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Tag: Cape Town

  • Professional Fighters League to make historic African debut  in Cape Town   

    Professional Fighters League to make historic African debut  in Cape Town   

    The Professional Fighters League will on  Saturday, July 26,  make a  historic debut  on the African continent  at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa.

    The July 26 event in Cape Town launches the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament, beginning with First Round matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions. Each division will feature an eight-man bracket, with fighters advancing through semifinals and finals.

    In addition, the event will be headlined by five PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai bouts. In the World Title main event, undefeated Middleweight World Champion Johnny Eblen (16-0) meets Spain’s Costello van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, undefeated 2024 PFL World Champion Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) takes on Hawaii’s Sumiko Inaba (8-1). Additional Champions Series: Road to Dubai bouts will be announced shortly.

    The launch of PFL Africa is bolstered by strategic distribution partnerships with Canal+, ensuring broad coverage across sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, SuperSport is also a distributor, ensuring broad coverage across the region. To further expand accessibility, PFL has introduced a mobile-first platform, distributed in partnership with CFM (Content For Mobile), exclusively via the region’s leading Telcos, delivering affordable fight content directly to fans across Africa. With these combined efforts, PFL Africa immediately becomes one of the most accessible sports leagues on the continent, and is on track to reach over 90% of African households.

    PFL Africa will be led by global MMA icon Francis Ngannou as Chairman, who will play a central role in developing the next generation of African champions and shaping the league’s long-term growth. Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, known for its strategic investment in NBA Africa, joins as a key capital partner. Elias Schulze, a seasoned executive with nearly two decades of experience in strategy, finance, and operations across over 20 African markets, has been appointed General Manager of PFL Africa to oversee its launch and expansion.

    The inaugural PFL Africa Tournament will feature eight-man brackets in each weight class, starting with the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions.

    Read Also: NNPCL : NFF congratulates Kida on appointment as Chairman

     The full tournament schedule and host cities for the semifinals and finals, will be announced shortly.

    In the First Round of the Heavyweight bracket,  Jashell Ticha Awa (3-1) of Cameroon faces Justin Clarke (2-0) of South Africa  while  Abdoullah Kane (3-0) of Senegal meets Mohammad Ben Yahia (9-4) of Morocco.

    In the Bantamweight bracket,  Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) of South Africa takes on Mahmoud Atef (5-2) of Egypt  while Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) of Zimbabwe battles Abderrahman Errachidy (4-1) of Morocco.  

    The remaining tournament bouts, according to the organisers, will be announced soon.

     “Kicking off the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town alongside the launch of PFL Africa reflects our commitment to grow the sport of MMA throughout the continent as well as provide pathways for African fighters to compete on a global stage and become champions,” said Peter Murray, CEO of the Professional Fighters League.

     “With PFL Europe, PFL MENA and now PFL Africa launching, PFL’s international growth strategy and footprint is unmatched in the sport. This is all made possible by building a great team. I’m proud to partner with Francis Ngannou and Helios

    Sports & Entertainment Group and excited to welcome Elias Schulze as GM of PFL Africa.”

     “We are proud to partner with the Professional Fighters League to help bring PFL Africa to life. This initiative aligns with Helios’ mission to back high-growth, high-impact ventures across the continent. With the leadership of Francis Ngannou and a strong local foundation, PFL Africa has the potential to become a transformative platform for African athletes, fans, and the broader sports ecosystem,” said Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Helios Investment Partners.

    Updated PFL Africa Card:

    Heavyweight First Round Bout: Jashell Ticha Awa (3-1) vs. Justin Clarke (2-0)

    Bantamweight First Round Bout: Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) vs. Mahmoud Atef (5-2)

    Heavyweight First Round Bout: Abdoullah Kane (3-0) vs. Mohammad Ben Yahia (9-4)

    Bantamweight First Round Bout: Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) vs. Abderrahman Errachidy

    (4-1)

    Updated PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Card: 

    Middleweight World Title Main Event: Johnny Eblen (16-0) vs. Costello van Steenis (16-3) Women’s Flyweight Co-Main Event: Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) vs. Sumiko Inaba (8-1).

