By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lamech-mwapagha-332522">Lamech Mwapagha</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/namibia-university-of-science-and-technology-3423">Namibia University of Science and Technology</a>


All organisms are unique. Each having a set of genetic instructions for their build-up and maintenance. This set of genetic instructions is contained in genes that makeup a genome. 

The <a href="http://www.who.int/genomics/geneticsVSgenomics/en/">World Health Organisation</a> defines genomics as the study of genes and their complex interplay in influencing the growth and development of an organism. Through genomics, gene sequences can be manipulated to prevent – or manage – certain diseases and hence prolong life and improve public health. 

More and more <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/112/1/37/2747691">research</a> is showing that a better understanding of the genomics of pathogens can play a crucial role in preventing and treating infectious diseases. Identifying genetic risk factors for diseases can ensure timely interventions. It can also help curtail the spread of emerging infections and drug resistance.

Because of this, genomic research has huge potential in helping African countries address public health issues. The problem is that Africa lags behind other regions. This is true in terms of research, resources as well as policy.

<h2>Burden of disease</h2>

Africa faces a heavy disease burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. In the last <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/09/global-burden-of-disease-findings-for-sub-saharan-africa">two decades</a>, the continent has succeeded in decreasing some communicable diseases such as cholera and polio. But others such as <a href="http://www.who.int/bulletin/africanhealth/en/">malaria and HIV</a> remain quite high.

This disease burden has been aggravated with the emergence of drug-resistant strains. 

In addition, non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are also on the rise. The number of deaths from these is <a href="http://www.prb.org/pdf15/ncds-africa-policybrief.pdf">projected</a> to increase over the next decade.

This high disease burden can be significantly reduced. But it needs a proactive approach. This should include a combination of public health strategies as well as the use of genomics to help identify genetic risk factors. 

<h2>Why genomics matters</h2>

Some examples of how genomic research has been used to address public health issues include:

<ul>
<li>The identification of a new <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/285/5433/1573">antimalarial</a> drug;</li>
<li>The development of new <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/193523">vaccines</a>; and </li>
<li>In the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706975/">investigation</a> of causes of infectious disease outbreaks, including the Ebola virus.</li>
</ul>

Genomic analysis has also provided important prognostic indicators for breast cancer patients. This has helped identify the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15891269">drugs</a> that individuals could best respond to. It opened the door to the new era of <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/503689/Healthcare_UK_Genomics__Personalised_Medicine__DIGITAL.pdf">personalised medicine</a> that aims to tailor therapy according to each person’s genetic makeup. 

A good example was the use of genome sequencing that pointed to a new treatment regimen for <a href="https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i28/Next-Generation-DNA-Sequencing-Finds.html">Nicholas Volker</a> who had a gastrointestinal disorder that was cured with a bone marrow transplant.

To date, the US Food and Drug Administration has <a href="http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/InVitroDiagnostics/ucm330711.htm">approved</a> 45 human genetic tests, and more than 100 nucleic acid-based tests for microbial pathogens. Most of this research is being carried out in the developed world. 

But scientists in Africa have also been attempting large-scale genome research studies focused on specific diseases. For example, the international <a href="https://www.genome.gov/10001688/international-hapmap-project/">HapMap</a> project and other previous studies have shown that people who live on the continent have the greatest genetic variation. Therefore understanding the genetic basis of both communicable and non-communicable diseases may provide useful insights into devising <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2953791/">effective strategies</a> to combat diseases that have had a large impact on the continent.

<h2>Challenges</h2>

Africa still lags behind the rest of the world in the field of genomic research. This is largely attributed to the following challenges:

<ul>
<li>The cost of research remains prohibitive for African research centres. This is mainly due to lack of enough government funding and support;</li>
<li>There’s a shortage of African scientists with genomic research and computational expertise who can translate genomic information into clinical medicine;</li>
<li>A lack of biomedical research infrastructure to undertake genomic research;</li>
<li>Lack of collaborative research among African scientists;</li>
<li>A climate of fear about the potential for misuse and misinterpretation of genomic information among the public and health professionals in Africa;</li>
<li>Poor engagement with national and regional agencies in the uptake of genomic research as novel methodologies to help tackle health problems; and</li>
<li>No proper policies and clear guidelines to inform medical and public health professionals about the level of confidence and use of genomic information.</li>
</ul>

<h2>What to do</h2>

African Union member states have set a target of 1% of GDP to be invested on <a href="http://uis.unesco.org/en/news/rd-data-release">research and development</a>. But most member states don’t meet this target. Only South Africa, Kenya and Senegal are close – at around 0.8%. 

