More from TechCabal | Leading Africa’s Tech Conversation

Selma Bridge Scene

A Nigeria Railways Corporation official said the train departs Ibadan for Lagos at 8am daily with a return trip scheduled at 4pm.

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is notorious for heavy trucks and traffic gridlocks that can stretch for several kilometres.

The Lagos-Ibadan line is the first part of a new 2,733km Lagos-Kano standard gauge line. The total cost of the project was valued at $11.117bn.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"Nigeria on Monday began conducting trial operations for the Lagos-Ibadan railway ahead of a January launch. \n\nThe experimental operations were conducted with passengers on board. The train covered the 156km journey between Ibadan and Lagos in 2 hours and 40 minutes. \n\nThe Lagos-Ibadan line is a double-track standard gauge rail, the first of its kind in West Africa. \n\nIr runs from Nigeria's economic hub and most populous city to Ibadan, capital of Oyo state.  \n\nThe $1.5bn project was financed by China with Abuja providing counterpart funding. \n\nAfter official inauguration, travel time will be cut to two hours, according to a statement by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCEC), the project's contractors. \n\nPassengers will pay between N3,000 ($8) and N6,000 ($16) for tickets . \n\nHere we go! 🇳🇬🚞 #Lagos #Ibadan railway in #Nigeria made trial operations with passengers! The first double-track standard gauge modern railway in West #Africa is constructed by Chinese company @CCECC8. pic.twitter.com/D529v0T8rt\r\n— Shen Shiwei沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) December 9, 2020 \n\n\nA Nigeria Railways Corporation official said the train departs Ibadan for Lagos at 8am daily with a return trip scheduled at 4pm. \n\nThe Lagos-Ibadan expressway is notorious for heavy trucks and traffic gridlocks that can stretch for several kilometres. \n\nThe Lagos-Ibadan line is the first part of a new 2,733km Lagos-Kano standard gauge line. The total cost of the project was valued at $11.117bn.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/3c65be91-690f-43c2-b668-20e5b9bc1042.jpg","ImageHeight":538,"ImageWidth":1024,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"42C8FAC1-E2C7-4A09-8CA5-16C843DEC99E","SourceName":"Africanews | Latest breaking news, daily news and African news from Africa","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://www.africanews.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-09T17:43:34Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":214896,"FactUId":"39677BC3-EB09-4900-83C2-5DFFE311FD81","Slug":"nigeria-commences-lagos-ibadan-railway-operations-africanews","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria commences Lagos-Ibadan railway operations | Africanews","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigeria-commences-lagos-ibadan-railway-operations-africanews","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":true,"SponsorRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/Sponsor/999065ff-039b-49bc-909d-0c5dbe2e80ae/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collaborate.vet%2F","SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/48197308-a8d3-468b-8c56-1147ab9aba1c/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fface2faceafrica.com","DisplayText":"

Two years after China's Supreme Court established its expert committee on the adjudication of international commercial disputes, it has announced the second group of members of the committee, and this includes four African legal experts. The expert committee, otherwise known as the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People's Court, came into being in...

The post Uganda's former chief justice, other African legal giants hired by China's Supreme Court appeared first on Face2Face Africa.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"Two years after China's Supreme Court established its expert committee on the adjudication of international commercial disputes, it has announced the second group of members of the committee, and this includes four African legal experts. The expert committee, otherwise known as the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People's Court, came into being in...\r\n\nThe post Uganda's former chief justice, other African legal giants hired by China's Supreme Court appeared first on Face2Face Africa.