NEWS - The African Mirror

Sep

08

2020

South African retailer Clicks shuts its doors and removes TRESemmé products from shelves over racist advert

NEWS

TANISHA HEIBERG SOUTH Africa's Clicks Group has shut its doors after two days of protests by members of the Economic Freedom Fighters and would use the time for the counselling of workers who bore the brunt of the demonstrations. Clicks non-executive director Nkululeko Gobodo said in a radio interview that while Clicks understood that people were angry because of a racist advert on one of the products sold at its stores, the company was concerned about the trauma endured by the staff. Earlier, Clicks announced that it will remove TRESemmé products, a Unilever Plc brand, from its shelves after an…

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

West Africa leaders say Mali junta must name a president by September 15

NEWS

BOUREIMA BALIMA WEST Africa's regional leaders have given the military junta in Mali until September 15 to name a transitional president and a prime minister, according to a statement read at the end of a summit on Monday. The heads of state of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the president and prime minister, who will lead the transitional government, should be civilians. The bloc, seeking to keep pressure on the junta, maintained sanctions it had placed on Mali, but welcomed steps taken by the junta in the past week to start talks with Mali's political…

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

ANC slams Trump as “divisive, mysogynistic and disrespectful”

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE ANC, South Africa’s governing party, has angrily dismissed US President Donald Trump as divisive, misogynistic and disrespectful in response to reports that he made disparaging remarks about Nelson Mandela. According to a book written by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, titled Disloyal: A Memoir, the US president said Mandela, who led South Africa through a difficult transition from apartheid to democracy, was no leader. Trump reportedly said Mandela “f…….d the whole country up. Now that’s a s…..t hole. F….Mandela. He was no leader.” The ANC said people from all over the world were appalled by insults…

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

West African bloc chairman calls for Mali junta’s cooperation

NEWS

BOUREIMA BALIMA The military junta in Mali must work with the West African regional bloc to ensure a swift return to civilian rule, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Monday, opening a summit in which Mali's post-coup progress is high on the agenda. A group of army colonels has ruled Mali since ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18. No consensus has yet been reached on the make-up and duration of a transitional government ahead of promised elections. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is calling for a vote within a year, a timeline the junta,…

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero was not kidnapped – President Kagame

NEWS

CLEMENT UWIRIGIYIMANA RWANDAN President Paul Kagame has denied that his government had kidnapped from abroad Paul Rusesabagina, whose widely acclaimed heroism inspired a Hollywood movie but who has been detained on terrorism and other charges. At a virtual news conference in the capital, Kigali, Kagame did not say exactly how Rusesabagina had been taken into custody but suggested he had been tricked into travelling to Rwanda before he was arrested. "It was not the case," Kagame said, referring to accusations of kidnapping. "There was no kidnap. There was no any wrongdoing in the process of his getting here. He got…

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

Seven of South African retailer Clicks’ stores damaged in protests over “racist” advert

NEWS

DEMONSTRATORS damaged seven of South African drug retailer Clicks Group's shops and forced others to close during protests over what they said was a racist advertisement posted on its website. The advert by TRESemmé, a Unilever Plc brand, showed an image of African black hair which it described as "dry and damaged", while an example of white hair was referred to as "fine and flat". The advert, posted on Clicks’ website on Friday, provoked a backlash on social media and the retailer removed it the same day. It apologized, as did TRESemmé South Africa. But on Monday, protesters led by…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Clicks South Africa forced to close by protests over racist advert

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER CLICKS, one of South Africa’s major beauty and health chains, was forced to close some of its stores after countrywide protests over an advert that depicited African women hair as dry, dull and damaged while the hair of white women was held up as examples of fine and flat hair. This creative sparked anger, hurt and disbelief on social media platforms and spilled over into the political arena. Yesterday, members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) went to Clicks branches in different cities across South Africa and protested. In some instances, EFF members gained entry to the…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Three Somali special forces killed, US officer wounded in car bomb -Somali official

NEWS

ABDIQANI HASSAN THREE Somali special forces soldiers were killed and a U.S. officer was seriously wounded in a car bomb outside the force's base in the country's south, a regional Somali government official said. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said they were behind the attack and put the number of dead at 20. A Somali soldier was also wounded in the attack in Jana Cabdalle village, some 60 km (37 miles) from the port city of Kismayu, which is also Jubbaland region's capital. "Two soldiers of Danab (special) forces died and two others were wounded. A U.S. officer was seriously wounded,"…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Senegal activates emergency floods aid plan after downpour

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall has activated an emergency aid plan after a seven-hour downpour caused widespread floods. Water Minister Serigne Mbaye Thiam told national television that more rain fell on a single day on Saturday than the country would usually see during three months of the rainy season. Senegalese President Macky Sall. Photo: © European Union 2013 - European Parliament "This is an exceptional rainfall. We registered 124 millimetres of rain. This is the cumulative rain we get during the whole rainy season from July to September," Thiam said. At least one person was reported missing due to the floods…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria to deliver aid by air in conflict-hit northeast

NEWS

NIGERIA’S government plans to deliver humanitarian aid supplies by air to people in remote communities in parts of the northeast that have been ravaged by the decade-long Islamist insurgency spearheaded by Boko Haram. The insurgency, which since 2009 has killed around 35,000 people and forced two million people to flee their homes, has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Seven million people need some form of aid, the United Nations estimates. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Humanitarian affairs minister Sadiya Umar Farouk on Sunday told reporters in Maiduguri, capital of the conflict-ravaged Borno state, that Nigerian Air Force helicopters and…