Nightline Africa - November 03, 2024
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Good evening and welcome to Nightline Africa. We are coming to you live from the English to Africa service of The Voice of America. Thanks for joining us. I'm Peter Cloutier in Washington, D.C. For your next governor, Josh Stein. And for the next president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump intensified their campaigns ahead of Tuesday's elections. We mustn't become complacent. We mustn't take our democracy for granted. That will always deliver us the best leaders. Former Botswana President Kamala calls on citizens not to be complacent with the country's democracy. We're looking at energy deals or transactions.

almost worth about $18 billion are going to be signed at the African Energy Week, which is something that is bigly needed for Africa. And the annual African Energy Week kicks off in Cape Town, South Africa, beginning on Monday. Those stories and more coming up on Nightline Africa. ♪upbeat music playing♪

North Carolina is one of seven so-called swing states that could determine the next U.S. president. Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, and their surrogates have spent a lot of time campaigning in this southern state. Black Americans make up 22% of the population, and those voters could decide who gets North Carolina's 16 electoral college votes. Viewer's Raphael Sarkov has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.

In the days leading up to Election Day, former Democratic President Barack Obama came to North Carolina to campaign for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. He won this state in 2008 and wants to ensure it goes to Harris this election cycle. I'm here for a very important reason, and that is to ask you to vote for your next governor, Josh Stein, and for the next president of the United States of America,

Kamala Harris. Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city, has favored Democratic candidates in the last five presidential elections. More than one-third of the city's residents are African American, but they're not all interested in the same things as they prepare to vote.

My main issues are, of course, like the rights of women to have jurisdiction over their own bodies, rights pertaining to sexuality, LGBTQIA populations, as well as just people's rights in general. So I think like some concerning things for me always, of course, I guess African-American women are the way that my people's rights are protected. Making sure that underclass is also taken care of. You know, there's a lot going on where you want to raise taxes and, you know, you want to make sure different police officers are not getting arrested.

you know, penalized for what they're doing to African American young men and it's not fair. What's very important? The cost of living is very important to me. Just the way we live, you know, making it more affordable for us Americans.

At the Democratic Party office of Mecklenburg County, located in Charlotte, staff told VOA that as of October 24th, about 31% of African American voters had already cast their ballots. According to Leah Smart, senior organizer with the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, she has spoken with black voters who have voted for both candidates.

Some people feel that their vote is taken for granted, and it's not appreciated. They want the way that they think it should be. They're not sought after the way they think it should be. And I know a lot of our work here in MEC is trying to fix that. The Charlotte Republican Party office declined VOA's request for an interview. But Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance was recently here with an appeal to black Christians.

In some ways, this election is fundamentally about whether Christians are going to be allowed to live our faith, whether Christians are going to be allowed to advocate for our principles, and whether Christians are going to be able to raise our children and build communities that are consistent with our values.

Getting black voters to vote Republican has been historically difficult. Trump won only 8% of the black vote in 2020, but some polls show him making gains. And the religious message resonates with some black voters in North Carolina who overwhelmingly identify as Protestant or evangelical Christians. Just the nature of the people in North Carolina has always been as far as a Bible Belt.

He goes by the Bible in a lot of ways as far as the beliefs of the Bible. Obama, in turn, when speaking in Charlotte, emphasized that no president can fully eradicate racism or solve all problems. But politics, depending on whom people choose, can make lives better or worse. For Rafael Saakov in Charlotte, North Carolina, Anna Rice, VOA News.

The state of California has passed several laws attempting to regulate artificial intelligence. That includes AI used to create realistic-looking but manipulated audio or video known as DFX. This U.S. election season, the aim is to counter misinformation, but it has raised concerns about free speech. From California, Gina DeLute has the story.

Rigul Gupta is founder of the California company Deep Media. The company is developing technologies to detect content created by generative artificial intelligence. He says these two images illustrate the challenges of knowing what is real. This image of Donald Trump is a hyper-realistic fake.

