EP 7 Africa Under Siege I African News Review 🌍

In this episode, Adesoji Iginla and Milton Allimadi discuss various pressing issues affecting Africa, including the influence of U.S. media scrutiny, the implications of foreign aid, and the ongoing budget standoff in South Africa. 
They also delve into the decline of U.S. power in the global arena and the pursuit of international justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
The conversation highlights the challenges faced by African nations in navigating external pressures and the importance of maintaining editorial independence in the media.

Takeaways
*The U.S. is exerting influence over African media through subscription cancellations.
*The decline of U.S. power is evident in its foreign policy decisions.
*Foreign aid is often tied to political agendas, affecting African sovereignty.
*South Africa's budget standoff reflects the fragility of coalition politics.
*The ANC's historical dominance is being challenged by new political dynamics.
*International justice efforts in the DRC are gaining attention amid ongoing violence.
*The ICC's actions against global leaders signal a shift in accountability.
*African leadership must address dependency on foreign aid to achieve true independence.
*The media's role in shaping narratives is crucial for democracy in Africa.
*The conversation underscores the interconnectedness of global power dynamics and local governance.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of Media in Africa
01:01 US Media Subscription Cancellations and Implications
05:35 The Decline of US Influence and Rise of New Powers
10:14 US Interference in African Media Independence
14:31 Impact of US Aid Cuts on South Africa
23:49 The Failure of African Leadership and Dependency on Aid
25:34 The Impact of Aid Withdrawal on African Leadership
31:22 Budget Standoff in South Africa: A Coalition Crisis
38:29 The Potential for Revolution: Economic Inequality and Social Unrest
40:14 International Justice: The ICC's Role in Congo
51:34 The ICC's Jurisdiction: A New Era for Accountability

Transcript

Adesoji Iginla (00:01.976)
Yes, greetings, greetings and welcome again to African News Review, your show where we read through, go through the Western media to see what is spoken about Africa and put it into proper context. With me, as usual, my name is Adesuji Gilla, by the way, and none other than my recently marked new year.

co-host, Comrade Milton Almadi. We must say happy birthday to you. And so you marked another year around the sun, as they will say.

Milton Allimadi (00:36.588)
Thank you, my good brother.

Milton Allimadi (00:43.427)
Yes, sir. The struggle continues. Salute, continue on.

Adesoji Iginla (00:45.718)
Yes, Victor Aseta. And yes, today we start. We're basically looking at media. So where to start then? Go to The Guardian. And this story is, let me share my screen. It comes to you from The Guardian newspapers and it's about Donald Trump's

movement in Africa or the impact there is. So it reads, can you see my screen? It says Namibia's editors angered by US security scrutiny over Western media affiliation. The US embassy asked newspapers if they were associated with the likes of New York Times after the State Department edict. And it goes further.

A story is filed by Rachel Savage in Johannesburg. And it goes, Namibia media outlets have reacted with anger and dismay after they were axed by the US embassy, whether they were affiliated with Western publications whose subscription has been canceled by the US State Department. On 11th of February, the State Department ordered its outposts to cancel none.

mission critical media subscription as part of the Trump's administration drive to cut government costs. A February 14 directive that instructed prioritizing the cancellation of subscription to The Economist, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press, and Reuters, according to The Washington Post, Donald Trump's second presidential term has started with a wave of initiatives to reduce the size of government

and purge it of anything deemed to be liberal. Your first thoughts.

Milton Allimadi (02:47.575)
Well, nothing surprising. Nothing from—listen, after the dressing down that this president of the United States, Trump, gave to Zelensky, what else could be surprising, right? I mean, to cancel subscriptions to publications, think about how petty that is. But, you know, the irony is that, obviously,

Adesoji Iginla (03:01.643)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, of course.

Adesoji Iginla (03:12.12)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (03:17.092)
all the officials for the administration are still going to be reading this publication anyway. You have cabinet secretaries. They can't be ignorant, right? So whether the government agencies, whether the embassies are canceling these subscriptions, you know they're going to be reading every one of these publications online. How can you be a part of the U.S. government?

Adesoji Iginla (03:19.3)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (03:23.962)
You

Adesoji Iginla (03:27.642)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (03:31.561)
Mm-hmm. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (03:43.012)
Correct.

Milton Allimadi (03:46.73)
and not read the New York Times, not read The Economist, not read Reuters. I mean, obviously, they're trying to suggest that we only acknowledge publications that sing our praises and pat our backs, like Fox News, like Fox News, right? I don't know about, I don't know about, you know, Sky. I guess Sky is owned by Murdoch as well, right? The same owner of Fox News, right?

Adesoji Iginla (04:04.791)
Mmm. Mmm. Yep, yep.

Adesoji Iginla (04:12.515)
Rupert murder. Yeah, Yeah, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (04:16.713)
So he's signaling that because they're saying it's only going to affect advertising as well. So what they're saying basically is they know they can't make this publication disappear. So they're hoping that they can control their content.

Adesoji Iginla (04:35.642)
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (04:36.969)
by making these kind of moves. Okay, subscription, I mean, how much is that subscription? You're losing a few cents there, right? But then when it comes to issues like advertising, obviously, that's going to have impact.

Adesoji Iginla (04:46.337)
Correct.

