🔅 The Mandela Auction That Never Was & Ethiopia's Hunger Crisis
Plus, Johannesburg's Housing Drama & China-Congo's $7 Billion Deal
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Mandela's Memorabilia: The Auction That Almost Was
The stage was set: dozens of Nelson Mandela's personal artefacts were ready to be auctioned off by Guernsey in New York. The artefacts in question? Nelson Mandela's iconic Ray-Bans, a blanket gifted by the Obamas, and a champagne cooler from Bill Clinton with initial bidding set at $24,000. But then, the South African government, faster than a shopper at a Black Friday sale, supported a court application by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) to slam the brakes on this auction express. It argues that these aren't just any old trinkets; they're cultural heritage artefacts, treasures of a nation.
Dr. Makaziwe Mandela, Mandela's eldest daughter, had teamed up with Guernsey’s for this auction extravaganza. They said they planned on using the funds to build a memorial garden in Qunu, Mandela's final resting place. Sounds noble, right? But SAHRA wasn't having any of it, arguing that these pieces of history should be preserved for posterity, not parcelled out piecemeal.
So, what happened next? A note popped up on Guernsey’s website, quieter than a mouse in a cheese factory: "Auction suspended." No fanfare, no further details. Just like that, the auction was off, at least for now.
Ethiopia's Hunger Crisis
Ethiopia's national ombudsman has admitted what local officials have been saying for months but the federal government has denied: people are starving. In the Tigray and Amhara regions, 395 individuals have starved to death recently. In Tigray, only 14% of the 3.2 million people who were supposed to get food aid actually received it. Aid agencies, co-chaired by the U.N.'s World Food Program, are waving red flags, urging an "immediate scale-up" of operations.
Last year, the U.N. and U.S. hit the pause button on food aid due to a "large-scale" grain-stealing scheme in the region. They lifted the pause in December, but Tigray authorities are saying the food still isn't reaching those in need. Over 20 million people across Ethiopia are in need of food aid, due to a combo of drought, conflict, and a flailing economy.
Johannesburg's Housing Hustle: A Game of Musical Chairs with Not Enough Chairs
In Johannesburg, it's like playing musical chairs, but the music stopped ages ago, and there are 400,000 people still circling for a seat. Yep, we're talking about a housing shortage of epic proportions. The waiting list for a home in South Africa's biggest city? Oh, just a few decades long.
With the city struggling to play catch-up in the low-income housing game, tens of thousands are taking matters into their own hands. Enter the world of 'hijacked buildings' – not as action-packed as it sounds, but definitely as dramatic. Imagine over 600 abandoned high rises, office blocks, and factories turned into makeshift homes. The once-bustling downtown Jozi is now a patchwork of these ad-hoc residences.
China-Congo's $7 Billion Deal
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Chinese construction giants are rewriting their relationship status, with China agreeing to invest $7 billion in Congo's infrastructure.
It's all part of the Sicomines copper and cobalt joint venture saga, as President Felix Tshisekedi, playing the role of a shrewd negotiator, revisited the script originally penned by his predecessor Joseph Kabila. Initially, the Chinese were set to spend $3 billion on infrastructure, but Congo's state auditor, the IGF, raised the bar to $20 billion while noting that the company had only spent $822 million of the total amount promised. The final compromise? $7 billion.
Congo is the world's biggest producer of cobalt and the third-largest copper producer. Its mining sector is dominated by Chinese companies.
Pope Francis Navigates The Choppy Waters of Church Reform in Africa
Pope Francis stirred the pot in a recent interview with La Stampa, saying Africans are a "special case" in the drama unfolding over same-sex couple blessings. Blessings between same-sex couples were allowed last month in a document called Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which caused widespread debate in the Church, especially among African bishops who view homosexuality as a cultural no-no.
Food for Thought
“Don't call the forest that shelters you a jungle."
— Ghanaian Proverb