African journalism.

17 JUNE 2023 | ISSUE 129

with

The South
African arms
dealer selling
peace in
Ukraine
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 2

Inside:
■ Tanzania: Leaked documents
show that Dubai is getting more
than just some ports (p9)
■ Photo essay: Honouring Peter
Magubane’s mission to document
the anti-apartheid struggle (p14)
■ Food: The best of East Africa’s
bunch (p18)
■ Esther Kazungu: The comedian
reminding us that our politicians
are, in fact, ridiculous (p19)
■ Lesotho: Basotho villagers want
a fair shake for sending their
water to South Africa (p24)
■ Fossil fuels: Why are companies
suing governments? (p26)

Cover: Four African

Subscribe today presidents are on a peace
mission in Ukraine and
Get the latest edition of The Russia. We wish them luck.
Continent, plus every back issue But we also want to know
(all 128 of them) by visiting why Ivor Ichikowitz, a
thecontinent.org. To subscribe controversial South African
(for free!), save The Continent’s arms dealer, is playing such
number to your phone (+27 73 a prominent role behind the
805 6068) and send us a message scenes. (p10)
on WhatsApp/Signal/Telegram.

Correction: We made a mistake in Issue 128, in the story headlined “Kagame’s

big soldier shuffle triggers alarm as neighbours batten down the hatches.” We
identified Mubarak Muganga as the Rwandan army’s new chief of staff, when he is
the new defence staff chief. Vincent Nyakarundi is the army’s new chief of staff. It is
Nyakarundi, not Muganga, who is from the army’s intelligence division and spent
many of the past 15 years working on diplomatic missions in the United States.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 3

ANGOLA EGYPT

‘Mistakes were made’ Justice system takes

in fuel subsidy fiasco life for a life it did not
that sparked violence bother to protect
Angolan authorities have enlisted For governments, retributive justice is
religious leaders, trade unionists and easier than prevention. On Wednesday,
journalists to help sell the public on Eg yptian authorities executed
the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, which Mohamed Adel for stabbing to death
led to protests where five people died. fellow student Nayera Ashraf. She had
Early this month, as agreed with the rejected his amorous advances. She had
IMF in 2018, Africa’s second biggest also reported receiving death threats
oil producer started phasing out the but didn’t get protection. The United
subsidies. That triggered a 100% Nations says nearly eight million
increase in pump price for petrol. The women in Egypt suffer some form of
government did a poor job distributing violence each year. Egypt also ranks
fuel cards to groups it meant to exempt fourth in the world for the number of
from the price hike, like taxi drivers, prisoners executed each year, according
prompting transportation cost hikes to Amnesty International. In 2022, 24
and protests. executions were recorded.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 4

TOGO SPORTS

Tanked by global woe Al Ahly takes crown

The gap between Togo imports and Egyptian men’s football club, Al Ahly,
exports was 24% wider last year than won the CAF Champions League for a
in 2021, Togo First reports. While Togo record 11th time, winning $4-million
sold more last year, it spent even more in prize money. It’s been winning since
importing oil, as well as everything else. 1982. The second most successful team,
And it cost more to sell anything as fellow Egyptian club Zamalek, has five
Russia’s war in Ukraine caused supply- championships. North African men’s
chain chokeholds that drove up freight basketball clubs are also dominating the
and insurance costs on shipping goods. nascent Basketball Africa League.

GEOPOLITICS prevent South Africa from hosting this

year’s summit for AGOA, the US-Africa
Dems, GOP unite to trade framework that gives countries lower
punish South Africa tariffs to access the American market. This
follows allegations that a Russian ship last
In a rare occurrence of bipartisanship, year picked up weapons in South Africa,
senators from the United States’s two which maintains it is neutral on the issue
main parties asked President Biden to of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 5

NIGERIA CAMEROON

Extreme weather Opposition stalwart

kills another 100 John Fru Ndi dies
Last weekend, a party travelled 74km The founding champion of Cameroon’s
to attend a wedding. It rained heavily multiparty politics died this week aged
in the area of Niger State where the 81. John Fru Ndi, once a successful
wedding was. So, on the way back, businessman who owned bookshops
they had to resort to going on a boat and farms, founded Cameroon’s
on the Niger River. In the early hours first opposition party, the Social
of Monday morning, the boat rammed Democratic Front, in 1990. Two years
into a tree, which had been ripped out of later, he ran against Paul Biya in an
the soil by the rains. The vessel capsized election that was declared for the latter
and although 144 people were rescued, despite being widely seen as having
more than 100 passengers drowned. been won by Fru Ndi. He remained a
major opposition figure until his death,
running against Biya two more times.
MUSIC He was among the very few prominent
Cameroonians who dared to criticise
African music Biya, who has been in power for 41
performances get years ... so far.
their own Grammys
category
Next year, “recordings that utilise
unique local expressions from across
the African continent” will vie for
Grammys in their own category, rather
than the nebulous “global music”. The
United States Recording Academy
announced the “Best African Music
Performance” category along with two
new others this week. Many African
artists, including Tems, Burna Boy,
Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode, and
Wouter Kellerman, have won Grammys
in recent years, as US fans embraced Rest in power: John Fru Ndi, constant
Afrobeats and related sounds. thorn in President Paul Biya’s side.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 6

Gotta have: Faith

Kipyegon has broken
world records in the
1,500m and 5,000m.
Photo: Getty Images

SPORTS week later, in France, she broke another

world record, for the 5,000m – running it
An astonishing 12 in just 14:05:20. Five days later, and back
days for Kipyegon home in Kenya, President William Ruto
pledged to give her $36,000 for the 1,500m
On 2 June, in Italy, runner Faith Kipyegon record and a house worth $43,000 for the
broke the world record for the 1,500m. A 5,000m record.

