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IOL News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Fifth Season of Dreaming in Color Podcast Spotlights Africa's Visionary Leaders
The Bridgespan Group's podcast returns with powerful stories from across the continent, celebrating African innovation, cultural identity, and values-driven leadership. From township changemakers to continent-shaping visionaries, Season 5 of Dreaming in Color is here and shining a spotlight on African brilliance. Powered by The Bridgespan Group, Dreaming in Color is a podcast that elevates the voices and experiences of leaders of color in the social sector. The launch of its fifth season today, will see leaders from across the continent showcasing the brilliance African leaders have to offer. While earlier seasons focused on pathfinders in the US, the latest season shifts to Africa, featuring leaders from South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. Bridgespan Partner and host Darren Isom, alongside guest host and Johannesburg-based Bridgespan Manager Elisabeth Makumbi, traveled across the continent to engage with leaders who are advancing social change and positioning Africa as a rising force in global innovation and values-based leadership. 'These conversations are a powerful reminder that the future of global leadership is being shaped across the African continent,' said Isom. 'Through Dreaming in Color, we're not just sharing stories—we're celebrating a movement of visionaries who are reimagining what's possible for their communities and for the world.' The season trailer, was released on Africa Day (May 25), provides a glimpse into this season's themes, which include entrepreneurship and innovation, Indigenous knowledge, healing, and community power. Episodes will be released every Thursday across all major streaming platforms. The guests, in order of appearance, are: June 5: Semhar Araia, Eritrean-American activist and CEO founder, Diaspora Academy June 12: Leila Ben Gacem, social entrepreneur and general director, Tunistoric (Tunisia) June 19: Legketho Makola, chief operations officer, The Market Theatre Foundation (South Africa) June 26: Tom Osborn, co-founder and CEO, Shamiri Institute (Kenya) July 3: Nwabisa Mayema, social entrepreneur (South Africa) July 10: Ore Disu, founding director, the Institute of the Museum of West African Art (Nigeria) July 17: Madji Sock, co-founder and president, Haskè Ventures (Senegal) July 24: Feven Teshaye, founder, Chakka Origins (Ethiopia) July 31: Farah Mami, president, Tunisia Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization August 7: Tijan Watt, co-founder and managing partner, Wuri Ventures (Senegal) 'We're proud to spotlight exceptional African leaders whose voices too often go unheard on global stages,' said Makumbi. 'What makes this season especially meaningful is its broad regional representation—from Anglophone to Francophone countries—connecting the global African diaspora to the continent through shared legacies and rich cultural identities.' Learn more about Dreaming in Color: About The Bridgespan Group The Bridgespan Group ( is a global nonprofit that collaborates with social change organizations, philanthropists, and impact investors to make the world more equitable and just. Bridgespan's services include strategy consulting and advising, sourcing and diligence, and leadership team support. We take what we learn from this work and build on it with original research, identifying best practices and innovative ideas to share with the social sector. We work from locations in Boston, Johannesburg, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, and Washington, DC. Contact: Shikha Kumar Manager, Asia & Africa Media and External Communications The Bridgespan
IOL News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Fifth Season of Dreaming in Color Podcast Spotlights Africa's Visionary Leaders
The Bridgespan Group's podcast returns with powerful stories from across the continent, celebrating African innovation, cultural identity, and values-driven leadership. From township changemakers to continent-shaping visionaries, Season 5 of Dreaming in Color is here and shining a spotlight on African brilliance. Powered by The Bridgespan Group, Dreaming in Color is a podcast that elevates the voices and experiences of leaders of color in the social sector. The launch of its fifth season today, will see leaders from across the continent showcasing the brilliance African leaders have to offer. While earlier seasons focused on pathfinders in the US, the latest season shifts to Africa, featuring leaders from South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. Bridgespan Partner and host Darren Isom, alongside guest host and Johannesburg-based Bridgespan Manager Elisabeth Makumbi, traveled across the continent to engage with leaders who are advancing social change and positioning Africa as a rising force in global innovation and values-based leadership. 