\r\n","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/e9c3710c-ad0e-43a9-9e87-9162cd60551c.jpg","ImageHeight":625,"ImageWidth":886,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"48197308-A8D3-468B-8C56-1147AB9ABA1C","SourceName":"Face2Face Africa - The Premier Pan-African Voice","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://face2faceafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":"999065FF-039B-49BC-909D-0C5DBE2E80AE","IsSponsored":true,"SponsorName":"Greater Boston Veterans Collaborative","SmallSponsorLogoUrl":"24x24/GBVC-logo.png","SponsorUrl":"http://www.collaborate.vet/","HasSmallSponsorLogo":true,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-10T15:00:28Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":215549,"FactUId":"FB332758-8E3E-467B-A187-AC91C54C7252","Slug":"ugandas-former-chief-justice-other-african-legal-giants-hired-by-chinas-supreme-court--face2face-africa","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Uganda's former chief justice, other African legal giants hired by China's Supreme Court - Face2Face Africa","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/ugandas-former-chief-justice-other-african-legal-giants-hired-by-chinas-supreme-court--face2face-africa","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[This Day] Abuja -- The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that without the discovery of fresh hydrocarbons in some parts of the country, the current 37 billion barrels in reserves will dry up in 30 years, given a projection of 2.3 million barrels per day by 2023.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[This Day] Abuja -- The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that without the discovery of fresh hydrocarbons in some parts of the country, the current 37 billion barrels in reserves will dry up in 30 years, given a projection of 2.3 million barrels per day by 2023.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/21f1e0a6-e2c5-4742-b2cb-f2d0a3b5b511.jpg","ImageHeight":588,"ImageWidth":960,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-21T04:15:28Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":218107,"FactUId":"4D58E999-E823-422E-9420-2C4A443B07BE","Slug":"nigerias-reserves-will-dry-up-in-30-years-without-new-oil-finds--nnpc","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria's Reserves Will Dry Up in 30 Years Without New Oil Finds - NNPC","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigerias-reserves-will-dry-up-in-30-years-without-new-oil-finds--nnpc","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[Daily Trust] The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and recall its certificate of registration given that it allegedly has no operational structures as required by law.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[Daily Trust] The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and recall its certificate of registration given that it allegedly has no operational structures as required by law.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/1cdd333f-6f89-465f-a104-af0d0709533e.jpg","ImageHeight":228,"ImageWidth":372,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-09T07:01:59Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":214873,"FactUId":"911A8D62-FAB8-4904-95B9-CE50E9255156","Slug":"nigeria-pdp-asks-inec-to-deregister-ruling-apc","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria: PDP Asks INEC to Deregister Ruling APC","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigeria-pdp-asks-inec-to-deregister-ruling-apc","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/Sponsor/c774164e-1b1a-4b35-8157-9ce64ec2e2c6/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.prospanica.org%2Fmembers%2Fgroup.aspx%3Fcode%3DBoston","SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[New Frame] The last in this three-part series looks at the cost of nuclear waste disposal, decommissioning power plants and accident clean-ups, and suggests a logical energy-generation alternative for the continent.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[New Frame] The last in this three-part series looks at the cost of nuclear waste disposal, decommissioning power plants and accident clean-ups, and suggests a logical energy-generation alternative for the continent.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/6dc9ac5e-6695-487a-9757-7400c57fbde5.jpg","ImageHeight":664,"ImageWidth":664,"ImageOrientation":"portrait","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":"C774164E-1B1A-4B35-8157-9CE64EC2E2C6","IsSponsored":true,"SponsorName":"Prospanica Boston Professional Chapter","SmallSponsorLogoUrl":"24x24/prospanica-logo.png","SponsorUrl":"https://www.prospanica.org/members/group.aspx?code=Boston","HasSmallSponsorLogo":true,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-08T13:26:54Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":213899,"FactUId":"62E3ECAF-1F46-4CFC-91D9-EA9316A085EB","Slug":"africa-part-three--nuclear-energy-in-africa","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Africa: Part Three - Nuclear Energy in Africa","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/africa-part-three--nuclear-energy-in-africa","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[Premium Times] To bypass the provisions of the WHO-FCTC, the tobacco industry established a public health foundation.