  • FG signs historic Cape Town Convention Practice Directory

    FG signs historic Cape Town Convention Practice Directory

    In a landmark move, the Federal Government has signed the Cape Town Convention (CTC) Practice Direction aimed at reducing the cost of airline operations in Nigeria. 

    The CTC Practice Direction was signed on Thursday by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    With the signing of the CTC Practice Direction, the Cape Town Convention becomes actively and fully operational in Nigeria, thereby reducing the cost of insurance for airlines, restoring investors’ confidence in the nation’s aviation sector and enabling domestic airline operators to dry lease aircraft, among others.

    Some local operators had, in the past, breached the Cape Town Convention which regulates aircraft leasing across the world, leading to the Aviation Working Group, co-chaired by Airbus and Boeing, saying Nigeria would be blacklisted until it implements a law that would guide against a repeat of such breach.

    Speaking after the signing of the CTC Practice Direction, Vice President Shettima said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a pro-business government that is ready “to take all the necessary measures – as painful as some might be – to protect, promote, project and preserve the interest of the Nigerian nation,” as well as preserve and promote the nation’s airlines industry.

    According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Information, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said, “it is a great day for the Nigerian nation. We had fruitful engagements and we were able to cross-pollinate ideas across all sectors and have come up with robust solutions to the challenges facing the Aviation industry.

    “I want to seize this opportunity to commend my Lord, Justice John Tsoho, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Judges are, by nature, very conservative people. For him to frontally address the issue and sign the Cape Town Convention (CTC) Practice Directions, I think, is worthy of commendation.”

    The VP also commended the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, saying “All the issues agitating the minds of the airlines operators have been frontally addressed by the Minister, and on Monday they are meeting him to further consolidate all our gains.”

    VP Shettima assured airline operators in the country that President Tinubu will do everything to promote and preserve the Nigerian airline industry.

    Read Also: UK varsity offers scholarship to three Nigerian undergraduate students

    He said, “And, of course, my brother, Allen Ikechukwu Onyema, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, and Alhaji Dr. Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, the Chairman of Azman Airlines, I want to assure you that the present administration headed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a pro-business government, is a pro-Nigeria government, and will take all necessary measures to protect, promote, project and preserve the interest of the Nigerian nation.

     “Air Peace has a fleet of 35 airlines and 26 more on order. Be rest assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is keenly interested in the promotion and preservation of the Nigerian airline industry. I spoke with him about three days ago, and he was very much interested in the outcome of our deliberations today, and I will report back to him.”

    Finance Minister Wale Edun promised to meet with airline operators and other stakeholders to perfect issues pertaining to agreements reached at the meeting with the Vice President.

    He said: “My Lord, the CJ of the Federal High Court, called it action to revolutionise the airline industry. PEBEC is all about improving the business environment and reducing cost and what has been signed here is action that will substantially reduce cost in the airline industry, facilitate growth and development of that industry, and include further action that, I’m sure, would be taken in that direction once I meet with the airline industry and also have Customs present to discuss some charges which they want lowered, and which they believe by law should, in fact, have been implemented at lower levels.

    “So, we’ll discuss that on Monday; that will be a further step in the direction of improving the business environment for airlines and, of course, it is all about a strategy that already has produced a growing economy, lower inflation, a relatively stable exchange rate and increased foreign reserves, positive balance of trade.”

    Speaking on behalf of Airline Operators in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Pace Limited, Mr Onyema expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for enhancing a positive change in the aviation sector.

    He added that since assuming office, the President has introduced policies that will help improve the lives of Nigerians.

    “Today is a historic day for Nigeria. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has once again demonstrated that he is not only a listening President but has gone a long way to engender the ease of doing business in the aviation industry more than any other since the creation of this country called Nigeria.

    “We the Airline Operators are so happy and we commend him for what he has done today. Today is a revolution. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has caused a positive revolution in the aviation industry by making sure that this practice direction concerning the Cape Town Convention and its application in Nigeria,” Onyema stated.

