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Burnley ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ by banner flown above Etihad Stadium during Man City game

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Burnley are “ashamed and embarrassed” by a banner reading ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ that was towed by an aeroplane over Etihad Stadium during Monday’s match against Manchester City.

The aircraft circled above Etihad Stadium for several minutes before departing
The aircraft circled above Etihad Stadium for several minutes before departing

The aircraft circled over the stadium just after kick-off in City’s 5-0 win.

Burnley and City players and staff had taken a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement moments earlier.

“Fans like that don’t deserve to be around football,” Clarets skipper Ben Mee told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Defender Mee added: “We’re ashamed, we’re embarrassed.

“It’s a minority of our supporters – I know I speak for a massive part of our support who distance ourselves from anything like that.

“It definitely had a massive impact on us to see that in the sky.

“We are embarrassed that our name was in it, that they tried to attach it to our club – it doesn’t belong anywhere near our club.”

In a statement, Burnley said that the banner “in no way represents” what the club stands for and that they will “work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and take appropriate action”.

“Burnley strongly condemns the actions of those responsible for the aircraft and offensive banner,” the statement added.

“We wish to make it clear that those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor.

“We apologise unreservedly to the Premier League, to Manchester City and to all those helping to promote Black Lives Matter.

“The club has a proud record of working with all genders, religions and faiths through its award-winning community scheme, and stands against racism of any kind.

“We are fully behind the Premier League’s Black Lives Matter initiative and, in line with all other Premier League games undertaken since Project Restart, our players and football staff willingly took the knee at kick-off at Manchester City.”

Both Burnley and City were wearing shirts with the players’ names replaced with ‘Black Lives Matter’.

Reaction
Sanjay Bhandari, chair of Kick It Out, English football’s anti-racism charity: “The point of Black Lives Matter is not to diminish the importance of other people’s lives. It is to highlight that black people are being denied certain human rights simply by virtue of the colour of their skin.

“It is about equality. We shall continue to support the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for greater equality for all in football.”

PFA equalities director Iffy Onuora: “You get that moment of deflation but then there’s the positive reaction since. I thought Ben Mee was absolutely fantastic.

“You feel inspired again. These are uncomfortable conversations but in order to progress, you have to have them.

“In itself, the words themselves aren’t offensive, it’s the context. It’s the rejection of conversations we are having at the moment and that’s what it represents.”

Piara Powar, executive director of anti-discrimination body Fare: “Set against the BLM message of equal rights, ‘White Lives Matter’ can only be motivated by racism and a denial of equal rights. It shows exactly why the fight for equality is so important and why the majority of people have supported it.

“The movement, the issues that are being discussed and the change that will arise is unstoppable. History will judge that this was a moment that led to change.”

Since the Premier League resumed on 17 June after a 100-day hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, players and officials have been showing their support for the movement for racial equality following the death of George Floyd in the United States last month.

Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, died as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests around the world.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said seeing the banner was “disheartening”.

“After how far we’ve come in these last couple of weeks, it really does hurt me,” he told Sky Sports.

“I agree everyone should have free speech but when it looked like everything was on the up there’s a small fraction who want to ruin it.”

City and England forward Raheem Sterling said it was a “massive step” that players took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter on the opening night of the top-flight’s return.

Asked about the banner, City boss Pep Guardiola said society could not overturn 400 years of racial injustice in one week but added “we are going to change the situation”.

“We need time, the racism is still there. We have to fight every day and condemn the bad things,” he said. BBC News

Wives of assassinated Ethiopian generals call for justice

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The wife of the late Ethiopian army chief, who was shot dead a year ago today, has said she has failed in her efforts to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in order to be updated on the state of the investigation into her husband’s killing that shocked the country.

Gen Mekonnen's killing shocked Ethiopia
Gen Mekonnen’s killing shocked Ethiopia

“I was told it was not possible,” Col Tsege Alemayehu told BBC Tigrinya.

Her husband, Gen Seare Mekonnen, was reportedly assassinated by his bodyguard as part of a plot to seize power in Amhara regional state in northern Ethiopia.

