Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA/FREEMAN MAKOPA Harare City Council (HCC) has announced a temporary shutdown of Morton Jaffray and Warren Control waterworks treatment plants until Sunday, forcing many residents in the capital to experience a dry weekend. “City of Harare would like to notify residents and stakeholders that there will be a shutdown at Morton Jaffray and Warren control waterworks scheduled from today to Sunday December 20, 2020,” council said in a statement. “This shutdown is to enable our contactors to install new water pumps. The department will also be taking advantage of this critical shutdown to undertake other critical shutdowns to undertake critical outstanding maintenance works. The successful completion of these works will reduce physical water losses currently obtained in the system.” The water treatment plant has been shut down several times this year because of shortages of chemicals used in treating water and incapacitation. President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently ordered an urgent allocation of $9,3 million to council water treatment plant after the facility shut down due to shortage of chemicals. The money is expected to go towards equipment and chemicals for the waterworks, particularly chlorine and aluminium sulphate. The city is owed nearly $2,2 billion dollars by the government, companies and residents in unpaid rates. Meanwhile, the HCC yesterday said it was appealing to the government to grant it permission to charge some of its services in United States dollars in order to capacitate its departments. The council has in the past been accused of poor services delivery, which it blames on unavailability of foreign currency. Acting HCC spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said they were appealing to government to charge other services in foreign currency to ensure the local authority is able to deliver. He said some of the equipment needed by council required forex. “We have 15 trucks which have been stuck in South Africa for two years and we need US$1,3 million for us to have these trucks. Residents are always complaining about refuse collection. We have engaged government, but we were given money that was not enough to bring the trucks,” Ruwende said. “We are appealing to government to help us get the trucks in the country and provide services or allow us to charge on-demand services in United States dollars. “These are services which residents approach council for and doesn’t affect everyone, we have building plans and those companies that open trenches in town or other buildings, so if we are allowed to charge those in foreign currency, we will be in a position to procure our trucks which are outside the country.” He added: “If we are allowed to charge in foreign currency we will be able to provide services to our residents or customers.” Ruwende also bemoaned vandalism of council property saying this was affecting the local authority which is also in capacitated. “We are owed $2,2 billion by residents and business who have not been paying their rates and as for now, only about 25% of them are paying
The president also stressed the importance of keeping the economy open after months of stifling movement restrictions.
He urged citizens not to drop their guard and continue adhering to the health rules, such as wearing face masks and respecting curfew times.
South Africa has recorded just over 800,000 coronavirus infections - more than a third of the cases reported across the African continent - and over 20,000 deaths.
AFP
By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After four years of President Donald Trump serving as his own chief spokesperson and frequently peddling false information and conspiracy theories in the process, successor Joe Biden is pledging to return to a more traditional approach to communicating with Americans. Much of that work will fall to Jen Psaki, Biden's pick for White House press secretary. She's a veteran communications staffer who has worked on many top Democratic campaigns and held leading roles under President Barack Obama, including deputy press secretary and White House communications director, as well as spokesperson for the […]
The post Psaki, next White House press secretary, a veteran messenger appeared first on Black News Channel.
