The Nation Newspaper

Tag: South Africa

  • World Remit launches low-cost transfer service from South Africa

    Leading digital money transfer service WorldRemit has launched its low-cost digital money transfer service from South Africa as the company targets the money transfer market in Africa, with an initial public offering (IPO) on the horizon.

    WorldRemit, with its global headquarters in London, said it had opened a new office in Johannesburg to drive the growth of inter-Africa transfers through its services.

    WorldRemit handles money transfers from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), European and Asian countries to more than 40 African countries.

    Andrew Stewart, the managing director for Middle East and Africa at WorldRemit, said South Africa was one of WorldRemit’s top ten remittance receiving countries, with transactions to the country growing by more than 50/ percent year-on-year.

    “We are delighted to start this next phase of our growth, enabling customers in South Africa to send digital money transfers to 145 countries worldwide, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” Stewart said.

    “The launch of money transfers from South Africa is a major milestone, as the company targets the growing money transfer market within Africa. WorldRemit recently opened a new office in Johannesburg, as it aims to expand its partner network across the continent,” WorldRemit said.

    According to Bloomberg, the company has also secured partnerships with wireless carriers MTN Group and Vodacom Group to access their pan-Africa mobile-money services, Stewart said, adding to similar deals with Kenya’s Safaricom and Huawei.

  • Another Nigerian tortured to death in South Africa- Union

    Nigerians living in South Africa have expressed displeasure at the alleged killing of a Nigerian, Celestine Nwokeocha, 36, by the South African Police.

    The President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, expressed the feeling of Nigerians to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, yesterday.

    He said witnesses alleged that Nwokeocha was tortured and beaten to death in his house at Sasolburg area of Free State Province by the police on January 15.

    “An inquest docket has been opened at Zamdela Police Station, Sasolburg, with case number 183/01/2019.

    “Also, Independent Police Investigation Department (IPID) is involved in the case and we have been assured that justice will be served in the matter,” he told NAN.

    Mr. Olubajo said that two witnesses, Nonso, a Nigerian and Palesa, a South African, were arrested by the same police officers who allegedly killed Nwokeocha.

    “The witnesses, however, appeared in court on Jan. 17, but while the South African, Palesa, was granted bail, Nonso, who is a Nigerian, was denied bail.

    “Autopsy has been done by one Dr. Humphris and no sign of any substance was found in the deceased stomach.

    “But there are bruises on his face, blood in his mouth and two bruises on his chest; a sign of lack of oxygen,” the president said.

    He advised Nigerians resident in Sasolburg to stay calm and remain law abiding while the union works to find justice for the deceased.

    According to him, Nigerians are advised to avoid engaging in activities that will jeopardise the successful prosecution of the alleged police officers.

    “Nwokeocha is survived by his wife and seven-month old baby girl,” Mr. Olubajo said.

    Also, on the matter, the office of the Consulate General of Nigeria in South Africa has condemned the killing of Nwokeocha.

    Laren Jingina, the Vice-Consul, Information and Culture, said: “The Consulate detests in strongest terms, infringements of the law by security agents.

    “The consulate demands compliance with the due process of the law, adding that if it suspects infringement by anyone it will do the needful.”

    He said that the consulate was already in discussion with the relevant host authorities and would ensure that justice is done and the affected police officers brought to justice.

    Mr. Jingina also urged members of the deceased family and Nigerians living in Sasolburg to remain calm and law abiding as the consulate seeks justice for the deceased.

     

  • S/Falcons to play ten matches before 2019 Women’s World Cup – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday said it has put in place plans to provide the Super Falcons with better preparations for the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

    Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, said in a statement that the federation had made plans for the African champions to participate in about 10 matches altogether.

    “Participation in the Four-Nation Invitational Tournament in China from Jan. 17 to Jan. 20 will be followed by participation in the Cyprus Women’s Cup billed for Feb. 25 to March 7.

    “They will then play planned friendly matches with Spain or Canada before a final training camp in Austria that could also take in two tune-up games,’’ he said.

    Already, the NFF has announced that the Falcons would have their final camping programme at the same Avita Hotel and Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles stayed at that same facility before heading to Russia to participate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.

    Read Also: Super Falcons in tough France 2019 draw

    Olajire disclosed that players and officials of the nine-time African champions were on Tuesday at the Embassy of China in Abuja for visa processing.

    “The team is expected to fly out of Nigeria to China on Monday,’’ he said.

    Hosts China, Romania and Korea Republic are the other teams taking part in the four-day invitational.

