<h4>What are the highs of being a celebrity?</h4>
The love people give you. Being able to showcase your work on a platform that people see all over the country and continent, and sometimes even the world. Obviously that also has its downside but all in all it’s a blessing to have the opportunity to put smiles and sometimes tears on people’s faces. Being a walking billboard means you get a lot of glory for a collective and collaborative work.
&nbsp;
<h4>Your current state of mind…?</h4>
I’m always under the impression that success, happiness and love are a state of mind – a choice. You have to make that choice every day, at every turn. It’s not always an easy choice, but it’s the right one, no matter what is going on, don’t change your mind about who you are and what you want. Your mind is very powerful.
<h4></h4>
<h4>How are you finding life in New York?</h4>
It’s been incredible. I love the energy and vibe and spirit here. Everyone has a purpose and they chase it relentlessly. That’s how I see it anyway. People are passionate about their work and lives and it’s contagious! It isn’t an easy adjustment but beautiful and worthy acquisitions are never easy, it’s part of the journey. New York is like Joburg, just bigger.
Being unknown here is also giving me the opportunity to really meet the city in its awesome power and strength. It’s like meeting and understanding a machine that is intimidating and could instantly incinerate you. It’s incredible. So I’m learning well but fast. I love this place.
&nbsp;
<h4>What is more important when reading a script – the story or the money?</h4>
I’m an artiste and actor. The story is important to me, but the story alone won’t pay the exorbitant rent and food prices here in New York. So luckily there are agents and managers to sort that out for me here so I can focus on the scripts, the character and the story.
&nbsp;
<h4>When you visit family in South Africa, what do you look forward to?</h4>
To just be home. And bring back what I’ve learned to grow our industry there. I’m also interested to see how it grows and how different it will be.
I don’t want to lose touch with my people and my continent. I want to continue playing a part in the system there. I am not too good to still work in Africa. Africa made me and Africa will always have my love and my heart and mostly my talent. She nurtured it, she will always deserve it.
If you had 10 minutes to change the world, what would you do?
I need to consult a LOT of people to answer this. I want to say remove the power of money and materialism from the face of the earth. Point is, whatever I do, it would be to get people to a point where they love those around them more than they love themselves. We’re all connected; the day we all care about the next person more than ourselves is the day no one has to worry or be afraid. Love truly does conquer all things.
&nbsp;
<h4>Success is…?</h4>
Happiness. Complete fulfillment in every valuable aspect of your life. Accepting and learning from the victories and mistakes you have made. Looking and smiling at your journey with minimal regrets.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Pearl-etch