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[Premium Times] To bypass the provisions of the WHO-FCTC, the tobacco industry established a public health foundation.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/76b1261e-aa6c-4e59-a4f2-3b3ff5049a0b.jpg","ImageHeight":664,"ImageWidth":664,"ImageOrientation":"portrait","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-20T21:27:00Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":217235,"FactUId":"04B13DF1-1C1C-405F-A766-04A90425DCB2","Slug":"nigeria-tobacco-industry-front-rejected-by-who-others-finds-footing-in-nigeria","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria: Tobacco Industry 'Front' Rejected By WHO, Others, Finds Footing in Nigeria","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigeria-tobacco-industry-front-rejected-by-who-others-finds-footing-in-nigeria","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[Premium Times] Mr Maina is being tried by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, which closed its case on Wednesday after calling nine witnesses.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[Premium Times] Mr Maina is being tried by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, which closed its case on Wednesday after calling nine witnesses.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/e0cd1ded-191d-46ed-9832-92d7be926247.jpg","ImageHeight":664,"ImageWidth":664,"ImageOrientation":"portrait","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-10T14:28:16Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":215527,"FactUId":"04295FC8-5D96-4F03-A5E0-D5D63D445D63","Slug":"nigeria-maina-who-allegedly-stole-billions-of-pension-funds-collapses-in-court","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria: Maina, Who Allegedly Stole Billions of Pension Funds, Collapses in Court","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigeria-maina-who-allegedly-stole-billions-of-pension-funds-collapses-in-court","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":true,"SponsorRedirectUrl":null,"SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/7b933ae8-03cd-4cb2-9499-82145e19cfcf/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsday.co.zw","DisplayText":"

AS the coronavirus outbreak has slammed the South African economy and pushed unemployment to a 17-year high, it’s awakened a recurrent social demon: xenophobia. Anti-immigrant groups have staged demonstrations in recent months in Johannesburg, the biggest city, and in Pretoria, the capital, demanding the mass deportation of foreigners. The provincial government of Gauteng, the nation’s economic hub, wants to pass a law next year to limit ownership of businesses in low-income areas, known as townships, to South African citizens and foreigners who are fully legalised. That threatens to upend an industry of convenience stores numbering over 100 000 nationwide with annual revenue of R100 billion (US$6,8 billion), according to GG Alcock, a consultant on township marketing and an author of books on the informal economy. “Every foreign national that came to our country since 1994 must be deported,” said Victoria Mamogobo, the 34-year-old chairwoman of the South Africa First party, as she demonstrated on November 27 with a group waving national flags and banners in downtown Johannesburg. “You’ve got people all the way from Nigeria who are here to sell tomatoes on our streets. How is that helping us grow our economy?” Since the apartheid system of racial discrimination ended in 1994, Africa’s most developed economy has been a magnet for migrants from the continent and as far afield as Bangladesh. That’s sparked bouts of violence every few years, with mobs attacking and looting shops and killing foreigners — the most extreme instance in 2008 left 60 people dead and another 50 000 displaced. Today, social media helps whip up the hatred. Barrage of criticism A barrage of criticism following clashes between locals and immigrants in 2019 prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to dispatch envoys to other African countries to calm tensions. Many of the migrants are refugees, legally in the country and allowed to work. Some are economic migrants — many undocumented — and