    Special Adviser to the President on Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, noted that the signing of the document will help reduce the cost of insurance as well as reduce the cost of doing business in the aviation sector.

    She said  “Nigerians have been seeing a high cost of flight tickets lately; there are a number of factors including foreign exchange and others but there are some regulatory and bureaucratic challenges but because the President is really committed to addressing challenges one by one, this is one of the fruits of what he has done.

    “I just want to thank the President for his attention to ease of doing business and making sure that Nigeria is a progressively easier place to start and grow a business.”

    Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, who was represented by the Aviation Ministry’s Director of Human Resources, Dr Anastasia Gbem, said the signing of the document on actualising the Cape Town Convention was in line with the Ministry’s goal of enhancing the capacity of local airlines’ business.

    She added the signing of the document will reassure the international community that it is safe to invest in Nigeria.

    “Investors can bring their aircraft into Nigeria and if there is any problem, such aircraft would be recovered within the 10-day period that Nigeria and the Cape Town Convention have provided. So it is an unprecedented history made today and it is a venture that will boost the Nigerian airlines and the entire aviation industry,” said the Minister.

    Chief Executive Office of the National Insurance Commission of Nigeria, Mr Olusegun Omoseye, said the signing of the document was significant progress for Nigeria’s aviation sector and the economy in general.

  • Two Nigerians stabbed to death in South Africa

    The death toll of Nigerians killed in South Africa has continued to rise with another two being the latest victims in ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners in that country.

    The latest victims were stabbed to death during xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and Cape Town on April 5 and April 6, 2019, respectively.

    The Assistant Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Union in South Africa (NUSA), Mr Odefa Ikele, confirmed the killings in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Johannesburg on Monday.

    ”The Nigerian community lost two citizens to gruesome murders over the weekend.

    ”Mr Bonny Iwuoha, 48, from Ihitte/Uboma in Imo state, was stabbed to death at about 11:45 p.m. on April 6, 2019 in Johannesburg South.

    ”We gathered that his assailants followed him from 152 Hay Street Turffontein, and thereafter, stabbed and killed him in front of his gate at Turf Road, Turffontein.

    ”The killing was witnessed by Mr Izochukwu Nwokocha, also known as, Nwa Father,” he said.

    Ikele said the killing had been reported and a case of murder opened at Booysens Police Station in Johannesburg South.

    READ ALSO: Community decries killing of Nigerian in South Africa

    He said that another Nigerian, Goziem Akpenyi, also lost his life in similar circumstance on April 5, 2019.

    ”Akpenyi was allegedly stabbed to death by three unknown coloured South African men after an argument with the deceased.

    ”The incident took place at in Cape Town at about 1 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019.

    ”These latest killings add to four other Nigerians who were shot dead in March. Three of the victims were murdered in Sunnyside, Pretoria and one in Balfour Park, Johannesburg,” he said.

    Ikele said that NUSA was concerned over the incessant killings of Nigerians and worried that the perpetrators had not been brought to book.

    According to him, the arrest and prosecution of the culprits by the South African Police would put to a stop the daily killings of Nigerians.

    ”We call on the Nigerian Government to impress on their South African counterpart that the killings have to be investigated and the culprits prosecuted,” he appealed.

  • EdoJobs, UNESCO, Google train 200 Edo children

    ..47 teachers on digital literacy

    …over 500 others to benefit from digital training programme

    EdoJobs, in collaboration with Google, Cape Town Science Centre, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s Youth Mobile, has completed training for over 200 Edo youth on computer coding, to advance Governor Godwin Obaseki’s tech revolution in the state.

    Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, in a chat with journalists said the training tagged Tekly Code Camps afforded participants hands-on skills on coding through which they can provide solutions to everyday problem.

    Dare noted that, “The Tekly Code camps supported by Google is an initiative of Curators University aimed at preparing African children for the future through coding and digital skills. This October, we are training over 700 youth which will include children and teenagers as well as over 50 teachers. So far, we have trained over 200 students. 47 teachers have been trained at the Edo Innovation Hub in Benin City.”

