Africa Business

Sprinter Mark Otieno and two marathoners were on Monday banned from competing for up to three years, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said, adding to the long list of Kenyans sanctioned for breaching anti-doping rules. 

Otieno tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid methasterone and was suspended from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 moments before he was due to compete in the 100m heats.

The 29-year-old will serve a two-year ban starting July 2021, the AIU said.

Marathoners Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai and Johnstone Kibet Maiyo were both banned for three years. 

Kimutai, who won the Porto marathon last month, tested positive for the male hormone testosterone, while Maiyo was positive for erythropoietin (EPO).

Three-time national 100m champion Otieno blamed a contaminated nutritional supplement for his positive test, promising to “return in 2023 to do what I do best”.

Kenya vowed early this month to clean up its act after escaping a World Athletics ban for doping that threatened to make the east African track and field powerhouse a sporting pariah.

The athletics giant has been in the top category on the World-Anti Doping Agency watch list since February 2016, alongside only Bahrain, Belarus, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria and Ukraine.

There are currently 55 Kenyans listed on the AIU’s global list of ineligible athletes, last updated on November 21. 

Countries reached a historic deal on Monday to reverse decades of environmental destruction threatening the world’s species and ecosystems, in what the UN chief hailed as “a peace pact with nature.”

After the marathon COP 15 biodiversity summit in Montreal ran into the small hours, chair Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, declared the deal adopted and banged his gavel, sparking loud applause.

“We are finally starting to forge a peace pact with nature,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, hailing the accord.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the deal was a “foundation for global action on biodiversity, complementing the Paris Agreement for Climate.”

After four years of fraught negotiations, more than 190 other states rallied behind the Chinese-brokered accord aimed at saving Earth’s lands, oceans and species from pollution, degradation and the climate crisis.

“We have in our hands a package which I think can guide us all to work together to hold and reverse biodiversity loss, to put biodiversity on the path of recovery for the benefit of all people in the world,” Huang told the assembly.

He overruled an objection from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had refused to back the text, demanding greater funding for developing countries.

– Biggest conservation deal ever –

The deal pledges to secure 30 percent of the planet as a protected zone by 2030, stump up $30 billion in yearly conservation aid for the developing world and halt human-caused extinctions of threatened species.

Environmentalists have compared it to the landmark plan to limit global warming to 1.5C under the Paris agreement, though some warned that it did not go far enough.

Brian O’Donnell of the Campaign for Nature called it “the largest land and ocean conservation commitment in history.”

“The international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves,” he said.

“Moose, sea turtles, parrots, rhinos, rare ferns and ancient trees, butterflies, rays, and dolphins are among the million species that will see a significantly improved outlook for their survival and abundance if this agreement is implemented effectively.”

The CEO of campaign group Avaaz, Bert Wander, cautioned: “It’s a significant step forward in the fight to protect life on Earth, but on its own it won’t be enough. Governments should listen to what science is saying and rapidly scale up ambition to protect half the Earth by 2030.”

– Indigenous rights –

The text pledges to safeguard the rights of Indigenous people as stewards of their lands, a key demand of campaigners.

But observers noted it pulled punches in other areas — for example, only encouraging businesses to report their biodiversity impacts rather than mandating them to do so.

The 23 targets in the accord also include saving hundreds of billions of dollars by cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides and tackling invasive species.

– Funding fight –

At times, the talks looked at risk of collapsing as countries squabbled over money.

How much the rich countries will send to the developing world, home to most of the planet’s biodiversity, was the biggest sticking point.

Developing countries had been seeking the creation of a new, bigger fund for aid from the Global North. But the draft text instead suggested a compromise: creating a fund under the existing Global Environment Facility (GEF).

That concern was echoed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the Congo Basin, a rich haven of biodiversity.

Current financial flows for nature to the developing world are estimated at around $10 billion per year.

A DRC delegate spoke up in the plenary to demand annual funding rise to $100 billion — but Huang passed the accord, angering DRC’s allies.

The United States is not a signatory to the biodiversity convention due to resistance from Republican senators.