PLANS by three of the country’s biggest foreign-controlled firms to invest fresh capital into their local operations represent the earliest pointers to a potential bounce back next year following a turmoil-filled 2020, researchers at IH Securities said on Monday. BY SHAME MAKOSHORI Swiss-headquartered foods and beverages giant, Nestle and Jersey-based Caledonia Mining Corporation have announced combined investments totalling US$62,5 million into Zimbabwe in the past week. Caledonia operates Blanket gold mine, one of the country’s biggest bullion extraction outfits. Platinum miner, Zimplats has also been making aggressive expansion moves at its Ngezi operation. Foreign firms hold the key to the development of frontier markets and the attitude of those already invested shapes perceptions across fund managers and individual investors seeking opportunities in a given destination. In a two-page paper titled Macro-Economic Update, Zimbabwe 2021 National Budget Review, IH said the optimism demonstrated by the three firms received a boost when Finance minister Mthuli Ncube attempted in next year’s fiscal plan to make interventions that may steer industries back to improved production. The past two years have been difficult for Zimbabwe, which has battled acute foreign currency, fuel and power shortages. These were compounded by inflationary surges in the past 12 months, together with exchange rate volatilities that only cooled off after the central bank introduced the forex auction system in June. At the beginning of the year, Zimbabwe’s fragile economy was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced government to shut down businesses, as authorities tried to prevent contagion. However, IH’s paper said stability would only be sustained if the exchange rate continued on a positive trajectory. “The 2021 budget attempts to solve the underlying problem of productivity through several measures, the main lever of which is stabilisation of the local currency,” IH said. “Trading updates for 3Q20 (third quarter 2020) have consistently shown recovering retail volumes from the sharp decline in 1H2020 (first half 2020) implying some recovery in consumer demand. Interestingly, companies servicing the infrastructure industry such as Proplastics and Lafarge have also shown improved order books implying growth in capital spend. We also note signs that some foreign-based parent companies, including Nestle, Caledonia and Zimplats, have indicated intent to increase investment in their local subsidiaries. The relatively stable environment in H2 set up by a surprisingly stable forex auction market and a resultantly stable Zimbabwe dollar has improved business and consumer confidence,” the paper said. Last week, Caledonia said it had spent US$60 million developing its flagship central shaft project, which is due to be commissioned in 2021. “We have invested approximately US$60 million in this project since we first announced it in 2015 and it has been owner-built and fully funded through internal cashflow and has been completed at a cost that is w
He’s the middle brother of Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball.
In the drought-hit south of Madagascar, people are forced to fill their bellies with white clay mixed with tamarind to cope with famine. More than a year of no rain is slowing leading locals to the brink of famine. The staple food like cactus fruit cannot be produced because of the drought.
\"If we had something to eat, if our saliva was enough, we would never have eaten that. But it's true that we didn't know that white clay was edible before. We tried to mix it and it worked\", Dame Zafendraza, a charcoal producer said.
In a nearby village of Ankilomarovahetsy, 9 people starved to death in September. Toharano is a housewife. She says she's quite certain that the death of her children was due to the famine.
\"My children didn't eat for three days and then died, because I, their mother, did not manage to feed them. I'm sure it was the famine that killed them. It's not something else, it's not the disease, but famine. I left early in the morning and came back in the evening, and I saw the body of my child with his eyes open\", she said.
Children have particularly struggled to digest the clay and tamarind mixture. According to the World Food Programme (WFP) in the country this causes ''belly swelling''.
Half of the population in the southern region of the Indian Ocean Island, is currently in need of emergency food aid, the UN agency said.
Théodore Mbainaissem is head of the Ambovombe office for the World Food Programme (WFP).
\"People could not go out because of the lockdown. The trucks, the bush taxis that have to commute, were not allowed and people stayed more or less in the villages. Add to that the food insecurity caused by climate change, which has been very severe this year\", he said.
The WFP said about 31 million euros are urgently needed to feed the hungry in southern Madagascar.
Climate Change
A few kilometres away in the town of Beraketa, global charity Action Against Hunger (ACF) has put up a centre in partnership with the WFP.
The centre caters for around 50 severely malnourished children and 100 other patients every week. The children are at risk of death, especially if malnutrition is complicated by diarrhoea, respiratory infections or malaria.
While droughts are not uncommon in the area, this dry spell has been compounded by climate impact. The WFP's Mbainaissem said \"for three years in some communities, two in others, there has been no rain.\"
Rising insecurity and livestock thefts have exacerbated poverty and complicated humanitarian relief efforts. The government has deployed the military to distribute food and first aid in the area. In October, President Andry Rajoelina, his wife and son gave out rations in villages.
The local head of the WFP Mbainaissem has warned of a disaster if emergency food assistance are not provided.
