₦airaland Forum

Nice one South Africa. This could be his goodbye to the world. Bow, Bow, God Bless South Africa

Southern Africa represent

Haiti just happened to be geographically apart with Africa, but it is the origional African state outside of Africa. Yes, I agree, they should claim their place in their motherland. Why is Morocco fighting to get the EU Status? it is not even a member of teh AU.

They will never do it. If they do it, F 16s, via the Antlantic, we coming in

They must let South African companies to do it, cos they are very good, who knows maybe they can change Nigerian roads for the better. What I see in Lagos, can  only expect to see it in a war tarnished country like Libya. Nigeria wake up

They must let the South African companies to do it. they are very good, who knows maybe they can change Nigerian roads for the better. What I see in Lagos, i only expect to see it in a war tarnished country. Nigeria wake up

What do we mean by " Giant of Africa"? Giant in what? unless that is cleared our arguments will just remain those that are just patrotically blinded by emotions that stems out of inferiority.

Say what? thats funny, cos over here in SA is, a must

The Yardstick here is socio-economic standards my Nigerian peeps. You know Nigerians are poor. South Africa is the Best. Many firth grade learners own smartphones, Ipads and alikes in that land. Those people live a European life. You go there it will stgrike you how Modern that state is. and it is continuing everyday, so, you cannot compete with SA, AND WIN

South Africa is the only country in Africa that can defy the West's bullying ways. It has strongly critisized the US over the Iraq war, they have continued to do so over the western orchastrated vandalism in Libya. I am convinced that South Africa will continue persuing an African Agenda as the cornerstone of its Foreign Policy. Remember OR Tambo? South Africa's forefather,

Chicks: Girls,

South African Slang

Holla: Hi
Heita: Hi
kicks: shoes
graze: eat
wet: fine,
kasi: Ghetto/Townships
Pakistani: Big ASS in a woman
Robots: Traffic lights
Pavement: sidewalk
Sorry: instead of excuse me
Pashasha: Fine
Sting: GTI Golf 5
Gata: Police
Hot pipe: A Gun that was used for criminal purposes

The African Union + South Africa did not say they would not recognize the NTC. Their position has always been that the NTC should give assurances that they are going to form an all inclusive Goverment across the board, and they should form a goverment that seeks to promote peace, reconciliation, democracy and rule of law. During the African Union Panel Meeting on Libya, held in South Africa, the chairperson read out the letter from the NTC, giving assurances to those conditions, as they stem out of the AU position.

Nigeria's recognition of the NTC that quick with little information of the prospect of that entity's direction showed how easilsy they can succumb to western pressure and manipulation. There are more than 400 Nigerians who are detained in Libya by the rebels,cos they are been suspected of being mercenaries. Hence Nigeria's absent during the UN voting on wether the NTC should occupy its seat during this year's UNGA 66. Nigeria has jumped the gun, no doubt.

The African Union + South Africa did not loose out, they got what they wanted a written assurance from the NTC.

Intelligence agencies dont keep peace, they monitor developments and advise on solutions to their seniors. In case of MOSSAD, who are they going to report to? Why cant Nigeria perfect its own intelligence gathering? based on that, they may find a solution. A solution is not only to kill, it could be to destabilise and colonise. If Nigeria wants to loose credibilty in handling its own affairs, they will go with that option.

Intelligence info is like a girlfriend, cos u cannot think for once to share wikth anyone, unless she is retarded. trade carefully Nigeria

How can possibly hire a Foreign Intelliegence Agency to protect you from yourselves? The only safe way here is intelligence sharing between Nigeria and Israel. Remember, the MOSSAD is already in Nigeria, they have already probably discovered that these sects are becoming organised and sophisticated that may have a possible spill over to their national security.

Israel is a State that is designed to fight for survival until the end of time due to the whole geopolitical dynamics in that region. For that reason, Intelligence gathering and special operations done by MOSSAD is for their own knowledge and benefit. Do not sell your soul. Period.

South Africa goes shopping
These days South African businesses are everywhere in Nigeria, and trade between the two countries has jumped from $11 million to $11 billion in 11 years.

By Leonard Lawal, Fortune


(Fortune Magazine) -- The Palms shopping center in Lagos is the largest mall in sub-Saharan Africa. It's managed by a South African company, Broll, and most of its stores - Game, Shoprite, NuMetro, Nandos - are South African brands. The largest mobile-phone company in Nigeria? It, too, is South African: MTN, which has captured nearly 50% of the market. Indeed, in Nigeria these days South African businesses are everywhere. Entech, a South African engineering firm, is leading a $3 billion redevelopment of Lagos's Bar Beach and Victoria Island waterfront. Another South African firm, Group Five, is building a power station in the Niger River delta. And the largest tourism project in the country, in Tinapa, is a joint venture between Standard Bank, Broll, and Southern Sun - all South African firms. (Standard Bank also just swallowed Nigeria's IBTC bank.)