Adesoji Iginla (04:51.598)
Yeah, because if you don't have the spread, then obviously who is going to advertise in you? Your publication. Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (04:57.007)
And that's what they're saying. they're basically saying that if you want to get any government advertising, and the US government, of course, spends billions of dollars in advertising every year. So if we don't like your politics, you won't get any ads from us. That's what they're saying, but they can't say it directly that way. But essentially, that's what they're implying. Because everybody knows subscriptions are meaningless. It's only a few cents. Yes, of course, it adds up.

Adesoji Iginla (05:17.154)
Hmm, okay, okay

Milton Allimadi (05:26.467)
if you take all the subscription that U.S. government entities take out domestically and internationally, it adds up. But that's not the real money. The real money comes in the terms of the advertising money that they spend. So, they're implying, hey, if we don't like you, if you don't like us, no money for you, which is very shameful. But, you know, let me add on to that, too.

Adesoji Iginla (05:41.946)
Mmm.

We're not.

Milton Allimadi (05:53.009)
We're actually seeing in real time, and this is how people should actually start analyzing and seeing these things, the decline of a major power, right?

Adesoji Iginla (06:08.061)
Mm. Mm.

Milton Allimadi (06:09.987)
while we are seeing the rise of new powers. That's what we are seeing. So if people, guess the best way to understand what the US administration is doing is to go back and look at Britain when Britain started its decline and perhaps look at some of the some of the kind of policies that the British government was conducting at the time that the decline started. I think that's the best way to understand what's going on in the US.

because obviously you have the emergence of China, you have emergence of BRICS, and BRICS, that includes Russia as well now, includes Brazil, includes India. These are the major powers that rising now. In fact, their share of the global economy is now larger than the United States and the G7 countries combined. You see?

Adesoji Iginla (06:40.068)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (06:50.467)
India.

Adesoji Iginla (07:02.198)
Ooh.

Milton Allimadi (07:02.967)
So these are just symptoms that we are seeing, my friend.

Adesoji Iginla (07:06.084)
So basically what they're doing here is, as long as we can pretend that problem does not exist, probably doesn't exist.

Milton Allimadi (07:12.627)
Exactly right. Avoid the elephant in the room and divert attention with these meaningless symbolic you know emotions.

Adesoji Iginla (07:16.837)
You

Adesoji Iginla (07:23.746)
Hmm. Let's continue. So he goes further. He says, the Namibian, an independent newspaper, was asked by a U.S. embassy staff member on 18 February via email, are you or any of your services associated, affiliated with the following companies? Again, The Economist, The New York Times, Political, Bloomberg News Feed, Associated Press, or Reuters.

If so, could you please explain how? Do you rerun their stories or are you a subsidiary of the publication? You know where that is going. The email said the embassy was asked not to subscribe to any media subscription that do not align with the department's goal, such as making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous, as well as ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of the workforce, fulfilling statutory or treaty obligations.

You were going to say.

Milton Allimadi (08:24.81)
Who is at the function of a newspaper?

Adesoji Iginla (08:28.334)
I don't know.

Milton Allimadi (08:28.735)
You know, not even the Soviet Union, right, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, could issue a diktat like that. Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (08:40.787)
Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (08:42.944)
So really, think about it.

This is like an inquisition sort of, right? Inquisition against independent media. How can you ask a publication if they're affiliated or run articles from other publications? First of all, you know of the publication and you read it every day. Otherwise, you will not be communicating with them like that.

Adesoji Iginla (08:50.36)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (09:14.153)
So you would already have the answers to your questions that you're posing. So that's not the real reason why you're posing those questions. You're posing those questions because you're trying to intimidate them into writing only positive stories about the Trump administration and US policy. That's what they're doing. In a very amateurish and very foolish way, by the way.

Adesoji Iginla (09:14.286)
Of course.

you

Adesoji Iginla (09:22.307)
Hmm

Adesoji Iginla (09:30.522)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (09:34.772)
Mm. Mm. Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (09:39.872)
so let me read one last piece there. A spokesman for the US embassy acknowledged questions sent by email but defied to the Washington DC media team. We did not immediately reply to questions.

Milton Allimadi (09:52.671)
Okay.

All right, so now you're asking these questions and when another media approaches you to respond, you don't want to answer.

Adesoji Iginla (10:05.05)
It was not clear if other US missions had sent out similar emails. Ampupadi and other Namibian editors reacted with concern and indignation to the US demand. He said,

Milton Allimadi (10:13.273)
Goodbye.

Milton Allimadi (10:24.765)
Yes.

Milton Allimadi (10:29.449)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (10:34.852)
Do we allow our government to insist on having us align with their agenda? It goes on. Estan Mbattera, the assistant editor of the Windhoek Observer, a free privately owned online publication that also received the email said, had a big concern around it because it might infringe on the editorial independence of the publication. Was it a plan that the US embassy wants to try to see how they can stifle

Milton Allimadi (10:40.222)
You're right.

Adesoji Iginla (11:04.42)
Democracy in Africa?

Milton Allimadi (11:06.365)
Absolutely. Now I like that comment by that that editor that's very appropriate and completely a hundred percent on target and obviously you're to see more of this because now So for example foreign aid is suspended correct So for it is now going to be administered on a quid pro quo basis What can you do for me? And this is what I do for you

Adesoji Iginla (11:15.93)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (11:24.772)
Correct, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (11:30.168)
basis.

Milton Allimadi (11:35.227)
blatantly, without any pretense, right? In the past they would give the aid, quote unquote aid, and everybody knows the purpose for it, right? It's political. It's to get you to do our bidding, whether it's voting alongside us at the United Nations, whether in recent years deploying US soldiers to protect our interests in various parts.