Whereas this image of Joe Biden is authentic, as he briefly wore a Trump 2024 hat at the Pennsylvania fire station. We think that this is just the beginning, right? That as generative AI continues to get more accessible to everyday users and go beyond just within the realm of state-sponsored activity, we're going to see a massive, massive influx of generative AI misinformation.

As part of efforts to try to get ahead of that misinformation, California has enacted a series of laws, including one requiring social media platforms to screen election-related videos using machine-generated content and either remove them or label them manipulated content.

State Assembly member Mark Berman sponsored that law and says he understands concerns about how it might impact free speech rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment gives you the right to say what you want to. It does not give you the right to put your words in my mouth.

And that is what this technology does. And so it's very different than how we think of First Amendment or how we've thought of the First Amendment for centuries. The law exempts content that is satire or parody. That is not enough for free speech activist David Snyder. The platforms have their own First Amendment right to make editorial decisions about what is going to be published, what's not going to be published.

who to not allow onto the platform and who to allow on the platform as a business. Eugene Volokh is a First Amendment expert at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He agrees that deepfakes may deceive voters, but questions the law requiring social media platforms to police themselves. It places the burden on the platforms.

And that might well be seen as unduly restricting speech, because platforms, if faced with the risk of being punished for somebody else's speech, might in close cases say, well, you know, we're not sure it's a deep fake. Maybe it's true, but we just don't want to risk it and we'll take it down.

The new laws take effect next year. Volokh says they may be stuck in courts because federal statutes shield online platforms from responsibility for content generated by their users.

Tuesday's U.S. presidential election is shaping up to be unlike any the country has seen before. Security and intelligence officials warn that voters are facing a heightened and dynamic threat environment with dangers coming from both home and abroad. VUE National Security Correspondent Jeff Selden has more. With early voting underway, a nightmare scenario for election officials. Ballots in Washington state and Oregon literally going up in smoke.

"Our officers quickly determined that there was an incendiary device that had been attached to the ballot box and that is what ignited this fire." And officials are not ruling out the possibility of more trouble.

with more voters expected to cast ballots in person on election day. The message, though, try not to worry. Despite the fact that the threat environment has never been more complex, election infrastructure

has never been more secure and the election stakeholder community has never been better prepared. Since January of last year, federal, state and local officials have done more than 1,300 physical security assessments in addition to numerous exercises to prepare for almost any contingency. State and local election officials are looking at

past cases of concern, learning from them and that training and enablement across places like police departments, public safety officials and awareness, I think will also be helpful to reduce any likelihood of violence. Still, U.S. intelligence agencies say the threat remains. U.S. officials warn that the main foreign threats are what they call the big three, Russia, Iran and China.

They say Russian efforts are aimed at seeing former President Donald Trump return to the White House. Iran is seeking to hurt Trump and help Vice President Kamala Harris, seeing her as a lesser threat. U.S. intelligence has determined China has been mostly focused on congressional races.

Tech giant Microsoft confirming Chinese cyber actors have repeatedly targeted several Republican lawmakers who have been critical of Beijing. And some of the efforts seem bent on inspiring chaos. One declassified U.S. intelligence assessment warns Russia has plans to incite violence.

And Iran may try to foment violence as well. Russia, Iran and China have repeatedly denied such allegations. But the U.S. says it has proof, saying recent fake videos on social media purporting to show ripped-up ballots in Pennsylvania and immigrants claiming to vote multiple times in Georgia are the work of Russian influence actors. The videos have caused a stir.

Whether they're changing minds, that's harder to say. The successfulness, I would say, is quite small. We have not really seen these videos or this content break out beyond social media or on Telegram. For now, U.S. election and security officials are asking voters to tune out the noise of mis- and disinformation,

trying to assure them they can trust the election process and the results. Jeff Selden, VOA News, Washington.