'These conversations are a powerful reminder that the future of global leadership is being shaped across the African continent,' said Isom. 'Through Dreaming in Color, we're not just sharing stories—we're celebrating a movement of visionaries who are reimagining what's possible for their communities and for the world.' The season trailer, was released on Africa Day (May 25), provides a glimpse into this season's themes, which include entrepreneurship and innovation, Indigenous knowledge, healing, and community power. Episodes will be released every Thursday across all major streaming platforms. The guests, in order of appearance, are: June 5: Semhar Araia, Eritrean-American activist and CEO founder, Diaspora Academy June 12: Leila Ben Gacem, social entrepreneur and general director, Tunistoric (Tunisia) June 19: Legketho Makola, chief operations officer, The Market Theatre Foundation (South Africa) June 26: Tom Osborn, co-founder and CEO, Shamiri Institute (Kenya) July 3: Nwabisa Mayema, social entrepreneur (South Africa) July 10: Ore Disu, founding director, the Institute of the Museum of West African Art (Nigeria) July 17: Madji Sock, co-founder and president, Haskè Ventures (Senegal) July 24: Feven Teshaye, founder, Chakka Origins (Ethiopia) July 31: Farah Mami, president, Tunisia Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization August 7: Tijan Watt, co-founder and managing partner, Wuri Ventures (Senegal) 'We're proud to spotlight exceptional African leaders whose voices too often go unheard on global stages,' said Makumbi. 'What makes this season especially meaningful is its broad regional representation—from Anglophone to Francophone countries—connecting the global African diaspora to the continent through shared legacies and rich cultural identities.' Learn more about Dreaming in Color: About The Bridgespan Group The Bridgespan Group ( is a global nonprofit that collaborates with social change organizations, philanthropists, and impact investors to make the world more equitable and just. Bridgespan's services include strategy consulting and advising, sourcing and diligence, and leadership team support. We take what we learn from this work and build on it with original research, identifying best practices and innovative ideas to share with the social sector. We work from locations in Boston, Johannesburg, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, and Washington, DC. Contact: Shikha Kumar Manager, Asia & Africa Media and External Communications The Bridgespan Group[email protected]
The Citizen
7 days ago
- The Citizen
Help find Hennie: Family offers monetary reward for information
POLOKWANE – A reward of R5 000 is being offered to anyone with reliable information that can lead to the whereabouts of Hendrick 'Hennie' van Zyl (32). Van Zyl left his home in Polokwane on June 7 and was en route to the Greenery Shopping Centre at the time of his disappearance. Read more: Polokwane police search for missing man Hendrick van Zyl This is according to his cousin, Chris Barnard, who told the Polokwane Review-Observer that the family hopes the monetary reward will increase the chances of his cousin being found, as he has been missing for seven days now. At around 13:00 on June 7, van Zyl informed his grandparents that he would walk to the shopping center and return in about 30 minutes but never made it home. This prompted the family to file a missing person's docket three days later at the Polokwane Police Station. Van Zyl left home dressed in a green check shirt, a brownish jacket, blue jeans and black sneakers, the family representative confirmed. Barnard said Van Zyl started working as a fleet manager for a popular vehicle tracking company this June and has also worked for a Johannesburg-based medical facility. 'He is a kind soul but he needs his family, as his aunt, my mother, passed away three months ago, which has had an impact on him very much like the rest of the family,' Barnard said. Polokwane Community-Policing Forum chairperson Rudolph Phaswana said photos of Van Zyl were posted across many local community social media platforms with no results. Those with information are requested to contact the investigating officer Sgt Mokgadi Molope on 082 728 9831, the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPSApp. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Loaded for Bear: African Parks has disgracefully sent more SA rhinos to repressive Rwanda