DRC ERITREA

Mass graves tied to Asmara loosens up,

M23 rebels revealed rejoins the bloc party
Human Rights Watch this week Eritrea doesn’t play well with its
revealed the locations of 14 mass graves neighbours. It’s the only state that hasn’t
in the Congolese village of Kishishe, joined the African Continental Free
thought to be created by the M23 rebel Trade Agreement. In 2007, it quit the
group. In November 2022, the United East African-based Intergovernmental
Nations revealed that 131 civilians Authority on Development after the
were killed when the group attacked bloc appointed Kenya to oversee the
Kishishe and Bambo villages in the resolution of an Eritrea-Ethiopia border
North Kivu Province of eastern DRC. dispute. But, on Monday, Eritrea’s
M23 controlled the area until this April. information minister, Yemane Meskel,
Human Rights Watch believes there are tweeted that the country was back in the
more mass graves than it has identified. East African bloc.
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The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 News 8

Tunisia
Kaïs Saïed against human smuggling “as soon as the
necessary agreement is found”.

is becoming Speaking in Tunis on Monday, she said:

“We both have a vast interest in breaking

Europe’s chief the cynical business model of smugglers

and traffickers.”

gatekeeper For border management, search and

rescue, and returning migrants, Von der

– for a fee Leyen said the EU would provide Tunisia

with more than $100-million this year.
Tunisia’s President Kaïs Saïed rejected
Tunisia’s economy is
criticisms that his government was
rapidly deteriorating, but acting as a “border guard” for Europe.
a proposed migration deal Earlier this year, Saïed made headlines
with the European Union for scapegoating black people for his
could help the northern country’s woes. According to Saïed,
the problem was neither his country’s
nation avert economic shambolic economy and chronic
collapse – and keep its unemployment, nor his own efforts to
racist president in power. consolidate power, which critics describe
as a lurch towards authoritarianism.
Kiri Rupiah Instead, Tunisia’s greatest threat
came from a “criminal arrangement” to

I n return for stemming what Europe

calls a migration crisis, Tunisia has
been promised over $1-billion in financial
“change the demographic composition
of Tunisia” by flooding the country with
refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan
assistance by the head of the European Africa. His comments echoed the “Great
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Replacement” conspiracy theory, popular
and the prime ministers of Italy and the among far-right and white supremacist
Netherlands. movements in the Global North.
Von der Leyen said the European Africans from south of the Sahara
Union is ready to support Tunisia with have suffered violence as a result. The EU
financial assistance in exchange for funding would allow Saïed to solidify his
better border control and measures power and continue his policies. ■
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 9

Tanzania
State battles set off a storm in Tanzania. Tundu Lissu,
deputy chairman of the main opposition

to sell citizens party Chadema, has called it the “worst

deal in Tanzania’s history”.
A senior ruling party member speaking
on new deal anonymously to The Continent said the
framework, which does not include an
with Dubai end date, “needs a lot of amendments”
before any ports can be contracted out.
Despite these and other concerns,
Leaked ports plan shows
some journalists and members of
country giving away much Parliament who recently visited Dubai to
more than it would gain see DP World at work are writing lengthy
articles on how good the company is at
Simon Mkina in Dar es Salaam running ports. A few have allegedly gone
as far as buying social media adverts

P arliament last week approved the

government’s plan to get DP World to
run Tanzania’s main port. The company,
and TV spots in what appears to be a
campaign.

owned by the Emirate of Dubai, would Tundu Lissu has called

lease seven of the 11 berths at the port of it the ‘worst deal in
Dar es Salaam – according to the works Tanzania’s history’.
and transport minister.
But the details of the agreement, Tanzania wants its ports to compete
originally signed last October, were with neighbours like Kenya, so it can be
leaked earlier this month. And they a hub for trade with central and eastern
point to a more extensive arrangement. Africa. DP World is expected to invest at
The Continent has seen a copy of the least $500-million. But first Tanzania has
agreement, which envisions a much wider to convince its own people that this is a
operation – including management of “sea good deal.
and lake ports, special economic zones, And that convincing isn’t helped by the
logistics parks and trade corridors”. poor mining deals that former president
The gap between what the government John Magufuli then had to go and pull
officials say the partnership is about – and the country out of, at considerable
what the leaked documents show – has reputational cost. ■
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 10

Africa-Ukraine

Odd man out: African presidents, and an arms dealer. Photo: President Yoweri Museveni

The arms dealer

behind the African peace
mission to Ukraine
A weapons manufacturer on a peace mission.
What could possibly go wrong?
Simon Allison They were discussing their proposed
mission to mediate Russia’s ongoing