WHEN a fire gutted her house a few years ago, 36-year-old Tendai Chamboko was badly injured. BY FIDELITY MHLANGA She lost her sight in the inferno. However, she had no insurance cover to help her cope with the huge costs that come with injuries of this nature. Chamboko’s predicament was compounded by the fact that Zimbabwe has no disability insurance schemes, except a fund that is administered by the National Social Security Authority, which caters for injured workers. Chamboko, who has never been formally employed, soon found herself in a quagmire. “The fire accident made me aware of the importance of insurance,” she told Weekly Digest. “We lost everything and I was left disabled. I lack access to information, especially in braill language, which is compatible with my condition.” Chamboko’s problem is experienced by many people living with disabilities (PWDs), who struggle to access specialised insurance cover to take care of their needs in time of poor health. But, it does not end with PWDs. The Insurance and Pensions Commission of Zimbabwe (IPEC) says generally, medical insurance coverage is extremely low. This means the majority of people are confronted by frightening experiences once they get ill because they cannot access appropriate healthcare, which is expensive in Zimbabwe. Over 70% of working age people are jobless. Those who are still in formal jobs are not paid enough to afford medical cover. “I think the fact that our coverage ratio is only 10% means that medical cover is not working for the majority of Zimbabwe,” says Grace Muradzikwa, IPEC commissioner. “If it was working our coverage and penetration ratio would be higher than the 10%. My observation is that most of the people who are covered are actually those employed in the formal sector. If you are a non-standard worker you cannot afford medical aid so I think this is probably the time we need to look at some kind of national health insurance. I think the need is there,” she says. The IPEC chief said she was worried that vulnerable groups like pensioners could not afford medical cover. “You are covered for the 30 years that you are working because your employer is paying. The day you leave your employment you cannot afford medical aid anymore. In fact, I think that your pension benefit is less than the cost of medical contribution so from day one when you are a pensioner you cannot be covered by medical aid,” she says. It is a bigger crisis. Many PWDs have bemoaned a plethora of challenges that hinder them from accessing insurance products and services. They say exclusion from such a key service turns them into second-class citizens. In Zimbabwe there is life assurance, pension and funeral assurance. Life assurance guarantees a normal life after retirement. Funeral assurance helps people prepare for a decent burial whereas a pension is a fund into which a sum of money is accumulated during the time an employee is in employment to support them on retirement. The products are vital in the event of death, disability, serious illness and other situatio
A significant number of black Americans are skeptical about the coronavirus … trial to try to change Black Americans’ minds. https://t … overcome high vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans, @HarvardChanDean says “the best messengers …
How well do you pay attention to the news? Test your knowledge with The South African's weekly news quiz, and earn the bragging rights.
In support of his new book 'A Promised Land,' the former President of the United States covered a lot of ground.
While Megan Fox has turned down numerous military films, she accepted 'Rogue' partly because of the attraction of coming to Africa.
FORMER Zimbabwe international bowler Njabulo Ncube has been appointed as the Mountaineers coach for the 2020/21 domestic cricket season. He takes over from Shepherd Makunura who is now in charge at Southern Rocks, who are making their return to top-flight cricket for the first time since the 2013/14 season. The 31-year-old Ncube, who represented Zimbabwe in one Test and one ODI, is one of the highly regarded up-and-coming coaches on the local scene. After helping Rising Stars to the Pro50 Championship title while serving as the national academy side’s assistant coach in 2017/18, their first year of competing in the List A tournament, he went on to assume a similar role at Tuskers up until his latest move. His departure has seen veteran player John Nyumbu being promoted to the role of player/assistant coach at the Bulawayo-based side. Stuart Matsikenyeri, Walter Chawaguta and Douglas Hondo will remain in charge at Eagles, Rhinos and Tuskers respectively. The provincial sides will have the following serving as assistant coaches-cum-team managers: Erick Chauluka (Eagles), Steady Musoso (Mountaineers), Mufaro Chiturumani (Rhinos), Stanley Chioza (Southern Rocks) and Mbekezeli Mabuza (Tuskers). Elton Chigumbura is now a player/assistant coach at Eagles, with Shingi Masakadza, Chris Mpofu and Cephas Zhuwao taking up similar roles at Mountaineers, Rhinos and Southern Rocks. — Zimcricket
A Prince George's County work group assembled to address police reform approved a final report Wednesday with 50 recommendations such as reallocating money toward mental health and behavioral services for students to County Council approving a use-of-force statute.
Ramaphosa was adamant that public behaviour needs to change immediately to prevent the spread of the virus, and blasted defiance of the laws.
[spotlight] Children shoulder approximately 12% of the global TB burden, and this proportion is likely higher in high TB burden countries. In South Africa, up to 30 000 children develop TB each year, but, says Dr Megan Palmer, medical director at Brooklyn Chest Hospital, \"children have traditionally been neglected in TB research because of the perception that they are not drivers of the TB epidemic\".