The attack came hours after gunmen in Bahir Dar killed the governor of Amhara, Ambachew Mekonnen, along with two senior officials.

Col Tsege said she had heard nothing but “speculation from social media” about her husband’s killing.

“A year ago I was told the suspect is under arrest. But I was not even called to give my testimony. I don’t know about what’s going on,’’ she said.

“The whole year our hearts are broken, our house is dark,” Col Tsege added.

Abeba Zemichael, wife to the Gen Gezai Abera, who was killed alongside Gen Seare, expressed her frustrations as well.

Gen Seare was assassinated on the same day
Gen Seare was assassinated on the same day

“The judicial process is null. Everyone is quiet on this. Both were great leaders. We are depressed and waiting for justice from God,” she said.

A memorial ceremony for the two generals is taking place in the northern region of Tigray, which is where they are from.

To mark the anniversary, authorities in the capital, Addis Ababa, have named a street after Gen Seare. BBC News

Eton apologises to Nigerian ex-student Onyeama for racism

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The headmaster of Eton College has told the BBC he is “appalled” by the racism experienced by the first black person to complete his studies at the prestigious British public school.

Dillibe Onyeama was the first black person to complete his studies at Eton
Dillibe Onyeama was the first black person to complete his studies at Eton

Nigerian writer Dillibe Onyeama obtained his school-leaving certificate from Eton in 1969.

He wrote a book about the racism he experienced at the school and was subsequently banned from visiting.

Head Master Simon Henderson said “we have made significant strides since”.

But he acknowledged that there was “more to do”.

Warning: This article contains racial slurs

Eton has a reputation for educating some of the highest ranking members of British society, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is the 20th British prime minister to have attended the school, as did Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and both the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.

“We have made significant strides since Onyeama was at Eton but – as millions of people around the world rightly raise their voices in protest against racial discrimination and inequality – we have to have the institutional and personal humility to acknowledge that we still have more to do,” Mr Henderson told the BBC.

The headmaster said that he would invite Onyeama to meet him in order to apologise in person and “to make it clear that he will always be welcome at Eton”.

“We must all speak out and commit to doing better – permanently – and I am determined that we seize this moment as a catalyst for real and sustained change for the better,” he added.

What does Onyeama say?
Onyeama told the BBC that the apology was not necessary and did not change his view of Eton, which on the whole was positive.

He added however, that the apology “compels the recognition that prejudice on the grounds of colour or race dehumanises its victims in a way that ordinary forms of prejudice do not”.

Dillibe Onyeama was registered to go to Eton at birth
Dillibe Onyeama was registered to go to Eton at birth

He previously told the BBC that he had been taunted on a daily basis at Eton by fellow students.

He was asked questions like “Why are you black?”, “How many maggots are there in your hair?” and “Does your mother wear a bone in her nose?”

Accused of cheating

When Onyeama performed poorly in academics or excelled in sports, the students attributed it to his race.

When he obtained seven O-level passes, the entire school was confounded.

“‘Tell me Onyeama, how did you do it?’ I am asked time and time again,” he wrote in his book. “‘You cheated, didn’t you?'”

After leaving the school, he detailed these experiences in a memoir and in 1972 he received an official letter informing him that he was banned from visiting Eton.

The headmaster’s response comes as some leading British companies and institutions, such as insurance market Lloyd’s of London and pub chain Greene King, have apologised for historical links to the slave trade.

Those apologies were spurred by the recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests.

Eton was founded by King Henry VI in 1440 and has a worldwide reputation for its high educational standards.

Currently it charges fees of more than £40,000 ($50,000) a year. BBC News

Malawi presidential election: Polls to open in historic re-run

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Polls are to open in Malawi a year on from President Peter Mutharika’s disputed election victory that was annulled nearly five months ago.

President Peter Mutharika who leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera
President Peter Mutharika who leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera

Mr Mutharika, who wants a second term, is up against Lazarus Chakwera, who heads an opposition coalition.

Evidence of vote tampering including correction fluid on tally sheets led to judges scrapping his May 2019 victory and ordering a fresh election.

The country’s judiciary has been widely praised for its robust response.

Malawi became the second African nation to annul a presidential election over irregularities, after Kenya in 2017.

