Zoli Kunene, a towering man and a larger-than-life lawyer, has passed away after a long life furthering the cause of human rights and black entrepreneurship in South Africa. He was one fifth of the legendary Kunene brothers who spent years building up black ownership in business, long before legislation lent a helping hand.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Mr.-Zoli-Kunene-1-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-383002" width="625" height="504"/><figcaption>Zoli Kunene</figcaption></figure>



Zoli, Keith, Dudu, Zanosi and Menzi Kunene all ended up in business together, with a wide portfolio of companies carrying out everything from canning Coca-Cola to selling Daimler-Chrysler&nbsp; cars.&nbsp;



Zoli Kunene trained as a lawyer in the days when it was rare for a man of his background to do so. He fought many human rights cases in the dim days of apartheid, in South Africa, and had unrivalled knowledge of the names of all the black lawyers working in and around Johannesburg in his era, no matter how small.



&#8220;There were so few of us, in those days, that you knew every black lawyer in a 100-hundred- mile radius!&#8221; he used to laugh.



The Kunene brothers&#8217; business empire began way back in 1978 when Keith acquired a sub-lease to sell fresh milk in Vosloorus east of Johannesburg. Kunene Bros. Holdings took over a nearby liquor licence from the government, in 1983, and also began wholesaling Coca Cola. The latter business led to the creation of Coca-Cola Fortune the second largest bottling and distribution company in South Africa.



As the brothers worked hard, in concord,&nbsp; they built up a robust stable of companies to include a financial services company and defence and security outfit.&nbsp;



Zoli Kunene,&nbsp;was also active in public and corporate life. He was an honorary colonel in the South African National Defence Force and chairman of the South African Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association. He was also past president of the Defence Industries Interest Group of South Africa and served as chairman of Denel. In the corporate world he was chairman of Grintek Ewation and a director of Cell C.&nbsp; 



&#8220;Zoli was a keen golfer and a larger than life figure at the annual father &amp; son golf day; he will be missed by all.A great man, dynamic leader, family man, friend and above all a human being who cared for all those around him. He will be missed,&#8221; says Rakesh Wahi, the chairman of CMA Investment Holdings and a close friend of Zoli Kunene.



&#8220;Zoli was a pioneer in business and human relations.He championed the cause of the workers and took interest in technology-driven business operations . He was a pillar of the family business alongside his siblings. He recently pioneered the growth and diversification strategy of the Kunene Brothers business group for the future business environment. He remained humble in all his business achievements. Above all, remained a resolute family man pursuing the welfare of his entire family,&#8221; says Sam Bhembe, a non executive director of African Business News.

Mr. Zoli Kunene

Zoli Kunene – Larger than life champion of black business passes away.

President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the resolute lion of the courtroom George Bizos on hearing of his passing.



Bizos died among his family at the house he built in 1959 Parktown North, in Johannesburg. It was a small home with a famous vegetable garden built by the man himself. In latter years many of Bizos&#8217;s friends told him he should move to a bigger house, but he would have none of it. Bizos was one of that generation of selfless fighters for freedom in South Africa who cared nothing for the trappings of wealth and power. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1152457961-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-374813" width="690" height="549" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1152457961-594x594-1.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1152457961-594x594-1-300x239.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px" /><figcaption>OSAKA, JAPAN &#8211; JUNE 28: (RUSSIA OUT) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speeches during a bilateral meeting at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019, June 28, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. Vladimir Putin has arrived to Japan to participate the G20 Osaka Summit and to meet U.S.President Donald Trump. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;Ït is sad news for us as South Africans , George Bizos is one of those lawyers who contributed immensely to the attainment of our democracy. He worked very closely with Nelson Mandela, Arthur Chaskalson and many others and as the government we extend our condolences to his family and we extend condolences to all of us South Africans because George Bizos&#8217;s name was a well know name and he had an incisive legal mind and also was one of the architects of our constitution and contributed immensely. He will surely be missed and we dip our heads in honour that the contribution that George Bizos had made to our democracy. We shall ever remember his contribution,&#8221; says President Ramaphosa on hearing the news. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1023" height="682" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-381312" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg 1023w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-696x464.jpg 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" /><figcaption>Rivonia lawyers reunited Joel Jeffe George Bizos and Denis Kuny</figcaption></figure>



Bizos came to South Africa, along with his father, as a 13-year-old refugee during World War Two. The pair slipped out of their native Greece, then occupied by the Germans, on a fishing boat and made the long sea journey to South Africa. 



Decades later Bizos recalled sitting on the beach on a holiday home to Greece. He said the Greek man looked at him and his moustache and commented to his wife in his mother tongue, assuming that Bizos could not understand: &#8220;Ï want to move away from that man he reminds me of the German officer who tortured me.&#8221;



Bizos smiled at the memory but always used it as a grim reminder of the absurdity of human prejudice. This was something that he fought in the courts every step of the way from the day he joined the Johannesburg bar to almost his last breath. He represented Nelson Mandela &#8211; whom he befriended during their legal studies &#8211; at the Rivonia sabotage trial and the treason trial. More than 50 years later he represented the relatives of the victims of the Marikana massacre.

