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Five stories from this week
South Africa’s ‘silent’ protests. Mounting discontent has led to violent, and sometimes deadly, demonstrations ahead of South Africa’s local elections on Aug. 3. But, you wouldn’t know this if you watched the public broadcaster, where political interference and megalomaniac management ensure that only “positive” news makes the bulletin.
A helium field in Tanzania is a global “game changer”. Scientists uncovered the world’s largest ever find of helium in the volcanic areas of the Rift Valley in Tanzania. The rare gas, which is often used in MRI scanners, space exploration vehicles, and nuclear energy, is usually “accidentally discovered” in small quantities as part of the oil and gas drilling process, writes Yinka Adegoke.
Safari deals and wildlife squeals. In Tanzania, trophy hunting is big business, but leaked videos of wildlife abuse and a land dispute between Gulf sheikhs and an American billionaire’s conservation trust have spiraled into a much bigger story of deception and influence. Tim Fernholz looks at what this scandal reveals about the country’s new “anti-corruption” president and his crackdown on dissent. (Warning: the videos are disturbing.)
Does it matter if the new CEO of Africa’s largest telecoms company isn’t black? The appointment of a white man as head of MTN is a slight to some South Africans, where the white minority still dominates top tier management. But, as Lynsey Chutel explains, MTN has prioritized corporate success in a fast-changing industry over national policy goals.
African migrants are returning from China and warning their compatriots not to go.
Lamin Ceesay, 25, left Gambia for what he thought would be a better life in China last year. Instead he was jobless, hungry, and frustrated. He joins a growing number of Africans who no longer see China as a promised land,
.
Chart of the week
Open air routes, not new African airlines.
The well-documented travel problems within Africa are known to limit intra-African trade and movement, but governments would rather launch new airlines for national pride than open up air routes,
. A study by IATA estimates opening more routes could add $1.3 billion to the continent’s GDP.
Other things we liked
The locals who discovered Botswana’s giant diamond. The tennis ball-sized 1,100 carat stone proved too much for bidders at a public auction. But the discovery of the ‘Lesedi La Rona’ at the Karowe mine in Botswana bring a glimmer of hope to the miners, as True Africa’s Joshua Neicho found when he met the people who found the extraordinary stone.
In Nigeria’s political and economic history it’s déjà vu all over again.
Africa Research Institute’s Paul Adams
reviews how Africa’s largest economy has endured a long-running love-hate relationship with the International Monetary Fund. However this hasn’t stopped it from landing in the same turbulent waters as it did 30 years ago as a result of poor leadership choices.
Keep an eye on
#StopExtraJudicialKillings demonstrations in Nairobi. Kenyan activists are calling for protests on Monday (July 4) in response to the mysterious death of a well-known human rights lawyer that works on police brutality issues. Willie Kimani, his taxi driver and client went missing after a court appearance earlier this month. Their bodies were found this week.
Oscar Pistorius to learn his fate. The ex-Olympic athlete and fallen sports celebrity, known as ‘Blade Runner’, will find out how much time he’ll stay behind bars (July 6). He faces up to 15 years in prison after being convicted for killing his girlfriend.
India’s prime minister on a four-nation visit to Africa (July 7-11). Narendra Modi will start his tour with a visit to Mozambique on Thursday July 7 and meet with president Filipe Nyusi. This will be followed by a two-day visit to South Africa where he’ll meet with president Jacob Zuma and at some point with the Indian diaspora community. Modi leaves from there to Tanzania and will wrap up the tour with a visit to Kenya, where he’ll meet his counterparts in each country. This tour comes after last October’s Africa summit saw some 50 African heads of state converge on the Indian capital.
Our best wishes for a productive week ahead.Please send any news, comments, helium gas balloons and medium-sized diamonds to africa@qz.com. You can follow us on twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day.