Y oweri Museveni, infamously,

manages his own Twitter account.
Uganda’s 78-year-old president knows
war in Ukraine. Also present, officially,
was Jean-Yves Ollivier, a controversial
French businessman who is claiming the
how to craft a viral tweet, but he does credit for organising the African peace
make the occasional mistake. mission (“I will play Kissinger,” he told the
On 5 June, Museveni met on Zoom Financial Times, referring to the notorious
with six fellow African presidents. US diplomat who has been implicated in
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 11

multiple alleged war crimes). was present on the Zoom call. “It’s the first
After the Zoom call, Museveni tweeted time I hear of Ivor’s involvement,” Vincent
a screenshot of the video gathering. Magwenya told The Continent. “I’m not
There, sharing Ollivier’s screen, was a certain as to what will be Ivor’s role.”
middle-aged, greying white man, whose Ichikowitz is a major donor to the
involvement had not previously been African National Congress, Ramaphosa’s
made public – and for good reason. political party.
The man, whose name is Ivor Ichikowitz and Ollivier’s Brazzavile
Ichikowitz, owns one of the largest arms Foundation did not respond to The
manufacturers on the African continent. Continent’s requests to answer questions
Ichikowitz’s Paramount Group sells for this story. But Ollivier, in private
weaponised drones, infantry combat correspondence seen by The Continent,
vehicles, naval patrol ships and fighter said of the arms dealer’s role in the peace
jets, among other weapons systems. mission: “Mr Ichikowitz is for a long time
Its clients include dictatorial regimes a friend of the Brazzaville Foundation. In
such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and the present initiative, Mr Ichikowitz [has]
the Republic of Congo. The group has offered pro bono resources, contacts,
been implicated in multiple corruption access and advice. He was officially
allegations – most notably in Malawi, [thanked] by the six heads of state during
where a scandal over a $145-million the 5 June Summit meeting for his
contract to supply patrol boats helped to contribution.”
bring down the government of former
president Joyce Banda. Ichikowitz denies Kremlin connections
any wrongdoing, and says that neither he The stated intention of the African peace
nor his company has ever been formally mission is to end the war in Ukraine,
charged with corruption. which escalated when Russia invaded
Ukraine in February 2022. But the
Ichikowitz’s Paramount mission is not off to an auspicious start.
Group sells drones, By the time the delegation
infantry combat vehicles, disembarked at the Kyiv train station on
naval patrol ships and Friday morning, three presidents had
fighter jets, among other already dropped out (Egypt’s Abdel-
weapons systems. Fattah El-Sisi, the Republic of Congo’s
Denis Sassou Nguesso and Museveni).
The murky nature of Ichikowitz’s Ramaphosa was travelling with a
involvement was highlighted when The reduced security detail after the bulk of
Continent requested comment from a his security was grounded at the airport
spokesperson for South African President in Warsaw. Polish police said they did
Cyril Ramaphosa, who is ostensibly not have the appropriate authorisations
leading the African peace mission, and for their weapons. This claim is disputed
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 12

by the South African government, who

said Poland was trying to “sabotage” the
mission.
On arrival in Kyiv, the presidents –
Ramaphosa, Azali Assoumani of the
Comoros, Macky Sall of Senegal and
Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia – were Bygones: President Cyril Ramaphosa
greeted by the sound of air-raid sirens and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
and explosions. These were caused by a Photo: Sergei Chirikov/AFP/Getty Images
Russian missile attack, which may lead
to awkward questions on Saturday, when Yakunin describe him as “a close personal
the African leaders are due to meet with and financial associate of Vladimir Putin”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Despite this, in 2020, the Brazzaville
Petersburg. As their timeline was public, Foundation – of whom Ichikowitz has
Russian authorities would have been well been an enthusiastic supporter and funder
aware of the presence of four African – announced a formal partnership with
presidents during the missile strike. Yakunin’s think tank, the Dialogue of
The revelation of Ichikowitz’s role, and Civilizations, saying they “share many of
his potential commercial interest, is likely the same objectives”. It has since said that
to further complicate the negotiations. this partnership “was never implemented”.
It is not known whether Paramount Ollivier’s ties to Russia are even closer,
Group is selling weapons to either side having served as an advisor to the state-
in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, although owned nuclear energy company, Rosatom.
at least one piece of military equipment This is the same energy company that was
produced by Paramount – a Marauder- embroiled in a massive corruption scandal
type armoured vehicle – has been spotted in South Africa under Ramaphosa’s
with Russian forces on the front line, predecessor, Jacob Zuma – a scandal that
according to news website DefenceWeb. in part paved the way for Ramaphosa to
Ichikowitz is known to be connected to take power.
at least one major oligarch who is close to Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser
Putin. Both Ichikowitz and the Brazzaville to Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Foundation’s Ollivier spoke at the 2019 Zelenskyy, declined to comment
edition of the Rhodes Forum, described specifically on the role of Ichikowitz and
by some as “Putin’s Davos”. The Rhodes Ollivier. He told The Continent: “When
Forum is organised by Vladimir Yakunin, anyone in the world comes up with
a former KGB officer who later served as initiatives that ‘we will talk to Ukraine and
the president of Russian Railways. He has Russia and settle everything’, we politely
been under United States sanctions since advise: if you want to actually help, and
2014 due to his support for Russia’s actions not pretend to mediate, so as not to take
in Ukraine. Australian sanctions on a position, focus on specific actions.” ■
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Data 13