    Read Also: EdoJobs, business owners mentor Edo youth on entrepreneurship

    She said the programme is “to introduce children and teenagers to coding as a first step to equipping them with 21st century skills which, unfortunately, are not catered for in the current school curriculum.”

    Dare added that school teachers are also expected to benefit from the programme, noting that there are concrete plans to sustain the training.

    “More training will be organised by the host, EdoJobs through holiday and weekend camps. This will provide opportunity to primary and secondary schools to bring in their children to learn the basics of coding so that these children will gain the rudiments of computing and develop interest in pursuing careers in computer programming. It will ensure that we have a sure supply of youth who will provide solutions to problems with the use of digital technology.”

  • Zuma cabinet meeting not ‘special’, spokesman says

    Zuma cabinet meeting not ‘special’, spokesman says

    The Presidency said South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma was chairing routine cabinet committee meetings in Cape Town on Tuesday and not holding a “special cabinet meeting” as reported in local media.

    Bongani Ngqulunga, Zuma’s spokesman,  said a full cabinet meeting was scheduled for Wednesday.

    He dismissed speculation in domestic media the embattled president had called a meeting to discuss his future with his cabinet colleagues.

    The African National Congress ( ANC ) met on Monday to discuss Zuma’s future amid growing.

    Read also: Zuma: ANC leaders to meet on Wednesday

    pressure on the 75-year-old leader to step down as head of state over corruption allegations and a weakened economy.

    Zuma, in power since 2009, has been deserted by prominent allies since being replaced in December as ANC leader by Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s deputy president, who is now lobbying behind the scenes for him to step down as president too.

    Overnight talks with top ANC officials failed to persuade him to quit, and a group of Zuma loyalists said they would march on Monday on the party’s headquarters in downtown Johannesburg, Luthuli House, in support of the president.

    ANC officials said the party had summoned its National Working Committee (NWC) to meet at 1200 GMT at Luthuli House.

    The NWC handles the day-to-day running of the ANC, which has run South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994.

    It would need to call a meeting of the National Executive Committee to force Zuma to quit.

    Asked about the ongoing talks surrounding Zuma, ANC spokeswoman Khusela Diko said: “There is no crisis within the ANC, we are used to robust discussions.”

    The ANC’s top six most powerful officials met Zuma late on Sunday at his official residence in Pretoria but there was no announcement of the outcome.

    After the pro-Zuma group Black First Land First announced its march on Monday, a pro-Ramaphosa faction of the ANC said it would “defend” Luthuli House, raising the prospect of clashes between different camps within the party.

    The ANC said it respected the right of citizens to protest in a disciplined and peaceful manner.

    Opposition parties and some in the ANC want Zuma to go before his state of the nation address to parliament, scheduled for Thursday.

    Zuma has not said in public whether he will step down voluntarily. But he faces a new confidence-vote in parliament against his leadership on Feb. 22 filed by the opposition far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF).

    The EFF has asked the speaker of parliament, Baleka Mbete, to allow a secret ballot for the no-confidence vote, a decision which would increase the chances of Zuma losing the vote.

    Unlike in August when Zuma survived a no-confidence vote, a significant portion of the ANC now wants him gone.

    If he lost the vote, his entire cabinet would have to step down.

    Zuma will meet Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini at 1200 GMT on Monday at the king’s residence in Ulundi in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province, said Prince Thulani Zulu, a spokesman for the Zulu royal household.

    The spokesman declined to speculate on whether the king, a key ally of Zuma, who is also a Zulu, would add his voice to those urging the president to step down.

    Zuma’s spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga said the meeting with Zwelithini was “a longstanding courtesy meeting between the President and His Majesty which was initially meant to take place in January but was postponed due to diary challenges on both sides”.

    Zwelithini is the influential traditional head of South Africa’s biggest ethnic group, with around 10 million first-language Zulu speakers out of a total population of around 55 million, but he holds no role in government.

    “Zuma would listen to the Zulu king. Zuma is a traditionalist and has a power base in KwaZulu-Natal province,” said political analyst Ralph Mathekga.

