South Africa’s state-owned electricity provider, Eskom, says it’s found clear evidence of sabotage at one of its power plants.
It says one of its high capacity pylons was brought down when all eight of its support rods were cut.
Claims of sabotage at Eskom’s fleet of ageing coal-fired plants aren’t new, but the company says it’s the first time it’s had proof.
The debt-ridden energy giant regularly implements power cuts which are usually blamed on mismanagement.
But the government is now trying to clean up the company.
It’s not clear who’s behind the sabotage, but fingers are likely to be pointed at politicians with an interest in seeing Eskom, and the government, fail.
Malawian police have used tear gas to disperse a crowd of over 2,000 anti-government protestors in its biggest city, Blantyre.
The demonstrators were protesting against the rising cost of living, which they attribute to what they say is “bad and incompetent” leadership of President Lazarus Chakwera.
Images and video clips of protest organiser Bon Kalindo, a well-known comedian and politician, who now calls himself the “voice of the voiceless” are in wide circulation on social media, showing him fleeing the protest scene.
Police say they had secured an agreement with Mr Kalindo to call off the protest after it emerged that there were rival groups fighting among themselves and also perpetrating violence against onlookers.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns beat Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana 2-0 as they made history and won the first ever Women’s African Champions League title in Cairo.
The opening exchanges were evenly balanced with both teams enjoying periods of possession but some poor passing meant neither side could create clear-cut chances.
Sundowns came close in the seventh minute as Lerato Kgasago’s free kick from outside the area went narrowly over the bar. The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute as the front three of Sundowns combined well to get in behind the Hasaacas defence.
A first-time ball over the top from Melinda Kgadiete found Andisiwe Mgcoyi on the right hand side and in behind the defenders, her cross was flicked in at the far post by Chuene Morifi.
The South Africans took control of the game in the second half and were rewarded in the 65th minute when Mgcoyi was on target when she got on the end of a ball from Nonhlanhla Mthandi, racing into the area ahead of Hasaacas captain Janet Egyir.
Hasaacas’ best chance came in the 76th minute with a free kick just outside the area and directly in front of goal but Perpetual Agyekum’s fierce shot was well saved and pushed over the bar by Andile Dlamini.
As the Ghanaians pushed for a goal they were left short of numbers in defence but Sundowns were unable to take advantage and add to their tally.
Sundowns held on for the historic win despite playing the last few minutes with 10 women after Regina Magolola was shown a straight red card just moments after having come on as a substitute.
Companies owned by family and friends of former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila had millions of dollars of public funds funnelled through their bank accounts, according to Africa’s biggest data leak.
The money was transferred to the companies’ accounts at the Congolese arm of the BGFI bank.
Millions of dollars in cash were then taken out of the accounts.
Mr Kabila was president at the time of the bank transfers.
He has declined to respond to our questions over the transfers.
The leak included more than three million documents and information on millions of transactions from the BGFI (Banque Gabonaise et Française Internationale) bank, which works in several African countries and France.
Online French investigative journal Mediapart and the NGO Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) obtained the information.
South Africa’s latest crime statistics are “as alarming as the previous quarter’s figures”, Police Minister Bheki Cele has said when presenting the numbers.
According to the government’s Twitter account, he said that the data for the period between July and September this year shows that South Africa is “a very violent country”.
For example, he revealed that murders had increased by almost 21% when compared to the same period last year.
When it came to sexual violence, he said that 9,500 people were raped in the three months – amounting to four rapes an hour. That is a 7% rise from last year.
He described this as a “deeply disturbing disgrace”.
The authenticity of the photos posted online by a journalist working for CGTN, the international arm of government-controlled state broadcaster CCTV, is being questioned by experts.
The mystery surrounding Peng Shuai has taken a fresh twist after photos emerged purporting to show the missing Chinese tennis player.
Three photos posted on Twitter by journalist Shen Shiwei, working for CGTN, the international arm of government-controlled state broadcaster CCTV, show the 35-year-old smiling with a grey cat while surrounded by soft toys.
Mr Shen said the pictures were posted on the player’s WeChat messaging app alongside text saying: “Happy weekend.”
Image: The photos show the 35-year-old smiling with a grey cat while surrounded by soft toys
He added that “her friend shared the three photos and the screenshot of Peng’s WeChat moments”.
Experts have expressed scepticism and questioned the authenticity of the images.
Others also pointed to the presence in one of the photos of a framed picture featuring Winnie the Pooh – a character banned in China after people mockingly likened him to President Xi Jinping.