Former Botswana President Serechakama Ian Kama is calling on citizens not to be complacent when it comes to the country's democracy and governance. He also asked citizens to demand accountability from the leaders they vote for. His remarks come after President Mokwiti Masisi called on opposition leader Duma Boko to concede defeat following the loss of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, or BDP, at the polls. They

The BDP had ruled the Southern African countries since it gained independence in 1966. For more reaction following the just-ended election, I reached former Botswana President Serete Kama Ian Kama via Microsoft Teams. It's embedded in what I would probably say sometimes in human nature. When you're somewhere...

too long, you become complacent, you take things for granted. You think that now people owe you instead of the fact that you owe them. And this is exactly what happened in the situation here where power went to this man's head and everything was about him and no one else. He was driven by self-interest.

And all the others just fell in line because the people he had around them came from the same kind of club that they just also assumed because he was doing it, they could also do it. And it went right across the party. I mean, it's so interesting right now. You'll see there are a lot of audio clips or text messages on social media by those party members stating that

that the reason they lost was because of X, Y, and Z, the things we've been saying for the last five to six years. And you say, but why are they saying it now? Why didn't they say it at the time?

But Mr. President, some people are blaming you. Your critics are saying you literally handpicked your successor. He was your vice president and you gave them, in spite of pieces of advice, that they are equally qualified people that you could choose from. I totally accept the blame. That is why I have consistently and regularly admitted to the nation publicly that I made a mistake. I

I apologize to them for having brought this upon the nation and that it is my responsibility to ensure that I fix my mistake by ensuring that he is removed from office. And that's what I've been doing the last year.

Six weeks since I returned to the country, I've been on an intensive campaign. I crisscrossed this country urging voters not to vote for this man because our future depends on ensuring that

we remove him and his cronies from office. Mr. President, what are your expectations of him? You've been there before. You were vice president, president. What are your expectations of him? Because he said he does not feel the people of Botswana. Of course. And I'm sure he means it. Because, you know, especially coming from this recent era,

where the people of Botswana were failed by this disastrous regime that we've just got rid of. I'm sure that's very much up in his mind, that the expectations on him and his party, his government, are going to be extremely high. Mr. President, before you go, what is your message to the people of Botswana? My message to people in Botswana is that we must take a lesson from what has happened.

Because we used to think we were immune from this kind of necessary leadership. We must make sure it never happens again.

We mustn't become complacent. We mustn't take our democracy for granted. That will always deliver us the best leaders. So in future going forward, whenever we are engaged and participate in the democratic process, we must try our best to ensure that there are checks and balances, that we don't have these kind of people who are driven by self-interest ever leading this country again.

Sarete Kama, Ian Kama is a former president of Botswana. He spoke with me from the Botswana capital, Habaroni. Hello, I'm Anthony Labrudo with VOA Africa. As the U.S. presidential election unfolds, all eyes are on key swing states that could tip the balance. My VOA Africa team and I are on the ground, tracking every vote from these decisive battlegrounds on November 5th.

From Atlanta, Georgia, I'll bring you live updates and results as they happen, only on DUA Africa.

The annual African Energy Week kicks off in Cape Town, South Africa, beginning November 4th, Monday, to 8th. Organized by the African Energy Chamber, the four-day meeting seeks to unite stakeholders, drive industry development and growth, as well as promote Africa as the destination for events focused on the continent. It also provides an opportunity for companies to share in-depth knowledge and exchange ideas with a targeted group of delegates.

Representatives of the African Energy Chamber say this year's event will promote dialogue and networking that could vastly reduce Africa's energy needs by 2030. For more on this year's meetings and expectations, I reach NJ Martin Ayuk. He is the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

I think it's just energy which is going to be monumental. We have seen Africa coming together with at least 7,800 people going to Cape Town. And I think a big part of it is energy growth,

and a just energy transition for Africa. Africans and international investors want to really see that there is energy growth to help us defeat energy poverty, and also we want a just energy transition, that as we transition to renewables, it is fair and it is just, and we also address climate justice issues.

How are Africans embracing this energy week? It's been huge. I think we've gone from having 800 to 1,500 to 3,000 people. Right now we have 7,000 African businesses coming to Cape Town, but also international energy companies.