It’s crucial that genomic research is given higher priority on the continent. The research should be supported by establishing the infrastructure for genomic studies, capacity building and improving collaborations with credible international partners. 

African genomic scientists should also build networks and collaborations that enable the exchange of new ideas and the transfer of knowledge. This could indirectly influence policy makers to support investments in genomic research.

There are programmes that are supporting initiatives like this. These include the <a href="http://aasciences.ac.ke/programmes/easa/alliance-for-accelerating-excellence-in-science-in-africa-aesa/">Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Africa</a>, created by the <a href="http://aasciences.ac.ke/">African Academy of Sciences</a> and the <a href="http://h3africa.org/">Human Heredity and Health in Africa</a>. These programmes support studies led by African scientists by providing research funds that foster genomics research, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4138491/">capacity building</a>, as well as specific scientific goals.

But there’s scope for considerable expansion. 

Overall, policymakers need to be involved from the beginning in all discussions and debates involving genomics research. They should be engaging with communities, academics and public health professionals to help develop research questions. They should also be involved in preparing to set up legal regulatory frameworks. This would go a long way towards ensuring the translation of genomic research findings into public health benefits.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110212/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lamech-mwapagha-332522">Lamech Mwapagha</a>, Lecturer of Biochemistry, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/namibia-university-of-science-and-technology-3423">Namibia University of Science and Technology</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-african-countries-need-to-give-genomic-research-a-major-boost-110212">original article</a>.

Why genomic research on the African continent needs a major boost

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; The South African government will soon debate whether to split up state power firm Eskom to make it financially viable, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Tuesday.



Eskom is vital to the health of Africa’s most industrialised economy as it supplies more than 90 percent of its power, but it is drowning in debt after a decade of steep financial decline.



Experts hired by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help revive the ailing company are proposing splitting it up into three state-owned entities responsible for power generation, distribution and transmission, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.



Ramaphosa is due to meet the experts this week, and Eskom’s fate will also be debated at a cabinet meeting starting on Wednesday.



“Should Eskom be unbundled into generation, transmission and distribution, as is the worldwide practice? That is a debate we are going to have soon. And it is going to go beyond a debate because we need very fast movement,” Gordhan said at a business conference outside Johannesburg.



Gordhan, who also oversees struggling state firms Denel and South African Airways, added that the government would be willing to sell stakes in state firms to private investors “once we get to a level of stability in some of these outfits”.



“The fiscus doesn’t have space for endless bailouts,” referring to the budget.



Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by James Macharia

Should South Africa’s state power firm Eskom split? What you need to know…

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe’s high court on Tuesday ordered the release on bail of activist pastor Evan Mawarire, who was arrested on charges of subversion amid violent anti-government protests.



Mawarire is one of more than 1,000 people who were arrested in a security crackdown over their alleged roles in demonstrations that took place this month following a hike in fuel prices.



Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; editing by John Stonestreet

Zimbabwe activist pastor Evan Mawarire released on bail

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Public sector unions gave Zimbabwe’s government a 48-hour ultimatum to make a new salary offer or face a strike after wage negotiations reached a deadlock, raising the prospect of more unrest following this month’s violent protests. 



President Emmerson Mnangagwa is under pressure to deliver on pre-election promises to revive an economy wrecked during the tenure of his predecessor Robert Mugabe, who ruled for 37 years before being forced to resign after a coup in 2017.



Mnangagwa’s government has also come under severe criticism for a crackdown on violent protests over a fuel price hike that rights groups say killed at least 12 people and injured scores. Police say only three people died.



The Apex Council, which groups 16 civil service unions, said government negotiators did not bring a new offer at a meeting on Monday. More talks are set for Wednesday, Apex Council secretary David Dzatsungwa told reporters after a four-hour meeting.



“The Apex council gives the government up to the meeting of Wednesday 30 January 2019 or face inevitable job action,” said Dzatsunga.



Unions want to be paid in dollars or have the monthly salary of the lowest paid worker increased from $414 to $1,700. There are 305,000 civil servants, including security forces.