Relentless In New York

IMG_8407

Out Of The Blue: Africa’s Water Warriors

There are 65.3 million displaced people worldwide. Of those people, 21.3 million are refugees, the people who belong to – Nowhere. No one knows where they come from, no one knows where they’re going. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has highlighted that: “We are facing the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time.” He has called it a crisis of solidarity.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Global Trends report shows that since 2003, the number of newly-displaced people per minute has increased from just fewer than 10 to 24 persons in 2015. In 2014, the number was at its highest – 30. The reasons for displacement differ. Increasingly, the main reason is fleeing the source of political or economic conflict. It then becomes difficult to imagine the uncertain reality the many have run to or are left to live through. In theory, international law defines and protects refugees, encouraging the initiation of asylum procedures once they enter a new environment. In reality, the many who have migrated become nomads, often pursuing what becomes a hollow quest for a better life.
Women and girls form around 50% of refugees or displaced people around the world, according to UNHCR. In Africa, the number of women uprooted by war and unrest is significantly higher. A study published by Hivos International recorded 80% of refugees in Lebanon were women and children.
Along the inner streets of Johannesburg are ‘foreigners’, women selling fruit, vegetables and sundry items to feed their hungry children and themselves. Whilst walking up to the Department of Social Development, two young female hawkers run past me, clutching towels in one hand and tacky sunglasses and cellphone pouches on the other, fleeing cops. As is the case with hundreds of immigrants, they have no papers.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-31973 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038-1024x681.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="681" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-038.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Another, a lady, sits rubbing her pregnant belly beside a small stall on Eloff Street. She sells hats, wallets, purses and scarves. She is reluctant to talk and asks not to be named. She came to South Africa following her husband, escaping the political turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“I came after he had made his way to what we were calling the land of milk and honey… [but] when I arrived in South Africa, it was made known to me that he had left for Canada. I’d come for nothing.”
Abandoned, she was forced to join the informal trading business.
“Life is hard here. We as foreigners are just not free. People don’t respect us and just steal our stock,” she says with little emotion.
After matriculation, she had gone on to acquire a degree in management in the DRC. But today, she is battered and broke.
Often, along their treacherous journeys, the women are abused and mishandled by gangs, truck-drivers and cops. This is only the beginning of their travails. The constitutional guarantees cannot protect them from the injustices they face. The UNHCR has highlighted that life for a woman, beyond her country of origin, becomes a constant battle and one of constant fear and uncertainty.
One of the many dangers is the xenophobic attacks, as has happened in recent times, with South Africans accusing foreign nationals of taking their jobs and over-populating their areas.
The informal trading sector is the main space in which the hateful disputes unravel. But for foreign nationals who have no other hope, informal trading becomes the only option.
Vanya Gastrow, a PhD candidate currently doing research for the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS), says one of the biggest challenges faced by foreign traders who come to South Africa is the crime targeted at them.
Other challenges include lack of access to reliable documentation, says Gastrow. “Asylum seekers and refugee permits often don’t meet documentation requirements for banks, visa offices, and landlords,” she says, as such foreigners cannot open bank accounts or access loans.
“These permits also require frequent renewals and so many make the decision to just live without them.”
For women though, it is even worse.
“It’s the sexual violence… and extortion, specific dangers that authorities fail to understand,” according to Penny Foley, a volunteer from Australia currently living in South Africa. She highlights that the objectification of female refugees is one of the many symptoms of what has become the de-humanizing of forced migration.
“The global community needs to change the 20th century understanding of a nation-state and move away from the notion of isolated nationalities,” she says.
“Interestingly though, the problem is not just about changing the perception of what nationals think of foreign nationals, relations amongst refugees need to be established. The fight becomes harder if unity lacks amongst them.”
In the pages that follow, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to three women from Zimbabwe; what displacement has done to them.
&nbsp;
<h3>Tafadzwa Shumba</h3>
“I just stood at the border in my pink shirt and panties after I had crossed over. I had nothing and I was scared.”
*Tafadzwa Shumba is 42 and came to South Africa in 2008. She was forced to leave her country, Zimbabwe, because of the political instability that made life for her and her family unbearable.
“I was seen to be too neutral so they threatened my parents and tried to kill me for not engaging in their dirty politics.”
The choice to leave was not an easy one to make but as she recalls, “I literally had to take that leap of faith”.
On July 27, 2008, as the world slumped to a financial crisis, Shumba packed a portable bag. She had R300 ($21) that would pay the ‘Guma-Gumas’, a group of men said to assist escapees across the woods to the border.
“I had a passport but those days we were using visas and they were expensive so my only choice was to cross over illegally.” She was the only woman amongst seven guys.
The group began the three-day trek through the forests, the Limpopo River, eventually reaching the border.
Few survive the trek but Shumba’s determination carried her.
“I don’t forget, as we walked through the forest we saw dead bodies. There was a human head lying on the ground with dreadlocks like mine,” says Shumba, running her fingers through her own.
“The Guma-Gumas picked it up and pointed it at us and said if you don’t give us your money you will end up like this head.”
“They took everything, even my pants and left me with there in my pink shirt, panties and shoes.” There was no time to process the betrayal. The trek had to continue.
“Look at me,” she says, as she gestures to her body. “I am nothing. I was a nurse, we would wear crisp white uniforms and after work, I had a home to go to.”
Last year, she was involved in a road accident in South Africa that left her crippled.
“I could not even get compensation from the Road Accident Fund because I am a foreigner.”
Now, because of her disability, she cannot work so she takes care of children and sells fruit and vegetables when desperate for money. The future is uncertain but she takes “each day as it comes”.
&nbsp;
<h3>Refugees Seen As ‘The Other’</h3>
<h5>The travails of a Vietnamese immigrant</h5>
Lisa Phung, her mother and older sister hid in a mosquito and disease-infested swamp during the day and in the night were led on to a small vessel that took them to a main fishing boat which would eventually transport them to their new lives.
Earlier, Phung’s mother had received instruction from her father to leave Vietnam as their freedom was under threat. He was a pilot who had just been captured by communist soldiers in the Vietnam War. Her mother who was not educated enough for a stable job heeded her husband’s advice and managed to secure the money to get her and her girls out of war-torn South Vietnam.
“People smugglers” were paid to get them out.
“The first two times, we got caught and were jailed,” says Phung. The third time, they got lucky.
“En route to the fishing boat, we got robbed by the people smugglers and everything was taken except for a few pieces of food.”
But at least they got on to the big boat.
“We were crammed up like anything and I was one of the youngest at age four.”
Shortly after they started, the boat’s engine died.
“They thought it was a petrol problem but the people smugglers had taken the petrol and replaced the tank with water.”
The group of people floated for 10 days with nothing more than a packet of rice to sustain them.
“My mother remembers that I was starting to die… everyone was getting ready for death.”
Shortly before a storm, a British cargo ship sailed past and for a few moments, there was a ray of hope.
“It didn’t stop to save us and that was heart-breaking because we lost hope.”
It was as though their fate was sealed but then, in a surprise move, the ship turned around and carried the refugees, Phung and her family amongst them, to Singapore.
“After the ordeal, my mum told me she lost hope in a lot of human beings because everyone just looked out for themselves.”
Because Phung’s mother had children, she was the last to be rescued.
“She was the last person off that boat; it must have been horrifying for her.”
The ship docked in Singapore. From there, the refugees were taken to a detention center in Hong Kong where they stayed for three years.
“My mum wanted to go to the USA but they were no longer taking refugees.”
Sometime later, Australia was accepting refugees. Phung was seven years old and finally a life of stability awaited her.
Years have passed. She now lives in Australia with a family of her own and uses her experience to give hope to others who have walked her path.
“I’ve seen how refugees are seen as ‘the other’ in different parts of the world, coming to take their jobs or their land and they really just want a safe place to live and everyone should have that right.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-31981 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-681x1024.jpg" alt="" width="681" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-681x1024.jpg 681w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-300x451.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-600x902.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074-768x1155.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Refugee-mom-bw-074.jpg 1346w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" />
<h3>Tapiwa Moyo</h3>
“Coming to South Africa was supposed to be like going to heaven,” says *Tapiwa Moyo, who is 22 years old and from Zimbabwe. When her mother, her only caregiver, left her and her younger sister to find work in Johannesburg, she did not anticipate the hardship.
“At one stage we went without food for almost a week and we had to start selling my mother’s belongings to get some money to buy some maize meal.”
Moyo’s mother saw South Africa as the place where she could try and build a better life for her children.
“The deal was that she would work for a few months, save the money and get us passports and visas to move to South Africa,” says Moyo.
Months passed and then they turned into years. When their supply of cash and food ran dry, Moyo, as the older sister, still in her early teens, was forced to work menial jobs washing clothes, selling nuts and chips and eventually having to part with all their worldly possessions to survive.
“I would see other children playing with teddy bears and Barbie dolls or walking in the streets with their mothers and I would just cry because that’s all I wanted to do,” she weeps.
She was 15 when she received word that her mother had finally made enough money to bring her and her sister to South Africa.
They had waited seven years.
“When I finally got my passport, it was like my prayers were finally answered.”
The bus ride was one filled with excitement.
“It was a 12-hour ride but I couldn’t even sleep. My life was about to change.”
She recalls the moment she arrived.
“Everything I thought was a lie, South Africa was supposed to be my heaven but it was not.”
She wipes her tears with anger, not allowing herself to be weak.
“I’ve cried about it all for so long you know and nobody cares&#8230; the tears don’t mean anything.
“My name meant nothing to the border police and some of the citizens. I was just another ‘kwere-kwere’.”
Since then, that’s all she’s known apart from poverty. Just as she did in Zimbabwe, Moyo finds and sells what she can to ensure she and her daughter do not go to bed hungry each day.
“I left one hell for another. Would I like to be back home with my family? Sure, but that’s no longer an option for me. I’m here now.”
&nbsp;
<h3>Emily Shamu</h3>
*Emily Shamu came to South Africa when her daughter, Lisa, was a toddler.
“She was too heavy for me to carry along with our luggage and a gentleman offered to carry her when we crossed the Limpopo River,” says Shamu.
She would normally not have trusted a stranger, but for Shamu, the focus was survival.
Shamu and the others walked 12 hours to Musina, the northernmost town in South Africa’s Limpopo province.
“I did not know we were going to walk for so long. At some point, I fell to the ground and started to scream ‘I am tired’.”
She describes her knees colliding with the gravel road. Her daughter watched as she cried inconsolably. “My child remembers. We rested for some time and I used this time to remind myself (sic) why I was going through this.”
Now, living in South Africa for eight years as a refugee, her life is defined by a cycle of begging – not for food or spare change – but, each quarter of the school year, to plead with the headmaster to allow her daughter to sit her exams with her peers.
“Every term, my heart sinks… I don’t know if he will say yes. We are just controlled by circumstances.”
In South Africa, students are required to produce a form of identification before they are allowed to partake in written assessments. Because Shamu has no asylum papers, she is unable to apply for an ID document for her daughter.
“If I’m honest, I have not tried to get my papers,” she says. “I tried in 2010 and the back and forth is just so demoralizing.” Shamu and her daughter live stateless with nothing to ensure them stability.
“I want to go home, if the situation can just change…”

