
<p><strong>This wave of protests is reminiscent of the 2020 #EndSARS movement in the West African nation.</strong></p>



<p>Nigerians are embarking on a nationwide 10-day protest over governance and the soaring cost of living, joining a surge of youth-led demonstrations that have spread across some African nations in recent weeks.</p>



<p>These protests come amid a challenging economic backdrop. Nigeria’s headline inflation rate surged to 34.19% in June, the highest since March 1996. This increase is driven by the removal of fuel subsidies and a weakening local currency. Food inflation, which makes up the bulk of Nigeria&#8217;s inflation basket, hit a record high of 40.87% in June, driven by price hikes in bread, cereal, potatoes, and fish.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164200701.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62647" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164200701.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164200701-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164200701-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong><em>Nigerians are staging a protest over hardship and bad governance, tagged #EndBadGovernment, in Ikeja to Ojota, Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday, August 1, 2024. (Photo by Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</em></strong></figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The protest, which began in the capital, Abuja, has largely been peaceful but has turned violent in Northern Nigeria. In Kaduna, protesters set ablaze the headquarters of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) and looted its property and surrounding private residences. In Kano, where one individual was reportedly shot dead and another was critically injured by stray police bullets, protesters looted a shop and vandalized the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Digital Industrial Park, which was scheduled for launching next week.</p>



<p>Police have reportedly used tear gas on protesters in Lagos, Abuja, and Bauchi, and a curfew has been declared in Borno. Six people have been reported dead, and scores injured in Niger of Northern Nigeria.</p>



<p>Banks, most of which closed early, emailed customers advising them on alternative channels for banking transactions. Meanwhile, businesses generally shut down in southeastern states like Ebonyi and Enugu, which have not yet reportedly joined the protest.</p>



<p>&#8220;The protests reflect a growing frustration among citizens, especially the youth, who are increasingly unwilling to tolerate the government&#8217;s failure to address basic economic needs,&#8221; Nigerian analyst Moses Adeolubodun tells FORBES AFRICA, adding that &#8220;there is an urgent need for policy reforms and effective governance to alleviate the economic burdens on the populace&#8221;.</p>



<p>Just three days before the protests began, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the new National Minimum Wage Act. This came nearly two weeks after an agreement with the organized labor unions — the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) — on raising the minimum wage from N30,000 ($18.06) to N70,000 ($42.14).</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164158285.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62649" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164158285.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164158285-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164158285-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em><strong>ABUJA, NIGERIA &#8211; AUGUST 01: Police and soldiers intervene with tear gas to disperse the crowd gathered at Eagle Square, protesting against the rising cost of living following the removal of gasoline subsidies in Abuja, Nigeria on August 01, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images)</strong></em></figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Meanwhile, in other parts of Africa too, youth protests are intensifying. Last week, young Ugandans took to the streets to protest alleged corruption and demanded the resignation of the parliament speaker. Police in Uganda reportedly shut down the march and arrested more than 70 people.</p>



<p>In Ghana, the high court has blocked civil society groups from holding protests in the capital, Accra. These groups sought to demand more action from President Nana Akufo-Addo on corruption and living conditions and to protest delays in signing an anti-LGBT bill into law.</p>



<p>In Kenya, more than 50 people have been killed, and nearly 700 arrested in a police crackdown on demonstrations in mid-June. Protesters began taking to the streets to oppose tax increases proposed by President William Ruto. Following the unrest, Ruto fired his cabinet and scrapped the tax bill.</p>


Protesters In Took To The Street In Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital

Nigeria Faces New Wave Of Nationwide Protests Over Rising Cost Of Living


<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><em>WORDS By Chanel Retief <br>PHOTOS By Yeshiel Panchia</em></strong></p>



<p>TOPLINE: For the past two days, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has met with leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly. In his meeting, he told leaders that the government is intensifying its efforts and working in partnership with civil society to stem public violence affecting various parts of South Africa.</p>



<p>Key Facts</p>



<p>● South Africa has been mired in lawlessness and civil unrest since Saturday night following the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma. Though believed to be under the banner of #FreeZuma, Ramaphosa on Sunday told the nation that these were also “opportunistic acts of criminality”.</p>



<p>● According to a statement released by the presidency this afternoon, leaders of political parties have characterized the situation in the country as an attack on the democratic order. Furthermore, they believe that this unrest requires a multifaceted response in the long-term as it has already affected unemployment and poverty in South Africa.</p>



<p>● The riots have left businesses in disarray, either looted, vandalized, and/or destroyed across parts of<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1eDx6D_PEhXr9YIzIjWfw6ZXKFs_wiZ5D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng province</a>s. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
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<p>● Ramaphosa on Monday in his address warned that if the unrest continued, the situation could lead to food insecurity as well as to an overwhelming of public health systems. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, some stores across South Africa witnessed long queues and empty shelves with disrupted supply chains. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The stockpiling has started. Long queues in grocery stores. It’s a mess! <a href="https://t.co/0EGzjwSwNV">pic.twitter.com/0EGzjwSwNV</a></p>&mdash; Nathi Ndamase (@nathi_ndamase) <a href="https://twitter.com/nathi_ndamase/status/1415260694761594884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>● This also includes some retail stores that specialize in selling medication, such as Clicks, which have been forced to close “some stores until further notice for the safety of our staff and customers”.</p>



<p>● “The looting and destruction of property are alarming,” said Busisiwe Mavuso, Chief Executive Officer of Business Leadership South Africa, in a statement. “This is inflicting further damage to the economy which is already at stretching point because of lockdown restrictions.”</p>



