Only in Effrika

[OneHungLow]

Belated South African shame.

[ricardian]

African Homemade Airplanes

Some creative Africans have managed to do the impossible by making airplanes out of scraps, they are the cheapest airplanes and some do manage to fly, this is a compilation of DIY homemade airplanes/ aircraft from Africa and they are amazing inventions

[tango15]

African Homemade Airplanes

Some creative Africans have managed to do the impossible by making airplanes out of scraps, they are the cheapest airplanes and some do manage to fly, this is a compilation of DIY homemade airplanes/ aircraft from Africa and they are amazing inventions

OMG! Africa is not a continent that you generally credit with engineering expertise. They seem to have great difficulty in keeping the manufactured machines airworthy.

[OneHungLow]

African Homemade Airplanes

Some creative Africans have managed to do the impossible by making airplanes out of scraps, they are the cheapest airplanes and some do manage to fly, this is a compilation of DIY homemade airplanes/ aircraft from Africa and they are amazing inventions

OMG! Africa is not a continent that you generally credit with engineering expertise. They seem to have great difficulty in keeping the manufactured machines airworthy.

I was amazed to see that one helicopter actually became airborne! Sadly dynamic rollover destroyed the aircraft as he attempted to land.




Of course Africa has produced a very potent helicopter indeed!



We did steal a bit of the technology from the French but...

[ricardian]

SA Parliament from YouTube

[tango15]

On a South African Airways flight from London to Johannesburg, a British passenger in first class asked the African stewardess for black pepper.
She initially seemed flummoxed.
Some time later she returned with a copy of The Sowetan, a newspaper aimed primarily at black readership.

[Boac]

Lucky he wasn't charged with a racist remark...................

[Woody]

CPT, high tech runway cleaning team this afternoon, after a TAAG 737 dumped hydraulic fluid on the runway earlier.

[OneHungLow]

CPT, high tech runway cleaning team this afternoon, after a TAAG 737 dumped hydraulic fluid on the runway earlier.

Always good to see the "wekkers wekking!"

[OneHungLow]

Meanwhile another Muslim extremist outrage in Africa. This time in Uganda.

Tributes have been paid to a British man and his South African wife after they were killed in an "ambush" at a Ugandan safari park while on their honeymoon.

David and Celia Barlow were touring the Queen Elizabeth National Park in the southwest of the country when they and their local guide were gunned down by a group with alleged links to Islamic State, Ugandan police said.

Their bodies were found near their burnt-out Jeep on Tuesday evening. A picture posted by Uganda’s police showed the four-wheel vehicle with flames and smoke billowing from its bonnet, with the attack described as “cowardly” by president Yoweri Museveni.

Tributes have begun to flood in for the couple, who lived in the village of Hampstead Norreys in Berkshire, with local parish council chairman Mr Barlow being described as a "lovely neighbour" with a keen sense of humour.

After meeting Mr Barlow through Hampstead Norreys Cricket Club five years ago, Oliver Laurence became friends with the couple, describing them as “fantastically incredible people who were both well-loved within the community”.

Mr Laurence, who is now club secretary, told The Independent: “We are all grappling with this news, and numb.

“At the moment, it’s about Dave and Celia’s family and close friends and supporting everyone during what is a very tragic, upsetting, distressing event – which, for any small community in West Berkshire, is going to take a minute for us to come back from.”

He spoke of his “heartbreak” at the reality that “these two people just got married”. He said the pair, who he believed were in their 50s, had been together for a decade.

In a statement on behalf of Hampstead Norreys Cricket Club, Mr Laurence said: “We have learned this morning of the tragic deaths of Dave and Celia Barlow. Both were honeymooning in Uganda.

“Dave has been a constant around the Hampstead Norreys Cricket Club for many, many years, and among the many of us who had the privilege to share a joke with him, play cricket with him, and watch as he took wicket after wicket with his famously slow action was a treat.

“He was at the time this incident occurred with the most important person in his life, a woman who we all knew so well, as Dave was so proud to share all of Celia’s achievements.

“She too was an amazing human being, who will be desperately missed. Lord Barlow as we fondly know him by will be with us forever. The entire club’s thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Celia’s families right now.

“I was so excited at the future of HNCC with Dave by my side as our chairman. I will, we will, take a moment before moving forward. But, I know deep down Dave would want us to thrive, and we will in time honour him in the right way, and at the right time move forward as he would want. Right now though, it’s about his family, and close friends and all of us.”

In a Facebook post, one friend described the Barlows as a “lovely couple”, while another wrote that she had known Mr Barlow since attending The Downs school 40 years ago.

Richard Davies, a churchwarden at St Mary’s Church, wrote on its Facebook page: “We wake today with a heavy heart and the deepest sorrow to hear the devastating news of the death of Dave and Celia Barlow. This is for so many of us, incomprehensible.

“Our thoughts are with their families, their much loved friends and all who knew them in Hampstead Norreys and our wider community. We also remember the family of their Ugandan guide, who was also killed. Words cannot express how to react to this dreadful news.”

Hampstead Norreys Parish Council spoke of the village’s shock at the death of Mr Barlow, describing him as “a pillar of the community”.

In a statement, they said: “Our community is currently in shock at this terrible news.