Sierra Leoneans are seeking

economic solutions

W hoever wins next week’s

presidential election in Sierra
Leone faces a tall and urgent order: fixing
living standards of the poor (29%), and
managing the economy (32%).
The government gets passing marks on
the economy and feeding the people. other issues, including fighting corruption
In a country where almost half the (58%), improving health services (58%),
population is malnourished and two- and reducing crime (63%).
thirds live on less than $1.25 a day, the And President Julius Maada Bio,
most important problems people want who is seeking a second term against
their government to address are economic challenger Samura Kamara, still enjoys
management (48%) and food shortages slightly favourable ratings: 53% say they
(46%), according to Afrobarometer’s most trust him “somewhat” or “a lot,” and 51%
recent survey. approve of his performance in office.
On both counts, citizens see their As of June-July 2022, Bio held a seven-
government as failing: Very few think point lead over Kamara (36% vs 29%),
it is doing an acceptable job of keeping but 30% of respondents didn’t know or
prices stable (8%), narrowing income gaps wouldn’t say how they would vote – and a
(21%), creating jobs (28%), improving lot may have changed in the year since. ■

Setting the stage: Sierra Leone presidential election | 2022

Government performing fairly well/very well at:

Managing the economy 32%

Improving living standards of the poor 29%

Creating jobs 28%

Narrowing income gaps 21%

Keeping prices stable 8%

Presidential ratings:

Trust him somewhat/a lot 53%

Approve/Strongly approve of 51%

his performance

Source: Afrobarometer, a non-partisan African research network that conducts

nationally representative surveys on democracy, governance, and quality of life.
Face-to-face interviews with 1,200-2,400 people in each country yield results with a
margin of error of +/- two to three percentage points.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 14

PHOTO ESSAY

Behind Peter Magubane’s lens

A new exhibition honours one of South Africa’s
most celebrated photographers

Oupa Nkosi At least 176 people were killed, and more

than a thousand injured. It is remembered

W hen South Africa’s apartheid

government tried to make the
Afrikaans language compulsory in
as a seminal moment in the fight against
apartheid.
In 1995, the anniversary of the uprising
schools, students in Soweto revolted. On on 16 June was commemorated for the
a cold Wednesday morning in 1976, more first time as Youth Day by South Africa’s
than 10,000 learners took to the streets in new, democratic state. It remains a public
protest. They were met by heavily armed holiday to this day.
police, who fired tear gas and then live In 1976, Peter Magubane was there.
ammunition at the defenceless children. The photographer had already
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 15

spent years documenting the apartheid to let him do his work. “A struggle
government’s brutality, and had paid a without documentation is no struggle,”
heavy price. he told them. His images were ultimately
In 1969, he had been arrested, tortured, reproduced the world over.
and then kept in solitary confinement for This year, Magubane turned 91 and
586 days. His Soweto home was burned his life’s work was honoured by the
to the ground – police were hoping to department of sports, arts and culture.
destroy his negatives. In 1976, the year of This coincided with the award of an
the uprising, his nose was broken with a honorary doctorate from the University
truncheon in Alexandra township, when of Pretoria – his ninth – and an exhibition
he refused to expose his negatives to of his work that spans the six decades
light while covering yet another incident between 1955 and 2015.
of police violence. Later, in 1985, while It includes images from the adoption
covering the funeral of a slain student, he of the Freedom Charter in 1955, the
would be shot 17 times with buckshot and Women’s March in 1956, the Sharpeville
rubber bullets. Massacre in 1960, the inquest into
On the day of the Soweto uprising, Steve Biko’s death in 1977, the States of
Magubane had to convince some Emergency imposed in the 1980s and
protesters, reluctant to appear on camera, 1990s, and Nelson Mandela’s release from
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 16

prison in 1990.
That Magubane’s work can be publicly
displayed and celebrated is a reminder of
how far South Africa has come.
“It’s crazy for me to think that once
upon a time gathering in this room like
this, experiencing this type of work all
together, using the same facilities and
entrances, even eating the same food,
drinking the same drinks from the same
table was once a complete impossibility,”
said Lungile Magubane, his grandaughter.
“So let us revel in this reality that was once
a pipe dream for freedom fighters like my
grandfather.”
Siphiwe Sibeko, an international
news agency photographer, recalls how
Magubane’s photographs inspired him
to become a photographer. “I could see
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 17

his byline and that triggered an interest

in wanting to do what he was doing,” he
said. As he was learning, he would visit
Magubane’s home in the Johannesburg
suburb of Melville to ask for advice and
assistance.
At 91, Magubane now relies on his
family’s care, but continues to work on
new books – he has already published 23
– as well as reprints of old ones.
“We must never give up,” he told The
Continent. “Hope takes us forward and
makes us change things for the better.”
Magubane said that he hopes
his photographs “will inspire future
generations of South Africans, Africans
and the world to continue to fight for
justice and equality”. ■
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Food 18