<p>● This has also affected the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in KZN and Gauteng as inoculations at some centers have had to be suspended due to the riots. “This will have lasting effects on our ability to consolidate some of the progress we were already witnessing in our economic recovery,” Ramaphosa said on Monday.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-photos">In Photos</h3>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51833" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-2-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>A young boy lies dead as his family mourns besides his body after he was allegedly shot by taxi association members supporting police in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. This was during the course of a conflict between the police, taxi association members and looters of a nearby mall. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51834" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-3-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>A shopping center stands completely looted and destroyed in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Looters ravaged the center over the last few days, which saw three people killed. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51835" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-4-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>*Moande, a store owner, stands in front of his looted and destroyed shop in Chris Hani Mall in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Over the last few days, his shop has been destroyed, his stock looted, and he stated that he will have to lay off the workers he previously employed as he closes down. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51836" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/14-July-2021-Forbes-5-of-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Taxi association members gather men they allegedly caught looting outside Chris Hani Mall in Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 14 July 2021. Many of the association members turned out to defend the malls, with at least one dead, attributed to their use of live weapons. Police did not interfere in any of their actions. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia</p>



<p><em><strong>This is a developing story and FORBES AFRICA will provide updates.</strong></em></p>


14 July 2021 Forbes (1 of 5)

Panic Buying, Political Meetings And The Pain Of Business


<p><strong>TOPLINE </strong>On the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, people all over the world gathered to remember the man whose death kicked off worldwide protests and ushered in a new chapter in the fight against racism and police brutality</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Members of the Minneapolis community gathered together Tuesday at George Floyd Square, named for the place where Floyd was murdered in police custody a year ago, to mourn and pay their respects.</p>



<p>Events to mark the anniversary of Floyd’s murder were also held as far away as Berlin, Germany, where activists held a socially-distanced demonstration to remember Floyd.</p>



<p>Floyd’s brother, Philonise, along with other members of the Floyd family traveled to Washington, D.C. to encourage lawmakers to <a href="https://wgntv.com/news/george-floyd-family-meets-with-biden-as-congress-mulls-police-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pass a police reform bill</a> making its way through Congress.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109483.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51181" width="557" height="371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109483.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109483-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109483-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px" /><figcaption>ATLANTA, GA &#8211; MAY 25: People gather to march and memorialize the life of George Floyd on the anniversary of his death on May 25, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Floyd&#8217;s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests and movements around the world. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109132.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51182" width="490" height="327" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109132.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109132-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1233109132-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px" /><figcaption>ATLANTA, GA &#8211; MAY 25: A mural of George Floyd painted downtown to memorialize the life of George Floyd is shown on the anniversary of his death on May 25, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Floyd&#8217;s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests and movements around the world. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232456603.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51184" width="559" height="373" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232456603.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232456603-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232456603-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px" /><figcaption>People celebrate the sentence of former police officer Derek Chauvin as guilty of the murder of George FLoyd, at the mural in tribute to George Floyd in the neighborhood of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, on April 21, 2021.  (Photo by Robert Bonet/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1244161665.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51185" width="586" height="391" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1244161665.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1244161665-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1244161665-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 586px) 100vw, 586px" /><figcaption>BOGOTA, COLOMBIA &#8211; JUNE 03: A woman with a necklace of Africa is seen in front of the headquarters of the American embassy during a demonstration against police brutality against George Floyd and deployment of US armed forces to Colombian territory on June 03, 2020 in Bogota, Colombia. Protests spread across cities around the world in response to the death of African American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Diego Cuevas/Vizzor Image/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1320092921.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51183" width="686" height="457" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1320092921.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1320092921-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1320092921-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px" /><figcaption>MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA &#8211; MAY 25: Candles illuminate a makeshift headstone for George Floyd at the Say Their Names Cemetery on May 25, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. People gathered to remember Floyd, who died at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin one year ago today. Chauvin was found guilty on three counts of murder and manslaughter.  (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong><em>By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Minneapolis Remembers George Floyd On Anniversary Of His Death

The World Remembers George Floyd One Year After His Death


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Along with <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/01/06/the-protesters-are-in-the-building-us-capitol-goes-on-lockdown/?sh=27c4bf8e30c1">shutting down</a> the proceedings of the U.S. Congress and forcing lawmakers to flee to safety during an important vote on the presidential election, the pro-Trump mob that stormed through the Capitol on Wednesday stole equipment, ripped down signs, and damaged property—brazen actions they could be prosecuted for, many of which were caught on camera. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>In a photo snapped by Getty Images, an unidentified vandal wearing a “Trump” ski cap appeared to steal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) podium, all while smiling and waving at the camera.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A Trump supporter carries a podium around the U.S. Capitol after protesters breached the Capitol Building during a joint session of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Congress?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Congress</a> in Washington, DC 📷: <a href="https://twitter.com/WinMc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WinMc</a> <a href="https://t.co/lsF7wg6BI5">pic.twitter.com/lsF7wg6BI5</a></p>&mdash; Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/GettyImagesNews/status/1346916320965750788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Trump supporters took over Pelosi’s office, upending tables, ripping down pictures, and removing a sign posted by the entrance to be used as a “trophy,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests/a-sign-from-nancy-pelosis-office-was-taken-as-a-trophy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to the <em>New York Times</em></a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Among the terrorists invading Capitol today was a man (left) wearing a sweatshirt saying, “Camp Auschwitz”:<a href="https://twitter.com/mikedebonis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mikedebonis</a> <a href="https://t.co/NxhjdPqXBG">pic.twitter.com/NxhjdPqXBG</a></p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1346971421134741505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Richard Barnett, 60, from Gravette, Arkansas, posed for the <em>New York Times</em> with a note stolen from Pelosi’s office, saying he didn’t steal it because he “left a quarter” on Pelosi’s desk.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That’s Richard “Bigo” Barnett, 60, from Gravette, Ak., showing off the personalized envelope he took from Speaker Pelosi’s office. He insisted he didn’t steal it — “I left a quarter on her desk.” <a href="https://t.co/aST7MCoRwP">pic.twitter.com/aST7MCoRwP</a></p>&mdash; Matthew Rosenberg (@AllMattNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllMattNYC/status/1346959236421578754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>As they attempted to break inside the Capitol, crowds of Trump supporters shattered windows all across the Capitol in <a href="https://twitter.com/hunterw/status/1346935727263768578?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">footage</a> caught on tape.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pro-Trump rioters shatter a window at the US Capitol and enter the building <a href="https://t.co/7V2SR34L6F">https://t.co/7V2SR34L6F</a> <a href="https://t.co/wxkZCA7B1A">pic.twitter.com/wxkZCA7B1A</a></p>&mdash; CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1346925380209434624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Outside the Capitol, a group of Associated Press reporters were chased from their camera equipment by rioters, prompting a crowd to then destroy it. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inter-MAGA argument breaking out where one guy is urging the crowd to let the process play out. <br><br>That&#39;s not going over well. <br><br>&quot;Fuck the process!&quot; says one person. &quot;I&#39;m 44 years old I&#39;ve been getting fucked by the process my whole life.&quot;</p>&mdash; Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) <a href="https://twitter.com/pdmcleod/status/1346938773959950336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p><em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>has reached out to Pelosi&#8217;s office and the Capitol police about the extent of the damage.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">NOT SO BIG NUMBER&nbsp;</h4>