Adesoji Iginla (11:45.666)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (12:04.238)
of the African continent. So for example, in the case of Uganda, you would deploy troops in Somalia, right? In the case of Rwanda, you would deploy troops perhaps at one point it was in the Darfur region, right? And now in their dealings with France, not so much the US, they deploy in Mozambique.

Adesoji Iginla (12:05.763)
Good question, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (12:11.791)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (12:22.688)
Yes, we're

Milton Allimadi (12:32.283)
to protect totales operations in Mozambique. So that's, everybody knows it's an unsaid quid pro quo. But now the Trump administration is saying it blatantly. So you start off by suspending all foreign aid across the board. And then you start looking for where your interests are. So for example, you saw what he said to South Africa.

Adesoji Iginla (12:37.358)
Correct. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (12:51.604)
Mm. Yep.

Milton Allimadi (13:03.513)
South Africa, we feel you are discriminating against the white population, the Boers, the Afrikaners, even though they make up only 8 % European population of South Africa and control 72%. Nonetheless, he said because Trump's administration, actually, Elon Musk speaking really, said because you're mistreating quote unquote, whites, we are cutting off aid.

Adesoji Iginla (13:13.594)
Runs,

Adesoji Iginla (13:19.802)
Correct.

Adesoji Iginla (13:32.385)
idea.

Milton Allimadi (13:32.386)
And that's what they did. So obviously, the question then is, OK, South Africa says, OK, we are going to scrap this land law that we just enacted. We are not going to redress the land issue. And we are going to allow the 8 % Europeans to continue controlling 72 % of the land indefinitely. Even if there were more, we'll kick off some Africans from the

Adesoji Iginla (13:45.626)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (13:53.85)
or even if they want more

Milton Allimadi (14:02.042)
from the 4 % land that they own and give that 4 % that Africans who make up 80 % now own and give that to Europeans as well. Is the implication that if they did that, would the US resume, quote unquote, foreign aid to South Africa? It is prosperous. We are living in a very interesting time, my friend.

Adesoji Iginla (14:25.124)
Hmm. Let me round this piece up. The last part says, Frank Steffen, the chair of the editorial forum of Namibia said, Namibians from all walks of life subscribe to the idea of a free press. I am therefore surprised to find American authorities trying to interfere with media in Namibia, a media that is primarily focused on and reports in a non-biased manner about local

and regional politics, with international developments mostly playing circle-fiddle.

Milton Allimadi (15:00.93)
Right, listen, my suggestion for them, and obviously, if they were getting some advertising from the US embassy, they're not going to get that advertising anymore. And I don't know what to say to them in terms of how they can make up that revenue shortfall, because I don't know the domestic situation in Namibia. But that's essentially what they're going to say. And the other thing I can say to them is don't be surprised if he's trying to suppress

Adesoji Iginla (15:06.596)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (15:23.009)
Yeah, okay.

Milton Allimadi (15:30.313)
media within the United States. Think about that. What might he not do in Africa? Right?

Adesoji Iginla (15:34.157)
Yeah.

I mean, that's what the editor is alluding to there. says the Namibian press largely report on local and regional politics, with international development playing second fiddle. So it's not even of primary concern to them what happens outside the shores of Africa.

Milton Allimadi (15:57.716)
Well, it probably is because the US has its fingerprints and footprints all over the world, you see. But the bigger point that they should understand is that even here in the White House, some of the so-called traditional media are now not given access to some of the press conferences, you see. So if they can do this kind of bullying here in the United States, right. So for example, the AP,

Adesoji Iginla (16:08.536)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (16:19.437)
What?

Mmm

Yeah?

Milton Allimadi (16:27.497)
The AP correspondent has not been allowed access to the daily briefings, the press conferences, the White House, right? Because they will not refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. They refuse to go along with that. So the result, their White House-assigned reporter has been barred. Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (16:42.062)
Milton Allimadi (16:53.34)
I'm just telling my sister and brother in Namibia, don't be shocked if he's doing that to US American based media organizations. You see?

Adesoji Iginla (17:03.738)
So you don't name you don't name a place then we're not allowing you to do your job. Wow.

Milton Allimadi (17:18.055)
No, if you're not doing what we tell you, if you're not doing our bidding, and if you're not Fox News, you know, so you have that correspondent from that so-called media outlet, I think it's called One America. Zelensky is having this before the back and forth really started, right? So one of the questions he asked Zelensky was, why are you not wearing a suit and tie?

Adesoji Iginla (17:25.466)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (17:41.166)
Okay.

Milton Allimadi (17:47.413)
All right, so the guy is here to discuss war and peace, right? A so-called correspondent who is allowed access, you see? That particular correspondent is allowed access and Trump says, you know, you know, he's my friend, blah, blah, referring to that correspondent. But I don't know if you two like each other, you know, he's talking to him. Yeah. And then Trump says, yo, I like his outfit. It's fine. You know, but the correspondent was saying,

Adesoji Iginla (17:49.572)
What?

Adesoji Iginla (17:53.4)
And you're talking about coffee.

Milton Allimadi (18:17.296)
Many Americans feel like you're insulting us by coming to the White House with, you know, basically with a t-shirt or what have you. You're not wearing a suit and tie. Why don't you do that? Why don't you respect the White House? That's the question that the guy, when he had his chance to ask a question, was posing to Zelensky. And I make this point to show you that these are the kind of

Adesoji Iginla (18:32.866)
Wow.