The country has been bitterly divided in the run-up to Tuesday’s re-run, the BBC’s Emmanuel Igunza reports.

Widespread anti-government protests and violence have threatened to plunge Malawi into an even deeper crisis.

Whoever wins the election, will have to heal these deep divisions as well as tackle key electoral issues such as corruption, poverty and unemployment.

Why is there a new vote?
A re-run of the May 2019 election was ordered by Malawi’s Constitutional Court in February after judges found widespread irregularities with the original ballot.

That election saw President Mutharika narrowly re-elected by less than 159,000 votes with a 38.6% share of the vote. Mr Chakwera came second with 35.4%.

Mr Chakwera and the candidate who came third argued that the election had not been fair.

Their complaints included allegations that vote tallying forms had been added up incorrectly and tampered with using correction fluid – known in Malawi by its brand name Tipp-Ex.

Uncertainty around the result sparked months of tension and protests, which spilled over into clashes between opposition supporters and police across the country.

February’s decision to annul the election led some to celebrate, but Mr Mutharika described it as a “serious subversion of justice” which marked the death of the country’s democracy.

Last month, Malawi’s former electoral commission chair Jane Ansah resigned following months of pressure by protesters who criticised her handling of the poll.

The new vote comes at a time of growing tension between the government and the country’s courts.

There have also been concerns over the logistics and safety of carrying out an election in the midst of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Who is in the race?
The president and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are in an alliance with another party, the United Democratic Front (UDF).

“If you give me another five-year term, this country will develop to the level of South Africa or Singapore, London, America or Canada,” President Mutharika told a campaign rally in the capital, Lilongwe, last week.

Mr Mutharika, a former law professor who taught in the US before becoming a cabinet minister, was first elected to Malawi’s top office in 2014. Two years earlier his brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, died while serving as president.

He faces competition from Mr Chakwera, a former cleric who heads up the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

Born in Lilongwe to a subsistence farmer, the philosophy and theology graduate has pledged to raise the national minimum wage among other changes.

Mr Chakwera is leading a nine-party opposition coalition, the Tonse Alliance, and has the backing of former President Joyce Banda as well as the country’s vice-president, Saulos Chilima, as his running mate.

Mr Chilima – who finished third in the 2019 vote – was once an ally of President Mutharika, but has since fallen out with him.

The vice-president has tried to reassure the public that the result will not see a repeat of the controversies of last time.

“Do not be discouraged; come out in large numbers to cast your vote. Your vote will be protected and no room for rigging,” he said on a campaign visit last week. BBC News

Manica Diamond players go without pay

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Masimba Chihowa
Masimba Chihowa

By Tadious Manyepo

A storm is brewing at Manica Diamonds with a number of players handing in transfer requests after going for three months without receiving their salaries.

Masimba ChihowaNew players, who were signed early this year, have also not been paid their signing-on fees in full.

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company-owned club have not been paying their players since the coronavirus-induced lockdown in March.

Club chairman, Masimba Chihowa, confirmed players had gone for three months without receiving their salaries though he claimed they were given part payments last week.

“The coronavirus epidemic has affected everyone, including football teams. We, indeed, went for three months without paying our players their salaries,” said Chihowa.

“We were synchronising some important issues. Remember, we had already budgeted for the season by the time the lockdown was proclaimed.

“We were putting our house in order but we have since made some part-payments of the salaries to all our players last week.

“As I speak, we only owe our players salaries for one month. We cleared our arrears for two months and we will be working to make sure everyone gets their outstanding salary by next week.”

But players who spoke to The Herald yesterday said they haven’t received anything from the club.

“We are stranded as players. I am one of the senior guys at the team and we have tried to engage the management, in a diplomatic way, but nothing has materialised,’’ said one of the players.

“We have not received our salaries for the past three months. It has been very hard.

“Look, we are full-time footballers and we understand that we have not been performing our contractual duties due to the freeze in sport brought about by the coronavirus scourge.

“But, in as much as we feel for the club, we also feel the club is not concerned about our welfare.

“They were talking about giving us something last week but, nothing has reflected in our accounts as yet.”

