Child advocacy groups responded to court decisions Thursday about missing girl Joshlin Smith. Three people received life prison terms for the young child's disappearance. Kelly Smith served as the girl's mother when she committed the crime. Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn helped Smith with the terrible act. All three adults will spend their remaining years behind bars.
Megan Briede works for Save the Children South Africa as an advocate. She told reporters the punishment matches the severity of what happened. The organization wanted judges to give the harshest possible sentences. Life imprisonment sends a strong message about protecting children from harm. Briede feels satisfied that justice was served through these court...
Judges will decide later about President Cyril Ramaphosa's court case with the Zulu royal family. The president wants to change a court decision that said he made a mistake when he picked King Misuzulu as the new Zulu ruler. The Supreme Court of Appeal heard arguments for two days about this important matter. Ramaphosa's legal team believes he followed all the right steps when he chose the king. Justice Dumisani Zondi told everyone he would announce his decision at a future date.
The dispute centers around who should lead the Zulu people. King Misuzulu's lawyers told the five judges that tradition supports his claim to be the rightful monarch. They asked the court to throw out the earlier ruling from the North Gauteng High Court...
Hazel Ntuli finished college at just 17 years old. The teenager earned her actuarial science degree from University of Pretoria. She became one of the youngest people ever to graduate from the school. Her story started back in third grade when she accidentally took a fourth grade math test. She scored better than all the actual fourth graders on that exam.
Her teacher saw how smart Hazel was, and gave her harder math problems to solve. The family decided to keep her abilities secret from most people. They worried others might treat her differently or question her success. Hazel said hiding her true self was the hardest part of growing up gifted. She felt pressure to act normal around friends, and classmates.
College life brought new...
South Africa's central bank cut interest rates for the first time in months. The bank lowered rates from 7.5 percent to 7.25 percent during their latest meeting. Five committee members wanted a small cut, but one member pushed for a bigger reduction. The decision brings relief to people paying loans, mortgages, , credit cards across the country. Banks will pass these savings on to customers over the coming weeks.
Economic conditions around the world have become shaky recently. America announced new trade taxes, but later changed some of those rules. Gold prices have gone up as investors seek safer places to put their money. Central bank officials worry that trade wars will hurt global business growth. They lowered their predictions for...
Orlando Pirates coach Mandla Ncikazi praised captain Innocent Maela after his final game with the team. The 32-year-old defender played against Magesi FC at Orlando Stadium last night. Maela will leave the club to start a new chapter in his career. The coach said goodbye to the player who helped the team for many years. Fans waved as Maela left the field during the 67th minute.
Ncikazi first met Maela when he played for Thanda Royal Zulu. The coach had wanted to recruit the fast winger when they both worked in KwaZulu-Natal. Maela grew up through the Pirates' system and became a respected leader. The coach called him smart, educated, , kind to others around him. Ncikazi believes Maela will succeed in whatever he does next.
Pirates had...
Nigerian star Annie Idibia will attend Zimbabwe's business awards ceremony as the special guest. The actress runs her entertainment company, and she plans to honor women entrepreneurs at Saturday's event. Primrose January leads the organization that hosts these awards each year. January spoke to reporters at a press conference held around Harare about the upcoming celebration. The group has finished all planning for the second annual ceremony.
The awards recognize female business owners who work hard but receive little public attention. January confirmed that everything stands ready for the weekend gathering. The ceremony highlights women who have built successful companies across different industries. These entrepreneurs often...
Africa can boost trade between its countries during global trade disputes. The African Development Bank wants nations to use the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement fully. Trade wars around the world create chances for African countries to work together better. The bank released a report about Africa's economic future at meetings in Abidjan. These global conflicts show African nations should rely less on outside partners.
African governments should sell their products to different markets across the continent. The bank suggests countries trade more with Asia, Canada, Latin America, , the Middle East. Leaders need to remove barriers that stop goods from moving between African nations. Countries must coordinate their policies...
African Sun Limited wants to sell two more hotels to make money for shareholders. The company already sold Great Zimbabwe Hotel for 4.2 million dollars earlier this year. Company leaders put Caribbea Bay Resort in Kariba up for sale recently. They also want to sell the famous Monomotapa Hotel in Harare. These sales help the business raise cash for future projects.
The hotel group trades on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange. Managers told investors about the hotel sales in a recent company update. African Sun must ask shareholders to vote if the deals go through. The sales count as major transactions under stock exchange rules. Company executives plan to hold a special meeting for the shareholder vote.
African Sun still runs several...
The World Bank praised Zimbabwe for making tough economic changes that should help the country grow. Eneida Fernandes from the World Bank spoke at recent African Development Bank meetings about debt talks. She said her organization wants to give money to Zimbabwe to boost business, and cut poverty levels. The bank needs Zimbabwe to keep working on three main reform areas before full support can happen. These areas cover economic growth, government improvements, and land issues.
Zimbabwe has been reaching out to countries, and groups around the world to rebuild relationships. President Mnangagwa leads this effort to reconnect with international partners. The World Bank works with other groups like the International Monetary Fund to help...