With inflation at 42 percent, its highest since 2008, and a shortage of cash in circulation eroding ordinary Zimbabweans’ spending power, the fragile state of the economy is at the heart of the country’s political troubles.



Mnangagwa promised during campaigning for the July 2018 presidential vote, which he won amid charges of fraud from the opposition, to repair the economy and break with Mugabe’s politics.



But security forces dispersed demonstrations by force and cracked down on activists, leading to fears that Mnangagwa’s government is reverting to Mugabe-era strong-arm politics.



Several opposition officials and activists have gone into hiding and police said on Monday they wanted to question at least 27 of them over the Jan. 14-16 strike that turned into violent street protests.



On Monday, Mnangagwa said he had told authorities to arrest security forces filmed by Sky News assaulting a man in handcuffs. Last week he promised action on security forces who committed violence during the crackdown.



Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Angus MacSwan

Zimbabwe unions issue government with ultimatum to make a new salary offer or face a strike, what you need to know

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-southall-296862">By Roger Southall</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-witwatersrand-894">University of the Witwatersrand</a>

Cries of moral outrage have greeted the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-needs-to-be-done-to-stop-zimbabwes-violent-meltdown-110193">brutal crackdown</a> by the Zimbabwean security forces on nationwide protests sparked by a sudden, massive, government-ordained <a href="https://ewn.co.za/2019/01/13/anger-as-mnangagwa-raises-fuel-prices-in-zimbabwe">hike in the price of fuel</a>. Naturally enough, the demand is that “something must be done” to stop the brutality. Twelve people have <a href="https://worldjusticenews.com/news/2019/01/20/twelve-dead-as-zimbabwe-crackdown-continues/">already died</a>, hundreds have been injured and there have been <a href="https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimbabwe-crackdown-children-shackled-and-caged-in-security-round-up/?PageSpeed=noscript">mass round ups</a>. 

In South Africa, demands that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government should take <a href="https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/why-south-africa-must-intervene-in-zimbabwe-20190124">firm action</a> are fuelled by two factors. The presence of a large Zimbabwean <a href="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/millions-of-zimbabweans-living-in-sa-must-help-resolve-conflict-back-home-anc-20190122">migrant community</a> within the country is one. The second is a widespread sense that Pretoria’s policy towards its errant neighbour has always been one of light wrist-tapping rather than a vigorous twisting of arms. 

Inter-liberation movement solidarity is widely said to have strangled serious South African criticisms of Zimbabwean governments. This “quiet diplomacy” has been <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2017-11-15-south-africas-quiet-diplomacy-towards-zimbabwe-must-end-maimane/">regularly dismissed</a> as a strategy of doing nothing. If South Africa got serious, say the critics, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime would have to comply with its demands. Democracy in Zimbabwe could be given a real chance. 

Many South Africans are concerned by the position Ramaphosa has taken towards the present crisis. South Africa is <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zimbabwe-politics-safrica/south-africa-turned-down-zimbabwe-request-for-12-billion-loan-in-december-idUSKCN1PF0IG">reported</a> to have turned down a request from Zimbabwe for a loan of US$1.2 billion to ease its desperate foreign currency shortage. Yet Ramaphosa was vocal at the recent meeting of global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos in calling for <a href="https://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/ramaphosa-says-lift-zimbabwe-sanction-20190122">an end to sanctions</a>. He argued that these were damaging Zimbabwe’s prospects of economic recovery. 

Ramaphosa’s call for an end to sanctions clearly reflects his government’s view that it cannot afford a collapse of the Zimbabwean economy. Zimbabwe remains a <a href="http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/early-days-but-some-sa-firms-responding-to-zimbabwes-open-for-business-pledge-2018-03-23">site</a> for South African investment and a <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/exports/zimbabwe">significant market</a> for South African goods. This is despite the huge difficulties South African firms have in getting profits out of Zimbabwe .

Meanwhile, best estimates suggest that South Africa already hosts up to <a href="https://africacheck.org/reports/how-many-zimbabweans-live-in-south-africa-the-numbers-are-unreliable/">two million Zimbabweans</a>, though the exact number isn’t known. Any further decline of an already shattered Zimbabwean economy could send many more Zimbabwean migrants across the border, adding to the already <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/unemployment-rate">huge pool of unemployed</a> in South Africa. 