Most of the players belonging to the Mutare-based side have been spotted in different towns playing in “money games”. The Herald

Teenage wife stabs hubby to death

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By Nyore Madzianike

A Harare woman appeared in court yesterday for fatally stabbing her husband during a domestic dispute over a telephone call that the latter had received after they had retired to bed.

Paidamoyo Saini (19) stabbed her husband Shepherd Machaya (22) on the pelvis with a kitchen knife, resulting in his death a few hours after being admitted to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

She was arrested and charged with murder.

Saini was not asked to plead to the charge when she appeared before magistrate Barbra Mateko, who remanded her in custody to July 7, 2020 for trial. Magistrate Mateko advised her to approach the High Court for bail application.

The State led by Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleges that on June 14 this year at around 8pm, Machaya arrived home from work and went to take a bath before joining his wife in bed.

It is said the two had been having problems. The court heard that Machaya’s cellphone rang and he did not answer.

After some minutes, Machaya is said to have woken up and went to make a phone call, which prompted his wife to ask the person he had called.

A heated misunderstanding ensued and Machaya beat up his wife and she went to get a kitchen knife and stabbed him on the pelvis.

Machaya was then taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals where he later died as a result of the injuries. The Herald

What a refreshing community-driven project

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THEN AND NOW…This picture combo shows (top left) the state of the Wadzanai Stadium playing surface in October last year, the changes that could be seen in April this year, the transformation of the pitch into a lush green surface and giving the inspection team of Simba Bhora director, Simba Ndoro (right), former Premier Soccer League fixture secretary, Beadle Musa Gwasira ( from left) and Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association consultant Gladman “Dallas’’ Sekawawana (left) something to smile about during a visit to the stadium in Shamva on Saturday
THEN AND NOW…This picture combo shows (top left) the state of the Wadzanai Stadium playing surface in October last year, the changes that could be seen in April this year, the transformation of the pitch into a lush green surface and giving the inspection team of Simba Bhora director, Simba Ndoro (right), former Premier Soccer League fixture secretary, Beadle Musa Gwasira ( from left) and Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association consultant Gladman “Dallas’’ Sekawawana (left) something to smile about during a visit to the stadium in Shamva on Saturday

Seven months ago, the playing surface at Wadzanai Stadium in Shamva was just a bare sandy pitch, the ones commonly used for social football in the country.

THEN AND NOW…This picture combo shows (top left) the state of the Wadzanai Stadium playing surface in October last year, the changes that could be seen in April this year, the transformation of the pitch into a lush green surface and giving the inspection team of Simba Bhora director, Simba Ndoro (right), former Premier Soccer League fixture secretary, Beadle Musa Gwasira ( from left) and Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association consultant Gladman “Dallas’’ Sekawawana (left) something to smile about during a visit to the stadium in Shamva on Saturday
THEN AND NOW…This picture combo shows (top left) the state of the Wadzanai Stadium playing surface in October last year, the changes that could be seen in April this year, the transformation of the pitch into a lush green surface and giving the inspection team of Simba Bhora director, Simba Ndoro (right), former Premier Soccer League fixture secretary, Beadle Musa Gwasira ( from left) and Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association consultant Gladman “Dallas’’ Sekawawana (left) something to smile about during a visit to the stadium in Shamva on Saturday

But, thanks to an ambitious project to renovate the stadium by the leadership of ZIFA Northern Region Division One newboys Simba Bhora, everything looks different.

The bare sandy pitch has been replaced by a lush green surface while work is about to start in erecting some stands at the stadium.

A new security wall is being erected around the stadium.

What makes this project even more impressive is that it’s a community-driven initiative in which scores of men and women, who call the little mining town of Shamva home, have been volunteering, spending countless hours, to try and give their stadium a facelift.

Of course, the owners of Simba Bhora, formerly Simba Stars, who last year won the right to play in Division One League this season, have been providing the finances for the project.

They started by drilling a borehole, which has been used to provide an endless supply of water, and then flattened and relaid the playing surface.

On Saturday, the club’s officials, led by team director, Simba “Buju’’ Ndoro, were in Shamva for their latest inspection of the progress being made in renovating the stadium.