refugee-mom-bw-059

The Nowhere People

South African entrepreneur Wendy Luhabe has 26 years of experience in the boardrooms of a variety of businesses. She is now adding the unlikely sport of rugby to that list.
In July, Luhabe started her stint as the first female director of the World Rugby board. Her seat on this board is surprising as rugby is a largely white male-dominated sport in South Africa.
“I’m not a rugby fan, surprise, surprise. But I’m a patriot. Over the years, I’ve watched all the Springboks’ World Cup games, but not because I’m a sports fan. Most women don’t have the luxury of watching sport because we tend to have much more important things to do,” she says. “[Like] making a home, looking after children. It’s time consuming.”
In addition to being a wife and mother, Luhabe is also the Chair and Founder of the Women Private Equity Fund and has held governance roles with Vodacom, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the International Marketing Council (IMC) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
She was selected among 60 candidates from all over the world to help reform World Rugby, the international governing body of the sport. Luhabe was appointed alongside Mervin Davies, a former Welsh international rugby player and prominent businessman, as independent directors on the World Rugby board. Luhabe’s lack of experience in the oval-balled sport doesn’t bother her.
“We’re living in times where good governance is critical in any institution, not just sport… I think it’s more important to have business people because we are the ones that have the most governance experience than other sectors.”
Part of this governance is making the sport more popular in Africa.
“Rugby is not as well-known, or as well-entrenched, in the rest of the continent and that needs to be part of the agenda. It’s a continent of almost a billion people and there is no reason why we shouldn’t look at a strategy to make rugby as prevalent as soccer is around the continent.”
Luhabe says the sport is ideally suited to the natural athletic ability of Africans.
“Especially with Sevens [the shortened version of the game that rewards skill and pace]. I think that the African continent has a huge growth potential for rugby,” she says.
Despite rugby being one of the most brutal sports on earth, Luhabe wants to get more women playing.
“That’s where the future growth of rugby is, as surprising as it is that women play rugby.”
What about those that think rugby’s scrumming, tackling and mauling is too physical for women?
“I think that women must make the choices that they want to make; I don’t think that society should continue to make choices for women. I think that’s what’s remarkable about women playing rugby, as surprising as it is, it’s a choice they exercised and society must respect that. The women that were courageous enough to be the first to play, they are the trailblazers. In another 20 years, it will be normal.”
Being the first woman on the board of World Rugby makes Luhabe a trailblazer as well. She is part of a new group of women wrestling control of sports from the old men that have ruled for generations. In May, Senegal’s Fatma Samoura became the first female Secretary General at Fifa, football’s embattled governing body. Suddenly, sports bodies are trying very hard to get women involved.
“I suspect that they are looking for people that have the courage to challenge the status quo. In my experience, having served on male-dominated boards, you don’t find that among males. It’s only when you bring a woman into the board that the conversation changes and different questions are raised. I sense that they are really quite committed to the reforms they have agreed to and therefore they need to bring in an element that is really going to transform the leadership structures of these old and historic institutions.”
Samoura’s appointment was a surprise to many and some inside Fifa questioned her selection.
“I doubt that she would have come as far as she has if she had paid attention to those criticisms. I think women like her, and many others who break ground, women who believe in their capability and who are not as concerned about the criticism that other people have, because criticism is generally a reflection of a shift in society. When people are uncomfortable, they use criticism as a blunt instrument. I think women like her, and women like myself, are not concerned about criticism.”
Luhabe, the Founder of the Wendy Luhabe Foundation, is known for her philanthropy. Her social work will now extend to rugby.
“Sport in general has the capacity to build bridges, we saw during South Africa’s World Cup how Madiba changed our relationship with rugby, and again with the movie Invictus. We must use sport therefore to overcome social inequalities, and to level the unequal playing field and access to opportunities.”
In South Africa, rugby is criticized for its lack of transformation.
“It needs a commitment and an openness to bring in new voices and diverse people on their leadership structures. I’m not close to the dynamics of South African rugby to really know what the issues are. In the same way that World Rugby was comfortable to bring in a black woman, who has no knowledge of rugby, into their board, South African rugby needs the same openness.”
South African rugby could do with someone like Luhabe on its board – it’s unlikely to happen though.
“I think once you’ve played on the global stage, you don’t really go back, do you?”
A tough stance from a tough woman who is not going to be ruffled by any patriarchal system that rugby might have.

IMG_2349

The Tough  African  Woman  Tackling Rugby

Isolated from the world and within their own state, this has been the plight of the Saharawi people living in the refugee camps of Western Algeria for the last 41 years. They face human rights injustice, but unlike other refugees, it is in their own land.
The Polisario movement, the voice of the Saharawi ethnic group, says the territory reported to be illegally occupied by Morocco, belongs to the Saharawi people.
For years following a guerrilla war, they have tried and failed to claim ownership of the land from the Moroccan government. Now, according to the United Nations, they live in mud brick houses and tents in the harsh desert conditions of Tindouf Province, Western Algeria.
They have been locked in an armed struggle for liberation.
At the forefront of the movement are the Saharawi women who have increased their traditional role in the fight not only to reclaim their territory but to also salvage their self-determination as a people.
According to Catherine Constantinides, a human rights activist and executive director of Miss Earth South Africa, the power structure is unlike any other on the globe, particularly in Muslim culture.
“Women have a strong hold in the camps; they double as caregivers as well as liberation fighters. They also invest heavily in themselves educating one another and learning various skills. They exert the power there and the men respect this because they hold the camps together.”
Constantinides, who has dedicated her efforts to bringing to the fore their plight, emphasizes the world cannot fathom the dire conditions faced by the Saharawi people “until you see it”.
“The Saharawi people have less than nothing,” she says.
On one of her many visits to the region, Constantinides witnessed the dehumanizing of the people as they received food packets dropped by aeroplanes and water delivered in trucks.
The men cannot provide for their families so their children look to the skies for scraps of food.
This is just one illustration of the gap between humanity and policy regulations that leaves the Saharawis perennially stateless.
Moreover, there are no adequate health facilities for them.
“Child mortality is at its highest in Tindouf as women are forced to give birth in their mud houses or tents,” explains Constantinides.
“It’s devastating because children bring that spark of hope within that unfortunate situation.”
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has since visited the refugee camps in an effort to reignite negotiations in the region and to end the dispute and bring liberation to the Saharawi people. During his visit, he said he “would spare no effort towards a just and meaningful solution” for the people in Western Algeria.
These are the kind of efforts activists like Constantinides want to see in the fight against the apparent global neglect of refugees.
“We have to find better ways of dealing with the crisis.”
One example that Constantinides refers to is the naturalization process she witnessed earlier this year in Virginia, America, on the fourth of July.
“This was an example of how in time systems can work if applied to crises to give people dignity.”
“We have to bring the concept back of supporting each other instead of building walls,” she sighs.
Until such time, the Saharawi people will continue fighting for their statehood, led by the women who Constantinides says will never give up, come hell or high water.

