₦airaland Forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmltGKGo6E?si=KoLe23XOGOwWOT43

A well-placed South African government source has confirmed that Iran has been asked to withdraw from the BRICS Navy drills off the South African coast in an effort to prevent a further escalation in diplomatic tensions with the United States.

Iranian vessels that arrived in Simon’s Town in the Western Cape last week, are thus no longer expected to participate in the drills, which are being led by China.

The diplomatic discussions initiated by South Africa seeking Iran’s withdrawal comes in the context of Pretoria seeking not to escalate tensions with the United States given an already precarious diplomatic and trade relationship.

The timing provides some further context – the US House of Representatives is due to take up a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunities Act with South Africa fighting to keeps its preferential status within that extension.

The House Ways and Means Committee approved the bill in December with strong bipartisan support with a 37-3 vote in favour of extension – a measure that now goes before the full House before it heads to the Senate and the White House for signature where passage remains unclear.

Racoon:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/01/9-african-cities-with-highest-purchasing-power/

Botswana's description is a repeat of Tripoli. It's purchasing power is probably aided by diamonds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb8_ap3VleY?si=W9dBBrKnCrLlGc4h

Chinese, Russian and Iranian warships have arrived in South African waters for a week of naval drills as geopolitical tensions run high over the United States’s military intervention in Venezuela and its seizures of several oil tankers.

China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday that the exercises, set to kick off with an opening ceremony on Saturday, are “joint operations to safeguard vital shipping lanes and economic activities”.

Strikes on maritime targets and “counter-terrorism” rescues will be part of the drills, it said.

Chinese, Russian and Iranian ships were seen moving into and out of the harbour that serves South Africa’s top naval base in Simon’s Town, south of Cape Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean.

It was not immediately clear if other countries from the BRICS group – which also includes Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, among others – would take part in the drills.

A spokesperson for the South African armed forces said he wasn’t yet able to confirm all the countries participating in the drills, which are due to run until next Friday.

South Africa’s defence force said the event will allow the navies “to exchange best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, which contributes to the safety of shipping routes and overall regional maritime stability”.

The exercises come amid heightened tensions after the US military attacked the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on Saturday and abducted the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has also been seizing Venezuela-linked oil tankers in international waters, including a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic that Washington said had violated US sanctions.

The seizure drew rebuke from Moscow, with the Russian authorities describing the incident as a violation of international maritime law.

But Trump dismissed international law in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, saying only his “own morality” can curb his administration’s aggressive policies.

Washington has also threatened to take action against Tehran over the Iranian authorities’ recent crackdown on mass demonstrations in the country.

The joint BRICS naval drills are expected to further strain ties between the US and South Africa, which has been especially targeted for criticism by the Trump administration.

The exercises were initially scheduled for November of last year but were postponed due to a scheduling clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Asked about the timing of the event, South Africa’s Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said it was planned long before these tensions we are witnessing today”.
“Let us not press panic buttons because the USA has got a problem with countries,” Holomisa said. “Those are not our enemies.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eph-9U9QxlQ?si=KlyZTrra8f4Slww_

South Africa’s willingness to host Russian and Iranian warships has also been criticised inside the country, with the Democratic Alliance – the second largest political party in the coalition government – saying it was opposed.

“Calling these drills ‘BRICS cooperation’ is a political trick to soften what is really happening: Government is choosing closer military ties with rogue and sanctioned states such as Russia and Iran,” the party said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/chinese-russian-iranian-warships-arrive-south-africa-naval-129052438

Osiris12:
South Africa is out of Afcon. You no go create thread about am?

A thread where they live their best lives in SA 👍🏽🇿🇦 not go back to bandits and Tinubu 👎🏽🇳🇬

brain54:
Don't know about that...

But you shaka zulus do have better infrastructures in comparison 🙈

Nice one. There i said it. I know you are the happiest shaka zulian in the world right now!

😂😂😂

brain54:
Shaka Zulus dominate with 3 airports on the list...