US President Joe Biden supports the deal and launched his own “30 by 30” plan domestically, while the United States pays into the GEF to assist developing countries.

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas Monday at protesters in Khartoum who rallied against a tentative deal aimed at ending the crisis provoked by last year’s military coup, AFP correspondents said.

Thousands of pro-democracy activists took to the streets in Sudan’s capital to reject the agreement signed by military and civilian leaders on December 5, which critics have dismissed as vague.

“We will not accept anything other than a civilian government,” said protestor Samira Hassan.

The protesters chanted, “You will not rule us with this deal,” according to an AFP correspondent.

Others called on the military to go “back to the barracks”.

Security forces later fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, the AFP correspondents said.

Monday’s demonstration coincided with the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of months-long mass protests that ousted long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

Bashir’s three-decade rule was followed by a short-lived transition to civilian rule, upended in October 2021 when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a coup, deepening Sudan’s political and economic turmoil.

Sudan has been rocked by near-weekly protests since Burhan’s coup. 

The deal between military leaders and multiple civilian factions was the first component of a planned two-phase political process, but critics say it falls short on specifics and timelines.

While opponents at home eyed it with scepticism, the deal drew some international acclaim.

“I hope that the political process will realise the demands & aspirations of the Sudanese men and women who took to the streets four years ago,” UN special representative Volker Perthes tweeted on Monday.

Sudan’s Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, a former rebel leader who did not sign the agreement, called it “exclusionary”.

“Today we observe the fourth anniversary of the glorious December revolution which did not achieve its goals,” he said Monday on Twitter.

“The country is in dire need of a national consensus that does not exclude anyone.”

Sudanese authorities declared Monday a public holiday and security forces had sealed off bridges leading to the capital.

Roads leading to the army headquarters in Khartoum — the site of a mass anti-Bashir encampment in 2019 — were also closed, an AFP correspondent said.

The protesters waved Sudanese flags and carried posters with the images of people killed during anti-coup demonstrations since October 2021.

At least 122 people have been killed and thousands wounded in the crackdown, according to pro-democracy medics.

Tunisia’s massive election boycott has further challenged the legitimacy of President Kais Saied, but a divided and discredited opposition poses little threat to his grip on power, experts say.

Just nine percent of voters showed up for the elections on Saturday for a parliament stripped of most powers under Saied, who last year launched what critics have labelled a bloodless coup. 

– Why was turnout so low? –

The legislative vote came on the 12th anniversary of the event that sparked the country’s pro-democracy uprising, the self-immolation of fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi.

The election capped a year and a half of political turmoil since Saied sacked the government, surrounded parliament with tanks and seized full executive powers in July 2021.

Few Tunisians showed any interest in the election, with no serious public debate among the 1,055 candidates. Most were unknowns and fewer than 12 percent were women.

Under a constitution Saied rammed through in an also widely ignored referendum in July, political parties were sidelined and candidates ran as individuals.

Most of the North African country’s parties, including the Islamist-leaning Ennahdha that has dominated post-revolt politics, had urged a boycott.

The new assembly, as well as having little popular backing, will be largely toothless under a constitution that makes it near-impossible for it to sack the government or hold the president to account.

– How does it affect Saied? –

Despite his grip on power, the low turnout “is a huge disappointment for Saied because he was counting on popular support” to legitimise his actions, said analyst Abdellatif Hannachi.

A former constitutional law lecturer, Saied was elected with 70 percent of the vote in 2019.

He had made a string of public appearances in the previous days to drum up voter interest, but turnout still came in at a record low for Tunisian votes since the revolution.

“His popular legitimacy is collapsing,” said expert Hamadi Redissi.

“It has turned out to be an illusion built on speculation and chatter by his loyalists.” 

– What can the opposition do? –

Both Ennahdha and its sworn enemy, the staunchly secularist Free Destourian Party (PDL), have demanded Saied step down and announce a presidential election.

But Redissi pointed out that “there is no mechanism to force him out”.

Youssef Cherif of the Columbia Global Centers said he doubted Saied would step down “or even admit that these elections were a failure”.