others, including hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans, have been given work permits. While it’s unclear how many migrants are in South Africa, estimates of the number of Zimbabweans alone exceed two million. Still, with South Africa’s economy set to contract by the most in nine decades this year, unemployment at 31% and local elections scheduled for 2021, some politicians have found blaming foreigners for everything from joblessness to poor public services is a vote winner. Finance minister Tito Mboweni in April said locals should be prioritised in post-pandemic recovery efforts. The government of Gauteng has denied its township development bill unfairly targets foreigners. “Which part is xenophobic? Because what that bill is saying is that you must be a South African, you must be in South Africa legally,” said Vuyo Mhaga, spokesman for Gauteng Premier David Makhura. “The bias will obviously be for South Africans.” Loot, kill Xenowatch, which gathers information on xenophobic attacks, says that between January 2019 and November 2020, 1 376 shops were looted and 37 peopl

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"AS the coronavirus outbreak has slammed the South African economy and pushed unemployment to a 17-year high, it’s awakened a recurrent social demon: xenophobia. Anti-immigrant groups have staged demonstrations in recent months in Johannesburg, the biggest city, and in Pretoria, the capital, demanding the mass deportation of foreigners. The provincial government of Gauteng, the nation’s economic hub, wants to pass a law next year to limit ownership of businesses in low-income areas, known as townships, to South African citizens and foreigners who are fully legalised. That threatens to upend an industry of convenience stores numbering over 100 000 nationwide with annual revenue of R100 billion (US$6,8 billion), according to GG Alcock, a consultant on township marketing and an author of books on the informal economy. “Every foreign national that came to our country since 1994 must be deported,” said Victoria Mamogobo, the 34-year-old chairwoman of the South Africa First party, as she demonstrated on November 27 with a group waving national flags and banners in downtown Johannesburg. “You’ve got people all the way from Nigeria who are here to sell tomatoes on our streets. How is that helping us grow our economy?” Since the apartheid system of racial discrimination ended in 1994, Africa’s most developed economy has been a magnet for migrants from the continent and as far afield as Bangladesh. That’s sparked bouts of violence every few years, with mobs attacking and looting shops and killing foreigners — the most extreme instance in 2008 left 60 people dead and another 50 000 displaced. Today, social media helps whip up the hatred. Barrage of criticism A barrage of criticism following clashes between locals and immigrants in 2019 prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to dispatch envoys to other African countries to calm tensions. Many of the migrants are refugees, legally in the country and allowed to work. Some are economic migrants — many undocumented — and others, including hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans, have been given work permits. While it’s unclear how many migrants are in South Africa, estimates of the number of Zimbabweans alone exceed two million. Still, with South Africa’s economy set to contract by the most in nine decades this year, unemployment at 31% and local elections scheduled for 2021, some politicians have found blaming foreigners for everything from joblessness to poor public services is a vote winner. Finance minister Tito Mboweni in April said locals should be prioritised in post-pandemic recovery efforts. The government of Gauteng has denied its township development bill unfairly targets foreigners. “Which part is xenophobic? Because what that bill is saying is that you must be a South African, you must be in South Africa legally,” said Vuyo Mhaga, spokesman for Gauteng Premier David Makhura. “The bias will obviously be for South Africans.” Loot, kill Xenowatch, which gathers information on xenophobic attacks, says that between January 2019 and November 2020, 1 376 shops were looted and 37 peopl","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/dc0b9306-38ab-4380-ab65-8cb099ca93bb.jpg","ImageHeight":330,"ImageWidth":660,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"7B933AE8-03CD-4CB2-9499-82145E19CFCF","SourceName":"NewsDay Zimbabwe - Everyday News for Everyday