In praise of matooke
Judith Otieno

I moved to Kampala from Addis Ababa

to be with my family when I was 11
years old. My father was a diplomat, and
he chose to settle in Uganda.
I remember the first time I tasted
matooke, in a Kampala downtown
restaurant. It was tantalising. I was
wowed. Today, a dish of matooke and
meat soup is still my favourite, and one
that I cook often for my friends and
family.
Matooke is a type of banana – known
formally as the East African Highland
banana – that grows in Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi and parts of Tanzania. Like
plantains, they are picked while the skin
is still green, and can be ground into a
meal or served whole.
In Uganda, the matooke fruit is peeled
carefully, using a knife, and then wrapped
in banana leaves. Then it is steamed in a
cooking pot, with the banana stalks used
to keep the fruit above the water. It is
usually flavoured simply with tomatoes, Photo: Bunkonge/Wikimedia
turmeric and salt, or added to stews as
a filling carb. It is typically served with The best way to experience Kampala
a sauce made of vegetables, ground is to request a dish of matooke. Then you
peanuts, or meat, and served on a fresh will understand what the the Ugandan
banana leaf. palate is all about. ■

Last week we sampled mabele from Southern Africa, this week it is matooke from East Africa. We
want to hear about your favourite food and what makes it so special. Let us know by sending an
email to [email protected]. $100 for the winning letter.
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Interview 19

The ungovernable
Esther Kazungu
We all know that our politicians are ridiculous,
but sometimes we need to be reminded
... by a social media star

Photo: Pau Shinski

Samira Sawlani across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and

YouTube. Kazungu is known for her

W hen Esther Kazungu quit her job in

2020 to become a full-time content
creator, there was no back-up plan.
eclectic and relatable content, but it is her
hilarious skits of parliamentary sessions
in South Africa, many of which have gone
This leap of faith, combined with an viral, that confirmed her superstar status.
enviable work ethic, has paid off. Growing up, Kazungu dreamed of
The multitalented comedian and being an entertainment news presenter
activist from Nairobi, Kenya has taken or radio host. But when she realised that
social media by storm, boasting a dream – getting a job as a video journalist
combined following of over 300,000 at a big media house after her degree
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 20

from Moi University – she realised that

she wanted more. “I would wake up in
the morning and think, I cannot do this
forever. This cannot be it,” she told The
Continent in an interview.
It didn’t help that she was earning less
than a male colleague. So, in 2020, when
she was asked to take a pay cut because of
the pandemic, she decided it was now or
never – and became a full-time content
creator.
Giving up the security of a job and a
salary seemed like a crazy decision, as
many people were quick to tell her. But
Kazungu knew what she was doing. She
had already enjoyed some success on
social media, but she noticed that the
really successful creators were the ones
who gave it their full attention.
To the naysayers, she would cite the
example of American YouTuber Liza Continental: Creator Esther Kazungu
Koshy – who created one of the fastest- has nothing less than global stardom in
growing YouTube channels of all time, her sights. Photo: Supplied
raking in millions of dollars in the process
– as an inspiration. very next day, she had a novel idea.
When pressed for a Kenyan example, TikTok was filled with videos of
she would respond: “I’m going to be the people imitating film scenes and music
first one!” videos. Why not do the same for the most
dramatic content of all – politics? And
Realpolitiktok where better to start than South Africa’s
After the initial rush of excitement, reality uptight yet ungovernable Parliament,
began to bite. Engagement dwindled, as already made infamous by comedian
did her income. She started to think she Trevor Noah’s frequent barbs?
had made a terrible mistake, but she kept The more she researched, the more
showing up. “I told myself this is the only material she found of South African
plan, so just keep creating and posting, it parliamentarians behaving badly. She had
may take years.” struck comedy gold.
She did not have to wait that long. One She recorded her first video and posted
day, she woke up feeling dejected and it with trepidation, and no expectations.
frustrated. “I spent the day in tears.” The It went viral. She hasn’t stopped going
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 21

Movie-ing on up:
Esther Kazungu in
the 2021 Kenyan
film Wembe Squad.
Photo: Grey Were

viral since then, attracting fans including risk – partisan audiences may be alienated,
actress Pearl Thusi and the South African while companies tend to shy away from
opposition lawmaker Mbuyiseni Ndlozi anything remotely controversial. At the
– who himself is occasionally lampooned same time, her authenticity is what makes
in her skits. With the online attention has her videos so relatable. “Ultimately what
come deals with big brands like Safaricom, I’m saying is, yes I will make fun of you
Gilbey’s Gin and CeraVe skincare. in these videos, and we can all laugh, but,
when necessary, I’ll also call you out.”
Shoot for the stars
To Kazungu’s surprise, she has found ‘What I’m saying is, yes, I
that even as she pokes fun at politicians will make fun of you in these
– and she has cast her net wider in recent
months, doing hilarious impersonations
videos, and we can all laugh
of lawmakers in other countries including – but, when necessary, I’ll
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – she is also call you out.’
sometimes enraged by them.
“I would speak to young Kenyans on And that, perhaps, is the secret to
social media and discover that we all her success, and explains her ability to
had the same questions. For years the transcend borders and nationalities,
government has been taking loans and the and appeal to viewers everywhere –
question is, where is this money going?” something that had been her aim from
She has channelled some of this the start. “I just want to be a global star,”
frustration into her videos, which for a she said. As far as we are concerned, she
content creator comes with considerable is already there. ■
 The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 22

THE QUIZ

0-3
“I think I need to
start reading more
newspapers.”
1_ Krio is a recognised from which country?
national language in which 6_True or false: Darfur is a
country? region in South Sudan.
2_Henri Konan Bédié was 7_ Which team just won
4-7 the president of which the CAF Champions
“I can’t wait to country from 1993 to League?
explore more of 1999? 8_ Who is the president of
3_What is Côte d’Ivoire’s Lesotho?
this continent.”
economic capital? 9_ What was the original
4_What is Côte d’Ivoire’s name of Ethiopian Airlines?
political capital? 10_ In which country are

8-10 5_French footballer N’Golo

Kanté was born to parents
the Kasubi Tombs (pictured
above) located?
“If you lose your
space on the runway
are you a receding
airline?”
HOW DID I DO? WhatsApp ‘ANSWERS’ to +27 73
805 6068 and we’ll send the answers to you!
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Review 23

– delivering juicy, tasty morsels of story.