There are thus very real reasons for the South African position, even if the motivation is self-interested. Yet would it help the cause of Zimbabwean democracy and human rights if the European Union and US were to now bring “sanctions” to an end? 

In reality, the answer is extraordinarily complicated.

<h2>The thorny subject of sanctions</h2>

Successive Zimbabwean governments have long been dismissive of efforts from outside the country to effect political change. President Robert Mugabe <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2008-07-16-mugabe-lashes-out-at-uk-as-inflation-soars">routinely insisted </a>that sanctions and other policies designed to isolate Zimbabwe were intended to bring about “regime change”. 

These interventions included the round of sanctions first <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/18/zimbabwe">imposed by the European Union in 2002</a> and <a href="https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ99/PLAW-107publ99.pdf">the passage</a> by the US government of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in 2001. The act encouraged the president to implement travel bans and financial restrictions against people conducting political violence.

The Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has equally consistently claimed that the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy is a result of the imposition of sanctions. Recently Mnangagwa <a href="https://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/remove-illegal-sanctions-against-zimbabwe-mnangagwa-pleads-with-the-west-20180929">claimed</a> that the sanctions, which are still in place, are “illegal”.

Setting aside the Zimbabwe government’s reaction – which is to be expected – do sanctions work, which ones work and what conditions are necessary to make them work? 

There is enormous controversy, politically and academically, around the issues. Furthermore, what impact do sanctions have, how do you measure this, and does impact measure up to the objectives notionally to be achieved? 

In the Zimbabwean case, the US and EU insist that the measures they have taken are “targeted sanctions”. These are designed to hurt individuals identified as members of the repressive ZANU-PF regime rather than the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. For instance, the US Zimbabwe law led <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/us-reforms-first-then-removal-of-zimbabwe-sanctions/4572810.html">to the imposition of travel bans</a> and financial restrictions on members of the ZANU-PF regime. 

Yet reliable data on how effective such measures have been is lacking. Critics would argue that the present crackdown on protests demonstrates their manifest failure. There may well be a case for arguing that the imposition of targeted sanctions by both the US and EU are designed to demonstrate to domestic audiences that “they are doing something” as much as to bring about improved governance. 

Yet does this mean they should be abandoned?

<h2>The case for keeping up the pressure</h2>

Immediate cancellation of such sanctions would clearly send out an extraordinarily dispiriting message to Zimbabweans who are on the receiving end of regime violence. 

There is also a message here for the Ramaphosa government, and for other member governments of the southern African region.

By all means keep the borders with Zimbabwe open, the traffic flowing, and economic exchanges continuing. At the same time, there’s an urgent need to get serious with the Mnangagwa government. The time for diplomatic niceties is long past. South Africa needs to make life as uncomfortable as possible for members of the regime by adopting practical and measurable strategies: stop their travel to and through South Africa, freeze their bank accounts, stop them sending their children to private schools and South Africa’s top universities. 

It may well be that if South Africa is to effect change for the better in Zimbabwe its diplomacy must remain “quiet”. If so, it must also be tough.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110578/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-southall-296862">Roger Southall</a>, Professor of Sociology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-witwatersrand-894">University of the Witwatersrand</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/south-african-diplomacy-on-zimbabwe-can-remain-quiet-but-it-must-get-tough-110578">original article</a>.

Op-Ed: What SA should do about Zimbabwe’s crisis

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gaathier-mahed-185827">Gaathier Mahed</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/nelson-mandela-university-1946">Nelson Mandela University</a>


Groundwater <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298688635_Groundwater_The_Cinderella_of_the_South_African_water_industry">has often</a> been seen as the underground resource that never runs out. This “out of sight out of mind” attitude means wells and boreholes are indiscriminately sunk and that groundwater <a href="http://www.satgi.co.za/Media/Default/Documents/Seminar/2017%2009%2028%20State%20of%20Water%20Resources%20-%20John%20Robberts.pdf">is abused</a> by the public and even by governments. This is exacerbated in times of drought and even more pronounced in arid areas.

Since groundwater was developed as a science 150 years ago by <a href="https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/%7Emartins/climate_water/lectures/darcy.html">Henry Darcy</a>, several ideas using engineering and technology have cropped up on how best to manage it. Aquifers, which are groundwater reservoirs, have been used for centuries as a water source for drinking and agricultural purposes.