<p>13. That’s how many people have been arrested as of 5:30 p.m. EST,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/jeffjarvis/status/1346963121550856203?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to D.C. police</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



<p>A photo of Barnett sitting in Pelosi’s office went viral on Wednesday.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Extremist who took over Nancy Pelosi’s office, per Fox News. <a href="https://t.co/byRnH8U93n">pic.twitter.com/byRnH8U93n</a></p>&mdash; Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanLizza/status/1346923390867824641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h4>



<p>D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not say whether rioters would be arrested if they stayed out past the mandated 6 p.m. EST curfew on Wednesday in an&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1346954354654380037?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interview</a>&nbsp;with CNN. At the Capitol, trespassers have been told they must leave by 6 p.m. or be arrested,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1346951962273714176?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to Politico</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>“Electoral College ballots rescued from the Senate floor,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said on Twitter. “If our capable floor staff hadn’t grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob.” </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/status/1346938705932648451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1346938705932648451%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fembedly.forbes.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FSenJeffMerkley%2Fstatus%2F13469387059326484513Fs3D20image%3D
</div></figure>



<p><em>by Jack Brewster, Forbes Staff</em></p>


US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP

Signs, Podiums, TV Equipment: Trump Supporters Loot And Destroy During Capitol Hill Takeover


<p><strong>The killing of innocent Nigerians and the agitations on the streets and social media see the world appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to the police brutality in Africa’s biggest economy.</strong></p>



<p>After nearly two weeks of protests calling for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Unit (SARS) by the youth in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari finally addressed the nation last night in a televised statement, which many Nigerians find disappointing and lacking empathy.</p>



<p>He urged protestors to stop demonstrating and advised the international community to be mindful of fake news. To the surprise of the country’s 200 million inhabitants, President Buhari did not mention anything about the killing of peaceful protestors in Lagos. According to a report by Amnesty International, at least 12 protestors at Alausa and Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos were massacred during peaceful protests by the Nigerian military.</p>



<p>This latest development happened as the state government in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20, imposed an indefinite round-the-clock curfew which led to military forces converging at the melting point of the protests at the Lekki Toll Gate, where shots were fired directly into the crowd of peaceful protestors.</p>



<p>“I cannot believe this is Nigeria. There is no reason why peaceful protestors should lose their lives. This is completely unacceptable and we need the soldiers responsible for this heinous attack arrested and brought to justice immediately. The fight is not over and we will not be intimidated,” says Tobi Bello, one of the protestors who was at the Lekki Toll Gate during the unfortunate incident.</p>



<p>In an Instagram live, which had more than 150,000 people watching, Obianuju Catherine Udeh, known popularly as DJ Switch, could be seen with other protestors shouting and trying to save the life of a victim of the gun violence that ensued at the tollgate.</p>



<p>Amnesty published a report which highlighted at least 82 cases of torture and ill-treatment and extra-judicial execution between January 2017 and May this year against members of SARS. In response to the protests, President Buhari disbanded SARS on October 11 but protests continued amidst a call for greater reform.</p>



<p>The killing of innocent Nigerians has sparked an international appeal for justice and for President Buhari to put an end to the police brutality and killings in the country.</p>


NIGERIA-CRIME-POLICE-DEMO

#EndSARS: The Protests And Cries That Have Paralyzed A Nation


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>  Black tiles flooded social media on Tuesday alongside the hashtags #blackouttuesday and #theshowmustbepaused as the music industry paused to remember the killings of black people at the hands of police, but some artists are warning that #blacklivesmatter posts are being silenced in the process.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="448" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1201588338-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45719" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1201588338-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1201588338-594x594-1-300x226.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>Kehlani posted about the risk of useful information being drowned out by black tiles<br> <br> (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Warner Music)</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The initiative was set up by Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two black music industry executives at Atlantic Records and Platoon respectively, in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and “countless other Black citizens at the hands of police.”</p>



<p>The founders wrote in an<a href="https://www.theshowmustbepaused.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;online statement</a>: “Tuesday June 2nd is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week&#8230;It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”</p>



<p>They added that the initiative is not for 24 hours only. “We are and will be in this fight for the long haul. A plan of action will be announced.”</p>



<p>Major labels Warner Music Group, Sony Music, and Universal Music Group pledged support for the initiative, while Interscope records says it&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Interscope/status/1267153567078469632?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">won’t release</a>&nbsp;new music this week.</p>



<p>Companies observing the ‘pause’ have done so in different ways: networks BET and MTV went dark for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in response to Floyd’s death, while Spotify has replaced the artwork on some playlists with a black tile.</p>



<p>Businesses outside the music industry are also pledging their support for the initiative, including Rihanna-founded Fenty Beauty, which in a statement said it would&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/fentybeauty/status/1267668080747884545?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">not conduct</a>&nbsp;any business on Tuesday.</p>



