Latest news with #Cronje
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Africa town leader 'sad' about Trump's misuse of white crosses video
By Nellie Peyton and Bhargav Acharya JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -A local representative of an area shown in a video played at the White House said she was "sad" that U.S. President Donald Trump used the footage of hundreds of white crosses as false evidence of mass killings of white South African farmers. Trump showed an aerial shot of a procession of cars moving along a road lined with white crosses during his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, as he doubled down on false claims of a white genocide in South Africa. He said the crosses were "burial sites" for over 1,000 white farmers. The shot, whose location and date were verified by Reuters, showed crosses that were actually placed along the road between the town of Newcastle and the rural community of Normandien in 2020 as a tribute to a farming couple who had been murdered, said Bebsie Cronje, a ward councillor for Newcastle, in KwaZulu-Natal province. The crosses, installed to accompany a memorial service for the couple, have since been removed. "The crosses was not a display of how many farm murders (took place) or whatever. It was just a total tribute to the Raffertys," she told Reuters by telephone. "I feel it's very sad that something like this is being used politically." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Africa's police minister Senzo Mchunu also said in a press briefing on Friday that the crosses were linked to the murder of the Rafferty couple. Three suspects were arrested and sentenced for their killing and are in jail, he said. "They were sadly murdered by criminals in their home. The incident sparked a very strong protest by the farming community. The crosses symbolised killings on farms over years, they are not graves," he said. He added that claims of a "white genocide" in South Africa were "unfounded and unsubstantiated", saying the country only recorded six farm murders in the first three months of 2025, which included one white person. A total of 5,727 murders took place over that period, down from 6,536 in the same period last year, figures from the police ministry showed. "The history of farm murders in the country has always been distorted and reported in an unbalanced way. The truth is that farm murders have always included African people in more numbers." Cronje said the placing of the crosses was not politically motivated. "There was a group that was very close to the Raffertys. And they organised the gathering and the travelling of everybody there," said Cronje, referring to the long line of vehicles in the video. She said that since then, another white farmer from Newcastle was murdered. But she did not feel that the crimes were linked to race. "I can't say that it's just white people. If a black farmer is killed, it doesn't come to the news," said Cronje, who is from the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-biggest political party and a coalition partner of the African National Congress.
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
South Africa town leader 'sad' about Trump's misuse of white crosses video
JOHANNESBURG, May 23 (Reuters) - A local representative of an area shown in a video played at the White House said she was "sad" that U.S. President Donald Trump used the footage of hundreds of white crosses as false evidence of mass killings of white South African farmers. Trump showed an aerial shot of a procession of cars moving along a road lined with white crosses during his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, as he doubled down on false claims of a white genocide in South Africa. He said the crosses were "burial sites" for over 1,000 white farmers. The shot, whose location and date were verified by Reuters, showed crosses that were actually placed along the road between the town of Newcastle and the rural community of Normandien in 2020 as a tribute to a farming couple who had been murdered, said Bebsie Cronje, a ward councillor for Newcastle, in KwaZulu-Natal province. The crosses, installed to accompany a memorial service for the couple, have since been removed. "The crosses was not a display of how many farm murders (took place) or whatever. It was just a total tribute to the Raffertys," she told Reuters by telephone. "I feel it's very sad that something like this is being used politically." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Africa's police minister Senzo Mchunu also said in a press briefing on Friday that the crosses were linked to the murder of the Rafferty couple. Three suspects were arrested and sentenced for their killing and are in jail, he said. "They were sadly murdered by criminals in their home. The incident sparked a very strong protest by the farming community. The crosses symbolised killings on farms over years, they are not graves," he said. He added that claims of a "white genocide" in South Africa were "unfounded and unsubstantiated", saying the country only recorded six farm murders in the first three months of 2025, which included one white person. A total of 5,727 murders took place over that period, down from 6,536 in the same period last year, figures from the police ministry showed. "The history of farm murders in the country has always been distorted and reported in an unbalanced way. The truth is that farm murders have always included African people in more numbers." Cronje said the placing of the crosses was not politically motivated. "There was a group that was very close to the Raffertys. And they organised the gathering and the travelling of everybody there," said Cronje, referring to the long line of vehicles in the video. She said that since then, another white farmer from Newcastle was murdered. But she did not feel that the crimes were linked to race. "I can't say that it's just white people. If a black farmer is killed, it doesn't come to the news," said Cronje, who is from the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-biggest political party and a coalition partner of the African National Congress.