There’s a touch of fever dream to
the stories collected in Innards. Many
are told in a stream of consciousness:
the characters relating, remembering,
rambling. Some narrators are unreliable,
humans hit hard by poverty, trauma,
war, oppression – from apartheid, and
otherwise. Other characters recur, or are
referenced in linked stories. One narrator
is a house, becoming a character in a
different story. Stories narrated in dialect
by children are particularly wonderful.
Magogodi oaMphela Makhene lays
bare the ugly, steaming viscera of lives in
this collection. There is little that is pretty
or light. This is the grim stuff that most
people would rather not see, the stuff we
try to get away from. It’s the plumbing, the
sewers, the gritty and grimy parts of life.
And yet, such grimness has the
unmistakable ring of reality. The big
Visceral tales woman with a get-rich-quick scheme in
the township turns out to be beholden
from the south to even bigger people. The fake freedom
fighter turns into a fake PhD. An irascible
Stories that spill from the old patriarch dies at the age of 106, causing
gut are a grim delicacy for ripples in many lives. People are displaced.
people on the periphery Children die.
While Innards is quite unsettling, it
Jacqueline Nyathi is because the prose draws you into its
maw, threatening to swallow you. This

I nnards are sometimes considered food

of the poor, but in southern Africa they
are a delicacy. This is what this collection
collection is grounded in place: the South
Africa at the edges of what many of us see.
OaMphela Makhene is a fantastic
is: the author exposing and giving voice writer, one gifted with the power of
to society’s insides, and also – when making words sing. Innards disturbs and
you’re not thinking too deeply about it delights in equal measure. ■
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 24

Lesotho
Village of the dammed:
Basotho folk left high and dry
The new Polihali dam means that even more water
will flow across the border to South Africa – but few
benefits flow to the people being forced from their land
in the construction process.
Majara Molupe in Polihali The new dam falls under the Lesotho
Highlands Development Authority – the

I n Polihali, 291km outside Lesotho’s

capital Maseru, a dam that will transfer
large volumes of water to South Africa
LHDA – which oversaw the construction
of the Katse and Mohale dams, which also
serve South Africa’s water needs. The
is being built. But swathes of Basotho Lesotho government earned 1.4-billion
say they are paying a heavy price for this maloti (about $75-million) in royalties
South African privilege. from South Africa for these water
When South Africa’s President Cyril transfers last year alone, and stands to
Ramaphosa and Lesotho’s king, Letsie earn more once Polihali is completed in
III, went to Polihali to launch the dam’s 2027.
construction in late May, locals brought But, as construction of the latest dam
protest placards to the occasion, but the kicks off, many grievances from local
army confiscated them, they say. communities remain unresolved.
The Polihali dam is being built by a The biggest fight promises to be over
consortium of two Chinese companies, compensation for land. The Continent
one South African company and one has learnt that LHDA workers gathered
company from Lesotho. The project, locals and solicited their views on fair
worth 7.8-billion maloti ($420-million), is compensation, only to ignore their
funded by the South African government. recommendations.
It will generate electricity for Lesotho and In the talks with LHDA, community
transfer water to Gauteng, South Africa’s members called for compensation that
most populous province, which already would span their lifetime, or be fixed at
imports much of its water from Lesotho. between 70 and 99 years, according to
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 25

Bridge too far:

Concept art for the
Lesotho Highlands
Water Project.

Lebohang Lengoasa, a representative organisation Sold – Survivors of Lesotho

of Polihali residents. Lengoasa said the Dams – the matter may go to court as his
demand was based on the fact that the organisation is teaming up with others
dam will deprive Basotho highlanders to sue LHDA.
of access to their lands for traditional Land compensation is not the only
economic activities, including farming aspect of the dam’s construction that has
and rearing animals, for the rest of their aggrieved local Basotho communities.
lives. Bataung Makhakhe, a parliamentarian
To their chagrin, LHDA offered representing the area, said that people’s
compensation covering barely half that. animals were already being impounded
“We have reached a ceiling of 50 years. if they crossed into the construction area,
This is what was applied in phase I of the and their owners were being heavily fined.
project,” LHDA’s Polihali operations Lengoasa also said gender and anti-
manager Gerard Mokone told The local discrimination was at play in the
Continent. Phase I was completed 20 recruitment and compensation for people
years ago. He said that while it is true working on the dam, with very few local
that the affected communities expressed women being hired and local workers
different opinions concerning the being paid less than foreign colleagues.
compensation policy, the project was not Policy, Environmental Justice and
obliged to take them on. Water Resources Advocacy’s Lenka
Lengoasa said that LHDA’s unilateral Thamae said his organisation is pushing
decision “has seriously irked us”, and LHDA to offer local communities 20%
according to Mothusi Seqhee, the of the money paid by South Africa for
national coordinator of the non-profit water. ■
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Analysis 26