A Khartoum boom, courtesy of China

South Africa's invasion of Nigeria, which began as a trickle after the end of apartheid in 1994, has turned into a flood over the past five years. Trade between the two nations has jumped from $11 million in 1994 to more than $11 billion in 2005, the last year for which reliable statistics are available. And the number of South African firms doing business in Nigeria has increased from just four in 1999 to hundreds today.
"They have chosen the sectors they intervened in very carefully," says Frank Aigbogun, publisher of Businessday, a leading financial daily in Lagos, which has Johnnic Communications, a South African media giant, as a partner. "They filled a void in the investment space in Nigeria. Remember that the Europeans and Americans, wearied by endless years of military rule, did not quite know how to respond to the evolving democratic environment." Most Western companies that invested in Nigeria focused on the lucrative oil sector, leaving huge swaths of the economy open to South African entrepreneurs. The pioneer, says Olusola Obadimu, executive secretary of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce, was South African cable company DSTV/Multichoice, which captured 95% of the satellite-TV subscription market in the 1990s. "No Western company will take the kind of risks they took," Obadimu says. "But their teams came down, felt the pulse of the populace, and they succeeded." MTN followed in Multichoice's wake a few years later - "They rode on that kahuna," as Obadimu puts it - when the government auctioned off mobile-phone bandwidth. "Western telcos were not interested for obvious reasons of lack of infrastructure," he says. "But South African firms knew of the success of DSTV/Multichoice, and they invested. It reflects the long-term vision of the government in Pretoria, which saw Africa as one trading bloc. It's a small country but highly industrialized, and they need new markets."

A Texas company in Sudan

South African leader Thabo Mbeki, whom former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo had befriended during the struggle against apartheid, won concessions from the Nigerian government to facilitate trade. Among them were agreements to protect South African firms against future nationalizations and to eradicate double taxation, meaning South African firms that pay taxes in Nigeria are exempt from paying taxes on profits repatriated to South Africa. Not all South Africans have been welcomed with open arms, and it's not uncommon to hear them described by Nigerians as "neocolonialists." There are complaints about price gouging and other unfair practices. MTN is a particular target. It took a boycott some years back to get it to charge customers by the second instead of rounding up to the next minute. And the Nigerian Senate recently rebuked MTN and other carriers for their high dropped-call rates. "These people are exploiting us," says Tokunbo, a Nigerian MTN engineer who asked to be identified by his first name, referring to South African businesses. "Western companies won't engage in some things these South African firms do in cahoots with our fellow Nigerian officials." MTN did not respond to requests for comment. None of that has lessened South Africa's investment offensive. South Africa's Eskom collects debts and runs the prepaid-card operations for the local energy monopoly, Power Holding Corp. of Nigeria, a notoriously inefficient company scheduled for outright sale. Ariva, another South African company, operates the national lottery, and Telkom is bidding for Multilink, a wireless-network provider. Even the ballots in this year's contentious elections were printed in South Africa. As Warren Trokis, a manager at Shoprite, a South African grocery chain in Lagos, explains the attraction, "Business is good here, and Nigeria is safer than South Africa. In South Africa armed robbers will take your money and kill you, but here in Nigeria, they will take your money and apologize."

Welcome home Ms Obama. Welcome to South Africa.

SA will attend its first meeting as a member of the Bric bloc in China next month buoyed by the results of an international poll that show the country is regarded as having a positive influence in global politics. Positive international perceptions of SA "rose significantly" from 35% to 42%, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) poll released on Monday showed. The successful hosting of last year’s Soccer World Cup and the political role played by SA on the African continent are factors that boosted SA’s image abroad as an influential, emerging economy. While the government has been criticised at home for not being outspoken enough on the crisis in Libya or decisive in finding a solution to the political impasse in Côte d’Ivoire, foreigners are upbeat about SA’s influence on the international stage. The poll was conducted by US- based firm GlobeScan on behalf of the BBC. It solicited the views of 28 619 people in 27 countries between December last year and 4 February. Brazil received the most positive response, with favourable perceptions of its influence increasing from 40% to 49% over the previous year’s poll. SA was the second-best performer in terms of an increase in its ranking. The poll found that, of the 27 countries polled on SA, 17 had positive views, two were negative and eight were divided. There was a seven-point increase in positive ratings of SA, with 42% of all respondents reporting favourable perceptions of the country’s influence in the world. Doug Miller, chairman of GlobeScan, said the poll showed the "growing credibility of middle powers", especially of Brazil and SA, in driving change in multilateral institutions. "This is the story of the year," Mr Miller said. Local analysts agreed SA was well placed to exert influence in international forums. Catherine Grant, head of economic policy at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said the poll "reaffirms SA’s position as an important emerging-market player that can no longer be ignored". Ms Grant said the results would also boost President Jacob Zuma’s confidence when he meets his counterparts of the Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) bloc next month. Martyn Davies, CE of emerging market consultancy Frontier Advisory, on Monday described the poll as "good news" for SA. "We may not be a great power, but we are an increasingly confident emerging power," Mr Davies said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said last week that it was "scandalous" that countries like SA were left out as key decision-makers in multilateral institutions. SA is a campaigner to reform the United Nations (UN) Security Council, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is meeting her counterparts from Brazil and India in Delhi on Tuesday for talks on UN reform. They are discussing the intensification of the efforts to expand the permanent and nonpermanent membership of the UN Security Council. SA and Nigeria have ambitions of occupying permanent seats on an expanded Security Council.