People","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://www.newsday.co.zw","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":null,"IsSponsored":false,"SponsorName":null,"SmallSponsorLogoUrl":null,"SponsorUrl":null,"HasSmallSponsorLogo":false,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-20T22:02:48Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":218470,"FactUId":"EB759FC8-636D-47E8-AE5B-8EC1810D05D0","Slug":"xenophobia-surges-as-covid-19-slams-sa-economy","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Xenophobia surges as COVID-19 slams SA economy","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/xenophobia-surges-as-covid-19-slams-sa-economy","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"},{"FadeSummary":false,"SponsorRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/Sponsor/d9e17e24-cd53-4d57-be36-9d2660786c68/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/http%3A%2F%2Fshpeboston.org%2F","SourceRedirectUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com/redirect/ContentSource/ba8cd304-6b2c-4c96-b969-a837090ad7f7/8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893/https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com","DisplayText":"

[Premium Times] More than a decade since the construction of the Lagos Light Rail has commenced, it has failed to see the light of the day.

","ShowFullContent":false,"FactText":null,"FactUrl":null,"RelatedIds":null,"OGImageUrl":null,"OGImageWidth":null,"OGImageHeight":null,"FavIconUrl":null,"FavIconWidth":null,"FavIconHeight":null,"IsLocal":false,"Type":null,"SummaryText":"[Premium Times] More than a decade since the construction of the Lagos Light Rail has commenced, it has failed to see the light of the day.","MaxDetailCharacters":300,"ImageUrl":"https://cdn.blackfacts.net/uploads/blackfacts/facts/2020/12/cc1f5230-7812-4886-9e20-1635d623545a.jpg","ImageHeight":540,"ImageWidth":882,"ImageOrientation":"landscape","HasImage":true,"CssClass":"","Layout":"","Rowspan":1,"Colspan":1,"Likes":0,"Shares":0,"ContentSourceId":"BA8CD304-6B2C-4C96-B969-A837090AD7F7","SourceName":"allAfrica.com","ContentSourceRootUrl":"https://allafrica.com","ContentSourceIcon":null,"SponsorId":"D9E17E24-CD53-4D57-BE36-9D2660786C68","IsSponsored":true,"SponsorName":"Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Boston Professional Chapter","SmallSponsorLogoUrl":"24x24/shpe-logo.jpg","SponsorUrl":"http://shpeboston.org/","HasSmallSponsorLogo":true,"EffectiveDate":null,"HasEffectiveDate":false,"MonthAbbrevName":null,"FormattedDate":null,"Year":null,"Month":null,"Day":null,"LastUpdatedDate":"2023-11-25T05:14:39.027","LastUpdatedBy":null,"IsEditable":false,"InsertAd":false,"JSONFactData":"{\"date\":\"2020-12-18T08:57:50Z\"}","JsonExtData":{"date":{"ValueKind":3}},"Html":null,"Css":null,"Script":null,"ScriptHash":null,"Id":218573,"FactUId":"9A07C2C5-A7F5-4F1F-B0A9-3E3E745AB843","Slug":"nigeria-lagos-light-rail--17-years-after-failed-promises-rot-neglect-trail-project","FactType":"News","VirtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","Title":"Nigeria: Lagos Light Rail - 17 Years After, Failed Promises, Rot, Neglect Trail Project","LocalFactUrl":"/fact/nigeria-lagos-light-rail--17-years-after-failed-promises-rot-neglect-trail-project","ResultCount":200,"SearchType":"OmniSearch.RelatedId"}],"virtualSiteSlug":"blackfacts","clientParm":null,"totalItemCount":200,"pageSize":20,"template":"\r\n
\r\n {{#HasImage}}\r\n \r\n
\r\n
\r\n \r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n {{/HasImage}}\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n {{#IsSponsored}}\r\n \r\n {{/IsSponsored}}\r\n {{#HasEffectiveDate}}\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
{{MonthAbbrevName}}
\r\n
{{Day}}
\r\n
\r\n
{{Year}}
\r\n
\r\n {{/HasEffectiveDate}}\r\n
\r\n ","ajaxUrl":"/api/omnisearch/blackfacts/relatedid/1189356/","initItem":function (item, index) { var opts = this.options, summary = (item.SummaryText || '').substring(0, opts.summaryMaxLength), path = item.FactType === 'News' ? '/news/article/' : '/fact/'; if (summary.length === opts.summaryMaxLength) { var summaryMatch = summary.match(/(^.