Bizos and lawyers

“We dip our heads in honour” – Ramaphosa lauds the late Bizos

The gentle lion of the courts of justice who fought for the rights of his fellow man &#8211; almost to his last breath &#8211; is gone.



Human rights lawyer George Bizos died at his Johannesburg home on the sun drenched afternoon of September 9 of natural causes, according to his family.



The last time I saw him was seven years ago at a reunion of the Rivonia Trial lawyers: Bizos; Joel Joffe and Denis Kuny at Liliesleaf, in Rivonia, where the arrest of the leaders of the underground lent the famous trial its name.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1023" height="682" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-381312" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers.jpg 1023w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bizos-and-lawyers-696x464.jpg 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" /><figcaption>Joel Joffe George Bizos and Denis Kuny Liliesleaf 2013</figcaption></figure>



 On that day the great man asked if I could help him up a flight of stairs. He lent gently on me and with a huff there and a puff here and there we made it to the top. I felt honoured. 



Bizos has spent a lifetime fighting the good fight in court and helped save the life of South Africa’s first black president at South Africa’s trial of the century in 1964. 



Mandela and his comrades faced the death penalty on charges of sabotage in the so called Rivonia Trial at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria. To make matters even more difficult for the defence team was the fact that the accused refused to deny the charges relating to a string of attacks on government property from electricity pylons to post boxes. They argued that the apartheid state should have been in the dock instead.



Bizos was one of the junior members of a heavy weight defence team led by experienced human rights advocates Braam Fischer, Joffe and Arthur Chaskelson.



Survivors of the trial remember Bizos as a bright young man who was always quick with the sandwiches and a quip, as well as sound legal counsel. He was a shining young light in the endless hours in the bowels of the Palace of Justice as the accused waited to ascend the steep, dark, staircase to the dock each day.



It was Bizos who told me, in 2013, how he altered the world famous speech from the dock by Mandela in which he spoke for his comrades. Mandela spoke of the ideal of a free and multi-racial South Africa which he hoped to live to see.



“But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,” concluded Mandela to a stunned court.



“There was a deafening silence at the end of the speech, you could have heard a pin drop,”&nbsp; Chaskelson told me more than half a century later.



Bizos told me at Liliesleaf on a warm summer&#8217;s evening , that he had persuaded Mandela to insert “if needs be” into the speech. It took some persuasion for the legally trained pen of Mandela to make a change, but after a burst of Bizos browbeating, he agreed.



“I felt the speech was too strong as it was. It was an invitation to the judge to hang everyone and make them martyrs, so I recommended we put in the words ‘If needs be’” says Bizos.



Joffe, a former chairman of Oxfam made Lord Joffe by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, remembered Mandela’s reaction to the change.



“I read my speech and there seems to be an error, he said, it is my sentence and I want it back!” Joffe chuckled.



Bizos also claimed he was the first to learn that the Rivonia trialists were not going to hang long before the verdict in Pretoria.



The British government had been putting pressure on the South African authorities not to hang Mandela and his comrades. It feared that they would be made martyrs and fuel unrest that could threaten British investments in South Africa.



Bizos recalled a social gathering at the embassy where the British ambassador had more than a few drinks.



“As I walked out he put his arm around me and said: ‘Don’t worry George, they are not going to hang and Rusty Bernstein will be acquitted,” Bizos said.



So it was, to the letter, weeks later in court. Even though the accused were upbeat and smiling on their way to prison following the verdict holding up three fingers to Bizos through the window of the police van.



&#8220;Three years George and we will be out!&#8221; they shouted to their lawyer.



But it was not to be so, life was to mean life for the Rivonia trialists who spent nearly 30 years behind bars. 



All of the Rivonia trialists &#8211; who have now passed on &#8211; emerged from prison to see a free South Africa. How different history could have been if it were not for a dose of timely diplomatic pressure and a canny counsel by the name of Bizos.

George Bizos- the man who helped save Mandela’s neck

Africa&#8217;s biggest airport is revving back into life as COVID-19 restrictions ease.



South Africa&#8217;s OR Tambo International Airport, near Johannesburg, expects 210,000 flights to take to the spring skies over Africa, in September, as the country eases the lockdown to level two. This is merely 12% of the pre-COVID-19 traffic at the airport; in May a mere 575 passengers left OR Tambo International Airport on repatriation flights. 



Airlines &#8211; many of them on their knees as COVID-19 restictions virtually shut down international travel &#8211; have booked 2500 slots for planes to take off and land in September. 



