Africa Month: Conflict, slow economic growth, unemployment take centre stage
This includes volatility in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where South African troops were deployed for a peacekeeping mission and South Africa's unemployment rate of 32.9%, which is among the highest in the world.
The continent celebrated Africa Day on Sunday, as part of the month-long commemoration.
READ: Africa Day: Calls for unity and solidarity across continent grow louder
Deputy Minister for Sports, Arts and Culture, Peace Mabe led the government leg of celebrations at the heritage site Freedom Park in Tshwane.
Mabe said an honest reflection of the continent's challenges will help with finding lasting solutions.
'These challenges are not insurmountable in fact they present an opportunity for Africans to unite and elevate Africa as a continent that has massive wealth and opportunities.'
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The South African
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- The South African
'Same mistakes as last season': Khanye slams Kaizer Chiefs
Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye feel the team has not improved following their pre-season matches. Having played five matches in the Netherlands, Amakhosi locked horns with Asante Kotoko at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. Despite a good performance, the Soweto giants went down 3-2 on penalties. When analysing the match, Khanye felt Kaizer Chiefs were still making the same mistakes from last season. 'If Nabi was a good coach, there are certain players he was supposed to release. He was supposed to sign quality players, irrespective if whether they are young or experienced. You can't have a defender who is technically gifted than your forward players, I'm talking about do you allow him to take a penalty? 'Going into the game, Kaizer Chiefs' back four played well, but let's be honest, they were not tested.' Khanye felt the Amakhosi midfield looked unstable. Although Chiefs dominated Asante Kotoko in the middle, the former winger said Nasreddine Nabi's team will get exposed this coming season when they get tested. 'I don't think Chiefs have a good player there. I think their scouters got it wrong there. Also number six position, they are playing with Mthethwa. Cele for me…you need to have a strong character. I don't think he is good enough for me. I don't think (Sibongiseni) Mthethwa and Cele have a good combination. Mthethwa for me, lacks awareness, is not good on the ball, and technically, he is poor. 'He is a good player when he's free, but can't play in tight spaces. He is not like (Sipho) Mbule, so they needed a number six with a strong character. I think things would have changed if they signed Mbule,' the former Kaizer Chiefs star said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Disappointment for SA swimmers on opening day of Singapore world champs
Gallagher wasn't too pleased with her swim, but happy with the speed shown in her opening 50 metres. 'I didn't realise that I had turned third, that's really cool, so I'm very happy with my front-end speed,' she said after the race. 'I think it's the fastest I've been out in the 100 before and it felt very comfortable and very chilled, so I think that's a very good sign for the 50, which is still in a couple of days. 'I just have to switch off from the race. Even though it didn't go the way I wanted it to, there are some good things to take away and look forward to the rest of the racing which is the 100 free and the 50 fly. 'There's still a long way to go. It's day one of the competition so I'm looking forward to the rest of my races and we'll see what we can produce. Hopefully the 50 fly will be a better outcome than this one.' Other South Africans in action in the heats earlier in the day were Aimee Canny, who finished 19th overall in the 200m individual medley heats after swimming a time of 2:12.70 and Chris Smith, who finished 25th overall in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:00.85. Hannah Robertson was 27th in the 400m freestyle heats in 4:22.69, while in the men's event, Matthew Caldwell was 39th in 4:01.45. The South African women's 4x100m freestyle relay team of twin sisters, Georgia and Olivia Nel, Cailtin de Lange and Hannah Robertson finished sixth in their heat in 3:45.33 and did not progress to the final. The World Aquatics Championships in Singapore continue on Monday, with Pieter Coetzé kicking off his campaign in the 100m backstroke while Meder will be back in action in the 100m breaststroke, Matt Sates in the 200m freestyle, and Catherine van Rensburg in the 1500m freestyle.
IOL News
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Count Me in Movement calls for reform of spaza shop regulations to support local businesses
The Count Me In Movement has decried the systemic exclusion of South African citizens and township business owners from accessing crucial government support as the nation grapples with a burgeoning informal retail sector. . Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The Count Me in Movement has taken a firm stand against the "systematic exclusion" of South Africans within the current Spaza Shop regulatory framework, calling in the process for a significant overhaul of South Africa's spaza shop regulatory system. The movement said the current system excludes township business owners from accessing crucial government support while the nation continues to grapple with a burgeoning informal retail sector. This comes after the recent government announcement of the R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund (SSSF), which seeks to empower eligible South African spaza shop owners in both townships and rural areas, offering them a lifeline to improve, expand, and sustain their businesses. However, the Count Me in Movement argues that many local entrepreneurs remain locked out of this initiative, primarily due to excessive compliance burdens, fragmented registration processes, and pervasive barriers within the licensing system. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In a statement released on Friday, the movement appealed directly to Small Business Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, urging her to address these pressing challenges. They disclosed that while spaza shops play a pivotal role in township economies, a lack of streamlined and accessible compliance requirements often deters local operators from benefiting from government initiatives. "Despite playing a critical role in township economies, many of these businesses remain locked out of the Spaza Shop Support fund due to excessive compliance. burdens, fragmented registration requirements, and systematic barriers in the licensing process," it said. The movement said unregistered spaza shop owners, most of whom are undocumented foreigners have made the process very difficult for local spaza shop operators. "Adding to the challenge is the rapid proliferation of unregistered spaza shops, operated by undocumented foreign nationals, who are not subjected to the same inspections or regulatory scrutiny--creating an uneven and unfair playing field for local entrepreneurs. "Our local entrepreneurs are being set up to fail by a system that expects full compliance with scattered, expensive and inaccessible requirements. The current model disproportionately impacts South African spaza shop owners who lack the digital access, financial resources, or administrative support required to navigate complex state systems," the movement added.
