#Tag · bonfire.cafe

#CapeTown is where it is because the mountain catches rain & releases it year-round; there's no other reliable water along the coast. The base level of Golden Acre mall displays the remains of the reservoir built by the Dutch after they stole Camissa from the Khoe, who had been operating as "Watermans," refilling ships' water barrels in return for trade goods for over a century. https://groundup.org.za/article/touring-cape-towns-secret-underground-tunnels/ #SouthAfrica

Michael Graaf

@michaelgraaf@kolektiva.social · 6 days ago

Estonia’s digital ID lesson for #SouthAfrica https://techcentral.co.za/estonia-digital-id-lesson-for-south-africa/277211/

TechCentral

Estonia's digital ID lesson for South Africa

Estonia’s digital identity success offers South Africa clear lessons on trust, governance and inclusive design.

Heidi Li Feldman

@heidilifeldman@mastodon.social · last week

Congresswoman who is an M.D. gained oversight access to Whipple dentention center, a Trump immigrant concentration camp in Minneapolis. She posted about it on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SxPn8n2Bfg In pictures is a rough transcript of her remarks. Please watch the video and read the transcript. We have to stop the Trump regime.

3 media

So, I was finally granted access to perform oversight of the
Whipple detention facility in Minneapolis this weekend, and what I
saw was not what I would expect in the United States of America.
My office has been flooded with reports of the cruel, unsafe,
unlawful conditions inside of Whipple. And as a doctor, I was
especially concerned about the reports of inadequate medical care.
So, during my visit yesterday, I got confirmation that the facility
has no specific medical policy and no real medical care on site.
There was not a nurse present yesterday at all. There are no beds,
no real blankets, minimal food, extremely cold temperatures.
People are in locked cells and leg shackles. The agents there
couldn't or wouldn't answer the most basic questions. Like how
many people were currently being held? How many people had to
be sent to the hospital over the last week? How many 911 calls
been made in the last week? — So, I was finally granted access to perform oversight of the Whipple detention facility in Minneapolis this weekend, and what I saw was not what I would expect in the United States of America. My office has been flooded with reports of the cruel, unsafe, unlawful conditions inside of Whipple. And as a doctor, I was especially concerned about the reports of inadequate medical care. So, during my visit yesterday, I got confirmation that the facility has no specific medical policy and no real medical care on site. There was not a nurse present yesterday at all. There are no beds, no real blankets, minimal food, extremely cold temperatures. People are in locked cells and leg shackles. The agents there couldn't or wouldn't answer the most basic questions. Like how many people were currently being held? How many people had to be sent to the hospital over the last week? How many 911 calls been made in the last week?

And when I asked if any calls to 911 had been made that day, they
confirmed that in fact 911 had been called at least earlier once that
morning. Everything I saw showed me this operation is chaotic,
disorganized, ineffective, and dangerous.
I was also able to speak with two of the women who were being
held there, and both of them shared harrowing experiences.
The first was a woman who had been brought in the night before.
She and the other women in her cell had to sleep on the hard
concrete floor because there are no beds. She told me they were
freezing cold, shivering the entire night. They begged agents for
blankets and never got any. She told me the agents were cruel and
that the women were treated like they weren't human beings.
The second was a woman who'd been brought in earlier that
morning. I asked to speak with her because she was in a cell alone,
shackled, and she looked deeply distressed. She told me that she
and her husband were both being held at Whipple and had been
taken away from their 7-year-old daughter. She'd been there for
hours, but had not been able to make a phone call yet, so she hadn't
been able to contact her daughter, who was left with a friend and is
now separated from both of her parents. She was sobbing. She
asked when and if she was going to be put on a flight to Texas, but
the agents couldn't even give her an answer. — And when I asked if any calls to 911 had been made that day, they confirmed that in fact 911 had been called at least earlier once that morning. Everything I saw showed me this operation is chaotic, disorganized, ineffective, and dangerous. I was also able to speak with two of the women who were being held there, and both of them shared harrowing experiences. The first was a woman who had been brought in the night before. She and the other women in her cell had to sleep on the hard concrete floor because there are no beds. She told me they were freezing cold, shivering the entire night. They begged agents for blankets and never got any. She told me the agents were cruel and that the women were treated like they weren't human beings. The second was a woman who'd been brought in earlier that morning. I asked to speak with her because she was in a cell alone, shackled, and she looked deeply distressed. She told me that she and her husband were both being held at Whipple and had been taken away from their 7-year-old daughter. She'd been there for hours, but had not been able to make a phone call yet, so she hadn't been able to contact her daughter, who was left with a friend and is now separated from both of her parents. She was sobbing. She asked when and if she was going to be put on a flight to Texas, but the agents couldn't even give her an answer.

