Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | Every two months, 49-year-old Albert Khumalo goes to a public hospital to collect his antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) which are distributed by South African government free of charge. Since tested positive to HIV in 2010, he has been taking the HIV pills. “I follow the HIV …
Read More »Africa needs USD 12 billion to access COVID-19 vaccine
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union has a commitment of USD 5 billion promised by the World Bank and other donors, out of the USD 12 billion that African countries need to access the coming COVID-19 vaccine. This revelation was made at a teleconference meeting convened Tuesday …
Read More »AU chair urges Africa to prepare to implement AfCFTA
Johannesburg, S.A. | Xinhua | The African Union (AU) chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday called on the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to prepare to start trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement effective from Jan. 1, 2021. Ramaphosa made the remarks in his closing address at …
Read More »Egyptian, South African leaders discuss Ethiopia’s Nile dam
Cairo, Egypt | XINHUA | Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi received on Wednesday a phone call from his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, during which they discussed the Ethiopian grand hydropower dam built on the Nile River, said the Egyptian presidency in a statement. Sisi reiterated Egypt’s stance regarding the Grand …
Read More »S. African president reaffirms commitment to empowering women
Cape Town, South Africa | XINHUA | President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the empowerment of women, saying it is one of national priorities and central to the country’s development strategies. “By unleashing the economic potential of women, we are unleashing the potential of our economies …
Read More »Ramaphosa supports campaign to remove statues glorifying apartheid
Cape Town, South Africa | XINHUA | President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday threw his weight behind an ongoing campaign to remove statues glorifying the apartheid past. “Monuments glorifying our divisive past should be repositioned and relocated,” Ramaphosa said in his virtual address marking the country’s Heritage Day which encourages South Africans …
Read More »Why we need more journalists – not fewer
It is a great concern that like all other sectors of the economy, the coronavirus crisis has hit our media houses hard. COMMENT | CYRIL RAMAPHOSA | Dear Fellow South African, in many countries around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has required the limitation of many civil liberties and put …
Read More »Africa launches 1st edition of Africa Factbook to dispel misrepresentations
Harare, Zimbabwe | XINHUA | Africa has launched the first edition of the Africa Fact Book, which seeks to dispel myths and misrepresentations of the continent. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose country sponsored the production of the first edition of the book, launched the Africa Fact Book in the capital Harare …
Read More »S. African president promises not to let women down amid rising gender-based violence
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday promised not to let women down as gender-based violence claimed more lives of women in the country. In his weekly presidential address, Ramaphosa acknowledged that many survivors of gender-based violence have lost faith in the country’s criminal justice system. Factors …
Read More »Innovation critical to combat COVID-19, economic recovery – Ramaphosa
Pretoria, South Africa | XINHUA | Innovation, science and technology would be handy in defeating COVID-19 and rebuilding world economies, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa’s speech was read by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande on Friday at a virtual science and innovation conference …
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