    “The king is a bargainer, he could help Cyril (Ramaphosa) heal KwaZulu-Natal after Zuma goes.”

    NAN

  • Facebook’s F8 conference showcases African Developers

    Facebook’s F8 conference showcases African Developers

    African developers shared the stage with developers from Facebook and other parts of the world at the F8 developers’ conference held in San Jose, California, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The developers showcased their innovative products and services created for their local communities and the global market.

    Mr Emeka Afigbo, Facebook’s Head of Platform Partnerships for the Middle East and Africa, said that the organisation’s partnership with developers was for global benefit.

    “We’re partnering with many African developers to launch products that not only meet the needs of their local markets, but which are also ready for the world stage.

    “Events like F8 are a perfect opportunity for us to talk about how we will work with partners to do more with our platforms.

    “This is a forum for us to get feedback from our ecosystem and to showcase our partners’ work to the world,” Afigbo said.

    F8 hosts more than 4,000 people in person and hundreds of thousands of people watching via Facebook Live for two days of new products, tools, interactive demos and speakers to help developers build, grow and monetise their apps.

    This year, Facebook brought F8 to developers around the world through F8 Meet-ups hosted with tech hubs around the world.

    In Africa, it hosted F8 Meet-ups in Nairobi, Lagos, and Cape Town, where participants watched live streams of the sessions in San Francisco.

    NAN reports that the Facebook’s F8 is a mostly-annual conference it hosts for developers and entrepreneurs who build products and services around the website.

    Facebook had often introduced new features and made new announcements at the conference.

    The “F8” name came from Facebook’s tradition of 8 hour hackathons

    A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development collaborate intensively on software projects.

    The programmers and other developers include interface designers project managers and others, often including subject matter experts.

    Hackathons typically last between a day and a week; some hackathons are intended simply for educational or social purposes, although in many cases the goal is to create usable software.

    The scheduling of F8 has been somewhat erratic; no conference was held in 2009, 2012 or 2013, and the date for the 2011 conference was announced late.

  • Zuma must go, South African protesters insist

    Zuma must go, South African protesters insist

    Tens of thousands of South Africans Friday stormed the streets of Johannesburg,Cape Town,Durban , Pretoria and other major cities  in a national outpouring of anger at scandal-tainted President Jacob Zuma.

    Nobel laureate and anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu, 85 and ailing, made a rare public appearance to support the protests.

    His foundation posted a scathing tweet in his name: “We will pray for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us.”

    In Johannesburg, police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 100 ruling party members who were making their way toward protesters, the African News Agency reported.

    Separately, ruling party members assaulted several protesters participating in a march organized by the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s biggest opposition group.

    DA leader,Mmusi Maimane said in Pretoria that Zuma is a junk president.

    “We are not a junk country we just have a junk president,” Maimane said.

    Other ANC members in military uniforms who had been posted outside their party headquarters helped to escort the protesters to safety.

    Police in Pietermaritzburg city also fired rubber bullets to keep Zuma supporters away from a rally against him.

    The Fitch agency cited political uncertainty as a factor in its decision to downgrade South Africa’s credit rating to below investment grade; days after Standard & Poor’s did the same.

    Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle, in which Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was fired, will further discourage companies from investing in South Africa and could weaken “standards of governance and public finances,” Fitch said.

    The government appealed for calm and said it respected the right to protest peacefully. The country turned to democracy after white minority rule ended in 1994 with the country’s first all-race vote and the election of Nelson Mandela as president.

    In some cities, protesters with banners lined stretches of road or stood on overpasses; passing cars honked their horns. In the capital, Pretoria, they marched to the Union Buildings, which houses the offices of Zuma and other government officials. In Cape Town, motorcyclists with South African flags led a rally. “Fire Zuma,” read some placards.

    South African media outlets posted photos of Tutu and his wife, Leah, standing with residents at a bus shelter outside the retirement home where they are staying in Hermanus, near Cape Town. Tutu was shown smiling and raising a walking stick, apparently to acknowledge passing protesters.