<p>The accompanying hashtags #blackouttuesday and #theshowmustbepaused have already been used more than 6 million times on Instagram. Blackout Tuesday was the top trending topic on Twitter with more than <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BlackOutTuesday&amp;src=trend_click" target="_blank">500,000</a> hashtags used by people both in and outside of the music industry signalling their support.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheShowMustBePaused?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheShowMustBePaused</a> <a href="https://t.co/JHTUG34Ibj">pic.twitter.com/JHTUG34Ibj</a></p>&mdash; theshowmustbepaused (@pausetheshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/pausetheshow/status/1267316487909326848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/fZvZPw3tLD">pic.twitter.com/fZvZPw3tLD</a></p>&mdash; Columbia Records (@ColumbiaRecords) <a href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaRecords/status/1267164123680440320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It looks like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackOutTuesday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackOutTuesday</a> isn’t just the music world. A number of actors are also posting a black screen in solidarity of the protest against the death of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GeorgeFloyd?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GeorgeFloyd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheShowMustBePaused?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheShowMustBePaused</a> <a href="https://t.co/8NLOW4T32q">pic.twitter.com/8NLOW4T32q</a></p>&mdash; Chi Chi Izundu (@blondeafro) <a href="https://twitter.com/blondeafro/status/1267688755596537857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p><strong>CRUCIAL COMMENT</strong></p>



<p>Thomas and Agyemang wrote in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theshowmustbepaused.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>: “The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations and their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people accountable.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“To that end, it is the obligation of these entities to protect and empower the black communities that have made them disproportionately wealthy in ways that are measurable and transparent.”</p>



<p><strong>CHIEF CRITICS</strong></p>



<p>Some on Twitter pointed out that people’s use of the #blacklivesmatter hashtag alongside a post of a black square could silence the movement, instead of amplifying black voices.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is counter-productive. Please understand what ur doing before u do it. Amplify black voices WITHOUT silencing the movement <a href="https://t.co/pahDbXnYOO">pic.twitter.com/pahDbXnYOO</a></p>&mdash; 💲🤍 (@makeupbyshaniah) <a href="https://twitter.com/makeupbyshaniah/status/1267716830996697088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/ProfMCBrown/status/1267782385115922434?s=20
</div></figure>



<p>Several users are urging participants to use the designated hashtags #TheShowMustBePaused and #BlackoutTuesday to prevent the #blacklivesmatter hashtag, and vital information about ways to support the cause, being drowned out by black squares.</p>



<p>Singer Kehlani posted about the black tiles and the risk that they could drown out useful information. Others criticised participation in the initiative as performative and “virtue signalling.” Musician Bon Iver tweeted: “I love you all, but this music industry shutdown thing feels tone deaf to me,” before deleting the tweet.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I don’t understand calling for silence in the middle of mass protesting &amp; uprising. Especially when silence is part of the problem. This happens frequently during uprisings against police brutality. I also don’t trust the music industry lol <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackOutTuesday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackOutTuesday</a></p>&mdash; FREE PALESTINE, NO MORE MASTERS (@BreeNewsome) <a href="https://twitter.com/BreeNewsome/status/1267797727309684736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Separately, the words “<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%22My%20Instagram%22&amp;src=trend_click" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">My Instagram</a>” was trending on Twitter on Tuesday morning as users questioned the usefulness of the black tiles on their Instagram feeds.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>KEY BACKGROUND</strong></p>



<p>The death of 46-year-old Floyd has reignited Black Lives Matter protests across the U.S. and the world, and companies are increasingly bowing to public pressure to stand by the black community and publicly denounce racism and police brutality, as well as donate to anti-racism efforts.</p>



<p><em>&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/">Isabel Togoh</a>, Forbes Staff<a href="https://www.forbes.com/business">, Business</a></em></p>


gettyimages-1216824725-594×594

#BlackOutTuesday Brings Music Industry To A Pause, But Some Artists Warn Against Obscuring Black Lives Matter Posts


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>   Dozens of Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout on Monday, in an escalation of protests against CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s failure to act on President Trump’s “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” post.</p>



<p><strong>KEY FACTS</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Staff members flocked to rival platform Twitter for a second day, to denounce Zuckerberg’s “do-nothing” approach to Trump’s post that threatened violence toward George Floyd protesters.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>One employee, Owen Anderson, announced in a&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/OwenResistor/status/1267568422327447552?s=20" target="_blank">tweet</a>&nbsp;that he had quit the company.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“To be clear, this was in the works for a while.&nbsp;But after last week, I am happy to no longer support policies and values I vehemently disagree with,” he wrote.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Employees have also been circulating messages internally, with one staffer writing on a staff message board: “The hateful rhetoric advocating violence against black demonstrators by the U.S. President does not warrant defense under the guise of freedom of expression,” the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/facebook-employee-protest-trump.html" target="_blank">reported</a>. Others urged Zuckerberg to take down Trump’s post.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said employees will not have the protest days taken out of their vacation allowance, Reuters&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-trump-employee-criticism/facebook-staffers-walk-out-saying-trumps-posts-should-be-reined-in-idUKKBN2382D0" target="_blank">reported</a>.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The walkout, staged virtually as all Facebook employees are working remotely in the pandemic,was triggered by Facebook&#8217;s refusal to take action over Trump&#8217;s inflammatory posts, while Twitter took the unprecedented step of flagging his comment for “glorifying violence.”</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Zuckerberg has reportedly pushed the company’s weekly employee Q &amp; A session from Friday to Tuesday.</li></ul>



<p><strong>CRUCIAL COMMENT</strong></p>



<p>In a joint statement, a number of the virtual demonstrators tweeted: “Facebook’s recent decision to not act on posts that incite violence ignores other options to keep our community safe. We implore the Facebook leadership to #TakeAction.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/dan_abramov/status/1267544361929256966?s=20
</div></figure>