00018733.jpg

Refugees In Their Own Home

It was a united Africa that met under one dome at the 27th African Union (AU) Summit, held from July 10-18 in Kigali, Rwanda.
After a week of mostly closed-door negotiations by the 35 heads of state in attendance, it concluded with the AU setting targets to self-finance its activities by raising $1.2 billion annually.
“It’s a great start, and an achievement for Africa,” said Smail Chergui, the AU’s commissioner for peace and security, to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA.
Some of the other issues debated at the summit were the conflicts in South Sudan, Burundi and Libya.
“We have to be on the side of the people of South Sudan and see how we can find a quick solution to what happened,” said Chergui at the closing media conference.
The AU will also start “drawing down” its troops in Somalia from October 2018, and will devote energies to training the forces and equipping them for daily combat in their own countries. The AU peacekeeping mission has been in Somalia since 2007.
The summit also saw the launch of the much-anticipated African passport. AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma handed representational passports to AU Chairperson and President of Chad Idriss Deby, and to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, at the packed ordinary session of the general assembly inside the dome of the brand-new Kigali Convention Centre (KCC).
The session had started with African music, chorus and drums, even as Africa’s first ladies sat in one colorful row, proudly sporting African fabrics and headwraps representative of their countries.
Kagame said in his opening speech: “Believe in the healing power of unity… Unity is not a feel-good slogan but a tool to unite in Africa.”
Deby too added: “For the first time since the inception of the AU, the continent decided to take the union in its own hands, and contribute financially for peace, stability and crises… It’s a gigantic step.”
The pan-African passport is expected to facilitate the mobility of Africans and ease inter-country trade, although full details of when ordinary Africans will benefit from them are yet to emerge.
Another highlight of the summit was to be the election of the next chairperson of the AU Commission. The results were to be announced on the last day after voting, but none of the three candidates, Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Uganda’s former Vice President Specioza Kazibwe and Equatorial Guinea’s Foreign Affairs Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy, managed to secure the two-thirds majority to win.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-31961 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Gatare-at-KCC-pic-by-Charles-Mugabe-683x1024.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gatare-at-KCC-pic-by-Charles-Mugabe.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gatare-at-KCC-pic-by-Charles-Mugabe-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gatare-at-KCC-pic-by-Charles-Mugabe-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gatare-at-KCC-pic-by-Charles-Mugabe-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />
The elections are now postponed for January next year. Dlamini-Zuma will continue in her role until then.
Venson-Moitoi, 65, who spoke to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA before the results, said she had been campaigning for the elections since March, had given it “her best shot”, and if elected, was looking forward to working hard and continuing the good work, “bringing  a different outlook”.
She is one of two women proposed for the post. Are women better at the job?
We asked Prof. Vincent O. Nmehielle, Legal Counsel &amp; Director for Legal Affairs of the AU Commission on his way out of a media briefing.
“I can tell you women are quite resilient and very kind in terms of what they want to see with regards to the continent. And when you become the chairperson of the African Union, there is a tendency to feel you are a mother to the continent, so you want to handle the continent with care,” he said.
The theme of the summit was Human rights, Women’s rights; at the closing ceremony where countries were given awards for promoting the gender cause, Dlamini-Zuma handed Kagame – to a rousing applause – the award for political rights for women. Globally, Rwanda has the highest participation of women in Parliament, at a staggering 64%.
But with a number of competing issues, did women’s issues receive its due airtime?
“It was sufficiently discussed,” said Mahawa Kaba Wheeler, the AU’s Director of Women and Gender, at the final press conference.
“The discussions don’t end here and will go on, it will take on new dimensions… The media must work with us to get the message out.”
Diane Gashumba, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family, said 17 ministers of gender attended the summit from various African countries.
“We did a lot, but when you look at all the policies in place supporting gender, we still have a long way to go. We have to keep sensitizing [women] to dream big about owning big enterprises,” said Gashumba.
At the session of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta made an impassioned plea to combat HIV/AIDS.
For a country that already won praise for hosting the 2016 World Economic Forum on Africa in May, the AU summit proved to be another milestone for Rwanda, which is now aiming to be Africa’s leading MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) destination.
“We have confidence in the contribution of MICE events as a way to diversify the purpose of visitors coming to Rwanda,” says Francis Gatare, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
It’s expected to boost the country’s services sector, which currently contributes to 49% of the economy.
“The services sector is expected to rise to 50% of our economy in the next two to three years. Over the last 10 years, we have seen all forms of service industry [banking to tourism] emerge and take prominence,” says Gatare.
This is where the KCC will have a starring role. Gatare says the most important dimension of the tech-savvy convention center is its location.
“Located at the entrance of the city coming from the airport, this represents a unique intersection of government ministries on one side and the central business district on the other, while it’s also adjacent to one of the most sought-after residential areas. So, all civic communities, businesses and governments come together here.”
Its design is inspired by Rwanda’s Agaseki baskets, and is also representative of the country’s traditional homes.
“When Rwandans see it [the KCC], they see their home, they see their treasure, they also see their identity,” says Gatare.
The success of any country is reflected in the success and growth of its national airline. In September, the country’s flagship carrier RwandAir will be launching direct flights to Mumbai in India and Guangzhou in China, receiving two brand-new Airbus A330s fitted with lie-flat seats in business class; the aircraft will also have a premium economy cabin, a concept new to most airlines in Africa.
RwandAir is expected to launch flights to New York, Paris and London in the next two years, says John Mirenge, the airline’s head, on the sidelines of the summit. And all new planes will be fitted with wifi onboard as a standard.
Wifi is what most business travelers to Kigali compliment the city for; from the 295-room Radisson Blue by the KCC to the mint-fresh Marriott, close to the stately Serena hotel, and even in the smaller hotels, this is evident.
Overall, the summit proved to be a success for the host country, especially the $300 million KCC, Rwanda’s new focal point vying with the hills.
The KCC, so new it literally still smells of paint, stole the show with its nightly light displays featuring the colors of the Rwandan flag that presented many picture opportunities.
Madeleine Mukamabano, a Paris-based journalist who has been covering AU summits for years, called the Kigali edition the “first truly African summit that was without foreign influences”.
Kigali scored.

The-Kigali-Convention-Centre

Meeting Africa  In Kigali

Three thousand people camped outside a courthouse for a man they didn’t know until the day before.
He arrived at court at 11:20AM in a white Toyota Corolla with tinted windows. At 1PM, the investigating officer said he forgot to bring the affidavit for the case and had to fetch it. This delayed arguments.
Crowds covered all three exits of the court, vowing to stop their man from being taken away. They even stopped police, who appeared unusually tame, to search cars to check whether their man was inside.
Inside the court, was Evan Mawarire, a pastor first charged with incitement of violence and then for trying to overthrow the government. This, after months of posting social media videos criticizing the Zimbabwean government. The videos tapped into mounting anger over high unemployment and corruption which sparked rare peaceful protests against President Robert Mugabe.
Mawarire appeared in a packed Harare Magistrates’ Court, also known as Rotten Row, draped in the Zimbabwean flag after spending the night in police cells as officers searched his house, church and office. Scores of lawyers in court waved their qualifications in the air when Mawarire was asked who would be representing him.
Outside, it was like church. Pastors from different dominations led the crowd in prayer every 30 minutes as the judge heard arguments.
“All we want is Mawarire back with no scratch. Zimbabwe shall never be a colony again. He has helped us not to be afraid anymore,” says one of Mawarire’s supporters, Kenneth Handina.
People sang and danced to gospel songs, even likening Mawarire to Jesus on the cross. They also sang struggle songs such as “Senzeni na?” –“What have we done?” in isiNdebele – an anti-apartheid song.
“This is what this government does and has been known to do. They always want to make sure we live in fear and when they say jump we follow,” says jobless graduate, Vimbai Moyo.
As the sun went down, the crowd grew. Some brought food and candles.
“We have been here since morning. Even if they delay, we won’t go. If we have to sleep here we will. We are all in this together,” says another Mawarire supporter, Allan Hunter.
The lawyers argued, successfully, that the charge of subversion had been added at the last minute, denying him a fair trial.
At about 7PM, Magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe ruled that the state had broken its own law and Mawarire was free to go. The crowd erupted. There was a surge towards the main entrance of the court with the crowd singing “Ichokwadi Mwari Varipo”— “It is true, God is there” in chiShona, the tongue of Harare.
As the pastor emerged, people waved their hands in the air and jumped in celebration. They hugged, ululated and pushed towards him. Many sat around him as a sign of respect as he addressed the crowd amid flickering camera flashes. A handful climbed trees for a clearer view.
“I want to thank you, all Zimbabweans, because we are now united. May the Lord bless you all because the country you are building is for your children; let’s continue building, don’t stop. God bless you all,” says Mawarire.
As he left, people danced on the street, hooted car horns and sang. Many cursed the police for the arrest and vowed to speak up against Mugabe’s regime.
“We don’t want politicians trying to capitalize on this. It is up to us as citizens to reclaim our country from this government so we can have a better life. If the government of Zimbabwe was not threatened before, maybe now it’s time to be,” says Tinashe Gambuza.
Zimbabwe had not seen anything like this in over a decade. As we left, a group of guys danced on top of a car singing yet another struggle song, – “Get ready mama and prepare for your freedom; freedom is coming tomorrow”. With that, everybody disappeared into the cold night.