These just happened to be the two people that I spoke with while I
was there and both exemplified how people are not being treated
humanely. Families are being ripped apart and people aren't being
treated with the dignity that every human being deserves. ICE is
not going after the worst of the worst.
This reckless operation is tearing communities apart and
traumatizing our neighbors. My visit only underscored how
urgently critical it is that members of Congress are able to conduct
their legal right and duty to perform oversight unannounced
without advanced notice as the law requires. And it is needed to
protect our constituents during this time of extreme crisis.
I am more resolved than ever to do what I can to end Operation
Metro Surge and get ICE out of Minnesota.

quick rough transcript by @clancyny.bsky.social. — These just happened to be the two people that I spoke with while I was there and both exemplified how people are not being treated humanely. Families are being ripped apart and people aren't being treated with the dignity that every human being deserves. ICE is not going after the worst of the worst. This reckless operation is tearing communities apart and traumatizing our neighbors. My visit only underscored how urgently critical it is that members of Congress are able to conduct their legal right and duty to perform oversight unannounced without advanced notice as the law requires. And it is needed to protect our constituents during this time of extreme crisis. I am more resolved than ever to do what I can to end Operation Metro Surge and get ICE out of Minnesota. quick rough transcript by @clancyny.bsky.social.

Donald Roy

@djr2024@mastodon.social replied · last week

@heidilifeldman This reminds me of the intrepid #emilyhobhouse who exposed conditions in #concentrationcamps operated by the #uk in #southafrica at the beginning of the last century.

PersonalEscrito and 1 other boosted

Proletarian Rage

@prolrage@todon.nl · 2 weeks ago

Demanding the release of Venezuela’s President Nicolás #Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, South Africa’s largest trade union marched to the US consulate in Johannesburg on Saturday, January 24.

“In defending Venezuela, we defend the sovereignty of all nations,” concluded the memorandum read aloud outside the consulate by Irvin Jim, general secretary of the over 460,000 members-strong National #Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).

“It is Venezuela today … It will be South Africa tomorrow,” Jim warned in his address to the demonstration. US President Donald Trump, who has bombed parts of #Nigeria after concocting a false story about a “Christian Genocide” in the country, has also been spinning tales about a “White Genocide” underway in South Africa.

“This is not a joke,” NUMSA warned in a statement. “Donald Trump can easily use the lie of a White genocide in South Africa to invade South Africa, capture South Africa’s president and transport him to a jail in the US, and declare that he is now in charge of our country and all its natural wealth, whilst controlling all trade and natural wealth … After the #US criminal military invasion of #Venezuela, it is foolish to ignore” this threat to #SouthAfrica. https://www.newsclick.in/its-venezuela-today-it-will-be-south-africa-tomorrow-warns-its-largest-tu
#usa #usaterrorism #protest

NewsClick

‘It’s Venezuela Today. It Will be South Africa Tomorrow’, Warns its Largest TU | NewsClick

Marching to the US consulate in Johannesburg, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) protested against US aggression on Venezuela on January 24.

Michael Graaf

@michaelgraaf@kolektiva.social · 2 weeks ago

Small American town fights one of #SouthAfrica ’s biggest companies https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/848845/small-town-in-america-picks-a-fight-with-one-of-south-africas-biggest-companies/

https://businesstech.co.za/news

Small town in America picks a fight with one of South Africa’s biggest companies

Residents of a small town in Louisiana have accused South African petrochemicals company Sasol of failing to fairly compensate and relocate those who want to leave.

Proletarian Rage

@prolrage@todon.nl · 2 weeks ago

NewsClick

‘It’s Venezuela Today. It Will be South Africa Tomorrow’, Warns its Largest TU | NewsClick

Marching to the US consulate in Johannesburg, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) protested against US aggression on Venezuela on January 24.

Michael Graaf boosted

Graham Downs

@GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa · 2 weeks ago

With all this hype about Starlink in South Africa, TechCentral asks, "What's so special about Starlink?", "Will it *really* be affordable?", and "How big is the potential market exactly?"

https://techcentral.co.za/starlink-hype-vs-reality-in-south-africa/276730/?utm_source=MastodonAfrica

Spoiler alert: if you compare it with the prices in our neighbouring countries, you'll see that it's targetted at LSM7-10, meaning actually a very small percentage of South Africans would be able to afford their entry level service. And most of them wouldn't need it anyway because they already have established Internet connections via FTTH or fixed-wireless.

The market for Starlink in South Africa is actually very small.

#Starlink #SouthAfrica

TechCentral

Starlink hype vs reality in South Africa

Starlink dominates South African headlines, but pricing and market realities raise questions about who it's really for.