    The NFF official added that the players and officials would on return from the invitational tournament in China begin visa processing for the trip to Cyprus.

    “They will take part in a 12-nation Invitational Tournament between Feb. 25 and March 7.

    “Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, North Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, South Africa and Thailand are the other nations taking part.

    “Of the lot, Nigeria, Italy, South Africa and Thailand will be going to France,’’ he said.

    Olajire disclosed also that Spain and Canada have approached Nigeria for friendly matches.

    Spain will face South Africa, Germany and China in Group B at France 2019, while Canada will also take on African team Cameroon, New Zealand and The Netherlands in Group E.

    “Jamaica, who play Australia, Italy and Brazil in Group C, have also written to the NFF expressing interest in playing against the Super Falcons,’’ he added.

    Nigeria are the only African country to have featured in all previous editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition was launched in China in 1991.

    The African champions, who are the Women National Team of Year 2018 in Africa, will tackle host nation France, Korea Republic and Norway in Group A of this summer’s finals.

    The Super Falcons, who were quarter-finalists in 1999, will open their account in France against Norway, at the 21,000-capacity Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims on June 8.

    They will then face Korea Republic in Grenoble on June 12 and hosts France in Rennes on June 17.

    The 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals will hold from June 7 to July 7.

    France will be up against Korea Republic in the opening match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 7.

  • FCT Magistrate, Oniyangi, others emerge integrity idol winners

    The Magistrate of Wuse Zone 6 Chief Magistrates’ Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abdulmajid Oniyangi, has been named Nigeria’s second Integrity Idol winner.

    Mr. Oniyangi is joined by a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria reporter, Mrs. Bukola Adewunmi to win the 2018 award.

    Other winners include: a State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Anambra state, Mr. Aremu Kehinde; an investigative journalist with Ebonyi State Newspaper Corporation, Mr. Benson Agwu and a Director of Supply Chain Operations at the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), Abuja office, Bravo Otahabru.

    Country Director for Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said Mr. Oniyangi was voted winner after films of the Idols was put out on social media, TV and on radio where thousands of citizens across Nigeria voted for their favourite Idols through SMS and online.

    He said the Magistrate was honoured for his responsible, honest and accountable approach to the rule of law, following a nationwide campaign celebrating honest government officials.

    The statement reads: “Before a crowd of over 150 dignitaries in Abuja, consisting of high-level individuals, foreign ambassadors, public servants, civil society organization leaders, and citizens, Abdulmajid Oniyangi was named Nigeria’s second Integrity Idol winner.

    “Selected from nearly 300 nominees, a magistrate with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate Court, Abdulmajid’s dedication to serving citizens and carrying out his duties honestly has earned him the respect of his colleagues, superiors and most importantly – Nigerian citizens.

    “Abdulmajid Oniyangi is well-known for his fair and balanced approach to the rule of law and ensuring that justice is served quickly and without bias or prejudice.

    “He indicated that the award will go a long way in inspiring others to do the right thing in their daily lives.”

    Odeh added: “We saw incredible energy today from the young people of Nigeria who have truly shown that they support and want to celebrate honest leaders.

    “Let’s move away from “naming and shaming” and towards “naming and faming” those who uphold the Nigeria’s values of honesty, integrity and accountability.”

    Odeh explained that the Integrity Idol is a citizen-run movement to identify and celebrate upstanding government officials.

    He said it originated in Nepal in 2014, noting that the Integrity Idol has since evolved into a global movement in eight countries of Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mali, Nigeria, Liberia, South Africa and Mexico.

    “In each country, local Accountability Lab team runs a nationwide campaign to identify and encourage civil servants who demonstrate exemplary integrity in their work.

    “Officials are nominated and voted by the public at-large, with the annual campaign culminating in an award ceremony to celebrate the finalists.

    “The Lab works with the winners to push for integrity within government organizations,” he added.

  • Flying Eagles draw Niger, South Africa, Burundi

    The draw for the Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Niger 2019 were held on Thursday night in Niamey with Nigeria’s Flying Eagles drawn alongside hosts Niger in Group A of the competition billed for next year, AOIFootball.com reports.

    The ceremony was held at the Technical Centre of the Niger Football Federation in the capital, with CAF Deputy General Secretary, Anthony Baffoe, conducting the draw with the assistance of two former Niger players representing different generations, Moussa Kanfidena, and Issoufou Dante.