Much of Africa's wildlife lies within the borders of states with questionable governance or human rights records. But some lines can be drawn in the sand. The Kigali regime stands out for the sheer scale of its repression and the regional instability it has unleashed. Many conservation groups in Africa have a human rights problem. Pointedly, they often stand accused of being more concerned about the plight of Africa's animals than that of its people. This perception has been further entrenched by African Parks' announcement this week that it has just translocated another 70 white rhinos from South Africa to Rwanda – a sinister state that has been credibly linked to the killing of dissidents on South African soil. When African Parks, a Johannesburg-based NGO, announced in 2021 that it had relocated 30 white rhinos to Rwanda's Akagera National Park, I criticised it at the time in this publication, noting that those rhinos would be safer than the country's dissidents. That observation still holds and, if anything, Rwanda under the autocratic rule of Paul Kagame has become even more of a pariah state with its documented support for the M23 rebels in neighbouring DRC. The diabolical nature of the Rwandan regime under Kagame has been clinically dissected in veteran journalist Michela Wrong's troubling 2021 book, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad. 'Do Not Disturb' was the sign placed on the room door at the posh Sandton Hotel where Patrick Karegeya, once Rwanda's head of external intelligence, was found murdered more than a decade ago. But what's the murder of a dissident or two or three – or a dozen for that matter – between friends? African Parks sees no issue with shaking hands with the devil if it advances its conservation agenda – which is disturbing. 'In 2021, African Parks moved 30 southern white rhinos to Akagera National Park. This initial population has increased to 41 animals today. Building on this success, the additional 70 animals will now play a crucial role in ensuring the presence of meta-populations across the continent, presenting opportunities for future range expansion,' African Parks said. It's all about the animals! It's like African Parks is living in a bubble, completely disconnected from the odious nature of the state it has chosen as a conservation partner. But that's perhaps not surprising, given the NGO's track record elsewhere in Africa. Last month it acknowledged that some of its eco-rangers had committed human rights abuses against the Baka community in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo, based on the findings of an independent investigation it had commissioned to probe the allegations. 'African Parks acknowledges that, in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering caused to the victims. There is no place for any form of abuse in the name of conservation,' it said. There may be 'no place' for this kind of abuse 'in the name of conservation'. But if the state you have chosen to host a rhino conservation project is a serial human rights abuser, there is nothing to see here, folks. The rhinos will be fine! What will grab the headlines is that this is the largest translocation of its kind. African Parks has also been involved in a previous megafauna translocation which was billed as the 'largest of its kind'. In July 2022, 263 elephants were moved from Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi to Kasungu National Park, which borders Zambia along a frontier which has no fence. African Parks has since distanced itself from this project, but it certainly claimed some of the credit at the time. As I reported from the Zambian side of the park in 2024, this misconceived translocation has transformed the landscape into one of fear and loathing for the poor rural people who live there. Human-wildlife conflict is raging there, with a mounting death toll among both people and elephants. The big critters that have just been moved to Rwanda come from the 2,000-strong herd that African Parks bought in 2023 from rhino tycoon John Hume. Largely because of the efforts of the private sector, South Africa has enough rhinos for 'rewilding' efforts elsewhere, which broadly aim to restore wildlife populations to former ranges. Rwanda, by the way, is not a former white rhino range state. It is indeed the case that much of Africa's wildlife lies within the borders of states with questionable governance or human rights records. I recently covered first-hand the translocation of South African cheetahs to Mozambique, where last year's elections were hotly disputed, sparking nationwide protests. And let's face it, the ruling Frelimo party has followed other African liberation movements down the well-trodden path of corruption and misrule. But some lines can be drawn in the sand. Mountain gorillas, for example, are only found in Rwanda and neighbouring Uganda and the DRC, and so conservation efforts for this species need to be focused in those countries, regardless of the governments in power. That is not the case with white rhinos. There are plenty of other African countries where they can be translocated to and protected. The Kigali government stands out for the sheer scale of its repression and the regional instability it has unleashed. And Kagame has an instinctive understanding of what is important to the West. The rhino project comes with the prestige he craves, adding another layer of legitimacy to his regime – which does keep the streets of Kigali clean. Kagame got 99% of the vote in Rwanda's 2024 elections and unlike in Mozambique, no one was going to raise an eyebrow about that result, let alone lead a protest in the streets.