When the constitution passed in the referendum with just over 30 percent turnout, “he also refused to admit defeat”, Cherif said.

Moreover, “as he has done everything to restore the presidential system that existed before 2011, the legislative elections are marginal in his eyes,” Cherif said.

Tunisia’s opposition is deeply split, into three main blocks: the Ennahdha-dominated National Salvation Front, leftist parties and the PDL.

Much of the division stems from attitudes towards Ennahdha, which had held sway over Tunisia’s government and legislative process for a decade until Saied’s power grab.

Many Tunisians blame Ennahdha above all for the cash-strapped country’s current economic and political woes.

The lack of opposition unity has meant that anti-Saied demonstrations rarely gather more than 7,000 people.

Hannachi said Saturday’s low participation showed that political parties could not mobilise the public. The powerful UGTT trade union federation is one of the few actors capable of mobilising mass protests.

“Only an economic collapse — which is obviously not desirable — could unblock the situation,” Redissi said.

Tunisia is already in a deep economic downturn, with mounting public debts, inflation at 10 percent and spiralling poverty exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

– What do foreign powers think? –

Yet as Tunisia waits for the International Monetary Fund to sign off on a nearly $2-billion bailout package, Hannachi noted that Saied had promised the country’s foreign allies a roadmap. 

“Now it has been put into action,” he said.

The United States, which has been critical of Saied’s power grab, said Sunday that the elections were “an essential initial step toward restoring the country’s democratic trajectory”.

Washington’s backing will be critical for securing IMF funds which would then unblock other potential funding from European and Gulf countries.

Redissi said Western powers were trying to find a “balance between their values and their interests” when it came to Tunisia.

The country’s small size and population means it “doesn’t represent much” in a world of rapidly shifting geopolitical forces.

“For (Western powers), the most important thing is the country’s stability,” he said.

Judges in London on Monday ruled that the UK government’s controversial plan to deport migrants to Rwanda was lawful, after a legal challenge by migrants and campaigners.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson brought in the proposal to try to tackle record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel from northern France by small boats.

But it triggered a wave of protests from rights groups and charities, and last-gasp legal challenges successfully blocked the first deportation flights in June.

Several individuals who arrived in small boats and organisations supporting migrants brought a case at the High Court in London for a judicial review of the policy, claiming it is unlawful.

Lawyers for the parties argued that the policy was unlawful on multiple grounds, including the assessment of Rwanda as a safe third country.

The judges acknowledged that the issue had stirred public debate but said its only remit was “to ensure that the law is properly understood and observed, and that the rights guaranteed by parliament are respected”. 

“The court has concluded that it is lawful for the government to make arrangements for relocating asylum-seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be determined in Rwanda rather than in the United Kingdom,” they said in a summary.

“The relocation of asylum-seekers to Rwanda is consistent with the (UN) Refugee Convention and with the statutory and other legal obligations on the government including the obligations imposed by the Human Rights Act 1998.”

The judges, however, said interior minister Suella Braverman had not properly considered the circumstances of the eight claimants in the case and referred their cases back to her.

– ‘Morally reprehensible’ – 

Tackling asylum claims has become a political headache for the ruling Conservative government in London, despite its promise to “take back control” of the country’s borders after Britain’s departure from the European Union.

More than 43,000 migrants have crossed the Channel this year.

Johnson’s short-lived successor Liz Truss and the incumbent Rishi Sunak have backed the Rwanda deal, which aims to send anyone deemed to have entered the UK illegally since January 1 to the African nation.

Sunak and Braverman have both said urgent action is needed to prevent further tragedies in the Channel. Four people died last week when their boat capsized in freezing waters.

Both welcomed the ruling. “We have always maintained that this policy is lawful and today the court has upheld this,” Braverman said, insisting it will help those relocated to “build new lives”.

Sunak told reporters on a visit to Riga the Rwanda plan combined with measures announced last week — including a deal with Albania to combat growing numbers from that country — would enable the government to “get to grips with illegal migration”.