African governments, international organizations. Prince William is going to be in Cape Town this week to get out the UK Foreign Secretary David Lame. And that tells you they'll be in the headshot company.

as well during, it's holding concurrently during Energy Week. That tells us what the high importance is being there. We're looking at energy deals or transactions almost worth about $18 billion are going to be signed at the African Energy Week, which is something that is

Bigly needed for African. So Africa Exit Bank is going to be signing a lot of multi-million dollar bills for African energy companies and the international energy companies from the United States, Europe, Russia, etc.

China and BRICS this year is playing an amazing role in trying to see that we drive that. And the U.S. government and the U.S. business have also been a central part of African Energy Week and they're going to sign a lot of transactions with African companies. What will be the focus of this year's African Energy Week as it takes place this week? Our big focus is going to be energy poverty.

600 million Africans don't have any access to electricity. 900 million don't have access to clean cooking technologies. We have to keep that focus on them, even as we ensure that corporations in Africa continue to make profit, but we also demanding that we see an environment. We

We have to deal with our both ground risk issues to make investments easy to Africa. Red tape. It shouldn't take so long to approve a project. And the time you need to build that project, we need to look at transparency issues, rule of law issues, and keep that focus and be very rigid on it. What should be the expectations of Africans about this year's African Energy Week?

The expectations of Africans should be us coming out of Energy Week, but Africans have it in united voice as we're going to cop in Baku, Azerbaijan on climate justice. Africans knowing that their energy sector is not going to sell out on them. NJ Martin Ayuk is the executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber. He spoke with me from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia, or ECN, is planning to distribute sensitive materials including ballot papers for the coming general election. That's after receiving printed papers for the presidential and parliamentary vote on November 27. It comes after opposition groups expressed concern about the lack of transparency surrounding the contract awarded to Renform, a Johannesburg-based company, to print the ballot papers.

Divet Mulauli Siluka, a spokesperson for the ECN, tells me that the electoral body has implemented measures to ensure integrity and transparency leading up to the elections. We received what we would symbolize as one of the key milestones in our democratic processes upon receiving elections.

the ballot papers for the 2024 presidential and national assembly elections that are scheduled to take place in November. And these were escorted to the ECN storage in the capital of Venduq. And they are under the watch of the Namibian police force. We have started with the packaging and the distribution of

the ballot papers for voting abroad and these ballot papers will be dispatched along with other election materials to all 35 namibian diplomatic missions abroad with the assistance of the ministry of

Are political parties who will be participating in this election satisfied with the processes so far, including observing the printing of the ballot papers? You know, it's politics. Politics and democracy are two different things, but they coincide.

Yes, some have expressed dissatisfaction, but as a commission, you know, we have tried from the word go to involve them in all our material tasks.

and they have been part and parcel of the decisions that the Commission has so far taken. In terms of bringing them along, have you addressed their specific concerns regarding the transparency of the election and the processes leading to it? Because some are expressing concern that if these issues are not addressed, it will even undermine the credibility of the elections that the Electoral Commission of Namibia is trying to administer.

Yes, we have addressed these issues. The first issue is they wanted to observe the production of ballot papers. So the Commission then extended an invitation to all representatives of registered political parties to go to South Africa job back and where they were observing the production of the ballot papers. And the Commission resorted to cover all the costs involved in the travelling, accommodation and meals.

Now, when the ballot boxes or ballot papers production was completed, the members of PLC have also requested to put their seal on the packaging of the ballot paper to ensure that indeed they are not tempered or the packaging is not tempered with. And that was allowed. We allowed them to put their seals. So when the ballot papers arrived yesterday, because they arrived through cargo,

and they arrived, the delegates came through with the passenger planes. So when they arrived, they inspected to ensure that their seals were not tempered. And then thereafter, they also observed the loading of the ballot papers onto the trucks where they were transported to the warehouse where they are stored and under the watch of the political parties.

Dived Mulauli Siluka is the spokesperson for the Electoral Commission of Namibia recently spoke with me from the capital, Vintok.

In Zambia, the governing United Party for National Development, or UPND, will partner with the opposition movement for multi-party democracy, or MMD, for the 2026 general election. Brendel Philip, the spokesperson of the MMD, says the core reason for the partnership is to ensure incumbent President Hakainda Hichelema wins re-election.