*\w{2,})\s/); if (summaryMatch) { summary = summaryMatch[1]; } } item.siteFactUrl = 'https://' + opts.siteRoot + path + item.Slug; item.SummaryText = summary; item.fadeText = summary.length > opts.summaryFadeLength; },"columnWidth":"auto","columns":8,"resolutions":[{"maxWidth":2560,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":8},{"maxWidth":2048,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":6},{"maxWidth":1680,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":5},{"maxWidth":1440,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":4},{"maxWidth":1152,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":3},{"maxWidth":800,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":2},{"maxWidth":450,"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"columnWidth":"auto","columns":1}],"horizontalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"verticalSpaceBetweenBoxes":10,"deepLinkingOnPopup":false,"deepLinkingOnFilter":false,"noMoreEntriesWord":"","viewport":"#contents_secondaryView_secondaryfacts"}); var context = {"requestId":"d68c70fa-35c9-447d-b90c-1deb71ccea22","userId":"8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893","deviceId":"7577de30-74fc-410d-86f1-5c95cf362759","snapshotInterval":0,"anonymousId":"8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893","user":{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","userName":"","displayName":"","homeSiteSlug":"","firstName":"","lastName":"","sex":"","preferredLocaleId":"","timeZone":"","avatar":"","streetAddress":"","city":"","region":"","country":"","initials":"","IsAuthenticated":false,"roles":[],"appClaims":[],"Name":"","NameClaimType":"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/name","RoleClaimType":"role"},"session":{"sessionId":"6FC0325A-87FE-4DB5-9CFD-C7B26714DC00","deviceId":"7577DE30-74FC-410D-86F1-5C95CF362759"},"site":{"ApiAccount":"BBDC06F9-FC7A-442C-9A2D-979344C312F1","Palette":"BlackFacts","SiteTypeId":"Root","Theme":"BlackFacts","Active":true,"ApplicationSlug":"blackfacts","ESRBRating":"E","Host":"blackfacts.com","Name":"Blackfacts.com","SiteRoot":"blackfacts.com","Slug":"blackfacts"},"idpUrl":"https://blackfacts.com","isMobile":false,"modalActive":false,"featureHelp":{},"wakandaAPIUrl":"https://api.blackfacts.com","analyticsApiUrl":"https://ai.blackfacts.com","analyticsApiInitialDelay":10000,"viewData":{"z":{"FactDetail":{"w":[{"w":"7c99c5ed-5823-41e3-a5b5-03b7914ad446","t":"news"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"RelatedStream":{"w":[{"w":"2b5b5e67-b643-4584-a366-a475062c2250","t":"News"},{"w":"83c1e30a-cef1-427f-ac9e-cf08b42c82f6","t":"News"},{"w":"4d7fec22-e6da-4771-8f29-3ff3fb1b3f57","t":"News"},{"w":"0acb43de-78ba-410b-ab25-da769fc11e07","t":"News"},{"w":"c3af3689-a50e-4312-a02f-8cdb7c9f99b9","t":"News"},{"w":"8121bd3c-5027-4e1a-80be-8b03e64d9d2a","t":"News"},{"w":"43d46a17-d985-4f30-97f1-31dc21699335","t":"News"},{"w":"584c108c-a2e1-483c-9f07-567412644917","t":"News"},{"w":"df9433b0-c18e-4a4f-b41b-65f82aa81090","t":"News"},{"w":"06447c56-8356-4a35-8ed2-8cfb3700c88d","t":"News"},{"w":"5b6ec761-a279-44a3-a718-78d1c35e5dcd","t":"News"},{"w":"81f4ed9a-ccfd-4fbe-b44c-bda5c1757b86","t":"News"},{"w":"10455df3-3529-4979-bec8-7f6517da6c91","t":"News"},{"w":"17292a9a-40ab-41a5-830d-85193ddfaa89","t":"News"},{"w":"1f082660-1b67-4c94-a05a-171863a23f94","t":"News"},{"w":"b355729e-8e07-4fcb-82da-247d5518a468","t":"News"},{"w":"2c636ebf-1276-4baa-8ff0-cb202bf270c8","t":"News"},{"w":"c5e7aaac-a15c-4224-9637-198bd447108e","t":"News"},{"w":"26261997-5fb4-44d4-8d25-cfa810e1311c","t":"News"},{"w":"f30f7664-d55b-4d85-8a7a-71df590ecf4a","t":"News"},{"w":"a6ddfd70-e0b1-4046-9b04-f07c47beaebd","t":"News"},{"w":"39677bc3-eb09-4900-83c2-5dffe311fd81","t":"News"},{"w":"fb332758-8e3e-467b-a187-ac91c54c7252","t":"News"},{"w":"4d58e999-e823-422e-9420-2c4a443b07be","t":"News"},{"w":"911a8d62-fab8-4904-95b9-ce50e9255156","t":"News"},{"w":"62e3ecaf-1f46-4cfc-91d9-ea9316a085eb","t":"News"},{"w":"04b13df1-1c1c-405f-a766-04a90425dcb2","t":"News"},{"w":"04295fc8-5d96-4f03-a5e0-d5d63d445d63","t":"News"},{"w":"eb759fc8-636d-47e8-ae5b-8ec1810d05d0","t":"News"},{"w":"9a07c2c5-a7f5-4f1f-b0a9-3e3e745ab843","t":"News"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"RightSidebar":{"w":[{"w":"2befd66e-bbd5-44ea-bcdd-50c4295558f5","t":"Channels Widget"},{"w":"c2db8be0-ea1a-4fdb-a7a8-3b9360605921","t":"Amazon Widget"},{"w":"3bd72d37-9aa0-4376-a7a1-10d2ebbf7609","t":"Amazon Widget"},{"w":"89082eec-5677-47e3-beb5-921b63ec0bbe","t":"YouTube Widget"},{"w":"a9ec1561-3322-47c0-bd38-780051919130","t":"Channels Widget"},{"w":"ea5817dc-60a0-4982-86e9-ca0fcd607dad","t":"Channels Widget"},{"w":"1c4ca908-4722-4ea7-9a6f-7700d4de8035","t":"Topic List Widget"},{"w":"55fdd816-abb9-457e-a422-c22e283dd86d","t":"Sponsor Ad Widget"},{"w":"cb46895d-448b-46a8-aa3d-59d593bc2ac0","t":"Amazon Widget"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0},"Footer":{"w":[{"w":"0edd10e7-91bf-4307-bfd9-a61933c114a9","t":"Amazon Widget"}],"x":0.0,"y":0.0}},"u":"https://blackfacts.com/news/article/can-anyone-afford-a-ride-the-great-nigerian-car-conundrum","q":"d68c70fa-35c9-447d-b90c-1deb71ccea22","i":"8a099577-2e31-4b0f-9c02-3b75d859c893","d":"2025-12-22T20:27:33.7647638Z"},"userActions":[],"searches":[],"refreshTokenName":"blackfacts_refresh","refreshTokenDomain":".blackfacts.com","refreshTokenTimeoutMinutes":20160}; //]]>