Even our airports in the middle of the bush should've made the list 🇿🇦

IronGalaxy:
Yup..! They are fishing for the insults. I have not seen any other results, why this particular one? lol

Domique was ready to send to FP until South Africans taught her some FP manners.

Temi2468:
Why are AFCON match results not reported on the front page? NL mods?

Only SA losses will make FP.

seppuku:
Stop it Mfethu. Those are all Basotho people. They are still your people.

My wish for you this Xmas is to learn the meaning of foreign national 🙏🏽🎄

seppuku:
You are disturbing my destruction of this plate of Nkwobi right in front of me.

Can't you read. Seppuku has already admitted there are tribal bigots who exist in Nigeria.

Now can you admit from the mouth of Irongalaxy aka Kingcold that there are Xenophobic South Africans?

It's not hard Mfethu. Don't worry you haven't betrayed Mzanzi by just admitting this fact.

PS. how's that Zulu Inkabi accused of Killing Warras doing, I heard they postponed his case till January. Eish!

11 suspects arrested today for Sunday's tavern mass shooting - most are undocumented foreigners involved in illegal mining

seppuku:
Aren't you and Randdigital worried or you only dislike Nigerians and Zimbabweans?

Nigerians dislike each other along zones, tribes, religions, goodness knows what else...

Cape Town has the biggest Muslim population in SA and has had no issue for decades. So, don't try and cause religious rifts in SA.

tiger28:
They know what they are doing……..

By next Christmas they will include Rainbow Flags.

There's already a rainbow crossing. Plus SA was the first county in Africa to legalize same sex marriages in the early 2000s.

So joke's on you!

Huge turnout for 2025 Cape Town festive lights

The City of Cape Town has denied allegations that Christian symbols were removed from this year’s Adderley Street festive lights display, insisting that religious elements such as angels, Mary and baby Jesus are still present.

According to the Cape Argus, this follows growing public criticism from political parties and religious groups, who claim the exclusion of Christian imagery reflects a lack of transparency and cultural sensitivity.

In a formal response to media enquiries, the City said the annual festive lights along Adderley Street — a tradition spanning over five decades — continue to feature a blend of symbols celebrating Cape Town’s heritage, landscape, and diverse communities.

“The Festive Lights are themed each year to incorporate various icons representing Cape Town’s unique features, including Table Mountain, penguins, the Klopse, wings, bells, and more,” the statement said.

The City added that in recent years, the display has been centred around themes of “hope”, including the 2025 theme, United in Hope, with annual updates to refresh the visual presentation.

“No decision has been taken to remove any Christian or religious symbolism from the Festive Lights. In fact, angels, Mary and baby Jesus are included among the various elements this year. It must be acknowledged that Cape Town is a cosmopolitan city, home to people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds,” the City said.

Despite these assurances, the dispute has continued, with differing accounts over what is displayed this year. Faith-based organisations and political parties have called for clarity regarding the design process and decision-making involved.

Freedom Front Plus councillor Paul Jacobson publicly criticised the City, alleging that longstanding Christian imagery had been removed. In a social media post, he questioned who authorised the change, claiming his inquiries across several municipal departments had yielded no answers.

“Despite my efforts as a councillor to discover which City official authorised the removal of Christian symbolism from the Adderley Street Christmas lights, no one has taken responsibility,” he wrote.

Jacobson said Christian organisations and clergy were “deeply disturbed” by the absence of traditional elements and called the alleged move “anti-Christ” and “anti-Christian”. He further called for the dismissal of the official responsible and issued an apology to the Christian community. He later speculated — expressing his personal opinion — that the Mayor might be involved.

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) has also condemned the alleged exclusion. ACDP councillor Mongezi Mabungane said the party was “deeply outraged and profoundly disappointed,” arguing that the removal of Christian symbols disregards the cultural and religious identity of a significant portion of the population.

Mabungane called for the immediate reinstatement of the religious symbols, a public apology from the City, and for the official responsible to be identified and to provide a full explanation of the decision and the department behind it.

While the City maintains that religious elements remain part of the display, the incident has sparked a broader conversation about inclusion, identity, and the role of cultural symbols in public celebrations.