They invited former Premier Soccer League fixture secretary, Beadle Musa Gwasira, who in March donated 100 bags of cement towards the renovation of Barbourfields.

He also donated a refrigerator for use in the match officials’ room at Barbourfields.

“It’s refreshing to note what we can do, in terms of changing the faces of our communities, if we come together and work as a united family,’’ Gwasira said.

“This project in Shamva is all about a community which said that we want something better for ourselves, they didn’t go begging but they just used their resources and the results have been impressive so far.

“This should be used a model, for the other communities in this country, to show that the power to make a difference to the things that matter to us, like our stadiums, is really in our hands.

“When Simba and his guys decided to renovate their community’s stadium, many people dismissed it as an ambitious project but, through their determination, and support from the people who live in this town, they are making some giant strides.

“This game means so much to many of us and, at a time when some of our best stadiums have been condemned, largely because we didn’t maintain them as well as we should, it feels good to see that some people are committed to making a difference and changing the face of the stadium in their community.

“Such people deserve all the support they can get.’’

Simba Bhora director, Ndoro, said there was still a lot of work to be done.

“We have made some progress and the community has been very supportive but there is still a lot of work to be done,’’ he said.

“There is so much we can do if we come together.

“We felt that, now that we are in Division One, we should have a stadium that we are all proud of and that is why we decided to start renovating our home ground.

“We have seen a number of clubs being forced to play away from their home, because of the poor conditions of their home grounds, and we felt it’s not fair that the people of Shamva, who have supported our club from day one, should be denied the chance to watch their team play at home.

“Like we have said in the past, the stadium is our identity, our home, and we want a facility that suits our vision because we have some big dreams, it’s not about just playing in Division One but winning the league and getting into the Premier League.’’

It’s something Ndoro tried, 11 years ago, and came close to achieving with the team when it was still called Simba Stars before it assumed a new identity, Simba Bhora.

“We tried to do that about 10 years ago and came very close and we learnt our lessons and we are sure that we can do it this time around although we know it won’t be easy because we have to respect our opponents,” he said.

“The people of our province love football, when we play at home there is always a full house and we have fans coming from Madziva, Bindura and even Mount Darwin to come and support us.

“There is a sense of ownership, by the community, of the team and you hear them shout ‘Chinhu Chedu,’ meaning it belongs to us and we are one family, really.”

Ndoro grew up in Shamva and has always been desperate to make a change for his community and believes a revamped stadium, and a competitive football club, could do just that. The Herald

NSS almost ready to host matches

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File picture of renovations at the National Sports Stadium in Harare - March 2020
File picture of renovations at the National Sports Stadium in Harare - March 2020

By Zvamaida Murwira

The National Sports Stadium is now almost ready to host international football matches while Babourfields will be designated to host low-tier games such as those featuring the country’s national youth teams like the Young Warriors.

National Sports Stadium renovations
National Sports Stadium renovations

Sports and Recreation Commission director-general, Prince Mupazviriho, said only a few issues, such as suitable turnstiles and bucket seats remained to be fitted at the country’s biggest sports stadium.

He said it was no longer prudent to continue demolishing structures at Barbourfields, in order to refurbish the stadium, considering it was an old facility constructed more than 70 years ago.

Mupazviriho was giving oral evidence before Parliament’s portfolio committee on Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture which wanted to get an update on stadia upgrade, among other issues, related to sport.

He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Thokozile Chitepo.

“The minimum requirements to host international matches, National Sports Stadium is there, except for bucket seats, e-ticketing and turnstiles,’’ said Mupazviriho.

“And, the reason for those aspects to be outstanding is that most of the companies who manufacture (the items) are closed and we have to import.

“I am happy to report that two, or three weeks ago, I got approval from the Permanent Secretary (Chitepo) to float a tender whose processes are already at an advanced stage.

“Other than these outstanding issues, the National Sports Stadium now meets the intended requirements.

“If, today, we are requested to host a qualifying match for AFCON or World Cup, the National Sports Stadium must be able to host.

“It’s not only Zimbabwe, there are also a number of countries that must also upgrade their stadia.’’