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
How socio-economic factors fuel the TB crisis among the homeless
South Africa has some of the highest uberculosis (TB) numbers in the world. ' TB is a big problem in the Western Cape and in the country,' Cronje told IOL. Dr Jacques Cronje, medical manager of Sonstraal TB hospital in Paarl, says homeless people don't make up a lot of their patients, but are the people most prone to end up at the hospital with a TB related illness. The homeless are some of the most vulnerable people when it comes to TB. TB and HIV go hand-in-hand, with HIV compromising the immune system allowing TB to attack the body, and specifically the lungs. The country has an incidence rate of 468 per 100,000 people. In 2022, authorities recorded an estimated 54,000 deaths from TB, which was co-driven by the high HIV infection rate. Socio-economic factors such as housing, malnutrition and drug abuse are definitely one of the leading factors when it comes to South Africa's high tuberculosis (TB) numbers. 'When it comes to the homeless, people who stay under a bridge or a shelter made from cardboard … they are in the system throughout the year. 'TB is an illness commonly found in people whose immune systems are compromised. And the homeless are normally malnourished, while HIV and drugs also play a massive role in people contracting it.' According to Cronje, there are different types of homeless people that they treat at the hospital. Some are discarded by their families after contracting the disease, while others simply just stay on the street. But the biggest challenge to treat these patients in hospital is to get them in a routine, for them to eat, take their pills and educate them about the disease itself. Patients not completing their TB medication are probably the biggest headache healthcare practitioners at TB facilities are facing.. It becomes a vicious cycle, because patients who default almost always come back to the hospital … or worse. 'The biggest challenge in TB treatment is the completion of the medication. One thing that we can definitely say is that if you drink your pills, the chances of you getting better is very good,' Cronje said. 'Not a lot of people understand that feeling better doesn't mean you're cured. TB has this characteristic when it goes into a dormant phase in the lungs. If you stop your medication before those dormant germs aren't eradicated, then you will be back to square one. 'To get a homeless person to get their pills at the clinics and do follow-up tests remains a problem. We see factors such as people rebelling against the treatment, while a lack of education about what they need to continue to do to get better is another major factor. 'Guidance rests on the shoulders of the doctors and the nursing staff to bring the message through, because it's a strange concept to explain to people - something that is making you sick that you can't see.' However, discharging a patient who lives on the streets and end up with little function after contracting TB is one of the great ethical dilemmas that the staff at Sonstraal Hospital and indeed other hospitals around the country face. For starters, the patients are given shelter, food and physiotherapy. They see a social worker who sorts out their social grants, keeps in contact with loved ones and have nurses who give their medicine on time. But on the streets it's a fight for survival, especially if your lungs are no longer functioning properly and you can't walk far or have to make use of a wheelchair.
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Disarmed and defenceless
Most residents and business owners would likely agree that they rely on private security companies as their first line of defence against criminals. However, the proposed amendments to the Private Security Industry Regulation Act (PSIRA) could have dangerous and far-reaching consequences for community safety. So, what are these proposed amendments? 'The police, in conjunction with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, recently gazetted a set of draft amendments aimed at tightening firearm control within the private security sector. According to the gazette, the amendments would limit the number and types of firearms that security personnel may use,' reported The Citizen, a sister publication of the Krugersdorp News. The News reached out to local security companies to understand what impact these changes could have on public safety. Johan Cronje, director at Mapogo A Mathamaga, explained that while the amendment is not yet law, it is expected to take effect on July 1. 'This amendment will strip semi-automatic firearms from the private security sector, impose stricter regulations on carrying standard firearms, limit the amount of ammunition guards can carry, and even ban restraining devices like handcuffs, as well as non-lethal tools such as pepper spray and tasers,' he explained. Cronje stressed the serious implications for residents and business owners who rely on private security for protection. In most cases, it's not the police but private security who respond first during incidents like break-ins. 'Now imagine a criminal breaks into your home, and the people you rely on are unarmed and underprepared. What are they supposed to do – throw rocks at criminals who might be armed with automatic weapons?' he asked. He warned this could trigger a sharp rise in crime. 'Criminals don't care about regulations. These laws won't apply to them – they'll still get their hands on firearms. We're likely to see a spike in armed robberies because our guards will be at a major disadvantage, bound by strict regulations,' Cronje said. Security guards risk their lives daily. Disarming them puts their lives – and the lives of the people they protect – at greater risk. 'How can they defend us without the proper tools?' he asked. Beyond safety, Cronje also raised concerns about the economic impact. 'This could cost the industry an estimated half a million jobs.' Jan Venter, director of Guardmax Protection Services, echoed Cronje's concerns. He warned that disarming trained security personnel would endanger lives and could collapse an industry that supports thousands of households. 'This will lead to more crime and leave communities vulnerable against heavily armed criminals,' he said. 'Instead of targeting licensed security providers, the focus should be on dismantling the illegal firearms trade. Security companies are often the first responders in serious crime situations – criminals arrive in groups and are heavily armed.' 'If our guards are unarmed, we're expected to focus only on prevention, while criminals prepare for confrontation. It's like sending soldiers into battle without their gear. Disarming private security will render them ineffective and give criminals the upper hand,' Venter concluded. Have your say about this issue by sending the News an email at krugersdorpnews@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysts back Trump's USAID cuts in Africa, say increased trade will better benefit continent's poor