    The retired Anglican archbishop, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his peaceful campaign against apartheid, has criticized the ANC for alleged mismanagement over the years.

    He has been hospitalized several times since 2015 because of infections linked to past treatment for prostate cancer.

     

  • Mama Africa the musical hits Cape Town

    Mama Africa the musical hits Cape Town

    Last Thursday, the past struggles of great South Africans, such as world-renowned singer and rights activist Miriam Makeba were relived when Mama Africa the Musical, produced by ZMirage UK, took the stage at Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports. 

    Ninety minutes before the show began, the hall was filled to capacity with the huge crowd that came to witness it. While some were curious, others genuinely looked forward to watching the icon, Miriam Makeba, portrayed on the stage of The Artscape Theatre Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
    When Miriam Makeba’s performance: Mama Africa The Musical, started at 7:30pm last Thursday, the atmosphere was electrifying as the first sequences of music, dance and praise chanting rented the air. The excitement of the audience was obvious as they watched the story gradually unravel. The audience was seen responding to the moods of the performance as it switched from celebratory, to sadness, to the fighting spirit and finally to freedom.
    At intervals, you could hear the excited chatter of the crowd as they clustered together in groups to discuss the nostalgic feeling the play evoked in them. It was a reawakening and reorientation on the past struggles of great South Africans such as Miriam Makeba. The play also seemed to give the young people the opportunity to identify with the fighting spirit of Mama Africa. It will run till February 12.
    Miriam Makeba: Mama Africa The Musical is meant to coincide with Black Month celebration, when African heroes and icons’ virtues and heroism are brought into international limelight. Among the audience were celebrities; captains of industry; American Ambassador to Cape Town; Artscape’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marlyn Le Roux; Richard T. Moody and Simone Heradien of Artscape, amongst others.
    Mama Africa the Musical is a unique production mix for Artscape Theatre as it presently exhibits 90 per cent western theatre content for its mostly African audience’s consumption. Mama Africa has travelled the world equipped with African energy, resilient with messages of love and brotherhood, coincidentally, in this traumatic Trump-u-tic Nope World Order.
    The story of the life and career of the Grammy award winning singer and civil rights activist is delightfully told in the musical, written/directed by Niyi Coker Jnr, winner of Washington DC Kennedy Centre Award for directing. Mama Africa The Musical, a cross-continental cultural project, started three years ago as a collaboration between the University of Missouri, St. Louis United States (US), and the University of Cape Town, South Africa. It also has the support of the ZM Makeba Trust.
    Prof Coker (Jnr), an E. Desmond Lee Distinguished Professor of  African/African-American Studies, Theatre & Cinema Arts at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, US, did an extensive research into the life and career of Miriam Makeba, especially her role in the struggle against apartheid. Makeba’s life story illustrates the resilience of the African spirit, master artistry and positive, forward looking spirit.
    The 40-man cast maiden show, with an international crew, was at The Great Hall, University of Western Cape, South Africa between May 25 and 29, last year. It later proceeded on tour of the US at The Anhuesser Busch Theatre in the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Centre, University of Missouri Campus, St. Louis. This was between September 15 and 18 of the same year; and Skirball Performing Art Center, New York City on October 3, 2016.
    After these successful outings in the academic circuits, both in South Africa and the US, Mama Africa was repackaged for wider public outing, starting with its scheduled run at the influential theatrical performance space, ArtsCape in Cape Town. It has also been billed for tour of the United Kingdom (UK) next month and Nigeria in May, this year.
    Mama Africa parades top performers including Jennifer Pau-Kakaza, whose credits include Lady Macbeth in (Macbeth), Ciesca, (Gianna Schichi); and 1st Chercatrice (Suor Angelica). She has also done voice over work, background vocals and acted films, series, and musical shows.
    Simangele Mashazi is a talented singer/songwriter, who has performed on various stages at festivals such as KKNK, Woordfees, the Artscape Youth Jazz Festival and Darling’s Vooorkamer Festival. Most recently, she shared the stage with the Ramon Alexander Quartet at the 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
    There is also Phelo Nodlayiya, who performed roles such as Osmin from Die Entfurhung aus dem Serail, Coppelius from Tales of Hoffman, Don Alfonso from Cosi fan Tutte, to mention but a few.
    Makeba was born in 1932 in Prospect Township, Johannesburg, South Africa. She was a world-renowned singer and civil rights activist. In the 1960s, she was the first artist to popularise African music around the world. Ms. Makeba became active and outspoken against the Apartheid system. These activities led to the revocation of her South African citizenship. Although banned from South Africa until the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990, Makeba was a towering figure in the global anti-Apartheid struggle, leveraging on her highly successful music career. She lived and worked in the US, Europe and Africa during these years, enjoying both celebrity status as an entertainer and often encountering difficulties because of her outspoken political positions.