<p><strong>TANGENT</strong></p>



<p>Online therapy company Talkspace has cut ties with Facebook over the issue. CEO Oren Frank&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/orenfrank/status/1267504648275005440?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;on Monday: “We at Talkspace discontinued our partnership discussions with Facebook today. We will not support a platform that incites violence, racism, and lies. #BlackLivesMatter.”</p>



<p><strong>NEWS PEG</strong></p>



<p>President Trump has driven a wedge between Facebook staff and the social network&#8217;s founder. Facebook&#8217;s no-leak culture, and the largely united front between management and staff had largely weathered previous storms in its march to &#8220;connect the world.” That accord was shattered in a flood of tweets condemning Zuckerberg&#8217;s decision to keep Trump&#8217;s post on the site. Before the walkout, several senior employees blasted Zuckerberg’s defence of keeping the post on the site. Design manager Jason Stirman tweeted on Monday: “I‘m a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark’s decision to do nothing about Trump’s recent posts, which clearly incite violence. I’m not alone inside of FB. There isn’t a neutral position on racism.”</p>



<p>In a post on Monday, Zuckerberg said Trump’s post and use of the historically racially charged phrase did not breach Facebook policies. “Our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10111961824369871" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>.</p>



<p><strong>KEY BACKGROUND</strong></p>



<p>The death of George Floyd after white policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes last Monday sparked outrage across the U.S. and subsequent protests in more than 75 cities. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/06/01/corporate-donations-tracker-here-are-the-companies-giving-millions-to-anti-racism-efforts/#701eab0037dc">Companies</a>, facing public pressure to speak out, have released statements pledging support to the black community, including Amazon, Netflix, Twitter and Peloton. On Monday, Zuckerberg<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/06/01/facebook-pledges-10-million-to-racial-justice-campaigns/#2c2f71374250"> announced</a> Facebook is donating $10 million to groups campaigning for racial justice.</p>



<p><em>&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/">Isabel Togoh</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/business">Business</a></em></p>


gettyimages-1176382466-594×594

Facebook Employees Stage Virtual Revolt Against Zuckerberg’s Inaction On Trump’s ‘Shooting’ Post