Sonnobax15:
:
You guys should be talking about who shot him and not by digging out his past posts that doesn't matter anyhow

Four people were taken in for questioning in relation to the murder of Warrick Stock, known as DJ Warras, on Thursday night.

Members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) conducted a raid at Zambesi House in the CBD, an eight-storey apartment that Warras had been contracted to secure through his company, Imperium Ops.

Warras was gunned down outside the building just after midday on Tuesday.

Last Friday, Warras applied for a protection order against six tenants of the building who had allegedly threatened him and his security personnel.

Speaking to EWN during the raid, MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku confirmed that four of the six people Warras had applied for protection orders against were taken for questioning by members of JMPD’s tactical response unit.

“We confiscated a phone from a lady, and when we looked at the messages, there is some laughter where she says, ‘Oh, he died’. So, the extraction team has taken them for questioning. We have taken all their phones; we are going to go through them and all these conversations. So, someone in this building knows what is happening.”

Tshwaku said that they received intel from tenants in the building about certain threats Warras received from members of a committee who refused to pay rent in an attempt to hijack the building.

“There has been talk in the building itself, [with] some of the tenants talking about dealing with the security that is here, dealing with him [Warras] as well, because he has taken the six for the protection order. They were saying, ‘You want us to be evicted, you want us to be arrested, but we are going to deal with you’.”

The late DJ Warras – full name Warrick Stock – was on a mission to “clean up” Johannesburg CBD (downtown) before his untimely death, and that included ridding the city of illegal immigrant occupation.

Tragically, the 40-year-old was shot dead outside one of the buildings, whilst actively doing just that.

Warris was gunned down at close range while undertaking a mass eviction.

DJ Warras, an outspoken media personality, used his social media platform and podcast to share his views on a variety of topics. One he was most passionate about was the restoration of the Johannesburg CBD.

“I LOVE THIS CITY! So sad to see how it’s being destroyed. By people who don’t give a f*** about preserving it”, he tweeted in July.

In October, Warras backed Herman Mashaba’s bid to clean up the city.

“Please come to Joburg. There is a whole CBD here that needs a clean up, a takeover, and a mass deportation”, he tweeted.

The 40-year-old – who owned his own security business – posted a picture of himself armed in a bulletproof vest alongside his crew.

Through his company, DJ Warras often worked on tackling buildings that had been overrun, or “hijacked” by illegal immigrants for exploitation.

He shared: “These buildings are worth saving. Solid Structures that were built to last. Unfortunately, most are in a shocking condition. These neglected buildings can accommodate thousands of people in low-cost units. But nobody cares. So the buildings get to this stage, and people are forced to live in poor conditions. Because hijackers and bad actors in the CBD, who profit from this poverty, don’t care as long as they get paid.

“We took this building back. And now we will fix and secure this building.

“And maybe it can motivate other building owners, the COJ [City of Johannesburg], and South Africans in general to take back their city”.

On who he would back to govern Joburg as mayor, Warras tweeted: “I’ll vote for whoever is in favour of cleaning up the CBD, taking back hijacked buildings, and dealing with illegal immigrants, crime, and collapsing infrastructure”.

In the lead up to his death - believed to be a hit – DJ Warras took out five protection orders against individuals living in Zambesi House, where he managed the security.

Authorities confirmed that the media personality claimed he had received death threats.

seppuku:
This is why I say bantu education is blasphemy.

The Nigerian middle class did exist beginning right after independence in the 60's and began to dwindle in the early to late 80's after the worldwide crash of oil prices and at the end of the Shagari regime.

Unfortunately, you can't see the parallels with the huge exits of viable multi nationals aka Anglo American which will decimate your middle class coupled with the disintegration of the ANC.

No more money to spread to your gangsters.

Por brecito. Hang on to hope neh?

Wishful thinking - Nigeria's downfall over the decades had been an over reliance on oil exports and a lack of diversification. Mining is no longer the bedrock of the SA economy so Anglo can go - we aren't called Africa's most advanced economy for nothing

Manufacturing, services, tourism, etc will keep us afloat as we continue to diversify even our export markets - looking to Asia, Middle East and the AfCTA.