The secretive colonial tribunal

crushing Africa’s reforms
To understand why it is so hard for African states to
make sound environmental policy, we must understand
the enormous influence of the International Centre for
Settlement of Investment Disputes
Charles Ebikeme regarding regulatory measures adopted
by a host state that they allege breach their

S omewhere in a nondescript hotel

conference room a company is
suing a sovereign nation. Arbitrators sit
“investment privileges” – or, more plainly,
their right to make money.
The fossil fuel industry – the most
at one end, claimants to the right and significant contributor to climate
respondents to the left. At the end of change – has relied heavily on the
the private hearing it will be these three dispute settlement system to protect its
arbitrators who rule on the outcomes of investments.
the case. More often than not, the country According to a 2021 report by the
ends up paying the company. The details International Institute for Sustainable
of the settlement are often kept secret, but Development, there has been an uptick
still enforceable by international law. in the number of arbitrations initiated
This is the Investor-State Dispute by fossil fuel companies to counteract
settlement system, a state-neutral specific climate measures that countries
international body whose primary goal are trying to introduce, such as the
is to provide a forum for the resolution of phasing out of fossil fuels.
foreign investment disputes. Simply put, Because of the secrecy around these
a private company can take a country to disputes, the exact extent of claims is
court to protect investments it has made unknown, and there may be many cases
in that country. that have yet to come to light in which the
Under c urrent international threat of arbitration has been used to stall
investment law, foreign investments in action on climate change.
fossil fuel projects are granted special What is known, however, is that the
protection and access to this settlement majority of known fossil fuel cases are
system. Through it, investors can decided in favour of fossil fuel investors.
bring claims to international tribunals The average amount awarded in fossil
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 27

fuel cases is over $600-million, which is a reason for this. Specifically: The threat
almost five times the amount awarded in of “reputational damage, pressure from
non-fossil fuel cases. the World Bank” along with “political and
diplomatic pressure to pay up”.
A colonial hangover However, this is not just a problem
The system is yet another vestige of in the Global South. Countries like Italy
colonialism, designed to protect the and Canada are now being impacted by
interest of companies in the Global North the system. In 2016, after Italy banned oil
that invested in newly independent post- drilling off its coast, British oil company
colonial countries. Rockhopper launched a legal claim
At the time the prevailing belief was against the country, citing and claiming
that private companies would encourage damages of $275-million based on
and accelerate economic development in expected future profits from an oilfield
poorer countries. As such, a system would off the Adriatic coast. In November 2022,
need to be in place to lessen the anxieties the settlement found in favour of the fossil
of foreign investors – and protect them fuel company, awarding it 185-million
from any sudden changes in policy or euros in damages.
regulation.
In the 1960s, groups of wealthy The settlement found in
bankers, as well as executives from favour of the fossil fuel
the biggest fossil fuel companies of the company, awarding it
time, such as Royal Dutch Shell, Total, €185-million in damages
Rio Tinto, and Standard Oil, pushed
for the protection of their assets abroad Such litigation, threatened or
under international law. This ultimately otherwise, is also thought to have a
contributed to the creation of the “regulatory chilling” effect on countries’
International Centre for Settlement of climate change ambitions. According to
Investment Disputes. an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Over the 52-year history of this dispute Change report, there is incompatibility
tribunal, there have been 149 cases against between protecting fossil fuel investments
African states or agencies out of the total and decarbonisation.
number of 672 cases filed before May In a recent study, researchers
2018. estimated that countries could face up
Despite these negotiations happening to $340-billion in financial and legal
behind closed doors, in the end, most risk from cancelling fossil fuel projects
countries comply and pay when a covered by dispute settlement clauses. In
judgment is made against them. Emilia light of such threats, Africa risks being
Onyema, a professor in international shut out of the green revolution. ■
commercial law, who often sits as an
arbitrator in these tribunals, says there is Charles Ebikeme is a science writer.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 28

O n reflection, it hasn’t been the best the normal border-control experience

week ever. Not for South Africa’s for any African daring to travel abroad,
Cyril Ramaphosa, we suspect, who after all. But no, there’s more: over in the
gathered up a bunch of our faves from United States, American lawmakers are
across the continent and zooted off to really quite cross about South Africa’s
Ukraine to go sort out the whole being- supposedly non-aligned BFF-ness with
invaded-by-Russia thing once and for all. Russia, and want to move their big fancy
No sooner had they arrived in Kyiv and upcoming African trade summit to a
than their friends in the Kremlin starting different country.
sending over a slew You know who
of cruise missiles to wasn’t along for the
welcome the African
delegation to the
Peace sells, but ride to Kyiv? None
other than M7
Ukrainian capital.
Vlad, darling, really who’s buying it? himself. Uganda’s
President Yoweri
now. A nice bottle of Museveni was
vodka would have meant to be there
been just fine. and though we’re not
As if that wasn’t sure whether he got
enough, the planeful cold feet exactly, but
of journalists he did hand in a sick
R amaphosa was note from his doctor
br i ng i ng a l ong excusing him from
for the ride – after the field trip because
all, what’s a peace he’d tested positive
parade without some CONTINENTAL DRIFT for Covid.
proper paparazzi Samira Sawlani Fear not, dear
– was detained for reader! M7 appears
a bajillion hours to be hanging in
during their layover in Poland. They’re there for now. Although first lady and
still there as I write, poor souls. Strength, minister for education Janet Museveni
comrades and, hey, at least you’re not took to social media to thank everyone
having missiles shot at you. for their prayers while warning that “the
The Polish authorities also seem to enemy” was “still trying to harm the
have confiscated a small private army servant of God”.
that Ramaphosa apparently tried to bring Amen, sister! We’re definitely against
along in his hand luggage, even though he that sort of enemy, the kind who refuses
swore he picked them up at the duty-free. to wear a mask and then goes around
Oh, is that all, you might say. That’s just sneezing on our presidents.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 29