ZANU PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa (pictured) yesterday took praise-singing to a new level, describing President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the country’s own Mbuya Nehanda, an ancient ancestral spirit from the 19th century considered holy and powerful in local lore. BY BLESSED MHLANGA Mnangagwa’s government is constructing a giant stature of Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, a spirit medium also known as Mbuya Nehanda at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way in the capital Harare. Charwe, who was among the leaders of the First Chimurenga war against colonisation in the 19th century, was hanged around March 1898. Addressing a weekly Zanu PF Press briefing, Chinamasa said while in the past former colonial masters, Britain, beheaded revolutionaries, they had turned to social media attacks in modern-day to “discredit icons like Mnangagwa” who were working for economic emancipation. He said social media attacks on Mnangagwa and his family were equal to the attacks faced by the likes of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi during the early resistance to colonialism. “Allow me to draw parallels between, on one hand the public beheading of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kagivi, Chief Mashayamombe, Mutekedza Chiwashira and other anti-colonial resistance fighters,” Chinamasa said. “On the other hand, the imposition of illegal sanctions by the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, white Commonwealth countries, Australia, Canada and New Zealand accompanied by the orchestrated social media onslaught targeting President Mnangagwa and his family.” He added: “It is to intimidate our leader with the intention to cow the general population into submission and subjugation. “The enemy goes after the scalp of our leader first and they hope that once he has fallen and is discredited the country’s resources will be ready for the picking and neo-colonial exploitation.” Chinamasa said Mnangagwa was the glue holding the country together and that Western countries were aware of this and, therefore, want him to fall. Zanu PF is preparing to erect Mbuya Nehanda's statue at a venue Mnangagwa claimed was where she would drink water and rest. Mbuya Nehanda was allegedly beheaded by the British imperialists for leading resistance against white settler rule. Chinamasa said the humiliation suffered by Nehanda, was the same as that being visited upon Mnangagwa through relentless social media demonisation sponsored by Western countries. “Sanctions against Zimbabwe and the orchestrated social media attacks against our President and First Family are the modern-day equivalents of public beheading and lynching in colonial times,” Chinamasa said. Chinamasa called on the nation to back Mnangagwa against the white colonialists as the party prepares for the 2023 general elections. “Zanu PF exhorts the population to remain steadfast and resilient and to continue marching solidly behind our President along the path that will lead us to the attainment of Vision 2030 to become an upper-middle income economy,” he said. This was not the first tim
New data revealed Sen. David Perdue made investments afterprivilegedbriefings about the coronavirus pandemic. Read More: Sen. David Perdue claimed he... View Article
The post David Perdue bought Pfizer stock one week before vaccine announcement appeared first on TheGrio.
Where are the boundaries for the new lockdown restrictions? Here's a map of the NMB hot-spot and two other high-alert regions in all their glory.
With less than 30 days before the conclusion of 2020, President of the Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) Vibert Garrett, confirmed that the entity will not stage any related sporting activities until 2021.
The article No more basketball for Berbice this year appeared first on Stabroek News.
By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO Steelers’ defense prevails once again as Ravens lose third straight The Dec. 2 faceoff between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was historical, under the rarest circumstances, and was the highlight of a strange week in the NFL this season. To add to an already challenging year, […]
The post Tough week for Ravens: Steelers loss, COVID infections appeared first on Afro.
Even as the world awaits the deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine, Africa’s chances at getting a shot remains remote in the short term according to experts.
That, coupled with the need to cushion health systems across the continent from being overwhelmed is the other reason for the deployment of a clinical trial named, ANTICOV – the largest trial targeting mild to moderate cases of the virus.
Why the need for targeted trial According to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, DNDi, ANTICOV’s main goal “is to identify treatments that prevent mild cases from progressing to severe forms of the disease - and thus prevent local health systems from being overwhelmed.”
“Treating mild cases is key in Africa because ICU capacity is not as strong as may be in other developed nations,” a a DNDi statement issued on November 24 stressed. The initiative is working with other partners on this project.
“We welcome the ANTICOV trial led by African doctors because it will help answer one of our most pressing questions: with limited intensive care facilities in Africa, can we treat people for COVID-19 earlier and stop our hospitals from being overwhelmed?” John Nkengasong, head of the African Union’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said of the trial.