Milton Allimadi (18:45.478)
quote unquote, reporters, so-called reporters, that they are now, take offense, they are now in access into the White House. So based on what I just said, perhaps the sisters and brothers in Namibia will not be as shocked as they might have been without knowledge about what I just said, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (18:48.004)
Psycho fans. Psycho fans.

Adesoji Iginla (19:06.092)
Hmm. Okay. That said, we move on to the next story, which is still sticking in the region. We go to South Africa. And this story comes from the Financial Times, the Money Paper. And it reads, South Africa's government locked in budget standoff. Coalition leaders are at loggerheads over physical hole created by Donald Trump. That man again.

Milton Allimadi (19:17.831)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (19:35.072)
And South Africa's leaders are at loggerheads over the national budget, which is due to be presented next week in a major test of the viability of the country's coalition government. The minority parties in President Cyril Ramaphosa's government rejected a draft bill at the 11th hour last month, which proposed hiking VAT to fill a 60 billion rand, that is 3.3 billion US dollars, physical hold created partly by

President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the US funding for the HIV and AIDS program.

Your initial thoughts?

Milton Allimadi (20:13.423)
Well, basically very similar to the story we just dealt with in terms of, know, the U.S. using its clout, financial and economic clout, to squeeze concessions. And, you know, we know why. We know what they're saying when they allude to, in this story that you just read, part of it. You know, as we know, recently the U.S. cut, I think it was about $440 million in,

Adesoji Iginla (20:17.294)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (20:42.669)
in aid to South Africa. So that's definitely a big chunk of this three billion plus deficit that they're referring to.

Adesoji Iginla (20:44.408)
Yep. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (20:50.862)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (20:55.674)
Okay. And also it should be worthy of note that the reason that aid was being paid for by the United States is some sort of soft landing for South Africa. Why? When the AIDS epidemic was at its peak, the South African government of Thabo Mbeki then decided they were going to go for cheap

viral drugs in India and the pharmaceutical industry in the United States threatened to sue them, South African government. And the US government sided with the pharmaceutical industry but said, here's a sweetener, we'll pay 40 % of your estimated cost, which is the 400 million. And now to think this guy is now pulling

that on the basis of them not agreeing or his sidekick, I don't know who is even in charge, him or his sidekick, but with Elon Musk pulling his puppet strings to say these people should be denied basic medicine, needed vital medicine, simply because you want to prove a point.

Milton Allimadi (21:54.667)
Right.

Milton Allimadi (22:04.94)
You're on, right.

Adesoji Iginla (22:21.752)
for a problem that clearly does not exist. But, go on.

Milton Allimadi (22:25.678)
But you know, they're actually contradicting in what they're saying because they'll cut off aid and Suspend it to all countries every African country Which means South Africa would be automatically affected anyway So they're so foolish to say we are suspending it because you're mistreating the European population South Africa How does that add up you're suspending it to every African country anyway

Adesoji Iginla (22:35.916)
OK. OK.

Adesoji Iginla (22:41.85)
Hmm

Adesoji Iginla (22:51.962)
and

Milton Allimadi (22:55.115)
You know, so now you're using spurious reasons that didn't make sense, you know, whether it's true or not. It's not like you are suspended for every African country and South Africa had been spared. And then you came back and said, even though we spared you, now we are also suspending and cutting off for you because you're mistreating the European population. So they can't even get their lies straight.

Adesoji Iginla (23:01.854)
Hmm.

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (23:21.144)
Hmm... straight.

Milton Allimadi (23:25.089)
put it in a credible manner, you see? Because the people that are affected with the Ebola that still persists in parts of some East African country, Uganda included, affected. People that are dying of starvation because of the war in Sudan, they're affected. People in the Congo, the new invasion by Rwanda, the victims, they're affected.

Adesoji Iginla (23:27.618)
Hmm. Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (23:37.259)
or, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (24:00.19)
Yeah, but now here's the biggest story also, or my bigger comment right now, the bigger point I would like to make. This shows you the absolute total failure of African leadership. Absolute total failure. And Sankara told them.

Sankara said, if you cannot feed yourself, you cannot grow your own food, you cannot say you're independent. You're not. These countries, by accepting aid all these years, and now they can't just throw it overnight, throw it out overnight, because there's so many people who are now dependent on it. It's a life and death situation for many of them, right?

Adesoji Iginla (24:18.458)
Hmm.

Feed yourself,

Milton Allimadi (24:47.145)
Okay, granted the PEPFAR is a bit different because the AIDS, HIV pandemic, that's a calamity, right? So if you can get relief for healthcare for that particular type of special calamity, that we can understand. But generally speaking, most of these countries, perhaps all of them have made aid so tied into their economies

Adesoji Iginla (24:47.588)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (24:53.86)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (25:16.959)
that it now fills in parts of their national budget. Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (25:21.646)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is, yeah, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (25:23.303)
You know, Uganda, example, outside assistance covers about 50 % of the budget. How can you say you're an independent country if your budget operating your government, right, is being subsidized to the tune of about 50 % from outside? That is the biggest failure of African leadership. You know, and people are like, you know,

Adesoji Iginla (25:33.018)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (25:50.447)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (25:52.262)
Babu, Mohammed Babu, spoke about this, you know. In his book, The Future That Works, I highly recommend that book. It's available on Amazon. And he talks about the danger of so-called foreign aid and how it will undermine African sovereignty and how it will compromise the economy and prevent economic growth.