“He Has Helped Us  Not To Be Afraid Anymore”

He is the number one fan of one of the oldest teams in Africa, Moroka Swallows, commonly known as the Birds, from Dube, not far from Nelson Mandela’s home in Orlando, Soweto, South Africa’s most well-known township.
His home is hard to miss; the Moroka Swallows emblem is painted in maroon on the outside wall. Inside his home is a shrine. Old team photos and portraits of him with players, commentators and presenters are stuck to the walls. No mistake, this is the home of Thomas ‘Rasta’ Mokhari in Pimville, Soweto.
“I was born into Swallows; my late dad was a Swallows supporter. We went to stadiums all the time and I knew nothing about soccer. I was about six years old,” says Mokhari.
By the age of 10, in 1965, Mokhari was a devotee; this was the year that the Birds won the league. He is a diehard Moroka Swallows supporter, even though he hasn’t seen a league win since.
Over the years, as Mokhari grew older and wiser, he sold rubbing ointment to Swallows players at stadiums for pocket money.
“My dad was a nurse and would come home with a big tin of rubbing ointment. I would warm it up and pour it into smaller containers to sell,” he says.
His love for the team never diminished. Mokhari got his first Swallows membership card in 1982 at Orlando Stadium. There weren’t any application forms, he says, just a stamp and your name.
“When it comes to the playing on the field, they used to amaze me. If you were playing Swallows you would be scared, it was impossible for you not to be scared,” he says.
He recalls a match between Swallows and Durban City. The opponents were five goals ahead but Moroka Swallows scored six in the last 10 minutes. Then there was the game against Orlando Pirates. Pirates were leading by three goals but the game ended 4-3 to Swallows.
Mokhari can’t remember too many table topping wins, but can recall how much he paid to watch.
“Six cents, 15 cents, R2.60 right up to R40”.
Mokhari has a sense of humor, being a Swallows fan, it helps. He speaks proudly of the team and its history but is not impressed with its current state.
“We are the first team to make history. It is the first team to have a sponsor, the first team to have a membership card, the first team to have a brass band, the first team to have cheerleaders, first team to have branches, also the first team to get relegated today and again tomorrow,” says Mokhari.
See what we mean about a sense of humor?
The last two seasons were no laughing matter. In 2015, the Birds were relegated from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to the National First Division (NFD) and this year they dropped to the third-tier ABC Motsepe League. For the upcoming season they are to play a number of teams that don’t get paid, like Orbit College, Apollo XI and Kings United.
The current state of Swallows has saddened many of the club’s fans; their dignity so crushed that it was difficult for many to talk to FORBES AFRICA.
I asked the Birds’ number one fan what happened to his team, a team that has a proud history stretching to 1946.
It began with the departure of its chairman.
“May his soul rest in peace Mr David Chabeli, he was a tired man, and he wanted to sell the team. For five years he sang the same song and people were dodging, the white people came and bought the team,” says Mokhari.
In 2001, Chabeli, known as ‘Bra Pine’, sold his majority shares to German investor Dieter Bock and Leon Prins, who became managing director of the team.
The Birds flew high, winning the Nedbank Cup in 2009 and the MTN8 in 2012.
Bock’s death in 2010 ushered in the dark days; the team wasn’t doing well even after the 2012 cup win. Bock left everything with the inexperienced Prins, says Mokhari.
But light flickers at the end of the tunnel. The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, heads a group of investors who have bought 92% of Moroka Swallows, according to Mokhari, also a club official.
The new ownership of the team could bring change; but can Swallows, wallowing in the third tier, return to the big time in the PSL?
Mokhari suggests if the minority owners are bought out, the team will do better, so the current buyers of Moroka Swallows should buy 100% of the shares.
The word is that the new owners want to buy PSL club Free State Stars, and with them a way back into top flight football.
That is likely to take time. Luxolo September, the spokesman for the PSL, warns that buying a club and being accepted into the league is a lengthy process. First, the PSL executive committee has to accept the idea, if so, it is passed to the legal department to check the veracity of the club and its new owners. It is similar to the due diligence carried out when you buy a house or a car. If the legal department is happy, the matter is sent back to the executive for a final decision.
“But so far we have heard nothing officially,” says September.
With the new season set to kick off on August 22, the Birds need to hurry up and take wing. Otherwise they’ll be coming home to roost at Orbit College.

Will The Birds Fly Above The Dead Men?

The future is difficult to predict; perhaps the solution for entrepreneurs to stay afloat is to create it.
This is when high-growth asset classes, in the form of stocks, bonds and their cash equivalents, are something that entrepreneurs should enjoy having in their personal portfolios. They make it more comfortable for an entrepreneur to take risks. If an entrepreneur’s business venture fails, an asset class will act as a soft cushion for them to fall upon until they are able to rise again.
Real estate is a safe but overrated investment option. Even celebrities are given this clichéd investment option to safeguard their future. An advantage of real estate is you can choose whether to invest your money in commercial buildings, like office blocks, shopping centres and industrial buildings, or residential buildings, which includes apartments or houses, in the form of holiday houses or rental properties.
But, this is advice anyone can find on Google, or the first thing your financial adviser will tell you. The problem is some of these properties have an annual growth rate that is comparable to leaving your money in a savings account at the bank. Basically, any financial adviser who talks about property as a core investment is an amateur.
Successful African entrepreneurs need to spread their wings and invest in multiple asset classes.
Passive fund management is quickly taking over from active fund management, which charges high management fees, yet rarely outperforms the market. When you claim your money back, the money reflected on paper at the time of payment will be deducted to leave you an amount that will not make you smile.
Larry Fink, Founder of BlackRock, the largest global fund manager with $4.3 trillion in assets under management, noted an emerging trend of massive amounts of money that are flowing from active management to passive management.
Low-cost passive indexation fund managers are not yet popular, but they are the future, with undeniable value proposition. Entrepreneurs who want to secure their family’s future should consider passive asset managers, with guaranteed returns and the option to tailor your indices to those that are performing best in the market.
My advice is to consider becoming an angel investor of about 10 funds in start-ups, and small and medium-sized companies. They can be risky, hence the small percentage, but if you make it, the rewards are huge. This will also be an exciting experience for an entrepreneur to help other entrepreneurs grow, similar to what Peter Thiel did with Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. It proved to be the best decision he made after co-founding PayPal with Elon Musk and Max Levchin.
Many billionaires become angel investors in start-ups around the world, from China to Germany, Kenya, the United States and India. They claim the experience is more rewarding than just trading on the stock exchange.
Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, is a small angel investor in Quora, which has built an online community of intellectuals. Steve Case, Founder of AOL, funded dozens of start-ups through his investment firm Revolution LLC, where he focuses on growing them.
Depending on how big your bank balance is, you may consider investing in art, antiques and vintage cars, like Aston Martin, which is one of the few cars on the planet to appreciate with time.
However, paintings and other vintage items, is a game only the rich can play. If you have really made it as an entrepreneur, it will suit you to have these types of items in your portfolio. China’s millionaire art collector, Li Guochang, is preserving his wealth this way.
If you don’t have piles of cash, you need not worry. As an entrepreneur, you don’t need to be it to start participating in asset classes to secure your financial future.