So no SA downfall anytime soon, sorry 'ogre'. Did you hear we're building 2 new nuclear plants with a joint capacity of around 9,000MW? Great times ahead🇿🇦👍🏽🏆🏆🏆

seppuku:
Our corrupt leaders created a people who "create" their own destinies/wealth from "nothing".

Your corrupt leaders stole state resources and handed them to gangsters in the form of BEE and tenders to "create" a so called black middle class.

You are right, we are not the same "Mfethu"

Remind us again how the white population got their wealth - was it not through state empowerment during colonialism and apartheid?

As for Nigeria, there's still no middle class to point at - hence there's no customer base for ShopRite, let alone Walmart to even look your way.

Iceberg3:
You mean infrastructures orchestrated by the Afrikaans,ok
😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Keep crying 🇳🇬👎🏽. Every time you lose to black South Africans you credit white people - LOSER MENTALITY!

3 black men are driving South Africa's resurgent power sector - where are the Nigerian scientists ANC engineers you wanna convince us are the best thing since sliced bread? Your grid collapses every second day 🇳🇬💩💩💩😂😂😂

seppuku:
We are the same. The biggest black middle class of Africa were created by mafia gangsters that hijacked the state and now they are killing anyone who opens their mouth to expose the rot.

Welcome to Africa my brah!

Like you said, our mafia created the largest middle class in all of Africa in less than 30, expanded literacy rates to 90%+, rolled out extensive electricity and other infrastructure.

What did your mafia give you since 1960? 🇳🇬👎🏽
So, we're not the same 'ogre'.

IronGalaxy:
Bruv, this is rich from a Nigerian.. pipe down..

Imagine.

Bandits, ritualists, drug dealers, yahoo, fantastically corrupt national mindset, etc etc.🇳🇬👎🏽

tishbite41:
Black SAns are the dumbos of Africa
No popular novelists
No popular scientists
Just junkies everywhere

And yet you don't have light or roads 😂😂😂. Last I checked 250 million people were sharing 1MW of electricity after the grid collapsed for the umpteenth time this year. The you run to South Africa 🇳🇬👎🏽

KingCold:
Lol.. just look at how excited this numbbnuts is. . its bad news from SA innit?

When this same OP posts about SA infrastructure development on his next thread dont start asking why is he posting that here.. let's keep the same energy

Not my thread btw - thought I should post some facts before it turned into some "they thought he was Nigerian" Lucky Dube fairytale 😂😂😂

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba has condemned the murder of DJ Warras, describing it as a brutal attack on those who stand up against crime in Johannesburg’s inner city.

In a statement following the brutal murder, Mashaba said reports indicated that DJ Warras was “actively involved in tackling the rampant criminality across hijacked buildings in Johannesburg’s CBD at the time of his murder”.

Mashaba said those responsible had shown “no regard for human life”, adding that the killers had “declared war on law-abiding South Africans, particularly those who stand up against crime and work to reclaim our communities from these destructive elements”.

He warned that the killing would not deter efforts to reclaim the city, saying: “If the thugs behind his assassination believe they have stopped the fight to reclaim Johannesburg’s inner city, they are gravely mistaken.”

“All they have done is make it clear to patriotic, law-abiding citizens that we must step up and fight back,” Mashaba said.

Mashaba reiterated ActionSA’s stance on leadership in Johannesburg, saying: “Now, more than ever, Johannesburg needs a tough, no-nonsense leader to do the hard work of reclaiming our city from illegal foreigners, drug dealers and criminals who have no respect for the law and who operate with near impunity.”

He extended condolences to the slain DJ’s family and friends, saying ActionSA “extends its deepest condolences and strength” during what he described as a devastating time.

While President Cyril Ramaphosa projected confidence at this week’s ANC National General Council (NGC) and consolidated support, the meeting is the beginning of the end of his tenure in office.

This is because the ANC holds an elective conference in 2027, so he is winding down his term as party president (Cyril Ramaphosa).