Graham Downs

@GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa · 2 weeks ago

With all this hype about Starlink in South Africa, TechCentral asks, "What's so special about Starlink?", "Will it *really* be affordable?", and "How big is the potential market exactly?"

https://techcentral.co.za/starlink-hype-vs-reality-in-south-africa/276730/?utm_source=MastodonAfrica

The market for Starlink in South Africa is actually very small.

#Starlink #SouthAfrica

TechCentral

Starlink hype vs reality in South Africa

Starlink dominates South African headlines, but pricing and market realities raise questions about who it's really for.

Matt

@matt@oslo.town · 2 weeks ago

Always good vibes on #GagasiFM 📻 🇿🇦

https://gagasiworld.co.za

#durban #southAfrica #radio #worldMusic

Ross 🏳️‍🌈🏴 boosted

Heliograph

@Heliograph@mastodon.au · 2 weeks ago

related #BRICS have already started a pilot - #Brazil, #Russia, #India, #China and #SouthAfrica as a major economic bloc of emerging nations is increasingly moving away from the #USdollar in favour of a rather boringly new #currency called the “unit”.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanlewis/2025/12/12/the-brics-new-unit-currency-is-a-good-step-forward

Forbes

The BRICS’ New Unit Currency Is A Good Step Forward

The BRICS aim to "Cross the river by touching the stones."

Heliograph

@Heliograph@mastodon.au · 2 weeks ago

on a different note 🎶💵 ...

"that was just the proposal put up at the 1944 conference...
There was another plan that didn't get up, put by JM (Lord) Keynes an economist rather than a politician, which would not have had the US as the predominant global financial power and would have led to an entirely different rule-based #worldorder.

#Keynes's idea was known as " #Bancor", named after the new currency that he proposed. It wouldn't be a unit of money that people could carry in their wallets or, these days, tap with their phones, but a "unit of account" that would be used for transactions between governments and central banks. Its value would be fixed to gold, but adjustable, and all other national #currencies would be pegged to it."

edit "There have already been a few attempts at doing something like what Keynes proposed.

The IMF has an existing reserve asset called the SDR (special drawing rights) and in 2009, the governor of the People's Bank of China called for the SDR to be transformed into a "super-sovereign reserve currency" modelled on Keynes's Bancor to replace the US dollar.

That was opposed by the US and didn't get up, and China didn't have the clout then that it has now."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/trump-us-dollar-keynes-bretton-woods-economy /106260832

PS: i just broke the link to remove his ugly face... just take out the nbsp/

Heliograph

@Heliograph@mastodon.au replied · 2 weeks ago

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanlewis/2025/12/12/the-brics-new-unit-currency-is-a-good-step-forward

Forbes

The BRICS’ New Unit Currency Is A Good Step Forward

The BRICS aim to "Cross the river by touching the stones."

The Japan Times

@thejapantimes@mastodon.social · 3 weeks ago

Chery Automobile, China’s top car exporter, agreed to buy Nissan’s vehicle-manufacturing plant in South Africa, the latest evidence of the growing global dominance of Chinese brands. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/23/companies/chery-nissan-factory-south-africa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #nissan #cars #southafrica #chery #china

Michael Graaf

@michaelgraaf@kolektiva.social · 3 weeks ago

#SouthAfrica gives digital radio another bash https://techcentral.co.za/south-african-digital-radio-trial-is-about-to-go-live/276553/ The bullet point about distance learning & data services might be among the more important experiments, because Sentech has already covered the country with digital TV signal, which could also serve those.

TechCentral

South African digital radio trial is about to go live

South Africa's latest trial of digital sound broadcasting - using DRM technology - is set to be launched next month.

The Japan Times

@thejapantimes@mastodon.social · 3 weeks ago

South Africa’s $4 billion beauty market is fast becoming a key battleground for retailers grappling with a sluggish economy, weak consumer confidence and intensifying competition. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/21/markets/south-africa-4-billion-beauty-market/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #southafrica #cosmetics #luxurygoods

Engineering News Unofficial

@engineeringnews_unofficial@mastodon.africa · 3 weeks ago

Cost of ferrochrome electricity deal cannot be ‘socialised’, Ramokgopa reiterates https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/cost-of-ferrochrome-electricity-deal-cannot-be-socialised-ramokgopa-reiterates-2026-01-21

#EngineeringNews #News #Economy #Africa #SouthAfrica

Engineering News

Cost of ferrochrome electricity deal cannot be ‘socialised’, Ramokgopa reiterates

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that the cost of the solution being pursued to salvage South Africa’s ferrochrome smelters, most of which have been closed on the back of surging electricity tariffs, cannot be subsidised by other consumers. Speaking to Radio 702 from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Ramokgopa confirmed that he was meeting with some global mining CEOs on a proposed solution, which had already been canvassed with domestic CEOs and labour leaders.