“We believe that we are on the road to recovery and that demand will accelerate with Spring weather and growing trust that we are applying health protocols rigorously and consistently,”says General Manager of OR Tambo International fBongiwe Pityi-Vokwana







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/hqdefault-100-e1598559389559.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-369765" width="695" height="958" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/hqdefault-100-e1598559389559.jpg 249w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/hqdefault-100-e1598559389559-218x300.jpg 218w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px" /><figcaption>How Airlines Park Thousands Of Planes</figcaption></figure>



Ninety-five per cent of flights are taking off on time, but the few delays are largely down to passengers forgetting to complete their pre-flight health checks.



“We have found that about 30% of travellers arrive at the airport without having completed the required health questionnaire. This can cause unnecessary delays while people fill in the questionnaire. We appeal to passengers to ensure that they complete the form before they leave for the airport,” says Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana



The airport’s response to the pandemic included mass screening of 6 000 employees in April and May, which was made possible by the collaboration of the National Department of Health. Since Level 5 of the lockdown, a total of 110 employees out of 38 000 normally working around the airport have tested positive for Covid-19. The airport ecosystem, which has had a 100% recovery rate,currently has six active cases where the individuals are in isolation.



Despite the rigours of the lockdown, OR Tambo International Airport saw 1 555 repatriation and evacuation flights that carried more than 50 000 passengers since April.

396×276(8)

How Africa’s biggest airport is revving up on the runway

The flamboyant head of the African Development Bank, with his trademark bow tie and yen for economic progress across the continent, is back at the helm with another five term.



Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the AfBD, secured at second term at the at the body&#8217;s annual meeting in Abidjan after months of uncertainty. He garnered all of the votes from the regional and non-regional members of the bank and will carry on in the job until September 2025 along with his famous bow tie.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="540" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs.jpg" alt="African Development Bank President denies allegations of ill-governance" class="wp-image-350957" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs.jpg 960w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs-696x392.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1571595826001_6109105526001_6109104149001-vs-747x420.jpg 747w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>African Development Bank President denies allegations of ill-governance</figcaption></figure>



 “I wear it because it is sexy and cool to be in the agriculture business. You mustn’t forget that by 2030 65% of the world’s arable land will be in Africa,” quipped Adesina at the launch of his brainchild, the Africa Investment Forum, in Johannesburg, in May 2017. Those words, in some way, sum up the man and his attitude to the continent.



Adesina, the former agriculture minister of Nigeria, has been a passionate proponent of economic development since he took the job five years ago and has been seen by many on the continent as a breath of fresh air in often musty world of development finance. He grew up, the son of a farmer, near Ibadan 128 km north east of Lagos in Oyo State. 



As a young man studied as an agricultural economist at Purdue University in Indiana, United States even though an academic back in Nigeria told him his maths was not good enough for him to get in. This was the prestigious college that educated the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong; in fact, one in every three NASA manned space missions had a Purdue graduate on board. 



In his first five year term , Adesina connected 18 million Africans to electricity and another 15 million the chance finance and private investment. Under his stewardship the AfDB has also maintained its AAA-rating among the global ratings agencies.



The certainty of the re-election is a sharp contrast the uncertainty of the last few months for Adesina. A group of whistle blowers accused Adesina of giving contracts to friends and appointing relatives to the bank. The man himself denied the accusations saying they were a mere attempt to tarnish his reputation.



The bank&#8217;s ethics committee cleared Adesina. In July, a panel of three international experts: former Irish premier Mary Robinson; Gambian chief justice Hassan Jallow and the former World Bank integrity vice-president Leonard McCarthy cleared Adesina of any wrong doing.

PRST Adesina

The bow tie is back – Adesina keeps the helm of the African Development Bank.

The so-called “Butterfly” spy case took another turn with the release of a new independent report, in London, pouring cold water on allegations of money laundering to fund terrorism in Botswana. In supporting the report, former Botswana president Ian Khama castigated the people running his country and calling the allegation the “height of stupidity and irresponsibility.”



The “Butterfly” case took its name from the code name of the intelligence officer at the centre of the story that has been the talk of southern Africa for months. It surrounds allegations that 46-year-old Botswana intelligence officer Welheminah Maswabi took part in money laundering of $10 Billion through the Bank of Botswana and string of commercial banks around the world.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="427" height="640" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-379463" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1.jpeg 427w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1-200x300.jpeg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px" /></figure>



The State alleges that the money was to fund unrest and political opposition in Botswana against President Mokgweetsi Masisi– also linking it to South African businesswoman Bridgette Radebe and former President Khama.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="540" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-353966" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs.jpg 960w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-696x392.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-747x420.jpg 747w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth</figcaption></figure>



“It is unfortunately a day of shame and a sad day for our country. It has damaged our reputation as a clean democracy,” says Khama.



“The regime here has engaged in perjury&#8230;Their clear criminal intent has now been exposed our reputation for clean government has been tarnished…This is the height of stupidity and irresponsibility by falsely accusing people… I fully expect them (the Botswana government) to rubbish it (the report), they have been doing so as this press conference was coming and that shows the mentality of the regime.”