<p>Three, two, one…</p>
<p>That was the chilling countdown from over 300 students as they prepared to hurl rocks at private security on the steps of the Great Hall of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).</p>
<p>It came after days of running battles between police and students and eventually spilled onto the streets of Braamfontein in Johannesburg; a bus burned and shops were smashed and looted. The skirmishes got so out of hand that a rubber bullet was fired into the face of a priest. These were scenes reminiscent of the dark days before democracy two decades ago.</p>
<p>There was a nationwide shutdown, from the colonnades of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in the south to the deserted halls of the University of Mpumalanga in the north. For a second consecutive year, angry students, with their #FeesMustFall movement, launched a howl of outrage with demands for free education.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_5362" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5362" class="size-medium wp-image-5362" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FeesMustFall_Oct10_JC-18-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="206" /><p id="caption-attachment-5362" class="wp-caption-text">Naitonwide student protest for free education. Using the #feesmustfall slogan.</p></div></p>
<p>“We have nothing to lose. At the end of the day, we can barely afford to be here. My mom had to sell her car and downsize her house for me to be here. It’s tough out here and now [Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib] wants to police us if our calls aren’t legitimate,” says Malwande Mhambe, a final year international relations and political studies student.</p>
<p>The protest has escalated since 2015. It has evolved into a call for so-called decolonized universities that students say favour the privileged white middle-class.</p>
<p>“It is something that the youth has been calling for over 20 years now. We want more black students to be able to come to university and to have a better chance of participating in the economy,” says Busisiwe Seabe, leader of #FeesMustFall.</p>
<p>The violent campus backlash this year was sparked by Minister of Higher Education and Learning Blade Nzimande saying ‘those who can pay, must’ at the close of the Fees Commission, a government enquiry set to tackle the issue.</p>
<p>“We strongly condemn the actions of striking students who clearly do not want to see the completion of the academic program. They continue to disrupt and intimidate students who want to continue with their studies and in so doing deny the majority of students their right to higher education,” says Nzimande.</p>
<p>According to Statistics South Africa, university fees have soared by 80% since 2008. Government capped university increases at 8% for 2017. Nearly R300 billion ($21 billion) was allocated to education in 2016, making up 20% of the budget. This is almost double the amount spent on health.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_5373" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5373" class="size-medium wp-image-5373" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FeesMustFall_Oct10_JC-19-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><p id="caption-attachment-5373" class="wp-caption-text">FeesMustFall</p></div></p>
<p>#FeesMustFall The Tip Of The Iceberg</p>
<p>The students may call for free education, but columnist Max du Preez, argues what has developed is an “extreme race rhetoric”, whereby a “legitimate struggle against whiteness and white privilege is being overtaken by a populist assault on white citizens.”</p>
<p>“It’s time to face the reality. The ‘revolution’ on our campuses is not primarily about university fees any longer. Nor is it about the ‘decolonization’ of the curricula. The subtext, the unspoken agenda, is beginning to look more and more like an effort to create a mini Arab Spring moment and to turn the entire post-1994 dispensation on its head,” Du Preez writes in his column.</p>
<p>Many of the ‘Fallists’, including Wits Student Representative Council’s secretary-general Fasiha Hassan, claim that they are only reacting to police brutality. It is believed that a minority have been fanning the flames of destruction, perpetuated by media coverage.</p>
<p>The rubble and burning debris, on the streets of Braamfontein and on campus, tell their own story.</p>
<p>“Some of these elements, like the Wits protest leader Mcebo Dlamini and UCT’s Chumani Maxwele, are clearly narcissists playing revolution,” says Du Preez.</p>
<p>Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, a former journalist herself, says the protest needs to be tackled head on, without violence.</p>
<p>“We shouldn’t be shooting bullets at kids. We should have our police force with really good shields at all campuses protecting people’s right to study.”</p>
<p>Public policing has overreacted and inflamed confrontation.</p>
<p>“There is no other way out of this. What we have seen is negotiation after negotiation; the goal posts get moved every single time. It’s a deliberate strategy because people don’t want a resolution, they want a revolution and the challenge is you can’t assume people are acting in good faith,” she says.</p>
<p>The fight for free education is fuelled by frustration.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>$400-Million Brain Drain</p>
<p>While the government scrambles to find money, universities say they can’t survive without fees. South Africa faces an even greater threat should universities close down – a crippling R5.6-billion ($400-million) brain drain if graduates are not allowed to finish the year.</p>
<p>The University of Pretoria’s Roula Inglesi-Lotz, Associate Professor of Economics, and Heinrich Bohlmann, Senior Lecturer, believe that the economy stands to lose $400 million if 90% of its 80,000 graduates do not take up positions next year. This is based on an Australian-based economic model designed by the University of Pretoria, in collaboration with global think tank, the Centre of Policy Studies.</p>
<p>Max Price, UCT Vice Chancellor, says if the university does not continue academic activity, it will have to close for the rest of the year. It means thousands of students expecting to work in 2017, including 400 of 4,500 medical students, will not graduate and create a black hole for the economy.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_5374" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5374" class="size-medium wp-image-5374" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FeesMustFall_Oct10_JC-21-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><p id="caption-attachment-5374" class="wp-caption-text">FeesMustFall</p></div></p>
<p>The University of Stellenbosch is also staring debt in the face. If it does not increase its fees, it will lose R50 million ($3.5 million) in academia and another R80 million ($5.6 million) on accommodation.</p>
<p>Students who have outstanding loans face hard times. Mmakatleho Sefatsa, a 19-year-old second-year education student and her family’s first graduate, is in over her head with R70,000 ($5,000) debt.</p>
<p>“Even if you don’t protest, at the end of the year the university is still going to send you a letter to say: ‘look you haven’t paid for two years, you have to leave’.”</p>
<p>Sefatsa is part of the missing middle – she is not poor enough to qualify for financial aid, and not wealthy enough to pay for her education.</p>
<p>The government plans to restructure fee payments based on students’ wealth: households that earn less than R120,000 ($8,500) a year won’t pay; the government will subsidize the difference in fee increases for the middle class, or missing middle, between R120,000 ($8,500) and R600,000 ($42,500); while the affluent will pay.</p>
<p>Undergraduate tuition fees at Wits can reach almost R60,000 ($4,200) a year.</p>
<p>Back at Wits, classes have continued under duress and with heavy police presence. The university’s spokesperson, Shirona Patel, says they will not give up.</p>
<p>“We need to finish the academic program this year and we need to have exams written. This will be our key focus for the next two weeks. Despite yesterday’s disruptions, we still had about half of our classes going and we’ll keep going every day until we get the academic program back on track.”</p>
<p>UCT, the University of Pretoria, and the Tshwane University of Technology, attempted to keep their doors open. Threats and escalating violence forced them to shut down.  Negotiations appear to have ground to a stuttering, and painful, halt.</p>
<p>“Access to higher education, particularly for the poor is everyone’s concern and therefore all stakeholders must play an active role in saving our 2016 academic program. Ongoing negotiations cannot stand in the way of classes resuming, dialogue is the only answer, and intimidation and violence will never address the legitimate concerns of students,” says Nzimande.</p>
<p>With negotiations stuttering and the academic year coming to an end, time is running out.</p>
<p>Why Free Education Won’t Favor The Poor</p>
<p>Students want free education, but do any of them know what it means.</p>
<p>Nico Cloete, Director of the Centre for Higher Education Trust at the University of the Western Cape, says students are asking the wrong questions.</p>
<p>“There is no such thing as ‘free higher education’. Universities are very expensive. Rather, the issue is who pays what and when? Secondly, international research shows that ‘there is broad agreement among economists of higher education funding that government subsidies are regressive, meaning subsidies favor the rich’. According to Nicholas Barr from the London School of Economics, public universities often argue that low or no tuition fees provide greater equality of educational opportunity, but that the overwhelming subsidy in public universities accrues to students from middle- and high-income families,” he says.</p>
<p>Cloete is one of the academics who submitted documents to the Fees Commission.</p>
<p>“The question to be addressed by the Fees Commission should have been: What is required for a sustainable higher education system with affordability for those who qualify for access?”</p>
<p>Higher education is seen as a ladder into the affluent middle class. The World Bank reports that South Africa has the highest private return to tertiary education. University graduates are three to five times more likely to find a job than high school graduates.</p>
<p>Cloete argues, of the million students who enter school, about 110,000 will enrol at university and 55,000 will graduate after five years. But, 45% of all undergraduates, and 70% of the poor on student financial aid, never graduate.</p>
<p>“So, the issue is not whether there is enough money for free tertiary education, the issue is to fix the undergraduate university and the college systems, provide vastly expanded education and training opportunities, put in place a modern progressive graduate tax (instead of an outdated loan scheme) and stop raiding the treasury. While the Fees Commission and the media are looking at money, the issue is political and systemic.”</p>
<p>The road will be long and arduous. It will take another three years to successfully transform university structures and integrate reform into the national budget, says Price. UCT and Wits also claim that 90% of its students want academic activity to continue and this majority is being held to ransom by a small group of ‘bullies’.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the frustrated students who bay for change want it now, without paying another cent.</p>