One idea is known as <a href="http://www.artificialrecharge.co.za/">managed aquifer recharge</a>. Here, groundwater is recharged in a controlled way into the aquifer. This allows water to be “banked” – stored underground – so that it can be used later. 

Banking water minimises the impact of evaporation and means that water can also be recycled from various sources, instead of being wasted. This recycled water could stem from stormwater or even wastewater treatment plants and then be put back into the aquifer.

The fundamental idea behind better groundwater management emerged from the Middle East during the 1st millennium BC, where they are known as <a href="https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/32126/1/32126_Habashiani_2011_thesis.pdf">Qanat systems</a>. These were hand dug tunnel and outlet well systems, which basically lead groundwater from one point to another for abstraction. 

Today, various forms of managed aquifer recharge projects can be seen all over the world. In the US, they’ve <a href="http://www.artificialrecharge.co.za/coursenotes/AR_LecturePRESENTATION_Long.pdf">increased from</a> three well-fields in 1985 to approximately 72 in 2005 and many are in various stages of development. 

In Africa multiple projects are being developed in several countries including <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40899-018-0213-0">Namibia</a> and <a href="http://artificialrecharge.co.za/authorising/Authorisation_rev5_PR_21Dec2010.pdf">South Africa</a>. 

South Africa’s <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/wsa/article/viewFile/146982/136501">Atlantis dune field</a>, which is comprised of infiltration ponds, has been operating for over 40 years. It uses recharge basins that are larger than 50 hectares in size. The aquifer produces about four million cubic metres of water each year. This supplies the town of Atlantis with the majority of its water.

<h2>Recharging aquifers</h2>

Groundwater recharge, <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000132404">defined as</a> the addition of water to the aquifer once it has reached the water table, can happen in several ways:

<ul>
<li>Water flows downward, because of gravity, and reaches the water table </li>
<li>Water flows underground from one aquifer to another</li>
<li>Groundwater abstraction leads to pumping and changes in flow directions below the surface and so nearby surface water bodies release water into the connected aquifers</li>
</ul>

<figure class="align-center ">
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<ul>
<li>Artificial recharge. This can be done by means of borehole injection, via a well, or man-made infiltration ponds, which are permeable depressions allowing water to infiltrate into the aquifer.</li>
</ul>

This last means of recharge is managed aquifer recharge, where water is “banked” and can be used later on. It is also used in coastal aquifers, <a href="https://www.thesouthafrican.com/what-is-saline-intrusion-and-will-it-hit-cape-town/">to prevent</a> too much seawater from getting in by injecting fresh water into groundwater reservoirs. This minimises the impact which salt water has on the aquifer and extends the life of the groundwater reservoir.

There are many ways and models for managed aquifer recharge. These include: 

• Aquifer storage and recovery: water is injected into and extracted from the same borehole

• Aquifer storage, transfer and recovery: water is injected into and extracted from different boreholes in the groundwater reservoir. 

• Infiltration basin: when a large depression, made in a similar manner to a dam, allows surface water to infiltrate the soil and recharge the groundwater

• Bank filtration: wells located alongside surface water facilities are pumped to induce recharge

These are chosen based on the geology of the area or on how much water is needed. 

<h2>Successful banking</h2>

The process isn’t a magic bullet. It does have some issues. One of the major problems is that wells could get clogged up by organisms that grow due to the large amount of oxygen that accompanies water injection. But this can be solved by using heated water or chemical injections to kill off the microbes. 

For projects to be successful there also needs to be a reliable source of water, good engineering expertise and proper environmental and legal regulations. 

There also needs to be proper assessment on whether an aquifer can just be better managed – a simple, yet effective, solution that can cut costs and increase the longevity of an aquifer rather than implementing an managed aquifer recharge scheme. 

Banking water is not simple and needs meticulous planning and execution. But, in places where it is needed, the opportunities it presents allow us to minimise the impact which evaporation has on our water supplies and this means more water for more people.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110202/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gaathier-mahed-185827">Gaathier Mahed</a>, Geohydrologist Department of Geosciences, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/nelson-mandela-university-1946">Nelson Mandela University</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-can-bank-water-underground-for-use-later-on-110202">original article</a>.