Become An Angel  To Avoid  Investor Demons

I have taken a sabbatical from corporate life and as I write this I am experiencing, first hand, the cultures, history and architecture of the ancient world in Eastern Europe and Asia Minor.
Travelling through Turkey, the Balkans and the new countries born of the collapse of the Soviet Union, one cannot escape the striking diversity of the infrastructure that modern citizens of these countries have inherited. There are important lessons we should have learned from the past, but have we?
Roman engineering and construction techniques laid the foundation for our modern construction technology and methods – they created massive infrastructure across 5,000 kilometers of territory from northern Europe to northern Africa and the Black Sea in the east over a period of around 500 years from 27 BC. The Romans were dedicated master civil engineers and constructors using marble and hard rock, such as granite, transported from all corners of their empire to create cities comprising massive structures, water and transport systems, as well as public facilities that could accommodate thousands in stadiums. They invented concrete and the manufacture of kiln-fired red brick. They recycled materials and large building components as the empire expanded and contracted.
“Why did the Romans build so many ruins?” asked a tourist to our great amusement – fact is that their structures have outlasted most others, hence these are still with us. The Romans worked from a master plan, used detailed design techniques, the best materials, and skilled craftsmen. They mastered logistics, manpower and project management like the ancient Egyptians had done 3,000 years earlier.
The Ottoman Empire usurped the Romans in Eastern Europe and Asia Minor for the next 400 years into the 15th century before Eastern European communities started to win back their countries from the oppression of the Ottoman Turks and re-establish their own art, culture and architecture. During their reign, the Ottomans, while perfecting the construction of large domes in their places of worship, chose interlocking soft sandstone and used simpler construction methods. Their structures have not survived as well, with some notable exceptions, requiring regular restoration and preservation, at great cost.
In Istanbul there are two obelisks a hundred meters apart. One is sandstone from the Ottoman era around 1400 AD, but now a crumbling image of its former self. The second is an Egyptian granite obelisk still in almost pristine condition from around 2000 BC, situated upon a still substantial foundation of a Roman hippodrome built circa 330 AD of solid granite, marble and red brick and mortar (cement).
Fast forward to my visit to Romania and Bulgaria, where the fabulous granite and marble structures of the Renaissance period, through to the 18th century post the defeat of the Ottoman Turks, stand proudly while all around are the crumbling relics of Soviet Russia era multi-story mass housing blocks and public buildings – falling apart after only a few decades. The new democracies in these countries have massive restoration and rebuilding programs – substantially funded with EU contributions, which fuels the British, French and German taxpayer debate on who benefits from the EU.
The contrast with the structures of the ancient and antique world is remarkable.
Spotlight moves to Africa and what has been achieved in infrastructure delivery.
The crumbling RDP houses, the years of time and cost overruns on public sector power plants and pipelines, roads and railways. The lack of infrastructure planning and maintenance across our region is in stark contrast to the world class private sector delivery of mines, toll roads, World Cup stadiums, renewable energy plants, commercial and retail infrastructure and private hospitals delivered in recent years.
It would seem obvious, and history tells us, that infrastructure is best delivered by professionals using proven design processes, skilled craftsmen, the appropriate materials and technologies, effective planning and project management techniques.
Infrastructure delivery should not be controlled by politics, cadre deployment, state institutions that have limited technical capacity, tenderpreneurs, or cobbled-together contractors who may be well-networked.
By nature of their training, demonstrable skills and track record, infrastructure delivery is the domain of professional individuals and companies who should, but still wait patiently, be invited into the inner sanctum of government to discuss the master plan for both South Africa and the regional infrastructure backlog that will unlock the future.
The Romans had this sorted – why can’t we?

Where is caesar   when you need him

Across the globe, more nuclear power units are under construction today than at any other time in the last 25 years. This is happening despite the 2011 crisis in Japan at Fukushima. It is important to note the Fukushima crisis and resulting problems was not a result of a nuclear disaster, but rather a tsunami that laid waste to large parts of Japan and killed around 20,000 people.
At the start of 2015 there were 436 operating nuclear reactors across the globe. By year-end this had increased to 439, despite the closure of seven units during the year. The countries driving nuclear construction are largely in Asia, with China, at last count, building 30 new reactors to add to their fleet.
In South Africa, it’s clear that the government is intent on pressing ahead with a new nuclear build program. The Integrated Resource Plan calls for 9,600MW of nuclear power and this still seems to be the target for the new build. One reason seemingly being that since nuclear is an expensive and complicated industry; it would simply be more cost effective over the long term to invest in a fleet of reactors that can be supported by an underlying industry. If this should transpire, it will certainly lead to a boom in jobs across many sectors of industry.
The environment is another reason nuclear power is punted as an option for South Africa. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December, countries reached an agreement to hold the average global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius, compared to preindustrial levels. The targets agreed upon will require significant reductions in the global greenhouse gas emissions and one of the major areas targeted for reduction of carbon dioxide outputs would be energy generation. The bulk of the globe’s electricity is still generated by fossil fuels, with nuclear power supplying roughly 10% of global electricity. The use of nuclear power is recognized as being a means to achieve climate change targets.
Another serious question around South Africa’s energy future is the planned decommissioning of old power plants. By 2030, Eskom, by law, must close down 14,800MW of existing capacity, while Eskom’s new mega build projects will only add 10,932MW over the same period. These older plants are currently supplying a large part of South Africa’s baseload electricity. The country can ill afford to lose such a big part of its capacity and there is still no clear plan as to what will replace this baseload capacity. The role of renewables is limited; the availability of power output from renewable energy is still not comparable to that of fossil fuel or nuclear plants. Add into the mix the environmental considerations and there is only one option to replace old baseload with new baseload – nuclear.
The major constraint to a new nuclear build in South Africa is funding. Accurate estimates of what a 9,600MW fleet could cost are largely unavailable; they range between $45.4 billion and $68 billion. The only thing we know for sure is that is going to be very expensive. There are other concerns over safety, waste and the ability to run a corruption free and timeous build process.
However, there are also some benefits. The country cannot ignore the environmental issues and the need for a reliable baseload power system that can allow the economy to grow. The South African economy may be moving away from mining but there is no need to ignore the potential in the future of mining, as well as in added beneficiation. Reaching this potential would require a lot of electricity and of course, the more the economy grows, the greater the need for electricity.
Where will the first new plant be built? The Eastern Cape province still seems the most likely area. When will the first new reactor be built? The current economic downturn has given the country some breathing room and the pressure is off for now, but there can be little doubt that new construction could start within the next two years. Following that, the full fleet of 9,600MW could follow over the following 20 years. In addition, given government’s appetite for nuclear power, I would not be surprised if South Africa sees more than 9,600MW of nuclear power by 2050.
Is that a good thing? Time will tell.
&nbsp;
James-Brent Styan authored a book on the energy crisis called Blackout, The Eskom Crisis. It was published in 2015. He writes in his personal capacity.

