Africa Press Review 21 April 2018

Unrest over Premier Supra Mahumapelo is making headlines in South Africa while the curious case of a German woman who turned herself "black" has made it into Kenyan newspapers.

We start off in South African where unrest in the North West is still making headlines...

President Cyril Ramaphosa said: "No resolution has yet been reached by the ANC on the concerns in the province that spurred protest action in Mahikeng" writes The Mail & Guardian before explaining that protests once again irrupted when people found out the ANC wanted more time to deal with "issues raised” on corruption in the province, which involved allegations against Premier Supra Mahumapelo.

Another article in The Mail & Guardian looks at what people really want from the ANC in a region where "there is no community centre, so [the] citizens meet under streetlights where they talk about their children who have no school toilets.". One community leader in Danville tells the paper "It’s 24 years into our new democratically elected government, and nothing has changed for us”.

Meanwhile the Sowetan headlines "Supra Mahumapelo survives‚ but ANC looking into calls for him to go" Ramaphosa has asked the people of Mahikeng to remain calm and said that they were speedily resolving the issues they have raised.

He said "We want to base our decision on evidence, proper analysis and evaluation so that when we come to a decision we have looked at everything that has to do with all the issues and then we will be able to take decision".

Calls for change are also occurring in Kenya where The Daily Nation looks at "a new push to review the 2010 Constitution pitting key Jubilee and opposition leaders against a camp allied to Deputy President William Ruto."

Addressing the public at Khayega market in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, two days earlier, Dr Mutua said there was need to amend the constitution to create more political positions.

“One shouldn’t die politically just because he failed to clinch a seat he or she vied for, they should also be integrated somewhere else to serve the people,”
Mr Oparanya on the other hand called for amendments to the constitution to create the Prime Minister’s post to ensure all the tribes are represented.

Over in Uganda, The Daily Monitor looks at how Police leadership has "recognised and promoted two Commonwealth gold medallists, Joshua Cheptegei and Stella Chelangat from the rank Special Police Constables (SPC) to Inspector of Police (IP)."

Their colleague,Mercyline Chelangat who scooped a bronze medal at the Gold Coast, Australia event, was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector of Police.

A curious story has emerged in Kenya. That of a German woman with connections to the east African country who has become black. Martina Big, 29,  is described by The Standard as a former blond and blue-eyed air hostess who was fed up of being white and set out on a journey to become black.

"How did she do it you ask ? "Late last year, she went for a life-threatening melanin injection – a procedure outlawed by many countries – and completely changed her complexion. She went from blond to the deepest shade of black. She also installed a 50-tubed sun bed in her house, to accelerate her blackness, and believes her children will be born black. "

Last month she embarked on her Maiden visit to Kenya and now says she plans to go by her ‘new baptismal’ Kenyan name: Malaika Mkubwa.

Martina who in 2012 already had a boob job, and now wears a weave is intending to have her nose widened and her backside enhanced.

The Standard notes that the Race Equality Foundation, a European organisation that champions racial equality criticised her attempt to be black saying “She has “limited understanding” of challenges ethnic minority groups face. Her story distracts from problems black people face,”