Here’s how water can be banked underground in order to be used later on

PRETORIA (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s agricultural industry body AgriSA will approach banks, agribusiness and government to raise 3 billion rand ($220 million) to help farmers hit by severe drought, its executive director said on Friday. 



Farmers have faced dry conditions over most of the nation for the last year, even as they are still recovering from a disastrous El Nino-induced drought in 2015.



“We have basically reached a point now where we don’t have any more fat in the system. There is no buffer any more in the agricultural sector,” AgriSA boss Omri van Zyl told reporters.



Van Zyl said the group will also speak to the government’s National Disaster Management agency to get access to the contingency reserves.



“We see this drought again as a national emergency because it is going to have an impact directly on consumer prices, it is going to have an impact on food affordability and it has an impact on the farmers on the land,” said van Zyl.



A survey of producers showed that 31,000 jobs and 7 billion rand ($510 million) in potential revenue were lost since January last year because of drought, AgriSA said.



White maize prices are just off a near two-year peak last week.



“The farmers didn’t get enough (income) to recuperate in 2016 so the grain sector is in a lot worse financial situation than it was. Our ability to absorb this current drought is under pressure,” Jannie de Villiers, head of producers body Grain SA, also told reporters at the briefing.



In early estimates for the 2018/2019 season, farmers have planted around 95 percent of the country’s yellow maize, which is mainly used in animal feed, and between 70 to 80 percent of the white maize, pushing prices higher.



The white maize futures contract due in March traded up 2.76 percent to 3,088 rand on Friday, just under a near two-year high of 3,255 rand reached last week.



South Africa’s official Crop Estimates Committee, which in October estimated farmers would plant 2.448 million hectares of maize in the 2018/2019 season, is expected to release the preliminary area planted estimates on Jan. 29.



($1 = 13.6750 rand)



Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s Eskom could be split into three separate firms under proposals from experts President Cyril Ramaphosa has hired to help revive the ailing state power company, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. 



Reforming Eskom is vital to get Africa’s most industrialised economy firing on all cylinders. It supplies more than 90 percent of the nation’s power but is drowning in debt.



A Sustainability Task Team, picked by Ramaphosa, is due to report to the president next week, but shared its preliminary thoughts about Eskom with senior members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at a two-day meeting that ended on Monday.



One senior ANC source briefed by the task team said it proposed a “functional unbundling of Eskom,” which would involve separating it into three state-owned entities responsible for power generation, distribution and transmission.



A second source who met the task team recently confirmed it favoured splitting up Eskom &#8211; a strategy which analysts say should encourage greater efficiency and transparency.



Ramaphosa’s task team also told senior ANC members that Eskom, which has around 420 billion rand ($30 billion) of debt and is regularly cited as the biggest threat to the country’s public finances, needed another government bailout to survive, said the senior source, who asked not to be named.



“The ANC recognises that there is a need for a serious turnaround strategy for Eskom. But it feels very strongly that it should not lead to privatisation or massive job losses,” the senior source said.



Eskom’s debt pile was built up due to heavy staffing, stagnating power sales and rising coal costs that it has not been able to pass on to customers, analysts say. Cost overruns on building two major power plants have also hit its finances.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">DIVISIONS</h3>



Traders said leaks about the task team’s proposals, which were also reported in South Africa’s Business Day newspaper, pushed Eskom bonds higher on Thursday, with the 2023 and 2025 bonds hovering near five-month highs.



Ramaphosa has made shoring up ailing state firms like Eskom a priority since replacing Jacob Zuma as president in February, but progress has been slow because of severe fiscal constraints.



He also has to deal with divisions in the ANC over how to manage the economy and trade unions which want to avoid layoffs.



Ramaphosa rejected a proposal by Eskom’s board of directors last year for the government to take 100 billion rand of the utility’s debt, saying other options needed to be looked at.



He told the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that his government would release Eskom’s turnaround plan “in the next few weeks”.



The task team’s members have agreed not to disclose their recommendations publicly, and Ramaphosa could choose to ignore their ideas. But analysts say action is needed as creditors are reluctant to lend more to Eskom without a credible rescue plan.



Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said he could not comment on the task team’s proposals. “The presidency will make formal pronouncements on this matter,” he told Reuters.