Adesoji Iginla (25:58.52)
Yes, yes.

Milton Allimadi (26:20.776)
because it can be pulled at any time. And now we are seeing it being manifest. Babu wrote about this in the 1980s. He wrote about this.

Adesoji Iginla (26:24.302)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (26:27.962)
And also,

Adesoji Iginla (26:31.878)
Even further than that, Kwame Nkrumah in his book, Neo-colonialism Last Age of Imperialism, also highlighted the problem of aid.

Milton Allimadi (26:36.903)
Absolutely. I agree with you. Right. He spoke about that. And not only that, my friend, he was punished because of that book. Remember, we discussed that. They withdrew the US $25 million in 1965, which is today anywhere from 250 to $300 million. So substantial amount. Right. So, okay. And it did the right thing to attack aid.

Adesoji Iginla (26:48.986)
Yeah, by pulling the aid.

Adesoji Iginla (26:55.29)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (27:01.432)
Hmm. Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (27:06.745)
and explain to African countries, his fellow leaders, the danger. And of course, they punish him immediately by doing exactly what he said they were going to do, by pulling it out.

Adesoji Iginla (27:16.66)
I put in the same aid. I'll continue. members of the junior coalition told the Financial Times an agreement had not been reached despite Ramaphosa's office saying finance minister and treasury are now set to finalize the budget, introduce it and introduce it before parliament after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday. It is by no means a done deal, said one government official who spoke to the FT on condition of anonymity.

To discuss internal conversations, some of the parties will not accept any tax increases. But the reality is there is just no money. The budget standoff is unprecedented in South Africa, which has been ruled by a grand coalition since July when Ramaphosa's African National Congress partnered with nine other parties after failing to win an outright majority for the first time since the fall of apartheid.

The ANC has been the majority party for 30 years and it has taken it for granted that the budget will sell true, sets on Geso Sibi, leader of the RISEmanse, one of the coalition partners. But this isn't so easy in countries where there are no single majority party and the ANC didn't seem to appreciate that a budget deadlock can paralyze a country. I think you said to, you spoke to this when we was

talking about the coalition being formed as the fragility of it all and how they will possibly be built. Yeah, go on.

Milton Allimadi (28:48.852)
I don't No, I said that.

I said this, I would be shocked if this coalition survives a year. Obviously, they need to raise money. They're going to have to raise money. And they don't want to do it the Kenya route. Kenya tried to tax fuel and to tax food and some other items that people

Adesoji Iginla (29:00.772)
Hmm. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (29:07.524)
Go right.

Adesoji Iginla (29:11.375)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (29:24.788)
Ordinary people cannot do without, right? You have to get to work. So if fuel costs has gone up, whether you drive to work, whether you take public transport, you're going to be paying more. You have to eat in order to stay alive. So you buy food, you're going to be paying much more. So you have no choice. So tax, there are no choice items. Items that people need for their sustenance.

Adesoji Iginla (29:27.128)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (29:51.439)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (29:54.977)
So therefore, they will have to pay and the government gets money. The Kenyan approach. And young people protested in Kenya. So the Kenyan government of Ruto had to back off. Now in South Africa, they're proposing the same thing. When they talk about value aid added tax, VAT, basically on all merchandise and items that the ordinary people do need to

Adesoji Iginla (30:15.905)
Mm. Yep.

Milton Allimadi (30:23.776)
to sustain themselves, you see? Instead of selective taxation that would affect those with deep pockets, imports of automobiles, for example. Right? Yeah, the rich people will continue buying automobiles. So you get your money. Tax on cigarettes. I know a lot of impoverished people also smoke cigarettes. It's like an addiction.

Adesoji Iginla (30:26.298)
correct.

Adesoji Iginla (30:43.225)
Of course.

Adesoji Iginla (30:51.632)
So that's going to be across the board. Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (30:53.715)
You know, but you know too bad they will have to do without cigarettes You know, but let the people that have money and still smoke cigarettes Let them pay those taxes. Okay tax Lica like, know like bottle liquor like whiskey like scotch You know satin wines So that those with means will pay those taxes, but you should not be taxing food

that are so basic needs. You should not be taxing our fuel that, you know, the working class need to pay for transport to get to work, whether they drive, whether they take public transportation, as I said was the case in Kenya. So they can be a much more selective in the type of taxes that they're contemplating rather than just like a broad tax that impacts everybody, regardless of your means.

Adesoji Iginla (31:40.612)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (31:54.874)
Okay, so let's take on the implications. The central conflict that is for the holdover the budget was the plan by the ANC Finance Minister Enoch Gondowangra to raise VAT from 15 to 17 percent, just a two percent raise. A proposal resisted by the Democratic Alliance, the coalition's second largest party, and even some ANC ministers.

Now here is where it gets techie. It says the business friendly DA. For those who are listening, could you tell them what that means?

Milton Allimadi (32:34.406)
It means that the party of apartheid light, the Democratic Alliance, the party that is controlled by the Europeans, South Africans, and the party that is the second largest party in the coalition with the Afghan National Congress. And policy-wise, their policy is to oppose any redress of the economic inequities that exist in South Africa.

Adesoji Iginla (32:45.018)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (32:54.554)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (33:02.38)
as a result of appetite.

Milton Allimadi (33:03.964)
Yes, absolutely. As a result of legacy of apartheid and European colonialism before it became official apartheid. Opposed any land redistribution. You see? And now, basically, they are opposing the possibility of keeping this government functioning. You see? They're going to leave. I believe some form of taxation will be approved.