CNBC Africa made numerous attempts to contact the president’s office in Gaborone, to no avail.



The State &nbsp;is building a case against Maswabi around charges of money laundering to finance terrorism in Botswana – a country famed in Africa for its peaceful stability. Her lawyer Uyapo Ndadi told CNBC Africa that the case against Maswabi was based on trumped up charges and she was due back in court in November. &nbsp;



The case is being built around an affidavit from Jako Hubona, an investigator with Botswana’s Directorate of Economic Crime and Corruption Unit. He claimed that Khama and Motsepe took part in money laundering through a flow of illicit funds out of government accounts at the Bank of Botswana , via a number international financial institutions, to a variety of South African and offshore accounts.



The new independent investigation released in London, commissioned by Motsepe and conducted by lawyer Cherie Blair, refutes these allegations.&nbsp; It says that the affidavit does not have a shred of evidence and claims it is based on fabrication. Blair, the wife of former British premier Tony Blair, said the allegations against Motsepe – the sister of billionaire Patrice Motsepe- and Khama &nbsp;were baseless.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="360" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-379434" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74.jpg 480w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /><figcaption>Report vindicates Bridgette Motsepe and Ian Khama of money laundering allegations</figcaption></figure>



“For a start 10 billion dollars is about half of Botswana’s GDP and we found no evidence that such money had been transferred at all from the Bank of Botswana at all,” Blair told CNBC Africa. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

ian khama

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

Hoteliers and people who make and sell alcohol celebrated tonight as South African president Cyril Ramaphosa eased the COVID-19 lockdown to level two as the number of cases slows down in the country that has borne the brunt of the continent&#8217;s cases.



From midnight on Monday South Africans will be able to visit the next province, drink,smoke, and sleep in a hotel bed.



&#8221; 



&#8220;To say we are delighted by this news would be an understatement,&#8221;says Graham Wood the chief operating officer of hospitality of Sun International one of Africa&#8217;s biggest hospitality groups.



With interprovincial travel restrictions lifted our tourist hotels and resorts such as Sun City will finally be able to reopen.  We will advise of Sun City’s re-opening date in due course.&#8221;



Wood felt that the government could have gone further in easing the restrictions that have shut down large parts of the economy since March.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="636" height="370" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ramaphosa.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-368728" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ramaphosa.jpg 636w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ramaphosa-300x175.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px" /></figure>



&#8220;It is unfortunate that the curfew could not be further relaxed, but we are grateful and relieved that our restaurants can again serve alcohol. But lifting the onerous ban on alcohol will boost footfall to our properties,&#8221; he said.







 Lucky Ntimane, Convener of the National Liquor Traders Council, said:“Our network of some 34 000 taverners across the country is ready to get back to business. We will continue to roll out innovations such as the “click-and-collect” apps to help reduce queues, improve social distancing, and make it safer for consumers to order and collect their purchases.”



President Ramaphosa said bars would only be allowed to operate if they practised sanitizing, social distancing and respected the 10 PM curfew. Bar owners say they will help meet the cost.



“The liquor industry confirmed it is willing to ensure enhanced resources, including funds, people and time, are available to assist the Government in dealing with the burden on the public healthcare system. It will also help ease the pressure on healthcare facilities and to assist with the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), leveraging our extensive distribution and retail networks nationwide in support of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19,” said Kurt Moore, the CEO of the South African Liquor Brandowners Association



Yet the opposition Democratic Alliance thought the easing of the lockdown was too little, too late, for the economy.

beer

“To say we are delighted by this news would be an understatement” alcohol and hotel industry cheers the easing of lockdown

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a major relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions as the number of cases in South Africa recede. 



Cabinet moved to level two from Midnight on August 17. It means that we can remove nearly all of the restrictions across most of industry. Restrictions on inter-provincial travel shall be lifted along with those on accommodation. Social distancing will carry on, but bars and restaurants be able to operate up to 10 pm; cigarettes can be sold. Family and social visits will also be lifted, but only if people exercise extreme caution.



Curfews will remain in place from 10pm to 4 am and people are encouraged to work from home, especially if they are old or infirm. The national state of disaster was extended to September 15. ,



&#8220;Ï address you tonight in a spirit of hope, there are signs that this pandemic is receding. We were getting 12000 cases a day now it is 5000,&#8221; says President Ramaphosa.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="397" height="594" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-374814" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1.jpg 397w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1-201x300.jpg 201w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px" /><figcaption>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a media conference at the end of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on July 27, 2018, as the heads of the BRICS group &#8212; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa &#8212; met in Johannesburg for an annual summit dominated by the risk of a US-led trade war. &#8211; Five of the biggest emerging economies on July 26, stood by the multilateral system and vowed to strengthen economic cooperation in the face of US tariff threats and unilateralism. (Photo by Themba Hadebe / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read THEMBA HADEBE/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;The number of hospital cases have dropped from 10000 to 4000&#8230;South Africa has reached the peak and moved beyond the inflection point of the curve,&#8221; says the president.



