International

South Africa is preparing to invest Ramaphosa for a second term as president

Cyril Ramaphosa will be inaugurated as president of South Africa for a second five-year term, in a solemn ceremony attended by about twenty African leaders and that will begin a new stage in the country’s history with an unprecedented Government of national unity.

“We have the investiture in the year in which we celebrate thirty years of freedom and democracy in our nation, which is a very important milestone,” the interim director general of Communications of the South African Government, Nomonde Mnukwa, told local media on Tuesday.

Under the slogan “Thirty years of democracy, collaboration and growth,” the event will be held at the Union Buildings, the headquarters of the Executive in Pretoria, and will be attended by 18 heads of state and government, as well as former presidents and delegations from many countries, according to the authorities.

Among the countries that will send high-level representatives are Namibia, Angola, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Esuatini (former Swaziland), Uganda, Nigeria, Burundi and Egypt, but also China and Cuba, whose vice president, Salvador Mesa, has already arrived in the country.

Representatives of organizations such as the African Union (AU), the UN and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in addition to Palestine, whose cause has historically been supported by South Africa, will also attend.

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After the beginning of the day with a program of cultural events starring local artists, the ceremony will take place in which Ramaphosa will be sworn in before the head of the South African Judiciary, magistrate Raymond Zondo.

During the event, for which the streets surrounding the enclosure will be cut, the National Defense Forces of South Africa (SADF) will carry out a greeting of 21 cannon salvos, accompanied by an Air Force flight, in addition to an inspection and a parade of troops.

Although it is a working day, buses will be chartered so that residents of different provinces can attend the ceremony, who will have to go through strict security controls.

The investiture will be the culmination of a process marked by uncertainty, after the African National Congress (CNA), in power since the establishment of democracy and the end of the racist ‘apartheid’ regime in 1994, lost for the first time the absolute majority in the elections of last May 29.

In those elections, the seventh generals of the country, the CNA achieved 40.18% of the votes, which translates into 159 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament), an insufficient victory that forced for the first time the historic formation to approach other parties to be able to govern.

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That approach was felt last Friday in a marathon first session of the National Assembly after the elections, in which Ramaphosa was elected by 283 votes.

Hours before that election, John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance (AD, liberal center-right), until now the first force of the opposition, announced that he had reached an agreement with the ANC to form a “Government of national unity (GUN)”.

That formula was previously used by the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, when he came to power in 1994, when his party enjoyed an absolute majority and started from a position of strength, unlike the current weakness, which prevents him from forming a government alone.

As confirmed by the CNA on Monday, three other political forces have also agreed to join the government alliance: the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP, conservative and nationalist of the Zulu ethnic group), GOOD (social democrat) and Patriotic Alliance (AP, extreme right).

Thus, the investiture will be the starting signal for the formation of a Cabinet that should include members of the other parties of the coalition, although Ramaphosa, 71 years old and fifth president of the country, has not yet revealed the composition of the Executive.

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After playing an important role in the negotiations that allowed the dismantling of ‘apartheid’, being a trade union leader and prospering in the private sector, Ramaphosa arrived in 2018 with the promise of change to end the corruption that tarnished the mandate of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma (2009-2018).

However, its popularity decreased due to the persistence of problems such as high unemployment (32.9%), crime, the energy crisis with constant blackouts and the extreme inequality that still weighs on the black population.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.