The main opposition Labour party, however, said the government’s plan would “do nothing” to stop the dangerous sea crossings.

Its home affairs spokeswoman, Yvette Cooper, branded the plan “unworkable” and “unethical” and a “damaging distraction from the urgent action the government should be taking to go after the criminal (people trafficking) gangs and sort out the asylum system”.

The Rwandan government called the ruling a “positive step” towards solving the global migration crisis.

Monday’s ruling involved asylum-seekers from Syria, Iran and Iraq, migrant support groups Care4Calais and Detention Action, plus the PCS union whose members would have to implement the removals.

James Wilson from Detention Action said the body was “very disappointed by the outcome today” but would “regroup and consider next steps”.

Paul O’Connor of the PCS said the policy remained “morally reprehensible” despite the ruling and an appeal may be “seriously” considered to block deportations.

Amnesty International called for the plan to be “abandoned in its entirety”.

South Africa’s ruling ANC party on Monday re-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa as its leader for a second five-year term, despite a brewing scandal over a huge cash theft at his farm.

Ramaphosa garnered 2,476 votes for the post of party president against 1,897 for former health minister Zweli Mkhize, the African National Congress’ elections chief, Kgalema Motlanthe, announced.

“It’s a good outcome not only for the governing party… it’s a good outcome for the country,” Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told reporters.

“The president is quite energised,” he added.

Ramaphosa’s comfortable victory opens the way for him to a second term as South African president if the ANC win the next general elections, due in 2024. 

Under the constitution, the head of state is chosen by parliament.

More than 4,300 delegates, gathered at a conference near Johannesburg, cast their ballots on Sunday to appoint top officials, including party president, deputy president, chair and secretary general, 

The party’s former treasurer, Paul Mashatile, emerged as deputy president.

Most of the delegates erupted in celebration, standing on chairs, chanting and clapping hands when the results were announced. 

Ramaphosa’s opponent Mkhize, walked up to the stage and took off his cap to congratulate Ramaphosa. The pair hugged and shook hands.

– Burglary scandal –

Ramaphosa, 70, won the contest despite being mired in accusations that he concealed the burglary of a huge amount of cash at his upmarket cattle farm.

As the nation’s vice president, he ascended to the ANC’s top job in December 2017 as his boss Jacob Zuma battled a mounting corruption scandal.

The following February, Zuma was forced out by the ANC.

Ramaphosa took office vowing to weed out endemic corruption and renew the party.

But his clean-hands image has been dented by the burglary scandal.

He won a reprieve ahead of the conference when the ANC used its majority in parliament to block a possible impeachment inquiry. But a police investigation is still ongoing. 

The scandal is likely to accelerate a decline in support for the party ahead of the next elections and could still cost Ramaphosa the presidency, said Aleix Montana, Africa analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft. 

“A second term for Ramaphosa is not set in stone,” he said. 

Sipho Mthembu, 41, chairman of an ANC branch in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, told AFP he was “very disappointed” by the election outcome. 

“We all know that under Ramaphosa a lot of wrong things have happened and the image of the ANC has been compromised,” said Mthembu.

Ramaphosa’s rival Mkhize, 66, is also facing graft allegations that he denies.

– ANC crisis –

The ANC has a storied history, renowned throughout the world for its decades-long struggle, led by Nelson Mandela, against apartheid.

It has governed the country since the advent of democracy in 1994. 

But it has been battered by graft, cronyism, internal rifts and a moribund economy.

An organisational report presented at the conference showed that party membership had dropped by a third over the past five years. 

The rand strengthened slightly against the dollar after Ramaphosa’s victory was announced.

His success provides “a semblance of stability and continuity” favoured by investor, said political analyst Pearl Mncube. 

Yet, his long-running plans to overhaul the ANC are likely to meet resistance among the party’s newly-elected leaders, commentators said.

He “has regained the presidency of the ANC but it may be a Pyrrhic victory, because the top seven is even more unfriendly to him,” Richard Calland, a law professor and political analyst, told AFP.

“He will need to be bolder and show greater courage.” 