Frustration Fans The Flames

<p>Burundi has been rocked by gunfire, protests and an attempted coup. At least 20 people are feared dead and hundreds of thousands are on the run since the skirmishes began in April.</p>
<p>Protests in East Africa’s smallest country began in the capital Bujumbura on April 25 after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was seeking a third term in office, despite a two-term limit in the constitution.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_3692" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3692" class="size-medium wp-image-3692" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/000_Par8171782-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><p id="caption-attachment-3692" class="wp-caption-text">QUALITY REPEAT<br />A Burundian police officer holding a baton and army forces run after protestors throwing stones during a demonstration against incumbent president Pierre Nkurunziza&#8217;s bid for a third term on May 13, 2015 in Bujumbura. In the neighborhood of Musaga, hundreds of people waved sticks and threw stones as police responded with tear gas, a water cannon and live rounds. Protestors looted the local police post in Musaga, burning furniture, mattresses and clothing in a barricade fire, an AFP photographer said. Burundi&#8217;s presidency said an attempted coup by a top general had &#8220;failed&#8221; on May 13, 2015 and pro-president Burundi troops at state broadcaster fire warning shots over the heads of hundreds of protesters, an AFP reporter said. Burundian general Godefroid Niyombare on May 13 announced the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza, following weeks of violent protests against the president&#8217;s bid to stand for a third term. AFP PHOTO / JENNIFER HUXTA</p></div></p>
<p>Protestors immediately barricaded roads and set tyres alight. Since then, there have been daily riots in the capital.</p>
<p>The air is full of tension as army and police officials patrol the streets.</p>
<p>A group, led by Godefroid Niyombare, even attempted to overthrow the government while Nkurunziza was in Tanzania for talks with regional leaders on the crisis in his country. Despite initially claiming success, the coup failed, and many of its leaders were arrested. Niyombare remains on the run.</p>
<p>On May 5, the Constitutional Court said that Nkurunziza is eligible for a third term in office after four judges fled the country fearing for their safety. The court stated Nkurunziza’s first term does not count because he was appointed by parliament, not the citizens of Burundi.</p>
<p>Nkurunziza took office 10 years ago after the end of a 12-year civil war. Following a peace agreement in 2005 in Arusha, Tanzania, it was decided that no president will run for more than two terms.</p>
<p>International governments have expressed concern over the court’s decision.</p>
<p>“The eyes of the world are on Burundi. The steps necessary for a peaceful and prosperous democratic future for Burundi should be taken now,” Britain said in a statement.</p>
<p>“Reports of intimidation against members of the Constitutional Court do not give the impression of an independent court that was able to come to an impartial decision.”</p>
<p>“We are deeply concerned about President Nkurunziza’s decision, which flies directly in the face of the constitution of his country,” US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said during a visit to Kenya.</p>
<p>Many fear that civil war will return.</p>
<p>The country has been plagued with tension since it gained independence from Belgium in 1962. The civil war, fought between the country’s Hutu majority and Tutsi minority, began in 1993 and resulted in the death of around 300,000 people.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_3693" style="width: 221px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3693" class="size-medium wp-image-3693" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/000_Par8173679-211x300.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="300" /><p id="caption-attachment-3693" class="wp-caption-text">Burundi&#8217;s President Pierre Nkurunziza talks to the media at the President&#8217;s office in Bujumbura on May 17, 2015 as he made his first official appearance since an attempted coup against him this week. Nkurunziza has been facing weeks of violent and deadly street protests over his controversial bid to stand for a third consecutive term on office, and on Wednesday top generals announced they were overthrowing him while he was on a visit to neighbouring Tanzania. AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA</p></div></p>
<p>With the presidential elections slated for June 26, Nkurunziza continues to defy international pressure to withdraw from the elections. Furthermore, the president has rejected calls to delay the elections, saying that it “would worsen the current situation”.</p>
<p>So far, Belgium has suspended the $2.2 million it had pledged for Burundi’s elections and the Netherlands says it is reviewing its commitment to the country.</p>
<p>The current government remains hopeful that peaceful and fair elections will still be held.</p>
<p>Since the protests began, more than 100,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many fear the ruling party’s youth wing militia ‘Imbonerakure’, according to the UN refugee agency.</p>
<p>The European Commission has disbursed $1.7 million to support and protect Burundian refugees in neighboring countries.</p>
<p>“Such sudden and massive displacement is a humanitarian tragedy and a serious challenge to neighboring countries’ capacities to accommodate refugees. It is a serious concern in an already fragile region,” EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said.</p>
<p>Burundi’s economy has grown by more than 4% annually since 2012 despite several constraints.</p>
<p>Last year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the country’s medium term economic outlook remains bleak with risks arising from political uncertainties ahead of the general elections and ‘vulnerability to external shocks given Burundi’s narrow export base’.</p>
<p>According to Venuste Karambazi, an independent analyst based in Rwanda, Nkurunziza’s decision to run for office will put a damper on the struggling economy.</p>
<p>“Burundi is a poor country, so when there are riots, like the case now, these contribute to weakening the economy more and more. The capital is paralyzed, trade is paralyzed and other social activities come to a stop. This is a danger to the economy which is already weak. If the situation continues, we risk having a Burundian economy that is destroyed,” Karambazi said.</p>