    Seven-time champions Nigeria are making a return to the competition after failing to qualify for the 2017 edition in Zambia and were drawn in a relatively fair group with neighbours Niger who are making their debut in the competition while returnee Burundi and South Africa complete the pairing.

    Group B did, however, pitch an all West African affair with the quartet of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana all drawn in the dubbed ‘group of death’ with all four teams rekindling their existing rivalry as they battle for places at the last four.

    The final tournament will be held from February 2-17, 2019 in the Niger cities of Niamey and Maradi and the semi-finalists qualifying to represent the continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

    Full Draw:

    Group A – Niger, South Africa, Nigeria, Burundi

    Group B – Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana

  • South Africa won’t be second time lucky — Oluehi

    Super Falcons’ goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi has stated that the team is ready to teach the Bayana Bayana of South Africa a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry when both teams clash again in the final of the ongoing 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Accra Ghana on Saturday, December 1.

    South Africa had defeated Nigeria 1-0 in Group B’s opening match and finished top of the group on seven points, beating Equatorial Guinea 7 – 1 and playing a 1 – 1 draw against Zambia to book their semi-final ticket.

    The South Africans aside booking a grudge rematch with the Falcons in the final of the championship, also qualified for their maiden appearance at the World Cup to be played in France in 2019 and will also be willing to crown their efforts with a second win against Nigeria but Tochukwu is confident they will be taught a serious lesson in humility and respect.

    “Meeting South Africa in the final is what we have been praying for because we want to play them again. We want to tell them that beating us in the group stage was a mistake and it’s not going to happen again. I’m confident we will beat them in the final.

    The Falcons will have to ward off the goal threats from tournament’s top goal scorer Thembi Kgatlana who has scored a total of five goals in four matches for the South Africans. Kgatlana got the lone goal that decided the encounter between both teams in the first leg on November 18.

  • BP to invest $1b in South Africa, refinery upgrade

    BP Southern Africa (BPSA) will invest $1 billion in South Africa in the next five years with more than a quarter of that set aside to upgrade the SAPREF refinery to produce lower sulfur diesel, its chief executive said.

    The 180,00 barrels per day SAPREF refinery, South Africa’s largest, is a 50:50 venture between Royal Dutch Shell and BPSA, a subsidiary of British oil major BP. The plant is located in the east coast city of Durban.

    BP would invest 3.5 billion-4 billion rand ($252 million-$288 million) in the refinery upgrade, Chief Executive Priscillah Mabelane told Reuters, adding that about 40 percent of the total $1 billion investment would go on retail activities.

    She said the upgrade would make “sure the refinery can meet the new specifications in terms of low sulfur and Marpol regulations.”

    The plant would shut for maintenance from May to June 2019, she added.

    The upgrade has been driven by new rules demanding a lower fuel sulfur content and changing customer preferences for cleaner diesel, such as D50 and D10.

    Refinery operators have been in long-running talks with government on how to recover costs from upgrading work needed to produce cleaner fuel in South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy.

    “From an industry perspective we are pushing very hard to ensure that there is policy clarity because we have been on this journey very long, almost a decade,” Mabelane said about the ongoing talks.

    Industry players estimated in 2009 that the cost to upgrade to cleaner fuels would be about $4 billion.

    Other operators in the sector include Total and Sasol.

    Besides upgrading the refinery, Mabelane said BPSA would expand its retail activities in South Africa.

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    “We are aggressively going to grow our footprint in the country,” she said on the sidelines of an event with retailer partner Pick n Pay to launch a new innovation for a loyalty card that will also work at BP fuel stations nationwide.

    BP was looking at opportunities to expand its services in Mozambique, where it is the second largest oil company, Mabelane said. “The market is exciting and dynamic,” she said.

  • AFCON 2019: Supporters Club in South Africa to support Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Supporters Club in  South Africa says it will be in Cameroon to cheer the Super Eagles during the AFCON tournament.

    Nigeria booked a place after playing a one-all draw with South Africa in a Group E match played in Johannesburg on Saturday.

    Nigeria is leading the group with 10 points while South Africa is second with nine points.

    Libya is third with seven points while Seychelles is the last in the group with one point.

    Osita Okeke, the Chairman of Super Eagles Supporters Club in that country, told the Agency on the telephone from Johannesburg that members of the club were happy with Nigeria’s qualification.

    “Members of the supporters club join other Nigerians to celebrate Nigeria’s qualification for the AFCON tournament.

    “Though two goals scored by Nigeria were disallowed; we are still happy with the qualification,” he said.