Role of hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine will be one of the drugs to be studied initially, because there are no large multi- country studies yet about efficacy of the drug for mild cases. HCQ remains the standard of care for COVID in 16 African countries, so this trial will provide key evidence to inform health policies and national guidelines.
One of the key trials that is known to be undertaken in Africa is the World Health Organization, WHO’s solidarity trials but it focuses on severe cases whiles ANTICOV will look more at mild cases with the view to nip the possible transit into severity.
Thirteen countries sign up
Thirteen countries across the continent have signed up for the trial. The majority of these countries are in West Africa; Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. East African countries include, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and Kenya.
Central Africa has three countries participating – Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mozambique is the sole southern African country to sign up for the trial.
The clinical trial will be carried out at 19 sites continent wide by the ANTICOV consortium, which includes 26 prominent African and global research and development (R&D) organizations, coordinated by DNDi.
Africa’s case load as of December 2, 2020 according to Africa CDC
Number of cases = 2,196,257
Number of deaths = 52,490
Number of recoveries = 1,862,685
Number of active cases = 386,062
Most impacted country = South Africa; 790,004 cases
Least impacted country = Seychelles; 172 cases
Funding for the trial
Major funding for the ANTICOV consortium is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through KfW and by the global health agency Unitaid a
The United Kingdom will deploy 300 troops to Mali this week as part of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA), the British Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday.
The mission comprising 250 soldiers and a support team of 50 will be based in Gao, some 320 southeast of Timbuku. The troops is mandated to conduct patrols to gather intelligence and dialogue with the local population to help the UN respond to threats by extremist violence and weak governance, the ministry’s statement said.
This peacekeeping mission is completely separate from the French operation Barkhane, which hunts jihadist groups active in northern Mali. But both forces will operate in the same region, the statement added.
Some members of British forces arrived in Mali on Wednesday and the rest will follow by December 8. They join some 14,000 UN peacekeepers from 56 countries. According to Defense Minister Ben Wallace, the commitment reflects \"the importance of improving security in the Sahel by protecting communities.’’
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom will remain engaged, with three Chinook helicopters and about 100 troops, in support of the French Operation Barkhane under a government-to-government agreement until June 2021.
MINUSMA was deployed in Mali in July 2013, after jihadist groups took control of the north of the vast Sahelian country in 2012. They were largely dispersed by a military intervention launched in January 2013 at the initiative of France. But entire zones remain beyond the control of Malian, French and UN forces.
MINUSMA is one of the most important missions of the UN. Currently, it is one of the most deadliest with more than 220 deaths since its deployment, including more than 130 in hostile acts. Its mandate was renewed for one year at the end of June by the UN Security Council.
Here's a quick glance at what the weather forecast holds in store across all the South African provinces. Stay warm or keep cool.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, is again lauding the nation’s farmers for the resilience they have demonstrated despite the challenges they have been facing as a result of severe weather conditions and other catastrophes...
[Vanguard] China and all but two of the 55 African countries were enslaved by European colonialists who looted them and carried out unspeakable atrocities, including the massacre of millions. Even after independence, they were subjected to control by their former slave masters who taught them that they could develop only based on a Western model and ideology.
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The top U.S. envoy on Venezuela called on the incoming Biden administration yesterday to use the leverage he believes has been gained from years of tough sanctions aimed at ousting socialist President Nicolas Maduro and urged against offering him any “giveaways.”
The article Biden must use sanctions as leverage against Venezuela’s Maduro, U.S. envoy says appeared first on Stabroek News.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti modified a stay-at-home order that reflects the L.A. County mandates that some have called into... View Article
The post Garcetti slammed for stay-at-home order that mirrors county rules appeared first on TheGrio.
THE education ministry is reporting that in the nine months since schools were forced to close because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, students at the primary level have suffered significant setbacks.
Eric Holder won't be going to trial anytime soon. Nipsey Hussle's alleged killer's trial has been delayed for at least... View Article
The post Nipsey Hussle's alleged killer Eric Holder's trial postponed due to COVID appeared first on TheGrio.
A watch and ring are giving the military advance warning of potential coronavirus infections. The wearable devices from Garmin and Oura, with the help of an algorithm from Philips Healthcare, are alerting troops if they’re going to get sick in the next day or so. The system — developed by Philips, the Defense Innovation Unit […]
We look back on this day in history and remember the people and events that shaped the world we live in today. Every day is worth remembering.