But an “ecstatic” Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, told AFP “that is the best team the ANC can ever have”.

Three women, including new national treasurer Gwen Ramokgopa, were elected to top roles, the largest number ever.

“That is progress,” said ANC spokesman Pule Mabe.

Ghana suspended payments on part of its foreign debt on Monday as the country undertakes debt restructuring in line with a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The West African state is facing an economic crisis with inflation at more than 50 percent and its cedi currency down sharply, hit by the adverse effects of the global pandemic and Ukraine crisis. 

“That is why we are announcing today a suspension of all debt service payments under certain categories of our external debt, pending an orderly restructuring of the affected obligations,” the finance ministry said in a statement.

“This suspension will include the payments on: our Eurobonds; our commercial term loans; and on most of our bilateral debt,” it said.

The government however said the suspension would exclude payments of multilateral debt, new debt (whether multilateral or otherwise) contracted after December 19, 2022 or debts related to certain short-term trade facilities.

“We are also evaluating certain specific debts related to projects with the highest socio-economic impact for Ghana which may have to be excluded,” it said.

– Debt troubles –

Once seen as an investor favourite, Ghana struggled recently with its debt burden. The government spends more than half of its revenues on debt servicing. The fall in the cedi increased debt values by $6 billion just this year.

The government said the foreign debt payment suspension was an interim emergency measure pending future agreements with the country’s creditors.

It also promised to engage with all of its external creditors to make Ghana’s debt sustainable.

Ghanaian economist Daniel Anim Amarteye said the government move could erode investors’ confidence in the economy.

“It could affect our credibility in the eyes of the investor community globally and our ability to go to the market in the near future could be affected,” Amarteye told AFP. 

“This move will lead to a further downgrade by the international rating organisations.”

Three major international rating agencies have all downgraded Ghana’s debt, in a sign of investor worries over its potential for defaulting.

“The ministry is yet to engage creditors. Whether or not they will agree to the terms from the ministry of finance is another issue. We are moving on very difficult turf,” he added.

Last week, Ghana agreed on a $3 billion credit deal with the IMF to tackle its economic crisis.

Although the three-year loan has yet to be approved by the fund’s board, the programme aims to reduce inflation, strengthen the economy’s resilience to external shocks and improve market confidence in the country.

A top cocoa and gold producer, Ghana also has oil and gas reserves, but its debt has soared and like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa it has been hit hard by fallout from the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war.

The economic woes have caused social tension in the West African nation of 30 million people. There have been street protests against rising costs of living and the opposition has called for the removal of the finance minister.

The crisis forced President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government to reverse its position earlier this year and seek IMF help as economists warned of a default on debt payments.

The government has already announced a domestic debt swap as part of the programme to ease a crunch in payments and was soon expected to release details about restructuring foreign debt.

South Africa’s ruling ANC party on Monday re-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa as its leader for a second five-year term, despite a brewing scandal over a huge cash theft at his farm.

Ramaphosa garnered 2,476 votes for the post of party president against 1,897 for former health minister Zweli Mkhize, the African National Congress’ elections chief, Kgalema Motlanthe, announced.

“It’s a good outcome not only for the governing party… it’s a good outcome for the country,” Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told reporters.

“The president is quite energised,” he added.

Ramaphosa’s comfortable victory opens the way for him to a second term as South African president if the ANC win the next general elections, due in 2024. 

Under the constitution, the head of state is chosen by parliament.

More than 4,300 delegates, gathered at a conference near Johannesburg, cast their ballots on Sunday to appoint top officials, including party president, deputy president, chair and secretary general, 

The party’s former treasurer, Paul Mashatile, emerged deputy president.

Most of the delegates erupted in celebration, standing on chairs, chanting and clapping hands when the results were announced. 

Ramaphosa’s opponent Mkhize, walked up to the stage and took off his cap to congratulate Ramaphosa. The pair hugged and shook hands.

– Burglary scandal –

Ramaphosa, 70, won the contest despite being mired in accusations that he concealed the burglary of a huge amount of cash at his upmarket cattle farm.