($1 = 13.7998 rand)



Additional reporting by Karin Strohecker; Editing by James Macharia and Edmund Blair

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KAMPALA (Reuters) &#8211; Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said telecom firm MTN Uganda needs to sell shares on the local stock exchange to facilitate domestic ownership of the company and ensure more of the money it earns stays in the country. 



A unit of South Africa’s MTN Group, the company is the East African country’s largest telecommunications firm, controlling a subscriber base of more than 10 million.



However, relations between MTN Uganda and authorities have become strained after the country this week deported two of its executives after accusations they were compromising national security.



Museveni made the comments while meeting MTN Group’s President and CEO Rob Shuter on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.



“It is important that you float shares on the local stock exchange to allow for local ownership,” Museveni was quoted as telling Shuter, according to a statement from his office on Thursday.



Museveni accused some unnamed telecoms companies of dodging taxes by under-declaring the volume of calls and that his government had bought machines that helped detect such activity.



Museveni also said telecommunication firms in Africa, which are often foreign owned, repatriate profits back home to the detriment of local economies.



“You should foresee these trade deficits. More locally owned companies should be allowed to earn money so that most of it remains here,” he said.



MTN Uganda did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.



The statement from the president’s office quoted Shuter as saying the firm was in negotiations with a Ugandan state-controlled National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for a possible sale of shares to the fund.



There was no confirmation from MTN.



MTN is in negotiations with Ugandan authorities for a ten-year extension of its operating license after it expired in October last year but there has been disagreements over the amount of licence fees to be paid.



Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Omar Mohammed/Keith Weir

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HARARE, Jan 23 (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwean activist pastor Evan Mawarire faced more time in jail after a court delayed his bail application on Wednesday, as hundreds of others arrested during a brutal crackdown on protesters awaited trial.



President Emmerson Mnangagwa had promised a day earlier to investigate the security services’ actions against anti-government protesters and called for a “national dialogue” with churches, civil society and the opposition.



But security services kept up patrols and manned checkpoints in the capital and Bulawayo, and residents said soldiers beat people out walking in both cities on Tuesday night, ordering them to stay indoors.



There was no immediate comment from the army which has dismissed accusations of excessive force in the past.



Lawyers and activists say police and soldiers have killed at least a dozen people, wounded scores and arrested hundreds since demonstrations began 10 days ago following a hike in the price of fuel. Police say three people died during the protests.



Zimbabwe’s Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has accused security forces of systematic torture, offering the starkest indications yet that the country is reverting to the authoritarian rule that characterised Mnangagwa’s predecessor Robert Mugabe.



“Soldiers just appeared in a truck and started beating up people at the shopping centre. They told everyone to go home and sleep,” said one resident from Glen Norah township in Harare who declined to be named.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">PRISON</h3>



The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said a woman was arrested by detectives in the capital’s Kuwadzana township on Tuesday night and accused of preparing food for protesters.



Mawarire, who rose to prominence as a critic of Robert Mugabe’s rule and led a national protest shutdown in 2016, was arrested on Wednesday last week and charged with inciting violence to subvert the government &#8211; an offence punishable by up to 20 years in prison.



The pastor, who is being held in the capital’s Chikurubi Maximum Prison, said in his written bail application: “I aver that to peacefully challenge that the government should address the economic challenges is permissible under the constitution.”



State prosecutors argued that they needed more time to prepare their case and the hearing was adjourned until Friday.



Mnangagwa promised during campaigning for the July 2018 presidential vote to repair the economy and break with Mugabe’s politics.



But a spokesman for the president said on Sunday the crackdown was a foretaste of how authorities would respond to future unrest.



With high inflation and a shortage of cash in circulation eating into ordinary Zimbabweans’ spending power, the fragile state of the economy is at the heart of the country’s political troubles. (Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens)

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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s Shoprite said on Monday it would appeal against a 20 million rand ($1.4 million) fine handed to its ticket-selling subsidiary by the country’s Competition Tribunal, which found agreements signed by the firm had hit competition. 



The judgment was announced ahead of a similar case that is currently before the tribunal, which relates to a later time period and is more serious because the company is included as a respondent and it carries a recommended fine of 10 percent of the turnover of Shoprite’s retail unit.



The initial case, covering 1999-2012, was referred to the tribunal in 2010 after five rivals of ticket seller Computicket, owned by Shoprite since 2005, complained the business abused its dominance by signing exclusive agreements with clients.