Peng, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, disappeared after writing a social media post on 2 November accusing a former top government official of forcing her to have sex after playing tennis at his home. Her original post on Weibo has been taken down.
Peng Shuai’s WeChat moments just posted three latest photos and said “Happy weekend”. Her friend shared the three photos and the screenshot of Peng’s WeChat moments. pic.twitter.com/tut8CEH6gu— Shen Shiwei沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) November 19, 2021
An email said to be from Peng was released on Wednesday by CGTN, but doubts have also been raised over its authenticity.
It says the sexual assault claim “is not true” and adds: “I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine”.
It comes after Andy Murray and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) joined an online campaign to help find Peng.
The two-time Wimbledon champion tweeted that her “whereabouts (are) currently unknown after making sexual abuse allegations against (a) Chinese government official”.
The LTA said it was a “very concerning situation” and that the “immediate priority is to establish that Peng Shuai is safe and well”.
It is important that Peng is “able to speak freely and not subject to any form of censorship”, the association added.
Murray linked his tweet to a video of Czech player Barbora Krejcikova speaking about her country’s liberation from communism during the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Female tennis player Peng Shuai whereabouts currently unknown after making Sexual abuse allegations against Chinese government official. This speech gives us a reminder and some hope that things can change in the future ???? #WhereIsPengShuaihttps://t.co/eKnLCHcPLj— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) November 19, 2021
Martina Navratilova, standing behind Krejcikova, is in tears. Navratilova defected from communist Czechoslovakia early in her career, becoming a US citizen in 1981. The revolution ended communist rule in the country and in 1993, the nation was dissolved, becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Murray said of the footage: “This speech gives us a reminder and some hope that things can change in the future. #WhereIsPengShuai.”
Other tennis stars including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic are among those concerned over her whereabouts .
In a statement, the LTA added that it had written to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), offering its assistance in efforts to establish Peng’s “safety and wellbeing”.
The LTA added: “We are also keen to support any further measures that the tours can introduce to improve the safety of all players.”
China’s foreign ministry claimed on Friday that it was unaware of the controversy.
Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters it was “not a diplomatic question and I’m not aware of the situation”.
Steve Simon, the head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), said it “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts”.
“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” he said in a statement.
“Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against a former top official in the Chinese government.
“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe. I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communication, to no avail.”
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has sent an email to Steve Simon, the WTA Chairman & CEO, CGTN has learned. The email reads: pic.twitter.com/uLi6Zd2jDI— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) November 17, 2021
Mr Simon said Peng’s sexual assault claim must be investigated with “full transparency” and she should be allowed to speak “without coercion or intimidation”.
Speaking to NBC News, he also raised the prospect of rethinking WTA events in China if things are not resolved satisfactorily.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said Chinese authorities must prove Peng is safe and fully investigate the sexual assault allegations.
The country has a “track record of forcing statements out of individuals under duress, or else simply fabricating them”, said its China researcher Doriane Lau.
Serena Williams has spoken out about the well-being of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts became unknown two weeks after the athlete had accused a former high-ranking Chinese government official of sexual assault.
Williams took to social media Thursday to express her concern
Serena Williams has spoken out about the well-being of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts became unknown two weeks after the athlete had accused a former high-ranking Chinese government official of sexual assault.
Williams took to social media Thursday to express her concern
Williams’ tweet was accompanied by the trending hashtag “#whereispengshuai” and a photo of the 35-year-old world champion tennis player.
Serena Williams has spoken out about the well-being of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts became unknown two weeks after the athlete had accused a former high-ranking Chinese government official of sexual assault.
Williams took to social media Thursday to express her concern
Williams’ tweet was accompanied by the trending hashtag “#whereispengshuai” and a photo of the 35-year-old world champion tennis player.
“I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent. Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #whereispengshuaipic.twitter.com/GZG3zLTSC6
In a now-deleted post, Shuai detailed her encounters with Vice Premiere Zhang Gaoli and accused Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home three years ago. The social media account on Weibo – China’s Twitter-like platform, on which the post was made – has since been disabled.
After the release of a statement made by the World Tennis Association demanding that China respond to Shuai’s accusations, a number of prominent athletes have shown their support for finding her.
“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK,” tennis star Naomi Osaka wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “I’m in shock of the current situation and I’m sending love and light her way.”
Thirty-nine time Grand Slam winner Billie Jean King also took to Twitter with her concerns: “Hoping that Peng Shuai is found safe and that her accusations are fully investigated.”