  • ITTF World Junior Championships Fallout: The Asians outplayed us, Falana admits

    ITTF World Junior Championships Fallout: The Asians outplayed us, Falana admits

    With most of his matches in the just concluded ITTF World Junior Championship being against Asian players, Nigeria’s Tobi Falana has admitted that the speed and techniques of Asians overwhelmed them in the competition.
    Falana who was one of the most outstanding Nigerian players in the competition told NationSport that attending the competition has made him to see table tennis from another dimension.
    “I feel great making my debut in an international tournament for Nigeria. It was indeed a good experience for me and an eye-opener as well. We are as skillful as other players but the speed and techniques of the Asian players were just too much for us. We cannot match their speed on table. They were too fast for us and their style of play was not too comfortable to us,” he said.
    The Kwara State-born athlete, described the experience in South Africa as an added advantage to him. “Playing in this kind of championship was awesome because I gained valuable experience on how to play table tennis better than what we were used to in Nigeria. I think our lack of exposure also affected our performance because most of these players have featured in more tournaments this year before coming to South Africa. For us, this is our first major competition internationally this year. Also our confidence has improved having featured in the competition and we hope we can do better in subsequent competitions,” Falana added.
    He, however, lamented the need to work on their service and receiving as this affected them in most of their matches. “My dream as a table tennis player is to create a new record that nobody has ever made. But I also know that we need to work on our back-hand as well as service and receiving. Generally, I gained more confidence and I played well against some top players in the championship,” Falana said.

  • ITTF World Junior Championships: Ojomu leads Nigerian team to Cape Town

    ITTF World Junior Championships: Ojomu leads Nigerian team to Cape Town

    As the only junior female player that made it to the last 16 of the 2016 ITTF Nigerian Open, Abuja-based Ajoke Ojomu will lead the eight-man Nigerian contingent to this month’s International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Championships holding in Cape Town, South Africa.

    Ojomu, who was also instrumental to Nigeria’s qualification for the championship will have Tosin Esther Oribamise, Agnes Onoja and Alimot Ayinla as members of the Nigerian girls’ team to the competition.

    The boys’ team will have bronze medallist in the boys’ singles of the African Junior Championship, Azeez Solanke as well as Amadi Omeh, Tobi Falana and Rilwan Akanbi.

    The players were selected after a rigorous training exercise conducted under the watchful eyes of seven-time Olympian, Segun Toriola in September and the team will join Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and host – South Africa as the continent’s representatives at the one-week championship.

    The team will compete for honours in the singles, doubles and team events of the championships, which serve off on November 30 to December 7.

    According to the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, the tournament would be used to groom female players for the senior national team and add more male players to the senior team. “I hope we will be able to remedy the lack of quality female players in the senior team with the girls’ team going to the World Junior Championships in South Africa. The four young girls on that team need to grab this opportunity and start to build a serious career for themselves. In all this, I must continue to give credit to Olufunke Oshonaike that despite all her years in the game she continues to show great commitment to the cause of our country and we hope these girls can take a cue from her,” Oshodi said.

    Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt will present boys’ and girls’ teams, while Tunisia will have its boys’ team with Algeria presenting its girls’ team for the competition.

    Over 24 countries will present 96 boys and 96 girls that will slug it out in the individual and team events of the competition.