Josina Machel's quest to fight GBV working with Traditional Leaders

by HRH Stella Sigcau

Princess ZamaFaku Sigcau, Princess Stella Sigcau II, Ms Josina Machel and Cllr Maphetshana from Mbizana Municipality

21 September 2021

Kuhluka Movement founder, gender activist and Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivor Ms Josina Machel held meetings and introductory sessions in the Eastern Cape working with the South African Royal Princess Network to create awareness on GBV whilst trying to seek solutions to this pandemic. This to also establish working relations and forge partnerships with the institution of Traditional Leaders to address GBV.

European Film Festival 2021: virtual and free of charge

20 September 2021

Following the success of last year’s virtual European Film Festival, the 2021 edition will take place predominantly online from 14 to 24 October.

A selection of 18 films from Europe, 13 of which have been directed by women, will be screened free of charge, providing a window onto what is fresh and new in the film industries of the respective countries. Four new participants – the Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland and Ukraine – will complement those from last year: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, along with the return of Portugal.

Fortress of War

By Dilon Bhana

Mr Ilya Rogachev, Ambassador of Russia to South Africa welcoming guests

20 September 2021

The 22^nd of June is the day of Remembrance and Sorrow for Russian Soldiers. It marks the first day of the Russian Patriotic war which commenced on the 22^nd of June 1941 at the Fortress of Brest. The Russian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa organised a photo-exhibition to commemorate the day in June of this year. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations, the event was postponed until the 14^th of September, and took place at Apogee hotel.

The photo-exhibition was titled “Symbols of Victory” and it showcased and honoured Russian Soldiers who gave their lives defending their country. In addition to the photo-exhibition, a Russian movie titled “The Fortress of War” was screened. The film shows the defense of the Brest Fortress in Soviet Belarus. It is a beautifully sorrowful film which portrays the lives and the stories of the very same soldiers who are celebrated as Russian Heroes on this day and every day.

Indonesia’s flagship products reaches one of the largest malls in South Africa

20 September 2021

Indonesian superior products are increasingly being recognized in South Africa. ITPC Johannesburg supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria is aggressively promoting Indonesian products in South Africa. An In-Store promotion was held from September 14-20 at one of the largest malls in South Africa, Sandton City.

ITPC Johannesburg and the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria showcased Indonesian products already in the South African market, including instant noodle products, biscuits, coconut drinks, medicines/pharmaceuticals, beauty and hair care products, tyres and motor vehicle accessories, furniture, and several other superior products.

Solidarity’s Appeal—the Power of “Unarmed Prophets”

by Andrzej DUDA, President of the Republic of Poland

20 September 2021

In his book The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli mentions a certain rule of history. He writes, not without a touch of irony, that “all armed prophets have conquered, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed.” But to every rule there is an exception, and unarmed prophets have been vindicated by history more than once. Even though the vindication usually comes late, it is no less emphatic. A perfect example of that is the historic victory of the Polish Solidarity movement and its extraordinary “Appeal to the Working People of Eastern Europe” proclaimed 40 years ago.

Mpondo Festival commemorated through a program on Gender Based Violence

by HRH Princess Stella Sigcau

Nkosi Magodongo Mahlangu, Prince Mtshabi Mahlangu, Princess Stella Sigcau II, Ms Josina Machel, Ndlunkulu Nombethe Sigcau, Prince Ndiphile Dlamini Workshop on GBV, Ntsikayezwe SSS

20 September 2021

The annual Mpondo Culture and Heritage Festival turned 15 years in 2021. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was celebrated differently, to adhere to covid regulations and measures and instead of the 20000 attendance, the numbers were restricted to hundred. The theme was on Gender Based Violence Awareness, empowerment of youth and women as well as celebrating culture and heritage and unity in a diversity.

Protecting Children from COVID-19 Pandemic

By Ni Yanshuo, ChinAfrica

Mr Shen Long, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa

16 September 2021

Vaccine produced by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech will soon be used by South African children to fight the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic. On September 10, the company and Numolux Group, its agent in South Africa, launched the Phase III clinic trial of CoronaVac vaccine on children. Two volunteers received the vaccine at the launch ceremony.

The Phase I/II study on children has been conducted in China and the results have been published in The Lancet, 28 June 2021.

United Nations General Assembly – A President of Hope

By Advocate Ajay Sooklal, Dr. Srimal Fernando and Mr. Kirtan Bhana

Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives

16 September 2021

Maldive’s Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was elected as the 76th president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) currently in session in New York in the USA. It’s the first time a Maldivian has been elected to this position and is regarded as a boon for the South Asian Island state, especially as its neighbour, India, assumes its position of the presidency as a non permanent member of the all-powerful UNSC.

“We have seen humanity at its best,” said Shahid as he outlined key priorities as he assumed his position at the UNGA and termed it the “Presidency of Hope”. He was referring to the collective response of people of all nationalities and walks of life to the Covid-19 global pandemic. He had special praise for all frontline workers and their commitment inspired hope that humanity will rise to the occasion to face this challenge and overcome it.

Mpumalanga Reigniting tourism

16 September 2021

The Mpumalanga Tourism Expo was held on 11 and 12 September 2021 at the Riverside Shopping Mall in Mbombela, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The inaugural event attracted 26 exhibitors from the province all showcasing their offerings and all eager to get tourism in their region back on track.

The Expo was organised by Jakada Holdings and CEO Xolani Mthethwa says his team has over 25 years of exprerience in the tourism industry and are waiting to welcome tourists back to experience the beauty of their province.

Bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico

by Minister Gabriela Colín Ortega, Embassy of Mexico in South Africa

15 September 2021

It is a privilege for me to address you all on the occasion of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico, a revolutionary movement that started in the early hours of the sixteenth of September 1810, when the priest Miguel Hidalgo congregated the people of his parish in the town of Dolores and encouraged them to join him to fight for the freedom of Mexico. Hidalgo’s call is known as “el Grito de Independencia” (the Cry for Independence), which Mexicans both locally and abroad celebrate annually to renew our bonds to freedom and sovereignty.

The independence war lasted eleven years. During this period, the insurgentes -as we refer to our freedom fighters- were so ahead of their time, that Hidalgo abolished slavery as early as December 1810, and José María Morelos -a brilliant Afro-Mexican- proclaimed the first Constitution in 1814.

Trading South Africa's Foreign Policy: Dispense with Parochial Approaches and Recognise International Opportunities

by Peter Fabricius

15 September 2021

Over the past three decades or more, boosting economies has increasingly become the priority goal of the international relations of most countries.

Globalisation and a — generally — more peaceful world have played major roles in this shift.

But South Africa has not fared nearly as well in this global re-orientation towards a more economic foreign policy as countries that have more enthusiastically embraced the new liberal world order of free trade.