Mupazviriho said a permanent solution for Barbourfields was not in renovating it, but building a new stadium in the City of Kings.

“You know that it is one of the stadiums built in the early 1950s and its expansion will change some of its structural issues and that has got some challenges,’’ he said.

“We went there last week and we agreed with the Bulawayo City Council on what needs to be done.

“I must highlight this is an old facility and there is a limit to what can be done with such an old facility. So, the agreement that we had, as a board, and which CAF has confirmed receiving the correspondence, is that there are certain low-tier international tournaments which can be hosted there.

“Like the youth games, Under-20 and so forth, which are not high level qualifiers.

“That is what we are looking at. The best for Barbourfields is to have a new stadium because we cannot continue demolishing its structures.”

He said work was continuing on the renovations at Mandava and Sakubva.

The committee, chaired by Chivi North MP Mathias Tongofa, directed the SRC furnish them with the latest reports from CAF regarding their inspection observations on all the stadia.

Last year, CAF condemned the National Sports Stadium, Barbourfields and Mandava from hosting international matches football matches.

Since then Government has moved in to assist and refurbish the facilities, including Sakubva in Mutare.

The National Sports Stadium was condemned for its uneven turf, turnstiles, lack of bucket seats, poor changing rooms, doping rooms, first aid rooms, media tribunes as well as ablution facilities.

Last month, the Government, said work on most of the targeted areas at the giant stadium was between 70 percent and 100 percent complete.

Its battered pitch has been transformed into a fresh and green surface, a new media centre has been erected while renovations of the dressing rooms had reached an advanced stage.

The Government said the bucket seats were unlikely to be installed by July 15, because of complications related to their procurement in the wake of the challenges brought about by the global lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The team has been working very hard, it’s nice to see that progress has been made, I’m very happy with how things are, (there are) a few minor adjustments, on what I have told the teams, we would like to see,’’ Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation Minister, Kirsty Coventry, said after a tour of the giant stadium.

“The pitch is great, the before and after pictures I’m seeing there has been huge change. I think what we would ideally want to see, I think in the next 12 months and this will be budget-dependent, will be to redo the entire pitch, get a fresh pitch in.

“But, we have to say thank you to Royal Harare Golf Club who have stepped in to come in and lend their advice, lend their expertise and even some of their machinery and equipment.

“They have been very understanding and a big thank you to them for standing up and coming to help another sport, they are still assisting, the pitch is looking remarkable, I know we have a few areas where there were some army worms and ants and they have all been taken care of.

“You can notice even the colour of the pitch and the vibrancy, how good it’s looking.

“We have been given the opportunity to upgrade our facilities and we are obviously working towards that for CAF and FIFA but also to recognise that the stadium is also there for track and field, multi-sport, so — as much as we are staying in line with CAF recommendations — we also want to ensure that we are falling in line with what will be needed for, let’s say, the World Athletics (Games).’’ The Herald

South African choir adapts to COVID-19 by making new music

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By Bram Janssen |Associated Press|

The dusty streets of rural South Africa are a far cry from the bright lights of “America’s Got Talent,” but that’s where the members of the Ndlovu Youth Choir find themselves coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

The dusty streets of rural South Africa are a far cry from the bright lights of “America’s Got Talent,” but that’s where the members of the Ndlovu Youth Choir find themselves coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
The dusty streets of rural South Africa are a far cry from the bright lights of “America’s Got Talent,” but that’s where the members of the Ndlovu Youth Choir find themselves coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

With an electrifying mix of vocals and dance moves, the group made the finals of the U.S. television show last year. Sold-out performances across the U.S. and Europe followed, as well as a recording contract.

But COVID-19 halted their international tour and landed them back where they began, Moutse Valley in South Africa’s Limpopo province, one of the country’s poorest regions.

“We were supposed to go to Germany for a performance, but it got canceled. We are used to touring the world, doing shows everywhere, and during this corona time it’s been very difficult and frustrating,” said Sandile Majola, 26, a member of the chorus and its manager.

The virus has created new risks for singing together, but this “cultural catastrophe,” as one British arts group called COVID-19, is not stopping the young singers.

