THIS WEEK

 

30: Africacomicade Gamathon 2024. Africa’s premier convention of digital creatives in the video games, immersive and interactive media industry, creating a platform for participants to showcase their works, network and find opportunities for learning, collaboration and funding.  It is a hybrid event, allowing participation from across the globe, virtually, and rounding up with a physical expo event (Lagos).

 

1: Former SA International Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor takes up her position as the new chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, becoming the third person to hold the position since former President Mandela established the organisation in 1999. She will work with a new CEO, Mbongiseni Buthelezi, who will also start on 1 October (Johannesburg).

  

2: UN International Day of Non-Violence

  

3: A South African woman is due to appear in court for alleged drug trafficking. Jolene du Plessis was arrested by police at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines after allegedly being caught with more than 5kg of methamphetamine. If found guilty, she could face life imprisonment (Manila).

  

4-6: South African Festival. The programme features various navy ships, a type 209 submarine open to the public as well as various capability exhibits and displays (Simon’s Town).

 

OTHER:

 

* Three West African countries run by military juntas will be launching a new biometric passports as part of their withdrawal from the wider regional bloc Ecowas. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, whose military leaders took over power in series of coups between 2020 and 2023, announced their plan to leave the bloc in January.

 

* South African have been given more time to make submissions on proposals for the electoral system the country should adopt. The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel has extended the initial 30 September deadline to 31 October. ‘The invitation for submissions is made as part of the panel’s duty to undertake a public participation process regarding the issues falling within its functions,’ the panel’s chairperson Richard Sizani said.

  

* Five mixed-race women demanding reparations from Belgium after being taken from their mothers in the Congo 70 years ago have taken their fight to a Brussels appeals court. They accuse the country of crimes against humanity over a colonial-era practice that saw them taken from their families and placed in institutions. The complaint covers the period 1948-1961 and concerns the practice of placing mixed-race children in religious institutions managed by the Church. 

 

* Thanks to a regional rotation, the next Commonwealth secretary-general is due to come from Africa, and candidates from Lesotho, Ghana and The Gambia are all keen to get the job for the next four to eight years. Career diplomat Joshua Setipa from Lesotho, The Gambia's Foreign Affairs Minister Mamadou Tangara and Ghanaian Regional Integration Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey are in the running.

  

* South African photographer Vuyo Mabheka is exhibiting his work at the Musée Jenisch Vevey in Switzerland. The Thokoza-based creative won the Grand Prix Images Vevey Special Jury Prize for his photo series Popihuise in 2023, which is currently being exhibited for Swiss audiences. Mabheka's entry was chosen from 564 projects submitted from 65 countries.