Daily Maverick
10-06-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Dozens of rhinos rescued and relocated from SA reach Rwanda after two-day journey
The Johannesburg-based African Parks non-profit conservation group said the move was part of a strategic 10-year plan to rewild rhinos to safe, suitable and well-managed protected areas of Africa. After a two-day journey by air and truck, 70 captive-bred rhinos from South Africa have entered new territory in Rwanda's Akagera National Park. The translocation is part of the Rhino Rewild operation to rescue and relocate nearly 2,000 captive-bred white rhinos purchased by the African Parks group in 2023 from erstwhile Krugersdorp rhino baron John Hume. They are the first animals from Hume's captive-bred population to be relocated outside South Africa, after more than 160 other rhinos were moved to the Munywana private game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, several private reserves adjoining Kruger National Park and the Dinokeng Game Reserve outside Pretoria. The latest destination may raise some eyebrows, considering that Rwanda has one of the highest human population densities in mainland Africa and also because similar rhino translocations to several other nations on the continent in previous decades ended with their local extinction due to rampant horn poaching. During 2018, at least four black rhinos died after being moved from South Africa to the Zakouma National Park in Chad, apparently because they failed to adapt to the plant diet in their new environment. However, the Johannesburg-based African Parks non-profit conservation group said the latest move was part of a strategic 10-year plan to rewild rhinos to safe, suitable and well-managed protected areas of Africa. African Parks, which manages 23 protected wildlife areas in 13 countries covering more than 20 million hectares, said wildlife and veterinary experts had conducted detailed risk assessments before the latest move. More significantly, African Parks moved 30 other white rhinos to Akagera National Park four years ago. This initial population has grown to 41 animals. 'Building on this success, the additional 70 animals will now play a crucial role in ensuring the presence of meta-populations across the continent, presenting opportunities for future range expansion,' said African Parks in a media statement on 10 June. As an additional measure to improve their ability to adapt to their new home, the captive-bred rhinos were initially moved within South Africa to the Munywana Conservancy. 'This preliminary stage of rewilding exposed the rhino to naturally occurring diseases such as trypanosomiasis and climatic conditions similar to Akagera,' said African Parks. The final phase of the 3,400km journey involved the rhinos being transported by truck in steel crates to King Shaka International Airport in Durban. From there, they were flown to Kigali International Airport in a Boeing 747 and finally transported to Akagera National Park by road. Complex operation 'The entire journey from Munywana to Akagera took approximately two days for each of the two groups of rhino, with continuous monitoring of their wellbeing by veterinary teams. 'Translocations are highly complex operations that demand months of meticulous planning and thorough risk assessments by world-renowned translocation and veterinary experts prior to implementation,' said African Parks. The rhinos' health and behaviour will be monitored by a dedicated veterinary team for several weeks to ensure that they adapt to their new environment and recover from any stress associated with the move. The 112,000ha Akagera National Park (established in 1934) is slightly bigger than the 96,000ha Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal, from where all the world's remaining southern white rhinos originate. Following the Rwandan Civil War and genocide of the Tutsi population, nearly 60% of Akagera was deproclaimed when large areas of the park were reallocated as farmland for returning refugees. Akagera's wildlife was heavily affected by rampant poaching, with lions being eradicated by returning pastoralists protecting their cattle. Since 2010, African Parks says it has overhauled law enforcement efforts and dramatically curbed poaching in the park. Though Rwanda's best-known wildlife attractions are the gorillas in the Virunga Mountains, made famous by Dian Fossey's 'Gorillas in the Mist', Akagera, which lies at the extreme west of the country's border with Tanzania (close to Lake Victoria), has been described as 'the last remaining refuge for savannah-adapted animals and plants in Rwanda'. Peter Fearnhead, the CEO of African Parks, said, 'We greatly appreciate the Rwanda government's partnership and visionary conservation efforts, along with the invaluable support from the Howard G Buffett Foundation, in making this translocation a reality. 'There are numerous risks that still remain, but with the safe arrival of all 70 animals, and with a dedicated Akagera park management team, they have a real opportunity to thrive. The coming months of intensive monitoring will be critical to ensuring the long-term adaptation of these rhino to their new home.' DM