Ndlovu is the Zulu word for elephant, and like the pachyderm the choir members are showing determination to move forward.

The group was formed in 2008 to help orphans and children of HIV patients, said Hugo Tempelman, a Dutch doctor who 30 years ago started a medical clinic that has become a wide-ranging community development project, the Ndlovu Care Group.

The project had more than 600 child-headed households in the orphan and vulnerable children program, he said.

“We tried to assist those kids with food programs and tried to give them a more resilient way of surviving, through life skills,” Tempelman said.

He saw a bigger need for the children’s development.

“When I saw the kids go home, I still didn’t see a smile. And I thought that if we want to provide hope, we must give them something that they can be proud of,” he said.

He came up with the idea of a youth choir.

“Of course, you start a choir, because Africa sings,” he said. “Africa sings everywhere. They sing at a funeral, they sing at a birth. They sing their moods.”

In 2016 the choir became more professional with the help of donors. Two years later their rendition of the Ed Sheeran song “Shape of You” won them an audition on “America’s Got Talent” and their captivating performances skyrocketed them to fame.

The 38 young singers are used to overcoming adversity and, with Tempelman’s help, they are coming up with a new plan.

Pulling down his face mask, choir manager Majola described how all the singers, ranging in age from 13 to 26, have been tested for COVID-19 and have been cleared to sing together.

A recording and filming studio has been constructed at the community theater and they have begun rehearsing new material for an online show.

“We are getting together for the first time since lockdown started,” said Majola with excitement.

The group’s performances of “Africa” and “Higher Ground” have had millions of viewers on YouTube and now the group hopes to highlight new material.

“I still receive emails from people all over the world,” Majola said. “I just got one this morning of someone saying he was depressed and couldn’t get out of bed, until he saw our performance and it gave him hope.”

Choir director Ralf Schmitt said the group is rehearsing new material for their first album with Simon Cowell’s label, a division of Sony Music. Livestream performances are also planned.

“We are all excited. We’ll be recording with some international artists from around the globe,” Schmitt said.

The album is scheduled for release at the end of the year, but the choir intends to release a song, “We Will Rise,” to mark the birthday of Nelson Mandela on July 18.

“It’s an inspirational song about how we can work together to overcome this coronavirus,” Schmitt said.

Zimbos set to get Covid-19 unemployment grants in SA

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By Mashudu Netsianda

Zimbabweans in South Africa are among the people set to benefit from the neighbouring country’s R350 Covid-19 unemployment grant.

File photo: A worker wearing a face mask and gloves to protect herself against coronavirus, joins the queue to receive her social grant outside a pay point in Thokoza, east of Johannesburg
File photo: A worker wearing a face mask and gloves to protect herself against coronavirus, joins the queue to receive her social grant outside a pay point in Thokoza, east of Johannesburg

The latest development follows a South African High Court ruling that refugees and asylum seekers, including Zimbabweans, in that country should be included in Covid-19 unemployment grants.

Following the Covid-19 outbreak, South Africa introduced social grants for its citizens, but refugees and asylum seekers were left out despite that they were also affected by the outbreak.

According to eNCA, the Pretoria High Court last Friday ordered the South African government to include immigrants, among them Zimbabweans, in the Covid-19 unemployment grant.

The court declared directions issued by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu unconstitutional and unlawful. It found that it excluded certain groups from accessing the R350 grant.

The court gave the minister five days to quantify the costs of extending the grant and another five days to publish amended regulations.

There is a large number of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.

Some are formally employed across all the sectors of the economy that include banking, hospitality and education with the majority doing menial jobs and others are unemployed.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some were forced to return home.

The Government has assisted hundreds of Zimbabweans in South Africa who were distressed and finding it difficult to make ends meet due to the South African national lockdown and now wished to return home.

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr David Hamadziripi said following the declaration of the state of national disaster, and the subsequent nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of novel coronavirus in South Africa, the Embassy of Zimbabwe has been reaching out to Zimbabweans in that country.

Authorities in that country have hinted that in future, businesses that employ more South Africans would be eligible for bailouts compared to those that have more migrants on their books. The Chronicle

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