THIS WEEK

 

27: The Libyan Chinese Chamber for Economic Co-operation will meet the Chinese National Association of Consultants Engineers, major Chinese companies and Libyan businessmen to discuss ways of economic co-operation between the two countries (Tripoli).

 

28: Global Confectionery Market Conference. The Barry Callebaut Group is convening a group of South African industry leaders to address the latest trends in the global confectionery market. Headquartered in Zurich, the company is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, with expertise spanning every step of the value chain – raw material sourcing to production (Johannesburg).

  

30: A South African farmer and two of his employees who are accused of killing two women and throwing their bodies into a pigsty are expected to appear in court on charges of murder. Zachariah Olivier and his two employees – Adriaan de Wet and William Musoro – face two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and defeating the ends of justice. Musoro is also facing a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act for being in the country illegally.

  

31: UN International Day for People of African Descent

 

31: Deadline for Cameroonian voters to register for presidential elections next year. The political opposition and civil society say most qualified voters are reluctant to register because they think President Paul Biya plans to rig elections. Just 50% of qualified civilians have so far registered for the election expected in October 2025.

 

OTHER

 

* Peace talks on the crisis in Sudan ended in Switzerland on Friday. The talks were co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the AU, Egypt, the UAE and the UN completing the so-called Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group (ALPS). Sudan's de facto ruler, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said Saturday his government would not join peace talks with rival paramilitaries in Switzerland, vowing instead to ‘fight for 100 years’. The US opened the talks on 14 August which aimed at easing the human suffering and achieving a lasting ceasefire. While an RSF delegation showed up, the Sudanese armed forces were unhappy with the format and did not attend, though they were in telephone contact with the mediators.

 

* Heineken Beverages has obtained an interim interdict against strike action taking place at its Gqeberha plant in South Africa. This comes after more than 100 Food & Allied Workers' Union workers protested after the company changed a system involving a 44-hour work week and two shifts to a three-shift system, with reserve workers also left on standby during the week and on weekend shifts.

 

* Thirteen Ethiopian migrants died, and 14 others are missing after a boat capsized off Yemen's Ta'iz governorate on 20 August, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported. The vessel, which departed from Djibouti, was carrying 25 Ethiopian migrants and two Yemeni crew members when it capsized near the Dubab district in the Bani Al-Hakam sub-district.

 

* The agency overseeing the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti says the salaries of Kenyan police in Haiti will soon be paid. Sunday marked two months since the Kenyan police landed in Haiti to help the Caribbean country stabilise from criminal gangs.

  

* Twenty Nigerian medical students kidnapped as they went to a convention have been freed more than a week after their abduction, police said Saturday. Gunmen seized the students on 15 August as they travelled to a conference in Benue state, in the centre of the country, and later demanded a ransom. Police on Saturday said the group was ‘rescued tactically and professionally’ and no ransom was paid.

 

* Human trafficking accused Pastor Timothy Omotoso’s latest bid to have the evidence against him declared inadmissible has failed. The Nigerian televangelist and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho had argued in the Eastern Cape High Court (Gqeberha), South Africa, that the evidence the state had presented to court was obtained unconstitutionally. The prosecution opposed the application. Judge Irma Schoeman said she would allow the evidence to be considered in the trial.

 

* The Somali Government has threatened to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia unless concerns over ‘violations of Somali sovereignty’ related to destinations served by Ethiopian Airlines are resolved. In a statement, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority said it had had previous correspondence dating to 14 August with Ethiopian Airlines about the issue. It did not provide details, but many observers in the region say they believe it refers to the airlines' flights to Hargeisa, Somaliland. 

 

* The Chinese hospital ship, Peace Ark, is docked in Cape Town for a week-long visit.  The joint national and interdepartmental exercise for humanitarian medical service between China and South Africa hopes to strengthen military and diplomatic ties as well as reinforce humanitarian medical aid skills between the two countries. The exercise will assist local communities with comprehensive medical care. Including its rescue helicopter on board, the hospital vessel is equipped with more than 100 medical personnel. She will provide independent medical services for between 600 and 700 patients. Among other services on board, will be laboratory tests, specialised health services and surgical procedures. The series of events will culminate on 28 August, with social responsibility programmes.