“David was an exceptional chairman who served Hampstead Norreys Parish Council for more than a decade. He was a pillar of the community, always prioritising their needs, especially during the flooding incidents that affected the village. He was a strong advocate for the local schools, and his life was dedicated to the betterment of the community where he grew up and lived.

“It is difficult to express in words the extent of his contributions, and the village will undoubtedly be poorer without him. On behalf of the council and the local community, we would like to extend our condolences to David and Celia’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

In a statement released on X on Wednesday, Uganda’s president described the attack as a “cowardly act on the part of the terrorists attacking innocent civilians and tragic for the couple who were newlyweds and visiting Uganda on their honeymoon”.

He vowed that Ugandan forces would track down those responsible for the deaths, saying the terrorists “will pay with their own wretched lives”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 31901.html

[G-CPTN]

He vowed that Ugandan forces would track down those responsible for the deaths, saying the terrorists “will pay with their own wretched lives”.

[/quote]

Not very Christian, but I suppose just for Muslims.

[llondel]

Both were honeymooning in Uganda.

Interesting choice of words. Just trying to get my brain around the concept of going separately.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Oh, my goodness me.
Are you still trying to apply logic to the media?

Nah, just pointing out their lack of it.

Used to have a girlfriend near Hampstead Norreys - lovely place, great pub.

[OneHungLow]

South African Company Producing New COIN Aircraft

The first Mwari surveillance and precision strike aircraft, originally known as the AHRLAC, has been spotted in Mozambique, sporting Mozambican markings.

In March 2023 the aircraft, which can be used in counterinsurgency or COIN operations, was spotted in Cabo Delgado province. Flight tracking data showed it flying around Nacala at the end of January 2023.

The aircraft are being produced by Paramount Aerospace Industries of South Africa. Paramount in September 2022 said that four aircraft were on the production line at the Wonderboom Airport factory near Pretoria, and there were orders for nine of the aircraft from two customers. The aircraft are designed to compete with other small propeller-driven craft, particularly the successful Brazilian-made Embraer A-29 Super Tucano. There are more than 260 Super Tucanos in service around the world, including in Mauritania and Nigeria.

The Mwari has been under development for more than a decade. It is the first newly designed manned military aircraft in South Africa since the Rooivalk attack helicopter first went into service in 1999. Production was delayed in February 2019 after problems that included contractual, intellectual property and funding disputes. A rescue plan was developed, and production resumed in September 2022.

The Mwari is marketed as a relatively inexpensive alternative to high-end military aircraft for surveillance, maritime patrol and counterinsurgency operations. It also can be used for training. It has a service ceiling of up to 9.5 kilometres and offers a maximum cruise speed of 460 kilometres per hour, a mission range of more than 1 000 kilometres with ordnance, and an overall flight time of up to 6.5 hours.

Company officials say the aircraft also offers a short takeoff and landing capability, with retractable landing gear optimized for semi- and unprepared airstrips or sites. The aircraft features an unusual twin-boom, single-pusher engine and high-mounted forward-swept wing configuration. The company announced plans to sell the aircrafts for about $10 million each, which is comparable to similar COIN aircrafts sold in other parts of the world.

The website The National Interest has reported that the Mwari is being marketed specifically to African countries. The website quoted the company as saying, “The types of threats that countries around the world face has changed significantly over the last few years. Many of the threats being faced do not justify the operating cost of fast-jet fighters.”


Coin Ops in Africa

[Ex-Ascot]

50 killed in Angola anti-witchcraft rituals

https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/ne ... s-20240314

A local councillor said the victims were "forced" to drink liquid, which, according to traditional healers, proves whether or not one practises witchcraft.
Luzia Filemone said the deaths occured between January and February.
Police confirmed the deaths and said drinking "the supposed poison" was a widespread practice.
About 50 people have died in Angola after being forced to drink a herbal potion to prove they were not practising witchcraft, police and local officials said on Thursday.
The deaths occurred between January and February near the central town of Camacupa, according to Luzia Filemone, a local councillor.

Speaking to the national radio broadcaster, she accused traditional healers of administering the deadly concoction.

"It's a widespread practice to make people drink the supposed poison because of the belief in witchcraft," provincial police spokesperson Antonio Hossi told the broadcaster, warning cases were on the rise.

Angola does not have laws against witchcraft, leaving communities to deal with the issue as they see fit.

Allegations of sorcery are often settled by traditional healers, or "marabouts", by having the accused ingest a toxic herbal drink called "Mbulungo". Death is thought to prove guilt.

[Woody]

Just after Ramphosa gave a presentation about driving over the holiday weekend

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafri ... o-20240328

[Karearea]

...
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafri ... o-20240328

What an appalling thing to happen

[tango15]

...
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafri ... o-20240328

What an appalling thing to happen

It is, but it happens about once a week in South America, particularly in Colombia and Bolivia. The mountain roads are poor, there are no barriers, and many of the journeys take place at night, when the drivers are tired. It's not reported in 'The West' , as is very little else that happens south of the Rio Grande.

[Ex-Ascot]

They were all Batswana.

[CharlieOneSix]

Botswana offers to send 20,000 elephants to Germany.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-68715164