President Ramaphosa said this improvement in the COVID-19 figures was due to swift action by the government in the early days of the pandemic. He also praised the medical staff of South Africa for their work and the people for wearing masks. 



But Ramaphosa also warned that relaxation of the restrictions could lead to a resurgence in the pandemic. He said people should continue to wear masks, social distance and restrict travelling.



Ï could be infected as you could each of us should see ourselves as potentially infected with the virus nd act accordingly,&#8221; he said. 



Sports and political gatherings will can go ahead, but with no crowds. No more than 50 people will be allowed at funerals and religious events.



President Ramaphosa said the government was going to take decisive action against those who had tried to profit from the efforts to contain the pandemic with a view to bringing them to book.



In the next few weeks, President Ramaphosa said that the government would announce a plan to revive the economy with employment at its centre. 



&#8220;Ëven as we open up economic activity it will take business and industry a long time to recover and there is a lot of work to be done,&#8221; he said.

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COVID-19: Ramaphosa allows beer,  cigarettes and inter-provincial travel.

(Reuters) &#8211; A Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef in Mauritius last month threatening a marine ecological disaster around the Indian Ocean island has broken apart, authorities said on Saturday.



The condition of the MV Wakashio was worsening early on Saturday and it split by the afternoon, the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said.



“At around 4.30pm, a major detachment of the vessel’s forward section was observed,” it said in a statement. “On the basis of the experts’ advice, the towing plan is being implemented.”



The vessel struck a coral reef on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and endangering corals, fish and other marine life in what some scientists have called the country’s worst ecological disaster.



On Friday, some residual oil from the ship leaked into the ocean, Mauritius Marine Conservation Society President Jacqueline Sauzier told Reuters on Saturday morning.



Authorities deployed booms on Saturday to help with oil absorption around the vessel.



The Crisis Committee said special attention was being given to sensitive sites such as the Blue Bay Marine Park, Ile aux Aigrettes and the Pointe D’Esny National Ramsar Site.



The weather is expected to deteriorate over the next few days with waves of up to 4.5 metres (15 feet), authorities said.



Most of the oil from the vessels have been pumped out, the Mauritian government said on Thursday, but there was still 166 tonnes of fuel oil inside and authorities were working to remove it.



Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Saturday Tokyo planned to send a team of officials from the ministry and other specialists to assess the damage. The MV Wakashio is owned by Japan’s Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines.



Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades.



Removing the ship is likely to take months. Former colonial power France has said it will assist with the cleanup.

Op-Ed: Tourism sector in Mauritius devastated by COVID-19

Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) &#8211; Pope Francis called for dialogue between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on Saturday, urging them not to let a dispute over a dam on the Nile lead to conflict.



The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is being built some 15 km (9 miles) from Ethiopia’s border with Sudan, has become a major source of discord between the three countries.



“I invite all parties involved to continue on the path of dialogue so that the eternal river will continue to be a source of life, which unites and does not divide, which nurtures friendship, prosperity and fraternity and not enmity, misunderstanding and conflict,” the pontiff said.



He was giving his Angelus message for Assumption Day, the most important Catholic feast dedicated to the Virgin Mary.



Egypt, which fears the dam project could lead to water shortages upstream, has threatened to withdraw from the latest round of discussions. Sudan is concerned about the dam’s safety.

River Nile

Pope calls for dialogue between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over Nile dam

As President Cyril Ramaphosa ponders whether to allow South Africans to smoke and drink again,the Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service revealed that the lockdown booze ban had already cost government coffers R15 billion, at a time when it can ill afford it. He also lamented the back street sales that have grown during the pandemic claiming it will take years to stamp them out. 



This was the word from SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter as he told CNBC Africa that the country had fallen short of its R321 billion tax target, set for the end of July, collecting a mere R316.8 billion- a shortfall of more than R4 billion.



&#8220;The real concern is that, year on year, we are already 21% down, which is R86 billion down.If you look at where that comes from, employment taxes are down by R14.5 billion, which is some 9%. That is a concern because many of these jobs may not return. CIT (corporate income tax) is down R16 billion, or 28%, and again there is a concern that some of the businesses that are trading may not also come back,&#8221;says Kieswetter. 



 



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VAT was down 11 %, by R14.5 billion; customs duty down by 16.7 billion, 26%, he said. Tax from alcohol was down by R 7 billion, 75% down year-on-year; cigarettes by R3 billion. 



&#8220;Ïf you then add the downstream taxes from those companies you will also add the loss in corporate income tax and employment taxes that gets you to a shortfall of R15 billion,&#8221; says Kieswetter. 