Adesoji Iginla (33:12.793)
Yeah, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (33:17.176)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (33:24.916)
Mm, mm, mm, mm.

Milton Allimadi (33:33.218)
Otherwise, this government may have no choice but to be dissolved and then to form another coalition, perhaps with Malema's economic freedom fighters as well as Zuma's Konto party. I don't see any other option unless the party of apartheid light, which is the democratic allies, perhaps they believe

Adesoji Iginla (33:50.842)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (34:00.452)
that they are the ones who can form a coalition with the other parties and keep the ANC out of government. But that's highly unlikely.

Adesoji Iginla (34:03.961)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (34:09.678)
No, very unlikely, very unlikely, very, very unlikely. So I'll continue. So the business friendly DA has proposed making up the shortfall through a number of other measures, including selling off two major pot concessions to the private sector and creating a cost-cutting tax force similar to Elon Musk efforts in Washington. Go on.

Milton Allimadi (34:26.499)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (34:31.832)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that is that's the absolute nonsense and

Milton Allimadi (34:41.252)
So you see, now Elon is talking via the Democratic Alliance, you see.

Adesoji Iginla (34:46.284)
There you go. There you go. There you go.

Milton Allimadi (34:48.364)
Right. mean, listen, we can only observe and analyze as brothers that are concerned with the situation that our sister brothers in South Africa face. At the end of the day, they are the ones that are going to have to rectify the current contradictions that they are facing, the predicaments that they're facing, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (35:09.709)
I put.

Milton Allimadi (35:17.642)
We can only offer suggestions, our analysis and our critique. But it seems to me that it's highly unlikely that South Africa would allow itself to be taken back to the era of apartheid, which they have not yet actually fully left. You see? Yeah. Yeah. But

Adesoji Iginla (35:37.914)
Left. Yeah, exactly. That's the shocking element of it.

Milton Allimadi (35:45.879)
This is a continuation of the kind of narrative that we should expect the minute that alliance was formed between the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance. This is just the same narrative just continuing because now they believe they have a big ally in the White House in the form of Elon Musk as well as the United States President Donald Trump.

Adesoji Iginla (35:54.042)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (36:05.754)
Mm.

The mosque,

because.

Milton Allimadi (36:13.813)
Let me just add one other observation. These are both egomaniacs. So let me be the first to predict that this alliance between Elon Musk and Trump cannot be sustained for four years. You know, it's just not possible. You know, maybe we are talking even a matter of months, you know, at the end of the day, they could be even become bitter rivals.

Adesoji Iginla (36:30.37)
I mean, they're already fractures. They're already fractures. The last couple, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (36:44.011)
And I would not be shocked if at some point Trump even tries to deport Elon from the United States. And everything is possible when you're dealing with Donald Trump.

Adesoji Iginla (36:51.706)
You were though, you were.

Adesoji Iginla (37:00.058)
to where would you think it would deport him to?

Milton Allimadi (37:03.017)
Well, maybe press to Canada. think he has Canadian citizenship as well. But Canada is very hostile to Elon as well. So maybe they'll find a way to deport him too.

Adesoji Iginla (37:13.056)
can come to Britain. It can come to Britain. I mean, we have, I mean, we'll take good care of him. So I'll take one final piece from that story. And it goes on. If we don't tackle the hard realities facing the country, we will be stuck in the endless cycle of raising taxes and taking on more debt, which can no longer afford John Stenhausen, the DA leader and agricultural minister in Ramaphosa's cabinet told the FT.

Milton Allimadi (37:18.647)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (37:43.098)
After Staffan Zin rejected the first budget, the ANC said it was critical that money be found to honor wage increases for civil servants and pay for the above-inflation increases in social grants which will protect the most vulnerable from the rising cost of living.

Milton Allimadi (38:02.249)
Right. You know, I agree with the statement by the ANC person. That's exactly what is going on. The Europeans who control, would say, anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of the economy and, you know, 70 percent plus of the land, they have the lowest unemployment levels. In other words, they enjoy the wealth of South Africa. They want to continue impoverishing the

Adesoji Iginla (38:04.42)
So.

Mm hmm. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (38:16.248)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (38:20.41)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (38:32.139)
the African population, the black population, and their expense. And I don't see the ANC allowing that to happen. Otherwise, the ANC itself will become history and a part of the past.

Adesoji Iginla (38:37.252)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (38:45.494)
hmm party of mandela gone

Milton Allimadi (38:50.302)
Yep, if they keep taxing those that don't have on behalf of those that have it all.

Adesoji Iginla (38:51.811)
Wow.

Adesoji Iginla (39:00.986)
Hmm. Never thought, looking back 1994, I never thought would ever raise the idea of the non, the party never, no longer existed. is.

Milton Allimadi (39:14.494)
Yeah, I mean listen Ultimately you create conditions that invite revolution Right People don't wake up one day and say i'm feeling in a very revolutionary mood today You see it's a series of build-ups affecting labor affecting food conditions affecting the general health of the population correct and part of these

Adesoji Iginla (39:23.823)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (39:29.086)
my...

Adesoji Iginla (39:42.67)
Yeah, correct.

Milton Allimadi (39:44.945)
form sort of like a matrix, an intersection at some point, and anything can then spark action. And you know, if what is happening today in the United States continues, that matrix could form itself right here in the United States as well. Because before things happen,

Adesoji Iginla (39:55.13)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (40:10.044)
They've never happened. So you can't say it's impossible that there could be a revolution in a place like the United States, right? You can't say that it's impossible. I I've discussed several times that this wealthy, wealthy person I know who said this more than 10 years ago, maybe 15 years ago, that you've killed the middle class in the United States. cannot sustain a country like that.