Shuai is one of China’s most successful tennis stars, having won two major doubles titles – at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. Shuai has also reached the US Open semifinals in singles and has earned 25 titles on tour.
Harry Maguire was among the Man Utd players called into a meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has held ‘crisis talks’ with six senior players ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Watford.
United go into the game at Vicarage Road with one win from their last six league fixtures, including embarrassing home defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.
Solskjaer is under huge pressure to get a win against a Watford side that sits just two points above the relegation zone and has the fourth-worst defensive record in the Premier League so far.
It has been rumoured in recent weeks that key players have grown frustrated this season. Earlier this month, Bruno Fernandes was said to be among those concerned by the lack of clear game plans by Solskjaer and his staff.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, although not expecting to find the exact same club he left in 2009, is said to be ‘shocked’ by how far standards have fallen.
Solskjaer spoke with Fernandes, Ronaldo, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic at a 10am meeting at the club’s Carrington training ground on Thursday morning.
The main point of discussion was how they would turn things around, as well as a tactical plan following a recent shift to a back three system.
With the majority of the United squad called up by their respective countries for World Cup qualifiers, Solskjaer used the first few days of this month’s international break to get away from it all by taking a short holiday with his family back in his native Norway.
Immediately after Watford, United face Villarreal in the Champions League, where anything other than a win would leave their progression to the knockout stages in doubt. Then come tough back-to-back Premier League fixtures against Chelsea and Arsenal .
Ahead of the draw for the final play off for the Qatar World Cup, Nigeria’s Super Eagles maintain their number five position and are therefore still in contention for seeding.
In the November 2021 ranking released on Friday, November 19, 2021, the Super Eagles are still number 36 in the world. The only changes within Africa top 10 is Cameroon overtaking Ghana as both exchanged the seventh and eight position.
Globally, Belgium still hold on tenaciously to the number one position that they have been since 2018. In the month of November that is under consideration, a total of 145 games were played.
The biggest drop in ranking was by Central African Republic which although shocked Nigeria with a 1-0 defeat in Lagos last month but followed up with three successive losses to Nigeria in Douala, Cape Verde away and Liberia in Morocco.
Central African Republic dropped 15 steps down the ladder.
The Super Eagles, who were ranked 34th in the world in the ranking released in September, dropped 14 points to 36th.
The Eagles’ drop in the rankings was largely due to their 1-0 home defeat to Central African Republic in their 2022 World Cup qualifier earlier this month.
Gernot Rohr’s men would go on to beat CAR 2-0 in the reverse fixture of their doubleheader, but it was not enough to prevent them from dropping in the rankings.
However, the three-time African champions are still the fifth-ranked team in Africa, with Senegal also retaining their number one spot on the continent and 20th in the world. They are followed by second-place Tunisia, who also dropped one place in the world to 27th.
Morocco moved above African champions Algeria into third place, while Nigeria complete the top five places in Africa.
Meanwhile, Belgium remain the number one ranked side despite losing two matches in the UEFA Nations League.
The Cycling Federation of Nigeria seeks support to stage a successful continental competition in 2022.
The President of the Track Commission of the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC), William Newman, on Tuesday in Abuja said the group was taking steps to “ensure that the sport attains international standards in Nigeria.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Newman made this known at the Abuja velodrome.
He pledged that adequate support would be given to the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN) to stage a successful continental competition in 2022.
According to him, the CFN has many activities lined up for next year, to enhance the development of the sport in the country and on the continent.
“We are starting with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Nations Cup next year. They (CFN) are also hosting the African Continental Track Cycling Championship around June next year at the Abuja velodrome.
He said the CFN was working hard to participate in the next Olympics in Paris.
“For them to be qualified to be at the Olympic games, they must do a lot of work. They have participated and qualified for the World Championships this year.
“They (CFN) are already planning on how to improve their standards … they also want to be among the middle contenders.
“It’s a long journey. Nothing happens overnight, but Nigeria has taken the steps to meet international standards.
“I’m here to assist as much as possible, to guide them on how to achieve this goal,“ Mr Newman said.
He advised the Nigerian government to continue to support the cycling federation to excel.
“They (cyclists) should continue the good work and support will come in terms of resources. We have lots of potential in the female category and the males are coming up,“ he said.
Also speaking, CFN President, Giandomenico Massari, has promised to do all in his power to ensure that Nigeria stages a befitting championship.
He said that the CAC president was in Nigeria to discuss the modalities for the proposed continental championship.
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