The polls are at it again

Over in Kenya, the National Assembly
held a vote on the highly controversial
Finance Bill 2023, which last week a group
of protestors had taken to the streets over.
If passed, the bill would lead to a rise in a
range of taxes that many people, including
the “hustlers” who voted for “head
hustler” Billy Ruto, are Very Not Pleased
About. The bill will now move to the next Flex: Hustler-in-chief William Ruto is
stage of the legislative process testing out his presidential tax muscles.
In the latest episode of Keeping Up
With The Coupdashians, we head over to reality is more horror is unfolding. The
Mali, where a constitutional referendum UN says 2.1-million people have been
will be held this weekend, under the very displaced, while 67% of hospitals near
careful watch of the Ur-Coupdashian conflict zones are out of service.
himself, Colonel Assimi Goïta. This week the governor of West Darfur,
The vote is seen as a key step on the Khamis Abakar, gave an interview in
road to elections, something regional which he accused members of the RSF
blocs have been demanding for a while – paramilitary of killing civilians in Geneina
for our dear leaders there is nothing worse in the “ongoing genocide in the region”.
than knowing their neighbours have let Hours later, he too was dead.
the military into the driver’s seat, lest their People have lost homes, livelihoods
own army uncles start getting ideas. and loved ones as shaky ceasefires fail to
One aspect of the reforms that has hold and warring parties stick to their
people talking is that they will let anyone guns, quite literally, making peace elusive.
run for the presidency – which would also And as the world fails Sudan, and as we
apply to a certain interim coup president. watch each shocking news report blur into
Still, even if the fair-er is in question, the next, we are reminded of the words of
Mali’s eventual elections do sound like Sudanese-American poet, Safia Elhillo:
they might be free-er. More free than in, I don’t know if I’ll ever go home again. I
say, Zimbabwe, where anyone who fancies don’t know who I’ve seen for the last time ...
being president in August will have to I am somewhere above the room,
cough up a whopping $20,000 just to get watching my new aches, watching the news
their name on the ballot, while aspiring as if I am reading it in a novel ...
MPs will need $1,000 to pay to play. & in my dreams I am fleeing a war, in
This week marked two months since my dreams I am touching the faces of my
the war in Sudan began. Despite stories friends, we are each one of us touching, &
of heroism, community and kindness, the even in the dream we are afraid. ■
The Continent
issue 129. june 17 2023 Analysis 30

that key steps in the process have been

‘Free, fair’ talk mishandled.
Opposition parties, civil society
is cheap, let’s groups and international organisations
called into question the 2021 Mid-
see some walk term Population and Housing Census
– branding it unreliable – putting the
Sierra Leone faces a trust Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone
deficit ahead of elections (ECSL) in a difficult situation. Although
the commission released the Final Voter
Marcella Samba-Sesay Register to stakeholders, the APC believes
it should be in a more detailed format.

O n 24 June, Sierra Leone will hold its

fifth multiparty elections following
a period of civil conflict. The country
Against this background, the decision
to suddenly change the electoral
system, from the first-past-the-post
has made impressive strides since then, “Westminster” model to a system of
swimming against the global tide of rising party list proportional representation,
authoritarianism and experiencing two was highly controversial.
transfers of power (in 2007 and 2018). It is The change was approved by the
important not to overlook the challenges Supreme Court, but remains controversial
that remain, however. as it happened too late in the cycle to allow
The 2023 general elections will be for effective civic education, and some
held against a backdrop of compromised fear that not understanding the system
institutions, a challenging landscape makes it harder to detect electoral fraud.
for civil society and media, and To prevent rising political distrust, it is
political violence – issues that threaten critical that the ECSL, the main political
to undermine both democratic parties and the Sierra Leone police not
consolidation and state building. only talk a good democratic game over
The path to the polls has been rough. the coming weeks, but also start to “walk
Anti-government protests last year led to the talk”. ■
the deaths of over 20 protesters and six
police officers.
Marcella Samba-Sesay is the Executive
The political landscape has also Director of the Campaign for Good
become more polarised, with growing Governance and the
tensions between the ruling Sierra Leone chairperson of National
People’s Party and the opposition All Election Watch in Sierra
Leone. This analysis was
People’s Congress (APC). produced in collaboration
In turn, this has exacerbated concerns with Democracy in Africa.
The Continent | issue 129. june 17 2023 31

High society: Maasai gathered for the

inaugural Maasai cultural festival in

THE BIG Sekenani, Kenya last week. Next door in

Tanzania, the state has forcibly evicted

PICTURE
Maasai from their land to make way
for a trophy-hunting game reserve,
according to Human Rights Watch.

Photo: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

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