OWN CORRESPONDENT IN a major crackdown, the Dubai Police have sconducted synchronised raids and arrested 12 members of an alleged “African” cybercrime syndicate that they believe stole over $435-million.  Those arrested include social media celebrities - Raymond Igbalode Abbas, known as “Hushpuppi” and Olalekan Jacob Ponle, known as “Woodberry”. The two, believed to be Nigerians, have become famous for flaunting their wealth and five-star lifestyle on social media.  The Dubai Police have recently arrested Raymond Igbalode Abbas, also known as "Hushpuppi" and Olalekan Jacob Ponle aka "Woodberry" along with ten African cybercriminals in a special operation. Dubai Police believe that…

JOVIAL RANTAO THE chairperson of the African Union, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, has called on all African states to collaborate in the development and the distribution of a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus. Africa’s COVID-19 related deaths stood at 8856. A total of 333 019 people have been infected and 160 883 have recovered from their infections. Ramaphosa called for a roadmap that would involve efforts by Africans to produce effective, safe and affordable vaccines. “It is essential that there be significant local vaccine manufacturing in Africa,” he said.  Ramaphosa was speaking at a virtual conference, hosted by…

JOVIAL RANTAO AFTER a battle lasting two years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has defeated the Ebola virus, which claimed the lives of 2300 people in the north-eastern parts of the Great Lakes country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now urged the DRC to use the measures used to eradicate Ebola to fight the COVID-19 virus, which is wreaking havoc on lives and economies across Africa and the world.  Photo: Global Panorama WHO secretary-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced that there are no cases of Ebola, which infected 3500 people, with 1200 surviving it. DRC Minister of Health Lungondo…

PHILIP KLEINFELD TENS of thousands of Malians took to the streets of Bamako on Friday to call for the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, whose government is accused of corruption and failing to stem rising violence in northern and central parts of the country. Police fired tear gas at attendees, who are protesting for the second time this month in a campaign organised by a coalition of opposition and civil society groups that includes the influential cleric, Mahmoud Dicko. As pressure mounts on Keita, known as IBK, a delegation of regional leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has…

OWN CORRESPONDENT THE SOUTH African government and the leadership of the taxi industry are attempting to find each to find a solution to problems that led to a strike by taxi owners that left commuters stranded and led to chaos on some main roads in the Gauteng province. The minibus taxi drivers, who transport thousands of workers daily, embarked on a strike on Monday in support of their rejection of a R1.5-billion COVID-19 relief grant offered by the government. The taxis are back on the road. The taxi industry, like most other businesses, has been hit hard and lost millions in…

AFRICAN MIRROR CORRESPONDENT THE hefty 20-year sentence imposed on one of the most politically powerful men in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Vital Kamerhe - for corruption, has sent a powerful anti-graft message from the government and placed the Great Lakes country on a political knife edge. Kamerhe, a former chief of staff in President Tshisekedi’s government, has begun his sentence after a court in the DRC convicted him for involvement in fraud and corruption regarding a $340-million project to provide electricity, water and other infrastructure. The court found that he and Lebanese businessman Jammal Smith diverted $48.8-million. The…

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THOUSANDS of asylum seekers and special permit holders stuck in South Africa during the COVID-19 lockdown have a special reason to celebrate World Refugee Day - they can now apply for the R350 temporary social relief grant offered by the South African government. The access to the social relief funds follows a victory in court this week by the Scalabrini Centre, a non-governmental organisation representing asylum seekers and special permit holders.  The Scalabrini Center, which provides specialised services for refugee, migrant and South African communities, took the South African government to court to ensure that  some of…

THE recent discovery of at least eight mass graves in a town southeast of the Libyan capital of Tripoli has led to expressions of “horror” and “shock” from the UN, and the promise of an investigation in the midst of war. The UN’s mission in Libya said it “notes with horror reports” of the graves in a town called Tarhouna, a former stronghold of eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar that was retaken last week by groups loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).  The two sides have been fighting for control of Tripoli and the country…

LUNGELO NDHLOVU TWICE a week, Nothi Mlalazi joins a long line with dozens of other people - some of whom have slept there overnight - and stands for hours waiting for water in Zimbabwe's second-largest city. As the parched southern African country endures its worst drought in years - a problem scientists link to climate change - ongoing water shortages in Bulawayo have left residents in some suburbs without running water for more than three months. The tankers that the city council sends to deliver water every few days are often the residents' only hope for clean water. Many will…

LAYLI FAROUDI IT WAS the first day that the whole of the Tunis medina was open for business after nearly three months of lockdown, but market vendor Abdelaziz Talbi wasn't working. He had nothing to sell. Three weeks earlier, just as Tunisia began easing its lockdown to allow some markets to open, the 67-year-old had lost his entire stock of clothes and shoes in a fire that ravaged the second-hand market - known as a fripe - in the old town. "I had prepared and bought clothes for the summer," said Talbi, leaning against a charred wall in the marketplace.…