Kieswetter admitted that it was difficult for the government to balance the impact of the sale of alcohol on the health of the nation, with the impact on the economy. He lamented the black market that had grown during the ban. 



&#8221; It is going to take us years to root out the corruption and illegal activity that has taken root in this pandemic, &#8220;says Kieswetter.



The only bright spot on the horizon, says Kieswetter, was that the downtime gave SARS time to rebuild after years of taxes failing get back to the taxpayer. 



&#8220;&#8221;We are hopeful, if we worked hard on overall project in rebuilding SARS, that even though not all of the gap would be plugged, but we can handle the decline. We have to try our best We can&#8217;t let a good crisis go to waste and we must do what we can to rebuild SARS,&#8221;Kieswetter told Power Lunch on CNBC Africa.

How no beer and cigarettes has cost South Africa R15 billion.

Zimbabwe finance minister Mthuli Ncube has told sceptical farmers that his government will pay them out in hard currency for farms taken by violent mobs 20 years ago.



Speaking to CNBC Africa from Harare, Ncube confirmed that the government was negotiating with more than 4,000 dispossessed farmers to pay compensation for improvements to their erstwhile &nbsp;&nbsp;land after a referendum gave the green light to the idea. Many farmers fear that the government will try to pay them out in discredited bonds. &nbsp;&nbsp;



“I can assure you that this agreement is in US dollars &#8211; it will be honoured in dollars, no other currency. In terms of the process of approval there was a referendum of 4,000 plus farmers around the globe who accepted this deal,” says Ncube.



“A lot of this money will make its way back into farming. &nbsp;It is a constitutional requirement the supreme law of the land Zimbabwe wants to follow the law that is what this agreement is going to do.”



Yet many former Zimbabwean farmers remain sceptical, including veteran farmer Ben Freeth. Privately, farmers feel that this is a way Zimbabwe is trying to ingratiate itself with the international finance community by giving the impression that property rights have been restored.



“It is a pie in the sky scheme as far as I am concerned. The government doesn’t have the money. The idea is to portray this as the government and farmers kissing and making up leaving Zimbabwe looking like a great place to invest – it is just an illusion,” says Freeth.



“There is a lot of concern out there no one has actually seen the agreement there is a great deal of secrecy around the deal it is all a bit mysterious.”



Farmers have also questioned the 99-year lease on farms that government is offering in a bid to kick start what was once the bread basket of Southern Africa. Ncube tried to reassure farmers.



“In terms of 99 year leases that is a different matter..the way we will do it is working with farmers &nbsp;and provide a guarantee to banks&nbsp; extending loans &nbsp;to farmers , but we understand it take time for banks to accept 99 year leases,”says Ncube



“It is a big step in the right direction 20 years after the land acquisition was carried out. We will work together to deal with our issues.”

Finmin Ncube on who will fund Zim’s $3.5bn compensation to white farmers

EXCLUSIVE: “I can assure you that this agreement will be honoured in dollars” Zimbabwe’s finance minister Mthuli Ncube on the $3.5 billion deal with farmers

The last survivor of a defiant group of young activists who stared down death in the name of freedom has been laid to rest in his home of Soweto, in Johannesburg among the people he had served in politics for seven decades. With him died a lot of the hopes for freedom and prosperity for all South Africans that he fought for until his last breath. 



In paying tribute to Andrew Mlangeni,who died aged 95, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi had stinging words for the country&#8217;s post aprtheid leaders as he spoke as the funeral on behalf of Gauteng premier David Makhura, laid low by COVID-19. 



&#8220;&#8221;The struggle you waged may turn to be something else if we don&#8217;t self-correct. That the sacrifices you made, if nothing drastic is done, may be fruiltess,&#8221; says Lesufi.



&#8220;The mistrust between the leadership and our people is growing daily, Never in our history have greediness and corruption preoccupied the mind of our people . In your honour , we need to let go of all these wrong things.&#8221; 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="360" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hqdefault-58.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-376849" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hqdefault-58.jpg 480w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hqdefault-58-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /><figcaption>Last Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni dies aged 95</figcaption></figure>



Mlangeni was accused number 10 in the so called Rivonia trial that began in 1963 and lasted for a year. Accused number one was Nelson Mandela who was to turn world opinion in favour his band of brothers who stood, resolutely, behind their principles in the face of the death penalty. The apartheid authorities had failed to secure convictions of the increasingly troublesome activists, with treason charges, in the 1950s because of the complexities of proof. Sabotage was a lot easier to prove and prosecutors pressed for the death penalty when the trial concluded in 1964.



Even on the cold morning in 1964, when the accused ascended the stairs at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria for teh verdict they didn&#8217;t know whether they were going to hang. The judge sentenced them to life in prison, which meant that Mlangeni, who had been trained by the military in China, spent 27 years behind bars.