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    Okeke said that the South African chapter of the club would begin early preparation to ensure that Super Eagles get total support in Cameroon.

    “We will meet soon to start preparing for the AFCON tournament. But, we will liaise with our national body before going to Cameroon.

    “We appeal to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to commence early preparations for the tournament in Cameroon,” he said.

    Okeke said the club was delighted that the  Super Eagles team was made up of young players, adding that the team had performed well under the tutelage of manager, Gernot Rohr.

    The chairman commended the NFF for ensuring that the Eagles qualified for the AFCON tournament after missing the last two editions.

    NAN

  • AFCON 2019: Libya threaten South Africa’s qualification

     

    Despite occupying the second position on the log with 9 points behind Nigeria, South Africa could be said to be walking on a tight rope following Libya’s goal feast against Seychelles on Saturday.

    The Mediterranean Knights came shot of spelling Seychelles with goals leaving the score line at 8-1. The currently sit on the third position with 7 points and will take on South Africa in their last match in March last year.

    Should they claim the maximum three points against the South Africans, they will be on 10 points and could edge the South Africans out of the second position.  Two  teams will qualify from each group.

    Meanwhile South Africa coach Stuart Baxter has expressed disappointment with the 1-1 draw his team recorded against Super Eagles at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

    Baxter who nonetheless expressed delight that it did not end in defeat for his side insisted his team played better and should have carried the day.  The boys he further added must improve ahead of the final battle against Libya.

    “I am disappointed because I believe we should have won the match.  We have to do more ahead of the match against Libya” he said shortly after the match.

    The Super Eagles who had been tipped in some quarters to come out smoking with intent to revenge on the 2-0 defeat at home by Bafana Bafana, failed to perform to optimal level failing intermittently to create and convert chances.

    Interestingly it was Bafana Bafana that scored the two goals recorded in the match. Buhle Mkhwanazi had put Nigeria ahead in the early minutes of the match after deflected Samuel Kalu’s  cross into his own goal with goalkeeper   Itumeleng Khune in no position to save the situation.

    Percy Tau however set up an equalizer in the 26th minute of the match when he successfully displaced Nigerian defenders to create chance for teammate Lebo Mothiba to deliver with ease.

    Nigeria were the better team in the second-half and had the ball in the back of the net in the 84th minute after Alex Iwobi had played through Ahmed Musa, but the assistant’s flag was raised for offside.

    Despite the draw, Nigeria did not only maintain leadership of the group but also picked one of the tickets to Cameroon 2019 with 10 points in the kitty with the last match at home against Seychelles next on the log.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Eagles, Falcons Face South Africa Test Saturday, Sunday

    • Live Broadcasts on SuperSport
    Super Eagles players train in Nike kits prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup

    Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national football teams will be looking to continue their dominance over their biggest rival on the continent, South Africa, this weekend in crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) contests.

    SuperSport, said on Thursday that the two contests will be broadcast live on DStv.

    After a first official defeat to Bafana Bafana at the start of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the Super Eagles are smarting for revenge and have earmarked Saturday’s return leg as the fixture to avenge last year’s shock 2-0 loss to their bitter rivals.

    Saturday’s encounter, live on SuperSport 4 and 9 from 1:00pm, will be Nigeria’s fifth official match on South African soil, which has always been a happy hunting ground for the Super Eagles. They’ve won two and drawn two of the four official matches played there.

    The Super Eagles’ overall record over Bafana since 1992, when they were readmitted to world football, is played 13, won seven, drawn four and lost two. It’s the maintaining of this impressive record and qualification to next year’s AFCON in Cameroon that’s driving Saturday’s revenge mission.

    On Sunday, meanwhile, the Super Falcons kick off their AFCON title defence against a familiar rival in Banyana Banyana, as the South African national team is affectionately known. The Falcons’ record over South Africa is even more impressive than that of the Super Eagles: played eight, won five, drawn two and lost one.

    All five wins have come at an AFCON finals and beating South Africa in the finals has always been a good omen for the Super Falcons as they’ve gone on to lift the title four out of the five times they’ve won against the arch rivals. A sixth victory on Sunday should set the Falcons on their way to an unprecedented 11th title.

     

    Broadcast details

    Saturday, November 17
    South Africa (Bafana Bafana) v Nigeria ( Super Eagles)
    SS4 HD, SS10 HD, DStv Now App (1:00pm)

    Sunday, November 18
    Nigeria (Super Falcons ) v South Africa (Banyana Banyana)
    SS4 HD, DStv Now App (4:15pm)