
UGANDA TO VACCINATE 2.7 MILLION CHILDREN AGAINST POLIO
Uganda plans to vaccinate more than 2.7 million children under five in the eastern region against polio, according to health ministry officials on Tuesday.
This will be done through a door-to-door vaccination campaign that will take place from October 3 to 6, targeting children in 49 districts of the region.
The campaign seeks to prevent the spread of polio, which emerged in Mbale, a city in Eastern Uganda.
Polio is a highly contagious virus that affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis within hours. It spreads mainly through contaminated food or water and starts with symptoms like fever, fatigue, and headache; one in 200 infections leads to lasting paralysis, with 5-10% of those paralyzed at risk of death due to breathing problems.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona urged parents and guardians to make sure all children under five receive their vaccinations.
SOUTH AFRICA TO REBURY 49 LIBERATION FIGHTERS WHO PASS AWAY IN EXILE
On Wednesday, South Africa will receive the remains of 49 former liberation fighters who opposed Apartheid and died in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia, as announced by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on Monday.
These remains are set to arrive at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria on the 25th of September 2024.
The GCIS announced that the government will hold an official homecoming ceremony on Friday at Freedom Park in Pretoria to welcome the liberation fighters back to their homeland. Reburial ceremonies will take place in their birth provinces, ensuring they are honored with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“South Africa remains forever indebted to the heroes of its liberation struggle, and this initiative represents a significant milestone in honoring their legacy and contribution to 30 years of freedom and democracy,” the statement read.
DANGOTE CALLS FOR AN END TO FUEL SUBSIDIES IN NIGERIA
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the President and CEO of Dangote Group, has called on the Nigerian government to eliminate fuel subsidies completely.
This was revealed in a 26-minute interview with Bloomberg Television in New York on Monday.
Dangote highlighted that removing subsidies would clarify Nigeria’s true petrol consumption and alleviate financial burdens on the government.
He noted that halting petrol imports would significantly reduce currency pressures.
Dangote said, “Subsidy is a very sensitive issue. Once you are subsidising something then people will bloat the price and then the government will end up paying what they are not supposed to be paying. It is the right time to get rid of subsidies.”
The business leader elaborated that his Lagos refinery would enhance transparency in the industry by precisely monitoring the nation’s fuel usage.
500 KILLED IN CHAD FLOODS SINCE JULY
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Chad, at least 503 people have died from flooding since July.
The floods have impacted around 1.7 million individuals and destroyed thousands of homes.
Urgent humanitarian aid is needed as authorities warn that ongoing heavy rains and rising river levels could cause further flooding.
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The post Top Stories in AFRICA this week: Home Affairs, Tinubu, SA’s safety, Mpox, Zim ZiG & more appeared first on YOMZANSI. Documenting THE CULTURE.