As the nation’s vice president, he ascended to the ANC’s top job in December 2017 as his boss Jacob Zuma battled a mounting corruption scandal.

The following February, Zuma was forced out by the ANC.

Ramaphosa took office vowing to weed out endemic corruption and renew the party.

But his clean-hands image has been dented by the burglary scandal.

The affair has raised questions as to why he was in the possession of so much cash, and why he failed to report the theft to the authorities.

He won a reprieve ahead of the conference when the ANC used its majority in parliament to block a possible impeachment inquiry.

Sipho Mthembu, 41, chairman of an ANC branch in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, told AFP he was “very disappointed” by the election outcome. 

“We all know that under Ramaphosa a lot of wrong things have happened and the image of the ANC has been compromised,” said Mthembu.

Ramaphosa’s rival Mkhize, a 66-year-old doctor, hails from the same region as Zuma, the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

He was lauded for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

But his tenure ended abruptly in August 2021 when he resigned amid allegations his son and associates benefited from a multi-million-dollar contract for a Covid awareness campaign. He denies any wrongdoing.

– ANC crisis –

The ANC has a storied history, renowned throughout the world for its decades-long struggle, led by Nelson Mandela, against apartheid.

The 110-year-old party has governed the country continuously since the advent of democracy in 1994. 

But it has been battered by graft, cronyism, internal rifts and a moribund economy.

An organisational report presented at the conference showed that party membership had dropped by a third over the past five years. 

Ramaphosa’s long-running plans to overhaul the ANC are likely to meet resistance among the party’s newly-elected leaders, commentators said.

He “has regained the presidency of the ANC but it may be a Pyrrhic victory, because the top seven is even more unfriendly to him,” Richard Calland, law professor and political analyst, told AFP.

“So to escape the drag factor of his own party he will need to be bolder and show greater courage.” 

But an “ecstatic” Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, told AFP “that is the best team the ANC can ever have”.

The conference is taking place while the country is buckling under a power crisis blamed on sabotage, theft and decrepit infrastructure.

The government on Saturday said it had begun deploying the military to protect power plants.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), despite being embroiled in a scandal involving a sofa stuffed with cash.

A veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle, 70-year-old Ramaphosa was a close aide to anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, but missed out on becoming his successor in 1999 when the ANC opted for Thabo Mbeki.

He went on to make a fortune in mining and also acquired stakes in McDonald’s and Coca-Cola before returning to politics.

Here is a snapshot of his presidency:

– 2018: President –

On February 15, 2018, Ramaphosa is elected president by parliament after Jacob Zuma is forced out by the ANC.

Ramaphosa had been elected ANC leader two months earlier.

He comes to power on a promise of tackling graft and unemployment, vowing “a new dawn” for his country.

– 2019: Weakened party –

The ANC suffers losses in general elections in May 2019 but retains its absolute majority in parliament.

Later that year, Ramaphosa is accused of having lied to parliament about a 500,000-rand (32,000-euro) donation to his ANC leadership campaign in 2017 from an industrial group.

Ramaphosa is cleared by the Constitutional Court in July 2021.

– 2020: Covid-19 –

His plans to revive the long-ailing South African economy are dealt a heavy blow by the coronavirus pandemic.

South Africa is the African country worst hit by the pandemic in 2020. Several members of Ramaphosa’s administration are accused of siphoning off funds destined to fight the pandemic.

Zweli Mkhize resigns as health minister in August 2021 amid the allegations.

– 2021: Unrest –

In July 2021, the Zulu-majority province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) erupts in rioting a day after KZN native Zuma is jailed for contempt of court. 

The unrest spreads to the most-populous province of Gauteng, killing at least 350 people in the worst violence since the end of apartheid.

Ramaphosa describes the unrest as an orchestrated attempt to destabilise the country.

– March 2022: Refusal to condemn Russia –

In March 2022, South Africa is among a small group of mostly African countries with longstanding ties to Russia that abstain from voting on a UN resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding an immediate withdrawal.

