THIS WEEK

 

12-18: 32nd General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).  The event marks a pivotal time in the union’s over 100-year history – the first time it is being held in Africa with a fully open-access format, making it accessible globally (Cape Town).

 

12: The former personal assistant of former SA's Free State Premier Ace Magashule, Moroadi Cholota, will appear in court after being extradited from the US. Maryland District Court Judge Erin Aslan approved SA’s extradition application for Cholota in June. The National Prosecuting Authority initially filed for Cholota, who was studying in the US, to be extradited in 2022 after linking her to a R255m asbestos tender corruption case. The US court approved the extradition after it found the NPA produced ‘sufficient evidence’ (Bloemfontein).

 

12: UN International Youth Day

  

13: Bail application for an Ethiopian man, accused of raping a seven-year-old South African girl in his shop. The case was postponed in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court last week because the suspect was not represented by a lawyer (Johannesburg).

 
14: 15th Edition Connected Banking Summit – Innovation and Excellence Awards 2024. It will be hosted by the International Centre for Strategic Alliances under the theme ‘Bolstering the  Economy with Digitisation and Financial Inclusion’. Global  executives, experts and leaders will gather to propel the banking industry forward  into an era defined by innovation and excellence (Addis Ababa).
 

OTHER:

 

* The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a $40m transaction guarantee facility to support Dashen Bank’s trade finance activities in Ethiopia. The facility will provide support to small- and medium-sized enterprises and local corporates' import and export trade finance requirements. It will also support intra-Africa trade, thereby directly contributing to the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agenda.

 

* Former teacher Iain Wares, accused of sexually abusing pupils in the UK decades ago, can be extradited to stand trial in Scotland. A Cape Town court on Thursday ruled that Wares could be sent to Scotland, where he faces 74 charges. He has been accused of abuse by numerous former pupils of Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College in Scotland, where he taught in the 1960s and 70s.

 

* South Africa’s Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has launched the 2024 Brigitte Mabandla Aspirant Women Judges’ Programme, aimed at bolstering female representation in the judiciary. The initiative, named in honour of SA's ambassador to Sweden and the former Justice Minister was originally conceived during her tenure as the Minister of Justice & Constitutional Development in former President Thabo Mbeki's administration. City Press reports that the 12-month programme, administered by the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI), aims to provide training and mentorship to aspiring women judges. It is designed for attorneys, advocates or judicial officers with at least 12 years of experience in the legal field in order to enhance their suitability for appointment to judicial office.

 

* Namibia has opened a three-month voter registration period, ahead of 27 November elections. The registration period for the presidential and National Assembly elections is due to run until 1 August.  For the first time since independence, the ruling party, the Swapo will have a female presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

 

* South African artist Zanele Muholi, whose work prominently features the lives of black South Africans in the LGBTQ+ community, has returned to the Tate Modern after being cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. The revived exhibition features over 300 photographs representing their career to date, from their first images to their more recent works. The exhibition is on until January 2025 (London).