Adesoji Iginla (40:12.472)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (40:20.729)
Wow.

Adesoji Iginla (40:34.399)
It sounds sustainable.

Milton Allimadi (40:40.33)
and we could have upheavals and even revolution in United States. wealthy person saying this, a billionaire. And things have gotten progressively worse in terms of concentration of wealth, you see? And further, diminishing of the middle class, destruction of the middle class. So South Africa is trying to duplicate that same thing that exists in the United States, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (40:56.335)
Huh.

Adesoji Iginla (41:09.934)
Wow. Wow.

Milton Allimadi (41:10.532)
And if it cannot be sustained here, it certainly will not be sustained in South Africa either.

Adesoji Iginla (41:18.106)
Speaking of unsustainable situations, we go to the heart of Africa, Congo, for the next and final story. it reads, it comes from France 24, allegations of crimes against civilians in DR Congo are extremely serious, ICC prosecutor says. That's Karim Khan there. It reads,

France 24 spoke to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, last October. He announced he had opened an investigation into DR Congo into the allegations of crimes committed since 2022 in North Kivu, a province in the east of the country. Since then, fighting has intensified between Rwanda-backed M23 and the Congolese army and its allies. Speaking to France 24 from the Congolese capital Kinshasa,

Khan called the allegation of crimes against civilians in North Kivu extremely serious. The conflict currently plaguing Eastern DR Congo began in the 1990s. Wow, if he's going back to 90s, he's got his file filled then. There has been a cycle of violence for decades in the DRC and we are trying to put forward a new approach to deal comprehensively, holistically with the impunity gap here.

the ICC prosecutor explained. What are your initial thoughts on him entering the fray that is the DRC?

Milton Allimadi (42:52.023)
Well, it's about time, you know, and I'm very, you know, I must say my level of respect has increased, you know, for this guy. I was not impressed particularly when he was in Uganda posing with dictator Museveni. I'm not impressed that they're not taking any actions on the crimes of

Adesoji Iginla (43:04.922)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (43:17.513)
abductions that Uganda has been carried out against civilians, the torture of Coquenzá. But I've been impressed when he took a very strong position regarding the genocide in Gaza. And ultimately, an indictment and arrest violence have now been issued for Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, and his former defense secretary.

Adesoji Iginla (43:33.018)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (43:39.342)
Mm-hmm. And that's how, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (43:46.125)
Uof Galani, I believe. Maybe I'm saying his name wrong. Right. Okay, Galant. So I'm impressed with these strong statements regarding the war of aggression against the people of Congo by Rwanda. And it's so clearly publicly stated, and it mirrors the public statements he made prior to the indictment of the

Adesoji Iginla (43:47.162)
You have gallant. You have gallant.

Adesoji Iginla (43:59.322)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (44:14.274)
Admin.

Milton Allimadi (44:14.697)
senior Israeli officials and Hamas officials had also been indicted, but most of them had already been killed, but were subsequently rather killed by Israel. So the statements that he's making regarding the situation in Congo, very similar to the statements he made regarding Gaza. So I would not be surprised if we see some indictments of some of the key figures. And there's no reason why

Adesoji Iginla (44:17.143)
Yeah, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (44:23.898)
if

Adesoji Iginla (44:37.377)
You it. Okay.

Milton Allimadi (44:44.808)
he would not indict even Kagame himself if he's able to indict Benjamin Netanyahu for the crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Adesoji Iginla (44:58.074)
Okay, I'll continue. And it appears the Rome Statute crimes have been and are being committed in the east of Congo, he said, he can commented. With over 100 troops, armed groups operating across the Congolese territory, it is not just M23 that's concerned by the allegations of crimes. The ICC prosecutor pointed out, we have allegations against the ADF, Allied Democratic Forces.

a Ugandan armed group formed in 1995. The fact that you even know when it was formed shows they've done their homework, as well as other armed groups, he noted. Khan added, we have to do, what we have to do is draw the poison from different warlords and different armed groups that are laying siege to the DRC, that are terrorizing different civilians in different parts of the country and make sure they're subjected to accountability.

Milton Allimadi (45:36.178)
Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (45:58.626)
It goes on, I am not going to reveal what communications I may or may not have had with different leaders, can responded. Before warning, what is clear is we have jurisdiction in relation to any crime committed on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, whether they are committed by the nationals of the state, parties or non-party, non-state parties. We make determination based upon evidence.

the ICC prosecutor continued. And if the evidence shows that individuals have committed crimes, would act. You want to say something before I continue?

Milton Allimadi (46:38.441)
Yes, absolutely. And here is what should interest the leaders of both Rwanda and Uganda.

Adesoji Iginla (46:47.738)
You

Milton Allimadi (46:51.761)
I think it was on June 8, 2006, an article in the Wall Street Journal, because during 2005, after Congo had taken Uganda to the International Court of Justice, the court ruled in Congo's favor for—after the invasion, occupation, for plunder of resources, for rapes, for—

Adesoji Iginla (46:58.202)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (47:21.993)
massacres, the killing of Congo-Lois people, destruction of their property, burning of their homes. And at that time, awarded Congo $6 to $10 billion in reparations from Uganda. OK. A few years ago, they kept renegotiating over the long period of time. They came up with a figure, I think it's under $400 million, this final figure.