Ramaphosa tells parliament he won’t be swayed into adopting an “adversarial” position on the conflict.

– June 2022: Cash heist scandal –

In June 2022, South Africa’s former spy boss Arthur Fraser accuses Ramaphosa of concealing a huge cash heist at his luxury ranch from the authorities. 

Ramaphosa is accused of arranging for the robbers to be kidnapped and bribed into silence. 

He denies any wrongdoing, saying that $580,000 in cash from a sale of buffaloes was stolen from a sofa where it had been stashed for safekeeping.

The affair raises questions about why he was keeping so much undeclared foreign currency. 

On November 30, a special panel probing the scandal says there is enough evidence to warrant a parliamentary debate on impeaching Ramaphosa.

Thanks to the ANC’s comfortable majority, Ramaphosa survives the vote, which takes place days before a crunch ANC leadership conference.

– December 2022: Re-elected ANC chief –

On December 19,  Ramaphosa sees off a challenge from former health minister Zweli Mkhize to be re-elected party leader, paving the way for him to win a second term as South African leader if the ANC wins the next general election in 2024.

Countries approved a historic deal to reverse decades of environmental destruction threatening the world’s species and ecosystems at a marathon UN biodiversity summit early Monday.

The chair of the COP15 nature summit, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, declared the deal adopted at a plenary session in Montreal that ran into the wee hours and banged his gavel, sparking loud applause from assembled delegates.

In doing so he overruled an objection from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had refused to back the text, demanding greater funding for developing countries as part of the accord.

After four years of fraught negotiations, more than 190 other states rallied behind the Chinese-brokered accord aimed at saving Earth’s lands, oceans and species from pollution, degradation and the climate crisis.

“We have in our hands a package which I think can guide us all to work together to hold and reverse biodiversity loss, to put biodiversity on the path of recovery for the benefit of all people in the world,” Huang told the assembly.

His Canadian counterpart and host Steven Guilbeault called it a “historic step.”

– Biggest conservation deal ever –

The deal pledges to secure 30 percent of the planet as a protected zone by 2030, stump up $30 billion in yearly conservation aid for the developing world and halt human-caused extinctions of threatened species.

Environmentalists have compared it to the landmark plan to limit global warming to 1.5C under the Paris agreement, though some warned that it did not go far enough.

Brian O’Donnell of the Campaign for Nature called it “the largest land and ocean conservation commitment in history.”

“The international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves,” he said.

“Moose, sea turtles, parrots, rhinos, rare ferns and ancient trees, butterflies, rays, and dolphins are among the million species that will see a significantly improved outlook for their survival and abundance if this agreement is implemented effectively.”

The CEO of campaign group Avaaz, Bert Wander, cautioned: “It’s a significant step forward in the fight to protect life on Earth, but on its own it won’t be enough. Governments should listen to what science is saying and rapidly scale up ambition to protect half the Earth by 2030.”

– Indigenous rights –

The text pledges to safeguard the rights of Indigenous people as stewards of their lands, a key demand of campaigners.

But observers noted it pulled punches in other areas — for example, only encouraging businesses to report their biodiversity impacts rather than mandating them to do so.

The 23 targets in the accord also include saving hundreds of billions of dollars by cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides and tackling invasive species.

– Funding fight –

At times, the talks looked at risk of collapsing as countries squabbled over money.

How much the rich countries will send to the developing world, home to most of the planet’s biodiversity, was the biggest sticking point.

Developing countries had been seeking the creation of a new, bigger fund for aid from the Global North. But the draft text instead suggested a compromise: creating a fund under the existing Global Environment Facility (GEF).

That concern was echoed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the Congo Basin, a rich haven of biodiversity.

Current financial flows for nature to the developing world are estimated at around $10 billion per year.

A DRC delegate spoke up in the plenary to demand annual funding rise to $100 billion — but Huang passed the accord, angering DRC’s allies.

The United States is not a signatory to the biodiversity convention due to resistance from Republican senators. US President Joe Biden supports the deal and launched his own “30 by 30” plan domestically, while the United States pays into the GEF to assist developing countries.