His comments come after opposition groups questioned the new coalition and accused Neves Mumba, the leader of the MMD, of being opportunistic and a sellout. The former vice president of the MMD sharply denied the accusations. For more on what the partnership entails and its prospect, I reach for Brendel Philip, the spokesperson of the MMD.

with our colleagues in the U.P.N.D. and the incumbent president doesn't, it's not something that has started now. It has not started while he's in state house, but it started when he was in a state prison. And it's also important to mention that our partnership is based on seven core values. Number one, to unite the nation, upholding the advancement of the rule of law, fight against corruption, amendment of the Public Order Act, upholding

upholding of Zambia as a Christian nation, protecting and preservation of Christian values are number seven, to fight corruption and tribalism.

And when we look at the promises that our colleagues made and when we work together, they have delivered on the promise. What entails in this partnership? Of course, it's to have Haka'i Ndeye Chilema win the election because this president has put us back on the path to economic recovery. You know, the programs that they've introduced. But there's a small clique of individuals involved.

headed by the former head of state who are making a lot of noise trying to formate confusion and destabilize the country. That is not the possible outcome that we want for the country and so we had to combine forces with our colleagues to ensure that Akahinde, who has put us back on the path to recovery, emerges as the winner in the 2026 election. Some are suggesting that

Dr. Neves Mumba is a sellout. That is why President Echeloma chose him to lead the Sadiq Pol Observer mission to monitor the elections in Zimbabwe, which they said culminated in the tensions between Lusaka and Harare. And that partnership has not served the people of Zambia well. Your reaction to that? When they are making alliances, it's not a sellout. It's only when Dr. Neves Mumba forms an alliance, that's when it becomes a sellout. I

I mean, cooperation is the way to go everywhere in Africa. People are forming alliances. It's important for democracy and for national development. So these are a few disgruntled creatures who distort the truth to suit their narrative because they want to project him as an opportunist who doesn't know what he's doing. But further from the truth, Dr. Nevis Mumba is not an opportunist. It's just that we can't go to bed together because our ideals are contrary.

with some of these political parties that are seeking to distort the truth and present Dr. Mumba in the bad light.

What do you say to critics who say that the MMD is a shell of itself and that there are so many divisions? One says it's the New Hope MMD, which is your group, and others are saying Dr. Mumba is not the real leader. There have been court battles and all that. So what does the MMD bring to the table that makes you confident that you will help the re-election of President Hakaida Hichelema?

First of all, you are aware that Dr. Mumba is a veteran politician who has served in various key government portfolios. He was vice president of this country, served as an outstanding diplomat. So he brings to the table a wealth of experience and knowledge that our colleagues can tap into. So he's bringing immense value. Dr. Mumba and the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy are bringing immense value to the table.

MMD doesn't have a splinter group or, you know, a faction group. The register of society in Zambia gave us and him a clean bill of wealth and recognized him as a legitimate leader of the movement for multi-party democracy. Brandel Philip is the spokesperson of the movement for multi-party democracy or MMD. He spoke with me from the Zambian capital, Lusaka. Music

The Director General of Liberia's Civil Service Agency says the administration has implemented new measures to ensure merit-based recruitment process in the government bureaucracy. Josiah Jokai says the move forms part of the effort to establish fairness and excellence as the West African country moves towards a more accountable government.

His comments came after Vice President Jeremiah Kpankun opened the National Civil Service Testing Center. Officials say it gives a significant boost to reforming the public service recruitment. For reaction to the new testing center and the ongoing reforms at the Liberia Civil Service, I reached Director General Josiah Jokai.

It means a lot for the public service, for governance in our country. You know, the civil service is a fulcrum of the government.

And so people who come to the Saver Service must possess the requisite skills and competence. And we've just been lacking, especially over the last six year period. People were just turned into the Saver Service, you know, without any competence or qualifications in critical positions.

Because what it did was in 2019, they suspended the civil service testing process. So what we did, the first thing when we talked about PETA eight months ago, we transformed the entire civil service examination process.

