SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Oct

07

2023

South Africa’s poultry sector in crisis

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE poultry sector in South Africa is currently undergoing serious challenges. The ongoing load shedding and power disruptions have put tremendous pressure and additional costs on the industry, which makes producing poultry products extremely expensive. One company (Astral Foods) has spent an additional R919 million as a result of load shedding alone. This has obviously had a significant impact on the profitability and sustainability of the company. Now to make matters worse – the local poultry industry has been hit with a major avian influenza epidemic. Avian Influenza (AI) is a viral disease of birds, including poultry. The term “AI”…

Oct

05

2023

By The African Mirror

New beginnings for Nissan in Algeria

MOTORING NEWS

NISSAN’s long-standing Algerian partner, Groupe Hasnaoui, has signed a renewed distributor agreement extending its history with the Japanese OEM, which dates back to 1993. It is a brand-new beginning, says Nissan Africa President Joni Paiva, in a very important market which was previously one of the top three automotive markets in Africa and is now ramping-up. “It’s a momentous occasion for us, as we seek to unite the entire continent under one organisation for the first time in our global company’s 90-year history,” he said. “This is part and parcel of our mid-term growth strategy, to unlock the potential that…

Oct

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Trade unions and the new economy: 3 African case studies show how workers are recasting their power in the digital age

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FROM US car factories to public sector workers in Nigeria and South Africa, strikes by trade unions continue unabated among the established sectors of the working class. In Detroit in the US, workers are resisting contract employment. In Nigeria, they are angry over the rising cost of living and in South Africa, municipal workers are striking for better wages. EDWARD WEBSTER, Distinguished Reserach Professor, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to build sustainable worker organisations as companies employ more people on a casual basis in the digital age. Work has become more…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Charms and rituals are used by criminals in Nigeria – should police deploy spiritual security too?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

CRIME is among the major challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation. The pervasiveness of crime has repeatedly called into question the effectiveness and efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force. This is despite their exclusive reliance on modern policing strategies and techniques. USMAN A. OJEDOKUN, Sociologist/Criminologist, University of Ibadan Traditionally, crime-related matters have been handled through what’s known as “spiritual security”. This is a knowledge system that involves the use of amulets, charms, rituals and talismans for protection, power and clairvoyance. As sociologists specialising in criminology, we were interested in what the Nigerian police personnel had to say about these mechanisms…

Sep

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Stellantis invests R3-billion in South Africa, establishing state-of-the-art automotive plant in Coega

MOTORING NEWS

STELLANTIS has confirmed its intention to develop a greenfield manufacturing facility in Coega in South Africa with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). Minister Ebrahim Patel, senior officials from the IDC and Mr. Samir Cherfan, Stellantis Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer met at the Parliament Buildings in Cape Town to agree on investment in the South African motor industry. “It is a wonderful day for all South Africans when a global company of Stellantis’ proportions decides to expand its manufacturing footprint in South Africa, to assemble completely knocked down units,”…

Sep

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Lagos building collapses: we used machine learning to show where and why they happen

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BUILDING collapses have become a major menace in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is the business hub of the country and has its largest seaport and airport. With an estimated population of 15.4 million, it is the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest in Africa after Cairo. The city has two distinct geographical areas: Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland, connected by three bridges. Lagos Island is the historical nucleus of the city. This area is renowned for its eclectic mix of architectural styles, a blend of modern skyscrapers, remnants of colonial-era structures and bustling traditional markets. It serves as…

Sep

27

2023

By JOHN IRISH and EDWARD MCALLISTER

Analysis: West losing sight of Sahel after France announces Niger withdrawal

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FRANCE'S decision to pull 1,500 troops from Niger leaves a gaping hole in Western efforts to counter a decade-long Islamist insurgency and could bolster Russian influence across the vast, insecure scrublands of West Africa, analysts and diplomats said. Niger was the West's last key ally in the central Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert until a July 26 coup brought in a military junta which called for France to leave. France's forces have already been kicked out of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso following coups in those countries, weakening its influence in its former colonies amid a wave of anti-French…

Sep

26

2023

By The African Mirror

Ford Set to Add Vibrant and Dynamic Puma to SA Line-up

MOTORING

FORD is set to launch the exciting Puma in South Africa in October 2023, introducing its vibrant SUV-inspired compact crossover to local customers. The Puma fuses an unmissable silhouette, uncompromised load space and interior comfort, along with Ford’s multiple award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. The Ford Puma has become a firm favourite in the compact SUV segment in Europe thanks to its charismatic styling cues, including distinctive wing-top-mounted headlamps and athletic, aerodynamic lines. Under the skin, the compact crossover proportions deliver a raised ride height for a confidence-enhancing driving experience, while supporting an uncompromised luggage capacity of 456 litres. This is…

Sep

26

2023

By The African Mirror

Volkswagen heritage sublimely preserved

MOTORING NEWS

FOR more than 70 years Volkswagen vehicles have traversed the roads of South Africa and have become one of the most loved vehicle brands in the country. Its heritage remains proudly preserved at the Volkswagen AutoPavilion in Kariega. This quaint town, formally known as Uitenhage, is the second oldest town in the Eastern Cape and is home to Volkswagen Group South Africa’s (VWSA) manufacturing plant where the first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line at the end of August 1951. More than 40 classics are displayed inside the AutoPavilion museum amongst which the oldest is a 1938 DKW F5…

Sep

23

2023

By AMIRA OSMAN, AMIRA OSMAN, Tshwane University of Technology; AKRAM AHMED ELKHALIFA and TALLAL ABDALBASIT SAEED

Khartoum’s burning tower: architects on the destruction of a city – and what it’ll take to rebuild

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THERE has been a continued escalation in fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The destruction of the capital Khartoum continues – physically, economically, socially and culturally – as buildings are bombarded and homes looted. One of the city’s landmark skyscrapers, the Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower, was recently engulfed in flames. We asked three Sudanese architecture experts – Amira Osman, Akram Elkhalifa and Tallal Abdalbasit Saeed – about the skyscraper and the destruction of the city. Osman also interviewed Khartoum-based architects Arwa Ahmed and Hassan Mahmoud for this article as part of her ongoing research.…