Genocide Looms Over  The Streets Of Flames

<p>They call it the Ring of Fire and in the last few years it has been getting hotter. This is the ring of sporadic protests around Johannesburg. The howl of the poor on the doorstep of one of the richest cities in Africa.</p>
<p>Most of these protestors vote and their dissatisfaction could signal a drop in support for the ruling ANC, which has guided South Africa through its 20 years of democracy.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-2610" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0000206762-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></p>
<p>The protests happen on different days, but follow the same pattern. Burning tires, rocks on the road and fighting between protestors and police. In many weeks, they are as frequent on radio as the traffic news.</p>
<p>The police struggle to control the unrest. Schools close their doors as demonstrators pelt police with stones and petrol bombs.</p>
<p>Protesters burned down two of the Independent Electoral Commission’s voter registration stations in February.</p>
<p>In Gauteng, the province of Johannesburg, acting commissioner Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba says police saw 569 protest marches since November, of which 122 were violent.</p>
<p>“The South African public must realize what is confronting the members [police] on a daily situation while dealing with these issues of protest marches and demonstrations. These are not petty things, these are not issues that you can say &#8216;go read a book&#8230; and it will tell you how to deal with these issues&#8217;,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane says the slow response to service delivery protests was leading to violence. She claims that opportunists, who lost out on government tenders, fueled some of the protests.</p>
<p>“Protests would not have happened if government responded quicker. Where violence happens we must act,” she says.</p>
<p>Research on service delivery protests by the Centre for Sociological Research, at the University of Johannesburg, suggests that, despite overwhelming support for the ANC, communities are frustrated with their ward councillors and local government.</p>
<p>Peter Alexander, the director of the center and South African research chair for social change at the university, says 60% of South African youth are unemployed, leading to discontent.</p>
<p>“The protests that swept across the country are not a novel occurrence on the social and political landscape. Impoverished residents of neglected townships have been voicing their dissatisfaction with ineffective and inadequate service delivery since the ANC rise to power in 1994,” says Alexander.</p>
<p>The communities involved in the cluster of service delivery protests share problems and frustrations. Poverty and unemployment are high. There’s a lack of water, sewage systems, street lighting, paved roads and housing.</p>
<p>“Many people don’t have the full range of service delivery, and they are continuously used as voting fodder in elections. Protests are about a range of issues, dominant to them is the youth unemployment. Their frustrations cannot be interpreted merely as a sign of displeasure with service delivery. Deeper discontent with available channels for participatory democracy underlies the protesters’ anger.”</p>
<p>The majority of protesters support the ANC. They are unhappy with their party because they believe the promises for a better life have not been fulfilled. To make the matters worse the government doesn’t understand, says Alexander.</p>
<p>In November, as Bekkersdal residents, west of Johannesburg, took to the streets to demand better government services, ANC veteran Winnie Madikizela-Mandela acknowledged that conditions in the area had not changed since 1994.</p>
<p>ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, campaigning for elections in Kagiso township in February, denied that service delivery protests were a sign people have abandoned the ANC.</p>
<p>President Jacob Zuma, in the state of the nation address in February, also downplayed the gravity of the recurring service delivery protests.</p>
<p>“The dominant narrative in the case of the protests in South Africa has been to attribute them to alleged failures of government. However, the protests are not simply the result of failures of government, but also of the success in delivering basic services. When 95% of households have access to water, the 5% who still need to be provided for feel they cannot wait a moment longer.”</p>
<p>Africa Check, a non-profit organization that promotes accuracy in public debate and the South African media, found that the figure differs between provinces. The president does not clearly define what he means by access to water, the most recent census claims that access is defined as either being inside a household, garden, or a communal tap in the street. Zuma’s claim does not speak of the quality of water—2.4% of Gauteng households said their water smelled bad in a 2012 household survey by Statistics South Africa. Nationally, 60% of households rated the quality of their water-related services as good.</p>
<p>Proof, that it all depends on which side of the protest you are shouting from.</p>


Burning Ire In  The Ring Of Fire

<p>Struggle songs pierced the air to the sound of marching feet. Protestors jabbed sticks and steel poles to the skies.</p>
<p>One of them was petrol attendant, Thabo Moloedi, who makes the 80km journey from Sasolburg to Johannesburg along the N1 every day. He says tolls will hit millions like him in the pocket.</p>
<p>“Let’s ban them all,” he says.</p>
<p>Roads are the artery of every country and in Africa they are like gold dust. South Africa has spent R20 billion ($2.6 billion) on 185km of spanking new highways that would be welcome from Harare to Cairo.</p>
<p>The problem is now the government wants the people to pay for them. That will mean motorists forking out R14.2 billion ($1.85 billion) day by day. Every time motorists drive up or down the N1, N3, N12 R21, near Johannesburg, from April 30, they will  have to pay 30c for every kilometre calculated by sensors in huge overhead gantries. Those who buy a so called e-tag will pay directly from their bank account —those who don’t will be sent a more expensive bill through the post. If you don’t play ball, you could be prosecuted and new laws are on the way to cover this.</p>
<p>The plan has led to months of grumbling and accusations that the car-driving class is being used as a cash cow. It has also sparked one of the biggest protests seen in democratic South Africa. The Gauteng province protest was one of 34 across the country, which called on more than two million union members. Tens of thousands marched in Johannesburg alone.</p>
<p>“Tolls are a big burden and are going to fuel inflation,” says Lesiba Seshoka, the national spokesperson for the National Union of Mineworkers—the most powerful union in the land.</p>
<p>“We are still a developing country yet government is subjecting us to pay tolls. Whose pockets are going to be filled with this money?” says Dikshi Patel, a 45-year-old worker in the airline industry.</p>
<p>“The government has put the cart before the horse on this issue. A reliable, affordable and safe transport system should be a priority. If you start with the e-tolling system without ensuring that people can move freely from one place to another, you are disadvantaging these people, says Zingiswa Losi, the second deputy president of Cosatu the country’s trade union federation.</p>
<p>The South African Road Agency Limited (Sanral) is building through borrowing on local capital markets. It claims that if roads were funded purely by tax, citizens would still be waiting for their smooth highways.  Sanral calls the e-tag a “user fee” and denies it is double taxation for those who already pay car tax and fuel levy. During his annual budget speech, in Cape Town, on February 22, Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, assigned R5.8 billion to Sanral to help pay for the roads. This money allowed Sanral to cut toll fees from 60c to 30c per kilometre for cars in a bid to silence the howl of outrage. It appears to have failed.</p>
<p>Gordhan defended the cost of the toll roads saying they will ease traffic congestion. “Users benefit through lower vehicle operating costs, time savings and improved safety,” he says.</p>
<p>South Africans will also have to dig deeper to pay an increase in the general fuel levy on petrol and diesel, which will rise by 20c a liter on April 4. The money will go to pay for the new highways and motorists are not happy about that either.</p>


Tag: Protests

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