We automated the testing system. It is now a computer-based test shifting from the then paper-based process, which has serious constraints of integrity. How will this new system that you've implemented ensure transparency and accountability and that those who are hired are competent employees?

That's exactly the overarching goal to ensure a merit-based recruitment process, inducing competence in the process, in the hiring process, transparency in the hiring process. So we have automated the system. It's not a computer-based test, meaning that we have up to 27 cubicles set up in the center with 27 high-performance computers. The testing system is loaded.

All that a Canadian has to do is to book their tests online

giving their confirmation they will receive it instantly. Once you get a confirmation, you come on the date selected and then the time you come into the testing center, you will see monitors on the wall screens showing your test schedule, when you should start and everything. Once you sit in the cubicle, you know, designated for your test purposes and you log in, you provide the requested information, you go straight to your test that you book

And then the system has a way of generating all the questions that are tailored directly to the test that you book. And if you fill the test, you will not get the certificate. But if you pass the test, you will get the

the automated certificate instantly. The vice president called on stakeholders to embrace the value of fairness and excellence as the government moves towards a more accountable government. As the head of civil service, how do you ensure that this testing process works in tandem with what the government is looking for? Absolutely. We are making sure that there's complete integrity, there's transparency in the process. We were not involved

in developing the questions, the bank of questions. We were not involved in setting up the system. It was independently done and turned over to us officially at the inauguration of the system by the vice president. So what we are doing now is working with different sectors of government to make sure that people who we hire into their institutions, we have to produce the resources

certificate from the civil service examination process that will ensure that across government, not just the civil service, but now the public service, meaning that across government, people entering the system must produce the civil service examination certificate as a foundational requirement for applying and getting jobs in the public service.

Josiah Jokai is the Director General of Liberia's Civil Service Agency. He spoke with me from the capital, Monrovia. In Sierra Leone, a new group called the Lawyer Society is saying it aims to defend the rule of law and democracy. It follows the recent dispute over the outcome of the election for the top leadership of the Sierra Leone Bar Association. Local media reports say disgruntled members of the bar who expressed concern about the influence of politicians on the affairs of the group

decided to break away to form a parallel organization. But Augustin Mara, the president of the newly launched The Law Society, denies the group is a parallel organization to the Sierra Leone Bar Association. He tells me that the new group will complement the efforts of the bar. A decision by lawyers to come together and create a platform whereby lawyers can advocate, promote and defend the rule of law in Sierra Leone.

Because mind you, this comes against the backdrop of the sagging confidence in the legal sector in Sierra Leone, and the fact that the accusations which were levied against lawyers in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports that lawyers were largely silent

when injustices and bad governance were being perpetrated prior to the civil war. So lawyers now think that we must turn to a new page

As president of this new, what many say is a parallel group, that you have a group, Saraloon Bar Association, that has been in existence for at least over 60 years. Why form a parallel group if you can strengthen it? Because you've been a member of the group for at least 15 years, your critics say.

Absolutely. I mean, it's not a parallel group. It's a complementary group. So what we're seeking to do is to have many players in terms of the focus on the defence side.

of democracy in Sierra Leone and good governance. But what we're seeking to do is not to cancel out the Bar Association. The Bar Association has been around for over half a century. But we understand that there have been many challenges with the Bar Association. As we speak now, we have a matter in the courts, in the High Court of Sierra Leone, which

was bought by the purported executive of the BAS. So there's been a lot of challenges with the BAS Association. And mind you, the BAS Association has not been doing...

very well in terms of the very core mandate for which it was set up. But don't you think the broader umbrella of the Bar Association could handle this aspect rather than form what you call a complementary group? I'm sure that you know, Peter, that they say the muddy mayor. What we face now as a country and as a legal profession, I

are enormous challenges. We think that no particular one entity can address the problems that we are confronted with. We need many players, and that is why lawyers and members generally have realized the need to set up a law society. Augustin Mara is the president of the newly launched The Law Society. He spoke with me from the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown. ♪

This is The Voice of America and you are listening to Nightline Africa. I'm your host Peter Klote in Washington. Coming up in the second half of Nightline Africa, a commentary by Dr. James Jonah, former UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs and Music from African Collection. But first...