The Good, Bad…  And expensive

Plans for Nairobi to enter the Global Financial Centre Index (GFCI) – a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centers around the word – finally appear to be on track, following the recent introduction of the Nairobi International Financial Centre (NIFC) Bill. Although the city is yet to be included in the global rank, it’s already among 16 associate centers expected to join the index in the near future.
One of the key roles of the NIFC will be to attract international financial services and multinational corporations to grow and develop the market for financial services in the region. It will help all NIFC-licensed firms to generate new and sustainable revenue streams. On this front, Nairobi is already playing host to several representative offices of global lenders, such as HDFC Bank, Nedbank, First Rand and Bank of Kigali. In addition, the NIFC will provide access to local and regional investment opportunities. Business can be transacted inside or outside Nairobi, in local or foreign currency. This is to allow businesses to operate both locally and internationally. For this reason, plans are already underway to make Nairobi Africa’s first clearing house for the Chinese yuan.
According to the GFCI ranking, for Nairobi to become an international financial center, it will need to enhance five key areas of competitiveness: financial sector development, business environment, infrastructure, human capital, and reputational and general factors. With this in mind, it was encouraging to hear the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, Henry Rotich, propose changes for the local debt market during this year’s budget speech. To start with, market players will now see the introduction of electronic bond auctions which will spare investors from the current manual process of submitting paper bids, the separation of retail and wholesale components of the market and the introduction of primary dealers and market makers. It is likely to attract international portfolio funds looking to investment in the region.
Furthermore, Rotich, through the Financial Services Authority (FSA) Bill will set the stage for mergers across the existing non-banking regulators. The move is expected to address issues around consumer protection, existing regulatory gaps and issues of market conduct. Once enacted, Nairobi’s international status is expected to become even more essential. Some leading institutions have already taken notice. Ecobank Transnational is now planning to upgrade its Nairobi office to be the regional hub of operations for 18 countries. Similarly, global financial services firm, SWIFT, plans to open a regional hub in Nairobi.
A further indication of Nairobi’s increasing competitiveness is the improving business environment. In the 2016 FinAccess survey, Kenyan’s access to financial services stood at 75.3%, up from 66.7% in 2013. But, issues revolving around corruption and rule of law are also key. Kenya would not be an ideal international financial center if its people are corrupt, lazy and lawless. In view of the current financial scandals that have rocked some of the major financial centers, such as the Panama Papers scandal, it’s obvious that reputation is a vital asset that needs to be protected. In fact, reputation has become more important than reality. It is no surprise to see Athens and Moscow at the bottom of the global ranking.
While Nairobi gears up for a leap forward, its efforts so far have attracted attention. Kenya was ranked number 42 out of 140 countries by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2015/16 in financial market development. In 2015, the country was also ranked first in the world for leveraging technology to drive inclusion by the Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP).
Looking at this trend, it is safe to say that it’s only a matter of time before Nairobi catches up with the big boys.

Giant Leap Forward

The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) PLC was set to list on its own main board on July 12 after raising TZS10.1 billion ($4.6 million) in an IPO. It received bids totalling TZS35.8 billion, or 4.8 times oversubscription, for its TZS7.5 billion offer of 15 million shares at TZS500 each which closed on June 3. The DSE had a “green shoe” option to take up to 10% extra and applied to Tanzania’s Capital Markets and Securities Authority to boost this to 35% with the result that it was able to take an additional TZS2.6 billion. Staff took up their full allocation of 3% of the shares.
The Tanzanian bourse is set for a boost in activity after telecoms firms were ordered to list up to 25% of their shares within six months from July 1, in terms of the government’s Finance Bill 2016 and an amended Electronic and Postal Communications Act in June. DSE CEO, Moremi Marwa, said there would be enough liquidity: “The combined 25% of all telecommunications companies’ balance sheets is about $1 billion… Our current market capitalization is TZS22 trillion and annual market turnover is exceeding TZS750 billion. Treasury bonds and bills issued per annum at DSE normally exceeds TZS2.5 trillion and they are normally oversubscribed, meaning there is more liquidity to invest in less risky assets than instruments available.”
The DSE plans to use IPO proceeds to enhance its core operating system, introduce new products and services and for “strategic and operational purposes”. One in two Tanzanians have learned to use mobile financial services, according to a FinScope survey, and investors can use phones to apply for some DSE share offers.
In May, the Botswana Stock Exchange issued a tender for its valuation as it becomes demutualized, for-profit company, BSE Ltd, and works out how to convert the proprietary rights owned by stockbrokers and its government subvention. The Casablanca Stock Exchange is also demutualizing and mulling an IPO – its shareholders include banks 39%, brokers 20% and the Caisse de dépôt et de gestion (CDG) 25%. Johannesburg and Nairobi were Africa’s first securities exchanges to complete the steps through demutualization, IPO and self-listing.
Enko Capital runs the $83-million Enko Africa Private Equity Fund, which focuses on pre-IPO investments, and says Kenyan IT company, The Copy Cat, which operates in four East African countries, and Nigerian interior design company DO.II Designs are considering IPOs. Nigeria’s government is working on privatization of eight state-owned companies: Port Harcourt Refining Company, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Telecommunications, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Bank of Agriculture, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Bank of Industry.
Innscor Africa Holdings spun off and listed Axia Corporation on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) in May. Axia has three operating subsidiaries – logistics and warehousing Distribution Group Africa, furniture and appliance retailer TV Sales &amp; Home, and auto spares retailer Transerv – and $40.6 million market capitalization. Innscor’s previous unbundlings and listings were Simbisa Brands in November and Padenga Holdings in 2010 as the conglomerate focuses on light manufacturing. It was the ZSE’s second listing in 2016 after GetBucks in January.
West African utility group, Eranove, postponed its IPO and listing on the Paris-based Euronext exchange. Its owners include private equity firm Emerging Capital Partners (56%) and insurer AXA (19%) and its four core subsidiaries which supply water and generate and distribute power in Côte d’Ivoire, and distribute water in Senegal.
Miguel Azevedo, Citigroup’s Head of Investment Banking Africa, says the IPO drive will continue in 2017 as capital-raising moves from debt to equity. Bond sales have been hit by rising yields and declining local currencies.
“Sometimes entrepreneurs, all they want is debt, no equity, just debt. This crisis showed them that this can be very expensive. It makes sense to bring in some more equity,” says Azevedo.
His tips for exciting industries include consumer goods, banking, power and infrastructure.
“I see the growth profile of the continent, and in the blocs, is still there. The opportunity in Africa is still there.”
He forecast that multinationals expanding in Africa would aim to take significant positions in companies, rather than outright purchases.
“The base case is buying around 50% with an agreement to buy the remainder.”
Private equity will remain very active and there could be more consolidation among leading firms.