SA wins accolade for national budget (News24.com 20110221) - South Africa has taken the first place in an international Open Budget Survey 2010 released recently, beating the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and all Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. Second position went to New Zealand, followed by the UK in third place and France in the fourth position. China ranked the second lowest while Saudi Arabia ranked the lowest. The international Open Budget Survey 2010 is the world's only independent and comparative measure of budget transparency. It uses criteria mainly developed by the International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions. The survey covers 94 countries and is undertaken every two years.

In South Africa is a Tradition. If u plan a nite out in a restaurant, u make sure that u also budget for a tip. Remember, that tip makes a diffrence to a waiter because it is part of the salary. With salry alone from the reastaurant, the waiter may fail to have basic needs like shelter and food. so we tip, no question about it. They can even remind u, but it is not compusory.

I am just wondering what SA navy would do if the ECOWAS decides to hard on Gbabo militarly. Remember, SA has tgaken a nuetral stance in the whole saga. But ppl know that SA doesnt want Gbabo out, there is intense intelligence that Outtara is a front for the US, France, and Britain. SA, as the most influential country will never allow that to happen. Remember also, that SA is the only African country that can go against all the big powers in any fora unapologetictly so.

Abuja - South Africa's decision to deploy a navy vessel to Ivory Coast is complicating efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the country's post-election crisis, the West African regional bloc Ecowas said on Tuesday.

The comments add to rifts between African nations over how to resolve the election crisis where two rivals claimed the presidency after November 28 polls, with incumbent Laurent Gbagbo defying world pressure to hand over to Alassane Ouattara.

Ecowas has sent delegations to negotiate a release of power by Gbagbo and has threatened to remove him by force; but some African leaders are opposed to the group's warning.

South Africa has not directly endorsed Ouattara as president and could be a potential weak point in regional efforts to force Gbagbo to stand down.

"As we talk now there is a South African warship docked in Cote d'Ivoire. Now actions such as that can only complicate the matter further," the president of the Ecowas commission, James Victor Gbeho, said in Nigeria's capital Abuja.

Routine training cruise


The defence ministry said a naval ship had been deployed to West Africa as part of a training exercise, although it is ready for any "instruction and assistance" required by its foreign ministry.

"The department of defence confirms that the SA Naval ship, the SAS Drakensberg has been on a periodical routine training cruise along the West Coast of Africa since early January 2011 to train junior naval officers," a statement said.

The African Union met at the end of last month, agreeing to form a panel of heads of state to solve the leadership crisis and come up with a legally binding settlement within a month.

Gbeho said he was disappointed with the outcome of the African Union summit where some members looked to "unravel" some of what the West African group had achieved.

"The concern that some of us have is that apparently because of certain geopolitical interests, some countries are keen on awarding a failure mark to Ecowas at this stage so that they themselves would shine," Gbeho said.

Solidarity

Gbeho added that international solidarity against Lauren Gbagbo had waned.

"We find that others are encouraging Gbagbo not to yield , ," he told told journalists.

"The solidarity that started among us in the international community is fast being eroded."


- Reuters
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Ecowas-miffed-at-SA-warship-in-Ivory-Coast-20110208

He was Dischrged from the Military Hospital this afternoon. God is good all the time

The British and the Dutch cannot dare touch RSA. We tell them what we think without any fear or favour. The US onced labelled us a problem child, because we refuse 2 be bullied.

The British and the Dutch can dare touch RSA. We tell them what we think without any fear or favour. The US onced labelled us a problem child, because we refuse 2 be bullied.

Just a point of concern. Lets kindly re-frain from saying things like "Non-Nigerians", because that implies that everyone is striving by all means to be Nigerians. In South Africa my land, white ppl use 2 reffer 2 us as "Non-Whites" thats like saying we really wanna be them or like them. Thats wrong, lets find a proper political correct word 2 use. peace out

Hi there. Am black -South African with Jewish ancestry. In South Africa, the African culture and tradition by black ppl is almost non-existence, but its there.

In my family we dont eat pork, we get circumcised at a younger age, we dont eat dead meat, and most of all, we were not encouraged to marry other tribes, but of course that is no longer the case . My Home language is "Venda" the people are called "Vha-Venda. My father is a South African Jew. and My Mom, is Venda (Lemba)or Black Jew. If you need more info, i will provide.

Good for us. God bless South Africa