“There is sufficient &#8230; evidence to suggest that the exclusive agreements had resulted in anti-competitive effects,” the tribunal’s judgement said.



“Computicket will appeal the Competition Tribunal’s finding,” Shoprite, South Africa’s biggest retailer, said in response.



In December, Shoprite was named as a respondent to another case brought to the tribunal by South Africa’s Competition Commission, which recommended fining both Computicket and Shoprite’s retail division as much as 10 percent of their annual turnover.



Shoprite doesn’t disclose the turnover of its retail unit, but the division makes up the bulk of the group’s revenue, which stood at 145.3 billion rand in 2018. It is up to the tribunal to decide whether the commission’s charges and proposed fine stand.



In the earlier case, the commission recommended a fine of just under 22 million rand, whereas Computicket thought it should be closer to 10 million rand.



Shoprite’s shares were down 0.23 percent at 1134 GMT.



($1 = 13.8751 rand)



Reporting by Emma Rumney and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Mark Potter

South Africa’s Shoprite plans to appeal $1.4 million fine

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa turned down a request from its southern African neighbour Zimbabwe for a $1.2 billion loan in December, a spokesman for the finance ministry said on Monday.



“South Africa doesn’t have that kind of money,” National Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane said.



Zimbabwean officials were not immediately available for comment.



Zimbabwe was hit by anti-government protests last week after a hike in fuel prices stoked anger over an economic crisis.



Police say three people died during demonstrations that turned violent in the capital Harare and second city Bulawayo. But human rights groups say evidence suggests at least a dozen were killed. [nL8N1ZK0BA]



Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Sunday that he would return home from a European tour and skip the World Economic Forum in Davos to address the crisis.



Reporting by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

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PRETORIA (Reuters) &#8211; Saudi Arabia plans to build an oil refinery and a petrochemicals plant in South Africa as part of $10 billion of investments in the country, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Friday.



Saudi oil would be used in the planned refinery whose construction would be led by state energy company Saudi Aramco, Al-Falih said in comments following a meeting with South African Energy Minister Jeff Radebe in Pretoria.



“There have been exchanges of talks by Saudi Aramco teams and they have been supported by the South African energy ministry,” Al-Falih said.



The exact location of the refinery and petrochemicals plant will be finalised in the coming weeks, Radebe said.



Saudi Arabia was also interested in using South Africa’s major oil storage facilities, Al-Falih said, adding that Saudi utility developer Acwa Power was looking at investing in South Africa’s revamped renewable energy programme.



He also confirmed that there were discussions about the kingdom investing in South Africa’s state defence company Denel, which was exclusively reported by Reuters in November.



South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is trying to woo foreign investors to help revive a struggling economy as he prepares for a parliamentary election this year.



Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met with Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina in November.



Reporting by Alex Winning; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Susan Fenton and Emelia Sithole-Matarise

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Saudi Arabia is planning to build an oil refinery and a petrochemicals plant in this African country

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Southern Africa

Why genomic research on the African continent needs a major boost

Should South Africa’s state power firm Eskom split? What you need to know…

Zimbabwe activist pastor Evan Mawarire released on bail

Zimbabwe unions issue government with ultimatum to make a new salary offer or face a strike, what you need to know

Op-Ed: What SA should do about Zimbabwe’s crisis

Here’s how water can be banked underground in order to be used later on

Why South African farmers are seeking $220 million

#WEF19: Africa’s Leadership in the New Global Context with Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame and South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa’s Eskom could be split into three separate firms, what you need to know

Uganda’s Museveni wants MTN Uganda to sell shares on the local stock exchange, what you need to know…

#WEF19: Emerging Markets Outlook at Davos

#WEF19: South Africa’s Ramaphosa speaks at Davos

Why the postponement of Zimbabwean Pastor Mawarire’s bail hearing is a sign that the country is returning to the authoritarian rule that characterised Mnangagwa’s predecessor Robert Mugabe

#WEF19: Achieving a Single Market in Africa

South Africa’s Shoprite plans to appeal $1.4 million fine

Here’s why South Africa turned down Zimbabwe’s request for $1.2 billion loan in December

Saudi Arabia is planning to build an oil refinery and a petrochemicals plant in this African country

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