Entrepreneurs Move  From Debt To Equity

One would do a double-take on Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to launch their first-ever Jaguar SUV on the volcanic island nation of Mauritius. The island’s claim to fame is its perfect white sand beaches, colorful coral reefs, luxury resorts and vast expanses of sugarcane. With about 1.3 million people, this picture-perfect getaway has everything going for it except market size. So what did Jaguar Land Rover see that other car makers are missing?
Mauritius sits in the middle of the triangle that connects Asia, Africa, and Australia. The small player has been selling this convergence point to position itself as the main conduit of trade between the three regions. At the backend, government reforms over the last three decades have ushered in economic policies that are increasingly friendly to investors. Political stability has supported growth, which surged to 3.7% in 2015 and is projected by the African Development Bank to touch 3.8% this year, at a time when many bigger economies are shrinking. The island has moved into lead position in Africa with its 46th ranking out of 140 economies in the latest edition of the World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Report. This stellar economic performance has earned Mauritius the title of “Africa’s first tiger”. With strong economic fundamentals, Mauritius is the perfect cocktail of business and lifestyle. But can the Mauritians afford the luxurious life that the island has on offer?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5163" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/shutterstock_319442189-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
The 2016 Wealth Report is annual appreciation of the size and growth prospects of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in Africa. Mauritius tops the rankings of the report as home to the richest population in Africa, with the average wealth of $21,700 per person. The island’s people are significantly wealthier than the average South African, with a per capita average wealth of $10,300, and Zimbabwe on the last rung with an average of $200 per person. According to the report, the wealth is supported by secure property rights, a vibrant financial sector, and the migration of a large number of wealthy individuals to the sun and sand of Port Louis and other emerging cities in Mauritius. So the fit of a launching a new luxury vehicle into a market already growing in the luxury market and teaming with HNWIs makes perfect sense. The big question was whether going into untrodden SUV territory was the right move for Jaguar?
Throughout the history of Jaguar, the idea of an SUV has either never crossed the minds of all the teams in the company since 1922 or the idea has been crushed every time it reared its head. But, with SUVs expected to account for every five new car sales by 2020, even Jaguar realized that it was time to venture into unknown territory.
The F-Pace was launched in Port Louis in an all-white-clad gaggle of top celebrities; the most influential, and affluent of Mauritius. The mid-size SUV is heating up the competition and looking to steal market share from dominant SUV players, like BMW and Porsche, while also not upsetting sister company Land Rover. The F-Pace will be going head-to-head with the Range Rover Evoque, Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC and Porsche Macan.
The F-Pace is taking a bite at the market at an aggressive entry level price of $50,000, which will get you a 2.0-liter diesel engine, rear-wheel-drive and a manual gearbox. An eight-speed automatic will burn a $55,390-hole in your pocket. The R-Sport package has sportier design elements and 19-inch alloy wheels. For bigger engines, 3.0 liters start at around $75,000. Several of the guests at the glittery launch mentioned that they had been on the waiting list for the F-Pace for serval months and found the price competitive.
On the inside, the F-Pace has drawn inspiration from the XF and XJ family members. The screens and console are easy to navigate. Every F-Pace gets a standard eight-inch touchscreen in the center console, with further infotainment options available. My favorite functionality was the Wi-Fi connectivity that can connect up to eight devices.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5161" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/shutterstock_399732943-Ed-Aldridge-Shutterstock.com--300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
The spaciousness of the F-Pace cannot go unnoticed. With well-thought-out hidden nooks for your handbag, cellphone, and sunglasses, it’s every woman’s dream. The cabin space is more than generous, with an almost flat roofline allowing passengers at the back to be as comfortable as those in the front. The F-Pace has built in practicality with sizeable boot space at 605-liter carrying capacity which, with folded seats, can extend to 1,740 liters. The panoramic sunroof allowed us to take in the light, sounds and splashes of color as we drove through Port Louis.
The F-Pace shows the evolution that the Jaguar Land Rover brand is undergoing. The car is young, sexy, and attractive. Jaguar’s iconic big cat emblem has also been overhauled for a younger look and feel. With Africa’s richest increasingly getting younger, increasingly open-minded, and daring, it makes perfect sense why Jaguar has taken on Africa’s Tiger in the Indian Ocean.

The Big Cat  At Ease With Africa’s Tiger

Peer pressure has been the cause of many young – and not so young – people going sadly astray. For Elethu Rotsho, a 15-year old, Grade 10 student at the Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT), a secondary school in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, peer pressure has led him down a much more positive path. He is one of 12 students who are collectively known as the Optimistic Youth Reporters, which he joined “because my friends forced me to join”.
In October last year, the Optimistic Youth Reporters had the first broadcast of what is the first public high school radio station on the African continent. The COSAT radio project was established by the Children’s Radio Foundation (CRF), which is involved in projects across six African countries (Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa) designed to provide platforms for young people to express themselves using radio.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5157" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RadioSchool_JC-16-of-16-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
The relationship with COSAT was, as explained by Project Manager, Linda Daniels, “initiated by a journalist who spent some time doing a story on the school for international media. He had been working with a group of Grade 7 kids and felt that, considering our work with young people, it was a good fit.”
Despite joining because of his friends, for Rotsho, “as time has passed, I really got into it. I really want to contribute to getting teenage voices around the country heard. While I grew up in a comfortable home in Khayelitsha, the environment in the township has a lot of negative influences, like smoking and crime. I don’t think that mainstream media are doing enough in talking about the issues that affect us a young people.”
Ongeziwe Mgidi, also a 15-year old Grade 10 student, agrees.
“Most of the media focuses on older people while it is us young people who are facing the biggest challenges. If they could put more attention on the young, including highlighting young people reaching higher levels of society at a younger age, it would help,” she says.
Mgidi signed up because she has always been interested in a career in journalism. While she initially thought becoming an Optimistic Young Reporter would involve writing articles, it has given her insight into a different aspect of journalism as well as running a radio show.
“We broadcast once every two weeks to a live audience but meet every Friday for training and to prepare for each show. We divide ourselves into the different positions, i.e. producer, researcher, presenter, etc. for that specific show. My favorite role is producer. I’m good at keeping time and I like people to do what I say,” says Mgidi.
“We look at the challenges that we, as youth, the township and the whole country, face and put together the show topics from that. We go out and interview our school mates and people from the community, which we include in the show. The presenters then discuss it on air before opening up for comments from the audience,” says Rotsho.
The show is broadcast from a radio desk that has been built in a hall at the school. CRF’s role has been to facilitate the weekly sessions, which started over two years ago, providing the young reporters with a solid foundation in radio reporting skills, media ethics and child rights. They will be leaving the school and the young reporters to maintain and run their station independently in the next few months.
“This has been very much a two-way process; a horizontal exchange between myself, other CRF colleagues and the young people. What’s exciting is we can see a lot of the topics push beyond the school gates into community. We have had parents and teachers engaging. It’s been an incredible learning experience. I’ve been struck by the vibrancy and energy of these young people, who we can learn from. As adults, we tend to think we know better in terms of guiding and teaching. They have much to teach the world,” says Daniels.
And the young reporters have gained immensely from being part of the project, both in terms of their own personal development as well as in contributing to the solving of some of the issues they face.
Mgidi says she has become much more confident and comfortable with asking questions and sharing her opinions, although a journalism career no longer seems to be in her future.
“I talked to my parents about journalism but they feel it isn’t a stable career. The more you are published, the more you get paid but it isn’t guaranteed. I’m now thinking of forensics because I like finding out things.”
For Rotsho, who raps and is passionate about music, the future is not as clear. At this stage, his focus is on doing what he can as part of the Optimistic Young Reporters.
“It is important to communicate directly with the residents of the township. We need to try find solutions from them because (we) are the ones living with the challenges. Radio helps with this and we normally get positive feedback. It has also taught me how to think better as well as differentiate between positive and negative things,” he says.
What COSAT’s radio project demonstrates is that the future of Africa are truly engaged in their lives and the world around them. They are playing their part to ensure that the past and present create a very different future.

Tag: August 2016

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Relentless In New York

Out Of The Blue: Africa’s Water Warriors

The Nowhere People

The Tough African Woman Tackling Rugby

Refugees In Their Own Home

Meeting Africa In Kigali

“He Has Helped Us Not To Be Afraid Anymore”

Will The Birds Fly Above The Dead Men?

Become An Angel To Avoid Investor Demons

Where is caesar when you need him

The Good, Bad… And expensive

Giant Leap Forward

Entrepreneurs Move From Debt To Equity

The Big Cat At Ease With Africa’s Tiger

Taking Back THE Airwaves