Ironically Mlangeni spent a lifetime in prison for doing nothing wrong. The authorities transferred the sabotage of the late defence minister Joe Modise to Mlangeni&#8217;s charge sheet and never even bothered to question him about it in court.



Mlangeni pleaded guilty to all charges in solidarity with his comrades, on principle, in the cause of putting the apartheid government of the day on trial. It worked and soon the desperadoes of the struggle were being seen as the principled Benjamin Franklins of Africa, in the words of advocate George Bizos, one of the men who defended them. 



The kind of selfless principle that South Africa, in 2020, is crying out for.

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The last survivor of a defiant dance with death and Nelson Mandela is laid to rest.

An independent review panel has exonerated Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank, of any ethical wrong doing. It clears the way for Adesina to stand for a second five-year term as president of the bank, at its annual meetings between August 25 and 27.



The panel was set up by the bureau of governors of the AfDB following a complaint by the United States. It included: former Irish president &nbsp;Mary Robinson; &nbsp;Hassan B Jallow, the chief justice of the supreme court of Gambia; and Leonard McCarthy, a former director of public prosecutions in South Africa.



The probe began in January when 16 allegations of ethical conduct were levelled by a group of whistle blowers. The allegations were reviewed first by the AfDB’s ethics committee and dismissed as frivolous and without merit. These findings were upheld by a meeting of the bank’s board of governors in May. &nbsp;



“It has considered the president’s submissions on their face value and find them consistent with his innocence,” the three-person panel said in a statement.



When Adesina was elected, in 2015, he was seen as a breath of fresh air in development finance in the continent. He had studied in the United States, the same university that produced astronaut Neil Armstrong, and slogged his way up through development work in Africa and a stint as the agriculture minister of Nigeria – the country of his birth. &nbsp;He promised action and spoke passionately about Africa



“When I watch on TV Africans clinging to rickety boats trying to get to Europe that is not the Africa I want to see,” says Adesina at the launch of the Africa Investment Forum, in 2018, in Johannesburg. The AIF is his brainchild and raised billions in investment in Africa. 



“I want a new Africa that people want to come to and not move out of.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



&nbsp;On Adesina’s watch the AfDB launched a $10 billion fund to help African nations fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In June and July, Standard and Poors and Fitch Ratings gave the AfDB &nbsp;a AAA rating with a stable outlook.

Adesina cleared to stand for a second term at the AfDB as probe  exonerates him

Former South African finance minister Nhlanhla Nene says government needs more teeth to sort out misconduct and corruption in its ranks.



Nene fell on his sword as finance minister, in 2018,after admitting meeting members of the Gupta family – accused of corruption in South Africa – during his time in office. He was succeeded by former reserve bank governor Tito Mboweni.



“I think the government needs real authority to execute their task. If anything happens, at times we do not see action in that space when people, who do get out of their way, being dealt with as they should be,” Nene told CNBC Africa in an exclusive live interview.



Nene also said that that COVID-19 was also proving worse than the global financial crisis, in 2008, that he worked through as deputy finance minister.



“When the pandemic hit the country it was facing a very tough economic situation. Back in 2008 you were suffering a global situation , but it was not complicated by a natural disaster like the one we have now. This is much more complex than the one we had back then…The solutions are just as difficult to find. Finding a solution is like trying to fix an aeroplane while you are flying it and I don’t envy the leadership in making decisions,” says Nene.



Nene, born to subsistence rural farmers in 1958, has retreated to his farm in KwaZulu Natal since he left office.



“Even when I was in office I would always retreat back to the fam to gain some sanity…I love animals and I love nature it is really therapeutic,” he says.

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“It must be like trying to fix a plane when you are flying it” why former finance minister Nene doesn’t envy those in power fighting COVID-19.

The International Monetary Fund will lend South Africa $4.3 billion in emergency financial support to help the country repair the catastrophic economic damage wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.



The South African economy is expected to contract by more than 11 per cent as it buckles under the lockdown imposed in March to try to ward off the disease that has claimed nearly 7,000 lives in a matter of months. Three million South Africans have lost their jobs &#8211; nearly a third of the working population with formal jobs. Economists fear many more jobs could be lost as cash-strapped companies go down like dominoes.



&#8220;The additional IMF funding is a low interest loan that contributes to government’s fiscal relief package while respecting South Africa’s decisions on how best to provide relief to the economy and those worst affected by the current crisis. It will also pave the way for government to provide the necessary financial relief required to forge a new economy and mitigate further harm to the economy, &#8221; Treasury said in a statement.



The money will go to frontline health services, job creation, stabilising public debt and reforms to encourage job creation.



“Government’s Covid-19 economic support package directs R500 billion straight at the problem. This is one of the largest economic response packages in the developing world. The South African Reserve Bank has reduced interest rates and made it easier for banks to lend money, and supported liquidity in the domestic bond market. Government spending and tax proposals, guarantee scheme and wage protection measures, are providing protection to workers and the poor, while assisting to stay afloat during these tough economic times. Going forward, our fiscal measures will build on our policy strengths and limit the existing economic vulnerabilities which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic,” says South African finance minister Tito Mboweni.



