The South African government has refused to help an estimated 4,000 miners illegally occupying an underground mine in Stilfontein, attempting to “smoke them out” and crack down on illegal mining.  

When asked whether the government would be sending any help to the miners still remaining underground, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said, “We are not going to send help to criminals, we are going to smoke them out.” Since then, a number of government officials have visited the site. The South African Police Service continues to hold that illegal mining is a “threat to the nation’s security, economy and environment.” 

The crackdown began on November 14, and the police force has since then blocked vital supplies such as food and water from going into the mine. The operation in Stilfontein is part of the larger national Operation Vala Umgodi to “ensure that illegal miners who are still underground return to the surface safely.” To date, more than 1,000 miners have surfaced and been arrested, but many more remain underground. 

Other parties have expressed their concern over these measures. According to official sources, at least one decomposed body has been recovered from the mine, and there may be more. Critics also claim the miners could be in critical conditions as they are cut off from vital supplies. Member of Parliament Emma Louise Powell said that “vengeance must never undermine our moral and legal obligations” and urged “disaster response and law enforcement teams [to] immediately intervene.” 

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has expressed concern over the possibility that this “malicious” and “vindictive” operation “may end in a tragedy.” SAFTU recounted the story of why these vulnerable workers, colloquially referred to as “Zama Zamas,” resort to working in such dangerous conditions. SAFTU urged the government to take alternative measures to address the root problems in the mining industry rather than strand miners forced to work in such extreme conditions without vital supplies like food and water. By Ishrat Chahal, Jurist News

President William Ruto and ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met for the first time since Gachagua's impeachment at the consecration of Bishop Peter Kimani in Embu on Saturday, November 16.

Gachagua was the first to arrive at the event, accompanied by several lawmakers allied to him.

He took his seat among the congregants, with Ruto arriving shortly after, in the company of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. 

The President and his deputy sat in the VIP section, where they were joined by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was the last to arrive at the ceremony.

The event also saw other regional political leaders in attendance. 

Gachagua was removed from office on October 17 after the Senate upheld his impeachment on charges including undermining judicial independence and making controversial remarks about the government. By David Njaaga, The Standard

The Ugandan and South Sudanese NGO Rural Finance Initiative Limited (RUFI) has won the 2024 European Microfinance Award, which was instituted by the Luxembourg government in 2005. 

The €100,000 award is a recognition of RUFI’s work over the last decade in advancing financial inclusion of refugees and forcibly displaced persons. The NGO began work in 2008 in South Sudan but was forced to relocate to Uganda in 2017 due to the South Sudanese Civil War. Four in five of RUFI’s staff are themselves forcibly displaced.

RUFI’s seeks to uplift the living standards of its clients by providing inclusive financial services to refugees, refugee-owned businesses, and host communities. It offers a suite of financial services, including group loans, individual loans, farmer loans, and green energy financing. Its REMEDY incubator program goes a step further by training and funding refugee businesses.

“This award is very important because this is the first time we have received something like this on an international platform,” Yengi Lokule, CEO of RUFI, told The Luxembourg Times. 

The award ceremony was held at the European Investment Bank on Thursday night, with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, who was also part of the jury that chose the winner, presenting the award. RUFI emerged victorious from a field of 49 applicants across 26 countries, impressing the jury with its innovative approach to empowering refugee populations. 

Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s minister for development cooperation and humanitarian affairs, emphasised the award’s significance: “This year’s European Microfinance Award highlights an urgent need: advancing financial inclusion for refugees and forcibly displaced people. Through its extensive inclusive finance ecosystem, Luxembourg’s development cooperation is committed to breaking down barriers and building pathways to resilience, dignity and opportunity for those most affected.”

The Grand Duchess also highlighted the good work that had been accomplished by all the three finalists. “Their innovative approaches demonstrate the power of microfinance as an extraordinary tool to help displaced persons in their hardships,” she said.  

The two other finalists included Al Majmoua, Lebanon’s largest microfinance institution. It offers various financial products to forcibly displaced persons, including nano-loans and business loans, complemented by training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship. 

The other finalist was Palestine for Credit and Development (FATEN), which operates in the Palestinian territories and provides a range of services including emergency loans, startup loans for youth and women entrepreneurs, and clean energy loans.

Yengi Lokule at the ceremony on Thursday  © Photo credit: Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg

The selection process involved an evaluation by financial inclusion experts, narrowing down the applicants to ten semi-finalists before the top three were presented to a grand jury for final assessment.

The European Microfinance Award, established in 2005 by Luxembourg’s foreign ministry is jointly organised with the Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg (InFiNe) and the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), By Kapir Agwaral, uxebrigh Times