Now let's take a closer look at Africa, the problems, the prospects in time of conflict, in time of peace. Here's one man's point of view with Dr. James Jonah, former UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs. Hello, Dr. Jonah. Good evening, Africa. Last week, the Democratic Party of Botswana suffered a serious defeat at the polls. The new party on the block, the Ombudsman,

The Umbrella Democracy for Change is headed by Mr. Tuma Roko, a lawyer specializing in human rights. The party which had lasted for 58 years as the governing party lost this time. It was somewhat

a surprise to many Batuians. Even at elections that are being waged, some believe that the ruling party might lose some votes, but they can only expect a hung parliament believing that the party will survive. But no, this time,

This devastating defeat has been assessed by many people of Botswana as a result of too much arrogance by the ruling party and complacency. Being in power for 58 years, they have come to believe that they will not be defeated at the polls.

Yes.

The one major silver lining in the problems of

Of the ruling party now in the opposition is that he immediately, the president immediately called Mr. Boko and accepted defeat and pledged to him a swift changeover of government.

ensuring that there will be peaceful, democratic change in Botswana after 58 years of the ruling party which is now in a position. In taking this stand, Zalmasari followed the example of George Weah of Liberia, who to quickly recognize the seat and called the leader of the position now the president in Liberia and offered

also full cooperation in the peaceful transfer of power in Liberia. Hopefully this gesture by two African politicians may encourage the political class of the United States to use their best efforts

to ensure that after the elections in a few days in the United States, they would have peaceful transfer of power. On the other hand, many in Britain would be concerned that there is an intrigue question or concern. They would ask,

and said why this year's presidential and legislative elections fall on the 6th of November. You may not know that all British people are taught in the early years of their lives. We be warning November 3rd of November 3rd. It's called Guy Fawkes Day in Britain and it's celebrated every year because that was the day

In the year 1605, that a power block, a powder block, was discovered in the cellar of the parliament. These religious fanatics at the time were planning to blow up parliament building, hoping that in the process they might kill the sovereign James. That's why they might be intrigued that the election of all elections in the United States will be held on that day. I thank you.

That was one man's point of view, a commentary by Dr. James June, a former UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs. And it's Sunday on Nightline Africa. This is the time we get to relax and reflect. A flashback with music from the continent. Music

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Bye.

I ain't got no time for ya, only vibes for ya. You got me smiling with my people and I'm loving it. You see me genie, I'm a nazi, I'm emotional. The second feeling I can't find and I'm devotional. You can find me by the ocean chilling for hours. I know I'm not the type to wait, I'll go alone.

I got plans for you. If you can bust them. Oh, yeah.

I got my trust in God, so don't ever call me bro. You trying to finish me, I'ma treat you like a

Hey, one time for TZ. And why they scream my name? Cause I run my CT. I ain't worried about the fame. Cause I'm live, I'm lit. Catch me smiling on the stage. Your girl call me pretty. Wait. You can find me by the ocean chilling for hours. I know I'm not the type to wait. I won't. Not tango, lia, uki, fika, baby. Just holler. But if you don't come through, it's

I ain't got no

Your legs don't work like they used to before. And I can't sweep you off of your feet. Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? Will your eyes still smile from your cheek? And darling, I've been loving you since you're 17. Baby, my heart still falls off when it reads. Fall in love and miss you.

And that was our Sunday Music Spot. Hope you enjoyed the music from Midland Africa here at the English to Africa service of the Voice of America in Washington.

Nightline Africa comes to you from the English to Africa service of the Voice of America. Hope you enjoy the program tonight. As you know, by now we are on Saturdays and Sundays at 16 and 18 hours UTC. From the Nightline Africa team, including producer Nicole Peterson, engineer The Great Bob Baz, we say thanks for joining us. And remember, as the elders say, a person who sells eggs should not start a fight at the marketplace. I'm your host, Peter Klote in Washington.

Good evening, Africa. I'll just keep on making the same. Understand.