Mboweni, presented a Special Adjustments Budget in Parliament on June 24 as part of government’s key interventions to the Covid-19 pandemic. This loan from the IMF goes some way to financing those measures.

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 16: Finance minister, Tito Mboweni briefs the media on the details of government interventions in various sectors of the departmental portfolios on COVID-19 at DIRCO Media Centre.

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IMF approves $4.3 bn to help South Africa fight COVID-19

Millions of children will stay home tomorrow as South Africa will lock down its public schools once again- for four weeks this time &#8211; as COVID-19 cases rocket.Many of the public schools had reopened their doors merely days ago, despite concerns from parents and unions that this may spread the disease. The government also pledged to extend the academic year beyond 2020 to help children cash up with their studies. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="397" height="594" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-374814" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1.jpg 397w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/gettyimages-1006175054-594x594-1-201x300.jpg 201w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px" /><figcaption>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a media conference at the end of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on July 27, 2018, as the heads of the BRICS group &#8212; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa &#8212; met in Johannesburg for an annual summit dominated by the risk of a US-led trade war. &#8211; Five of the biggest emerging economies on July 26, stood by the multilateral system and vowed to strengthen economic cooperation in the face of US tariff threats and unilateralism. (Photo by Themba Hadebe / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read THEMBA HADEBE/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



South Africa has the fifth highest number of cases in the world and more than half of the continent&#8217;cases, he said. The country needed to be vigilant and strict in taking precautions against disease, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his address to the nation.



&#8220;An impediment to learning will damage an entire generation,&#8221; says President Ramaphosa. he said this was taken into consideration in making the decision. 



There have been calls to close schools from many groups. The government has met with 16 bodies representing everyone from teachers to parents. 



&#8220;What everyone does agree on though it that health must remain out main concern,&#8221; he sad



&#8220;All public schools should take a break for the next four eweeks. This has been expeienced in other countries schools have opened and had to be closed. This means schools will close July 27 and reopen on August 24.&#8221;



&#8220;The current academic year will be extended beyond 2020. Details of this will be announced soon. We have taken a deliberately cautious approach.&#8221; 



Many public schools reopened just over a week ago, amid sanitising and social distance rules. Many schools reported COVID-19 cases among their pupils.

Chris Bishop

Zoli Kunene – Larger than life champion of black business passes away.

“We dip our heads in honour” – Ramaphosa lauds the late Bizos

George Bizos- the man who helped save Mandela’s neck

How Africa’s biggest airport is revving up on the runway

The bow tie is back – Adesina keeps the helm of the African Development Bank.

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

“To say we are delighted by this news would be an understatement” alcohol and hotel industry cheers the easing of lockdown

COVID-19: Ramaphosa allows beer, cigarettes and inter-provincial travel.

Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

Pope calls for dialogue between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over Nile dam

How no beer and cigarettes has cost South Africa R15 billion.

EXCLUSIVE: “I can assure you that this agreement will be honoured in dollars” Zimbabwe’s finance minister Mthuli Ncube on the $3.5 billion deal with farmers

The last survivor of a defiant dance with death and Nelson Mandela is laid to rest.

Adesina cleared to stand for a second term at the AfDB as probe exonerates him

“It must be like trying to fix a plane when you are flying it” why former finance minister Nene doesn’t envy those in power fighting COVID-19.

IMF approves $4.3 bn to help South Africa fight COVID-19

COVID -19: South Africa public Schools to close for four weeks – Ramaphosa

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Chris Bishop

Zoli Kunene – Larger than life champion of black business passes away.

“We dip our heads in honour” – Ramaphosa lauds the late Bizos

George Bizos- the man who helped save Mandela’s neck

How Africa’s biggest airport is revving up on the runway

The bow tie is back – Adesina keeps the helm of the African Development Bank.

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

“To say we are delighted by this news would be an understatement” alcohol and hotel industry cheers the easing of lockdown

COVID-19: Ramaphosa allows beer, cigarettes and inter-provincial travel.

Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

Pope calls for dialogue between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over Nile dam

How no beer and cigarettes has cost South Africa R15 billion.

EXCLUSIVE: “I can assure you that this agreement will be honoured in dollars” Zimbabwe’s finance minister Mthuli Ncube on the $3.5 billion deal with farmers

The last survivor of a defiant dance with death and Nelson Mandela is laid to rest.

Adesina cleared to stand for a second term at the AfDB as probe exonerates him

“It must be like trying to fix a plane when you are flying it” why former finance minister Nene doesn’t envy those in power fighting COVID-19.

IMF approves $4.3 bn to help South Africa fight COVID-19

COVID -19: South Africa public Schools to close for four weeks – Ramaphosa

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