Currently, telecom equipment created and produced in India is exported to over 100 nations. The country exported telecom services and equipment worth more than US$18.2 billion last year. This is reported by IANS, a partner of TV BRICS. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is seeking to strengthen India’s bilateral cooperation with Africa, according to Joint Secretary Abhishek Singh. “By focusing on emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, we aim to address specific challenges faced by African countries,” he said.…

ACTIONSA President Herman Mashaba has denounced President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), saying his party would never join it because it would mean working with a “criminal ANC”, and a “dishonest and arrogant” Democratic Alliance (DA) which pays lip service to the fight against corruption.   The former Joburg mayor said the DA joined forces with the governing party because it wanted power, positions and “to control the ANC” rather than serve the people of South Africa.  In a…

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu says his department has completed or made notable progress on most critical infrastructure projects nationwide, but communities are either getting water already or are set to get it early next year.  In an exclusive interview with African Times on Friday last week (May 17) – shortly after inspecting projects in Giyani and other parts of Limpopo – Mchunu said he was satisfied with service delivery strides made by his department, especially in the latter…

Kwazulu-Natal water utility Umgeni-Uthukela Water says it has expedited a R26 billion water project to alleviate crippling water shortages in the eThekwini Municipality and other parts of the province.  Spokesperson Siyabonga Maphumulo says the Umkhomazi Dam project will solve the water crisis that has left millions of residents without the precious liquid for many years.  Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu visited the Lower Umkhomazi Water Scheme project on Saturday, April 6, during his whirlwind tour of key infrastructure projects,…

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu is expected to visit Giyani in Limpopo to see progress made by the new contractors who turned around the controversial R4.1 billion Bulk Water Project.  According to Mchunu’s office, the minister will visit the project on April 22 and 23.  Last month, African Times reported that contractors had made significant progress in the Giyani Bulk Water Project – after a 10-year- delay attributed to poor performance and alleged tender irregularities.  Notable progress was made…

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has called on private sector players to come forward and partner with his department to fast-track multi-billion infrastructure development projects. Amid crippling water shortage and deteriorating infrastructure nationwide, Mchunu says he has established a partnership office in his department to allow private companies to work with the government to upgrade dams and bulk water pipes in conjunction with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).  Addressing Mvula Trust’s 30th Anniversary celebrations in Midrand on…

AFTER a decade-long delay attributed to poor performance and alleged tender irregularities, contractors appear to have made significant progress towards the R4.1 billion Giyani Bulk Water Project.   Residents say their water supply has improved since late last year, after the government made notable progress in installing water pipes and refurbishing the reservoirs.   They told African Times that while water rationing remains, the new contractors appointed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) have repaired leaking reservoirs and connected water…

The annual sessions of China’s National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, commonly known as Two Sessions, held in March in Beijing, not only provided details about China’s development in the past year, but also outlined the development trajectory for the future.    Under normal circumstances, one country’s economic recovery shouldn’t be of great significance to countries in another continent. But that is not the case with China. The ongoing recovery of the world’s…

Some people, mainly in the West, were taken by surprise when six Chinese warships were seen near the Red Sea in October 2023 amid the conflict in Gaza. Some Western media and politicians tried to frame China’s mission as an escalatory move in the Middle East. However, according to Chinese media, the ships are part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s escort taskforce responsible for safeguarding commercial vessels and fighting piracy.  As the conflict between Israel and Hamas is…

  Several energy companies are recruiting former Eskom executives allegedly to gain an unfair competitive edge, benefit from insider trading, and position themselves for billions of tenders at the power utility.  According to insiders and industry sources, the growing trend raises questions about an alleged revolving door phenomenon involving former Eskom bosses, the power utility’s failure to enforce the government’s restraint of trade policy, and threatens the credibility of the state-owned company’s procurement processes.  Former Eskom Group CEO Brian Dames,…