JOHANNESBURG: The key to Africa's future is in increasing trade with the U.S., not in receiving aid from it, a message key analysts told Fox News Digital in the wake of President Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze. "U.S. trade dollars exchanged with Africa massively exceed aid dollars granted," South African-based Frans Cronje, an advisor for the Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, told Fox News Digital. Some $11 billion of USAid funds were reportedly spent in Africa in 2024, but trade between the U.S. and Africa during the same period was seven times higher - $71.6 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 'Wasteful And Dangerous': Doge's Top Five Most Shocking Revelations Cronje said "the idea of helping people with aid may be admirable, but in practice achieves little in Africa by way of addressing the structural factors that underpin poverty. Trade, on the other hand, is a more viable route by which the U.S. can build strong relationships with Africa, and is also in line with President Donald Trump's style of diplomacy through transactions." Cronje elaborated, saying, "Aid acts as a subsidy to bad governments, and thereby keeps them in power despite an absence of reform - whereas trade requires reforms and improving governance to be sustainable." Read On The Fox News App Following the Trump administration's policy change, Ledama Olekina, senator for Kenya's Narok County, added, "We don't need aid in Kenya; we can do it on our own!" Posting on X on Jan. 28, Olekina wrote, "Relying on aid from the West limits our opportunities to be industrious and creative. From now on, we must learn to live within our means, eliminate corruption, and instill a spirit of patriotism in our citizens. Together, let's build a brighter future for our country. Thank you @realDonaldTrump and @USAID it's time!" Anna Mahjar-Barducci, a senior research fellow at the Middle East Media Research Institute, told Fox News Digital that aid "does not help the needy, as foreign aid keeps the needy always being needy … international aid doesn't go directly to the starving population, but to governments. The direct consequence is the growth of the role of the State in the economy of the recipient country, which does not offer incentives to (the) private sector's development." She added, "Foreign aid has been financing central governments, which (has) ended up promoting statism, and discouraging the creation of an entrepreneurial culture. As a result, government bureaucrats became richer, and regular citizens got poorer. As British economist Peter Bauer put it: "Aid is a process by which the poor in the rich countries subsidize the rich in poor countries." Trump Freezes Aid To South Africa, Promotes Resettlement Of Refugees Facing Race Discrimination Aid has other negative effects, according to Mahjar-Barducci, who added, "aid is providing governments, many of which are dictatorships, in Africa with freely usable cash, which not only discourages the creation of an entrepreneurial culture, but it also discourages steps toward peace in war-torn areas. "While many Westerners (mainly belonging to the radical left) criticized President Donald Trump's decision to pause U.S. foreign aid, many African intellectuals welcomed the new administration's policy." She pointed to a recent column by Nigerian expert Mfonobong Inyang, titled, "Wake Up Africa, Foreign Aid Is Not A Development Strategy." She said "in his article, he stated that foreign aid is meant to be a temporary relief and intervention, not an official policy of any country that seeks to assert its sovereignty." Mahjar-Barducci said, "Many African economists are saying that the suspension of USAID funding, offers an opportunity to redefine the African countries' development strategy, and establish an 'Africa-first approach,' based on direct investments, innovation, partnerships, (and) empowering local governance." On Sunday, The Associated Press reported that some 1,600 posts at USAID would be eliminated after reviewing notices that were sent to USAID workers. Enter the dragon. China is whipping its Belt and Road Initiative into a virtual frenzy in Africa. Beijing has invested over $700 billion in infrastructure development on the continent in the decade up to 2023, according to China's commerce industry. Cronje said that when it comes to Africa, China already believes in pushing trade, rather than aid, "in terms of both foreign investment flows and trade flows, China is a significantly more important economic partner for Africa than is the U.S. Since around 2010, Chinese trade with Africa escalated sharply in dollar terms whilst trade levels between the U.S. and Africa remained relatively flat." Mahdar-Barducci borrowed Ghanian economist George Ayittey's phrase "Chopsticks Mercantilism" to describe China's policy in Africa, commenting on "China's dexterity in striking deals with African leaders that were stacked in its own favor. Chinese multinational companies are investing in the African continent, in exchange for access to natural resources." Cronje stated that for the U.S., instead of aid, "trade is likely to be a more effective route to securing sound economic and diplomatic relations with Africa, as it helps to build sustainable African economies without being a direct cost to American taxpayers." Additionally, on China, Cronje concluded, "In many respects, the U.S. is having to play catch-up in Africa. For American policy makers, the trade and investment deficit relative to China should be a more important concern than the question of future aid flows."Original article source: Analysts back Trump's USAID cuts in Africa, say increased trade will better benefit continent's poor
