Social distancing was enforced as the envoys made short speeches expressing wishes of broadening and deepening bilateral relations with South Africa before presenting the president with the letters from their heads of state.

Some of the ambassadors managed to make powerful use of the two minutes allotted to them.

Sweden’s Håkan Joholt recalled how he’d become an anti-apartheid activist at age 25 before serving 23 years as a member of parliament.

“I have come here to build bridges and to forge people-to-people ties between Swedes and South Africans,” he said. “What we can do together is fight for democracy, human rights, peace and a sustainable environment,” he said.

Entering his second term as ambassador of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohammed Beissat said Polisario and the ANC forged ties as liberation movements at the most difficult times for their countries.

He recalled how Oliver Tambo visited the Western Sahara and returned to South Africa with apartheid-built tanks captured by the Saharawi from the Moroccan.

“Now Mr President the Western Sahara faces fresh aggression from Morocco,” he said referring to the kingdom breaking the 30 year old truce signed under UN auspices that ended the war that followed Morocco’s 1975 invasion of the former Spanish colony.

“We are confident we can overcome yet another challenge from the illegal occupier, especially since we are assured of your support and the solidarity of your government and people,” said the ambassador.

Braving a heatwave that took the mercury into the thirties, the ambassadors were greeted by a guard-of-honour before entering the guest house to have their exchange with the President.

In addition to the Western Sahara and Sweden, Ramaphosa received credentials from the ambassadors of 

Vietnam, North Korea, Iran, Botswana, Cote’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Egypt, China, Sweden, Mauritius, Pakistan, Sudan and South Sudan, Slovenia, Finland.

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The world organization condemns what it calls the senseless damage of a most needed medical facility.

Libyan rebel leader Khalifa Haftar has broken the ceasefire he entered into to allow medical staff to fight the COVID 19 pandemic.

His forces shelled the Al Khadra General Hospital in Tripoli controlled by the UN-supported Government of National Accord.

UN Human Rights coordinator for Libya Yacoub El Hillo says the attack is a violation of international law.

Haftar, who has close ties with the United States intelligence community, is bent on seizing control of the capital. He has the support of Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. 

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Warring parties in the oil-rich North Africa state have also called a ceasefire to enable medical teams to deal with the pandemic.

Countries the world over, including South Africa, are pondering at this time of pandemic over whether to ease prison conditions that are a breeding ground for passing on infections like COVID 19 by reducing the populations.

Ethiopia was the first in Africa to take this step.

Egypt followed close behind. Libya made its decision yesterday

It’s a bold and inevitably controversial step. When does looking after the greater issue like public health trump punishment for crime – however low down the criminal totem pole it falls.

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The virus was detected in a Ivorean who returned from visiting Italy.

ends intro

There are now a dozen African countries treating COVID19 cases.

Egypt has the highest count followed by Algeria. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo has replaced South Africa in third place.

Two of the 114 cases in Africa have resulted in deaths.

Governments have taken stringent action to stop infection.

Kenya’s banned its star athletes from going abroad to compete for the next month.

Ghana and Gabon has stopped foreign travel for their  officials. Lesotho has stopped foreign travel for its citizens.

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With close to 100 cases reported, COVID 19 is gaining a foothold on the continent that has thus far been lightest hit by the virus.

Burkina Faso’s Health Minister Claudine Lougue says the two cases of coronavirus in her country come from a woman who recently visited France.

Her husband is also infected. They are quarantines in a Ouagadougou hospital. A person who has been in close contact with her is under observation.

South Africa’s seven cases put its third on the continental list behind Egypt, which has 54 cases and Algeria with 19. Cameroon, Senegal, Togo and Nigeria have also reported cases.

Worldwide COVID 19 cases increased by 3994 yesterday, bringing the total to 109 578.

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The World Health Organization is looking to help Africa to prepare for and respond to the storm.

South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Algeria and Egypt are identified as the African countries with the highest risk importing COVID19.

As China insists its winning the battle to contain coronavirus, markets are reacting to the  spread of 77 000 cases to 30 countries.

Any complacency has been swept aside by the substantial increase of cases in Iran, South Korea and `italy

The Down Jones industrial index plunged more than1000 points – its biggest fall in two years.

The FTSE index suffered its worst fall in three years.

Shares in Apple, Disney and Nike all fell indicating how much is made in China and how important it is.

Airline stocks fell reflecting the mass cancellation  of travel to avoid the virus.

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This will further unsettle countries downstream still trying to agree on the operation of the nearly-completed Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.

The days of Egypt having a casting say on what can be done with the Nile are over.

That political reality does not detract from the fact that Egypt relies on the Nile for more than four fifths of its water needs.

The Grand Renaissance Dam is still the hottest bilateral issue Egypt has with Ethiopia.

If another dam is built, as envisaged between Lakes Kyoga and Albert, it will quickly move into that category.

According to the applicant the $1,4 billion project would increase by 40%  Uganda’s hydro-electrical power generation capacity.

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Yesterday’s talks in Pretoria between Ahmed and Ramaphosa came days after talks on the dam Ethiopia is building across the Nile ended without solution in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed says he’s looking for a win-win agreement in which Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt share the Nile.

Disagreement remains about how long Ethiopia will take to fill the Grand Renaissance Dam across the Blue Nile.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he’ll use the chair of the African Union to broker talks about this and other disputes on the continent.

“The must a peace that is grounded in African soil,” he says.”It must be pursued and led by the African Union and this is precisely what we will be aseeki9ng to advocate.”

Ramaphosa says the maxim remains African solutions to African problems

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On his official visit to South Africa Nobel-Peace-Prize-laureate Ahmed will attend the ANC’s birthday celebration in Kimberley tomorrow and have substantial talks with Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Sunday.

Assuming the African Union  chair next month, President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to be up to speed on the continent’s largest hydro project.

Talks in Addis Ababa broke up this week without agreement between Ethiopia, building the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile, and the countries downstream Sudan and Egypt.

Dependent on the Nile for 90% of its water needs, Egypt wants Ethiopia to take 12 to 21 years to fill the dam.

Ethiopia maintains this should take four to seven years. 

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At an emergency session in Ankara, MPs gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the authority to determine over the next year how and when the deployment will happen.

The move asserting Turkey’s increasingly assertive position in the Mediterranean causes concern both in Washington and the Arab world.

The fear is that Libya, deeply destabilized since the fall of Muammar Gadaffi nine years ago,  could become a stage for an increasing proxy war in the region.

In a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his US counterpart President Donald Trump has warned of  foreign interference in Libya.

Egypt, which backs the rebel leader Khalif Hafar who is threatening the Libyan capital Tripoli says the Turkish vote will negatively affect the stability of the Mediterranean region.

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