Adesoji Iginla (47:45.037)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (47:51.004)
which Uganda has now started paying. But beyond that, Congo took the same set of allegations to the ICC, which of course is the one that issues criminal indictments. And both courts are at the Hague. Sometimes people confuse the two. And the Wall Street Journal carried an article which starts on the front page, but the lead is buried in the middle of the article.

Adesoji Iginla (48:05.998)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (48:09.594)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (48:19.461)
And that article was on June 8, 2006. And anybody can go and look it up, right?

Adesoji Iginla (48:25.294)
What's the title? What's the title of the article?

Milton Allimadi (48:27.271)
I don't remember the headline, but if you search it under Joseph Korn, K-O-N-Y, Uganda, crimes in Congo, and if you also put Moreno or Campo,

Adesoji Iginla (48:37.122)
OK, just have corn loads.

Adesoji Iginla (48:50.778)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (48:56.857)
Ocampo at that time was the chief prosecutor. M-O-R-E-N-O Ocampo O-C-A-M-P-O. So the article said Museveni, the Ugandan dictator, had contacted Kofi Annan, who was the secretary general of the UN, and asked him to block an ICC investigation. Apparently the ICC had launched

Adesoji Iginla (49:17.626)
I need to generalize the time. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (49:24.281)
What?

Milton Allimadi (49:26.335)
investigation of war crimes by Uganda's army under the command of Museveni as as commanding chief which of course would have resulted in a criminal indictment. So the article said Kofi Annan told Museveni that he does not have the powers to block a criminal investigation. So here is what happened.

Adesoji Iginla (49:50.778)
Hmm

Milton Allimadi (49:53.305)
since the Congo had already won and Uganda had been assessed liable for the crimes in the in the civil aspect right which is the ICJ definitely Museveni would have been indicted at the ICC which means that investigation was suspended just like the the trial of of Ruto right was suspended some people forget sometimes

Adesoji Iginla (50:10.798)
See, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (50:23.042)
suspended does not mean it disappears. It's just suspended. What I'm trying to suggest is that I would not be shocked if the current prosecutor, Khan, decides to lift the suspension of that investigation so that not only Kagame might face indictment, Museveni could also face indictment. In any case, since that

Adesoji Iginla (50:23.194)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (50:50.298)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (50:53.018)
Particular investigations, there been more subsequent crimes by Uganda soldiers in the Congo. So it could be a fresh indictment anyway, you see? So these are how things are shaping up.

Adesoji Iginla (50:57.09)
Yeah, yeah, of course, of course, of course, of course.

Adesoji Iginla (51:03.246)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (51:07.97)
Okay, I would go on and conclude. Turning to the situation for international justice more broadly, Khan insisted people should be on notice that the law has rules and even in conflict, people should not be bored as to disregard the law. Either we are going to go to this wild west that is not only in the DRC, but in other parts of the world, or we are going to stand firm and say,

Milton Allimadi (51:26.597)
Yes.

Milton Allimadi (51:30.276)
Yes.

Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (51:37.594)
We're in 2025, we're going to find a way to bring a new life, a new lease of life to the law and its relevance to people. If we think the law is only relevant to lawyers, we have lost. Khan asserted. In 2024, what you alluded to earlier, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its former defense minister, Yav Galant.

Milton Allimadi (51:37.636)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (52:05.69)
for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. On February 13, the United States imposed sanctions on Khan following an executive order by you know who, Donald Trump, that accused the ICC of illegitimate and baseless actions, targeting America and our close ally, Israel.

In March 2023, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding him responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Two months later, the ICC prosecutor was placed on Russia's wanted list. Khan is thus simultaneously targeted by an arrest warrant from Vladimir Putin and sanctions from Donald Trump. A unique situation, he admitted.

Milton Allimadi (52:48.195)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (53:01.016)
He said, the prosecutor concluded, we are trying to do our job and we keep on trying to endeavor to apply the law despite the inclement weather that we experience at the moment.

Milton Allimadi (53:11.779)
Yeah, no, I mean, as I said, I support the strong statements he's making. And many people, know there many Pan-Africans that say, why should the ICC have jurisdiction over African countries? There was criticism in the past, legitimately, that it was only targeting African rulers, which, you know, was a contradiction, because it's not like the rulers were innocent anyway.

Adesoji Iginla (53:18.009)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (53:39.578)
You

Milton Allimadi (53:40.1)
they were committing mass crimes. But the criticism was legitimate. That criticism no longer exists since arrest warrants have now been issued for Benjamin Netanyahu. So therefore, even those Pan-Africans should now support the court. Are you going to side with the dictators who are now allowing soldiers to rape even children in the Congo? Or are you going to side with the victims? That's the only question.

Adesoji Iginla (53:52.548)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (54:03.439)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (54:07.034)
Hmm. Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (54:08.056)
that any Pan-African that's still sitting on the wall needs to answer. And unfortunately, that note, I have to say my adieu, comrade, because I have to jump on this other call.

Adesoji Iginla (54:13.284)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (54:18.86)
Yes.

Okay. Yes, we've come to the end of another episode and thank you for coming through and he's going off for his birthday due and we'll see you all next week and from Comrade.

Milton Allimadi (54:41.11)
Luta Continua. Africa will prevail. We are the cradle of humanity.

Adesoji Iginla (54:43.15)
Victor Aseta and for me it's good night and see you next week.