To prevent two centres of power, in both party and state, or for other reasons, ANC presidents have not completed two terms. Nelson Mandela, famously, chose to quit after one.

So, talk turns to who comes after Ramaphosa: pollsters have taken the national pulse on the likely candidates named so far — two women have come into play, one name is too late for the first polls.

Soccer boss and business baron Patrice Motsepe has said he will not stand, but was included in the polls after suggestions that he could be persuaded.

The billionaire, who leads CAF (Confederation of African Football) and owns Mamelodi Sundowns, as well as a successful suite of businesses from mining to banking, is the outlier candidate, scoring five percentage points more than the deputy president, Paul Mashatile. Motsepe leads in a poll of general voters by the Social Research Foundation (SRF).

Among ANC voters, Fikile Mbalula (ANC Secretary-General) got 15 percentage points more than Paul Mashatile (ANC & SA Deputy President) in the SRF poll.

Mbalula (ANC SG) is also regarded a smidgeon more positively than Mashatile (SA DP) in an Ipsos poll from July/August, with Motsepe far more highly regarded than either Mashatile or Mbalula.

The Ipsos poll retained Cyril Ramaphosa to test positive, and he scored high among those who gave eight, nine or 10 points out of 10 to the named leaders.

The ANC primary race has opened up, with Mashatile in, Mbalula in, and the electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, reportedly putting his hand up too. Because the ANC Women’s League wants a woman president, two veterans, the ANC deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, and the Speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza, are now being publicly mooted.

IronGalaxy:
Cairo has nothing on Cape Town..this is a fact.. They are only now building "New Cairo" which is an upgrade on the old Cairo which doesn’t look good at all

Sandton is miles ahead. Like the title says, SA is the most powerful and has been for decades. One Worst African cow-ntry with loud mouth has been claiming giant but doesn't come close to SA and Egypt, even Namibia👇🏽

ogaemma:
Your pictures of cape town are interesting.
I was in the Middle East for 7 years and also spent so much time in Egypt and Dubai.
The City of Alexandria is the second Florida in the World 🌍.
Alexandria is far more beautiful than many European cities.
You will enjoy their food, culture and life style.
They are not Islamic extremist. Very free and receptive people. Many of them speak English.

Then about Cairo-
Cairo is often considered among beautiful cities in the world 🌍 due to its unique blend of ancient wonders like the Pyramids, the historic Nile River, and stunning Islamic architecture (mosques, minarets, bazaars) alongside the Belle Époque boulevards.
Cairo offers a rich tapestry of history and vibrant modern life, sometimes even earning historical accolades like "most beautiful city" in the early 20th century.
The Cairo International Airport was recently voted one of the most beautiful and best Airport in world.f

View some images of the City of Alexandria.

Ok, Alexandria looks nice (better than Cairo). Your last picture with multiple road lanes is a computer graphic though.

These are real Cape Town pictures (below) - voted best city in the word multiple times. Also, South Africa is a founding member of BRICS and G20 (only African country). That's because it's so much ahead of other African countries in multiple indices and it's clear to see how.

ogaemma:
When you go to Egypt and South Africa, you will agree that they deserve it, most especially Egypt.
It is wrong to address Egypt as a developing country.
Definitely Nigeria will not make the list, even if the numbers will increase to the most powerful 500 countries in the world 🌍.
Nigeria will still be missing.
A country where farmers pay tax to bandit's can never be on that list.

Can you allow me start a SA-Egypt contest? Which parts of Egypt are more developed than these parts of Cape Town and Johannesburg?

Let's post pics and see who wins!

1 + 2 Cape Town
3 + 4 Johannesburg

Africa rankings. Some countries not ranked.

The year of South Africa leading the G20

South Africa has been named the most powerful country in Africa for 2025, also ranking as the 28th most powerful country in the world. Egypt is the only other African country that made the global Top 50, ranking 32nd and number 2 in Africa.

The 2025 World Population Review based the rankings on economic strength, political influence, exports, alliances and military power.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-powerful-countries