Democratic Republic of Congo’s president-elect Felix Tshisekedi received a chorus of congratulations from African leaders on Sunday and Monday in a growing sign that his disputed election win will not be questioned internationally.

Regional support is crucial for Tshisekedi after a disorganized election on Dec. 30 that runner-up candidate Martin Fayulu says was rigged and that Congo’s Catholic Church contested. Many worry that outgoing president Joseph Kabila will continue to hold sway, limiting Tshisekedi’s power.

The new president will be the first to take power through an election since Congo’s independence in 1960, when Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was toppled in a coup after less than three months in office. Congolese and their neighbors are anxious that the process remain peaceful in a country that has drawn regional armies into its civil wars over the decades.

A teacher at South African school, Laerskool Schweizer Reneke, took this photo and shared it with parents on WhatsApp in an effort to reassure them that their children’s first day of school was going smoothly. However, the teacher did not have the intended outcome as the photo revealed a detail that was unexpected. The students were separated by race in the classroom.

Students at Laerskool Schweizer were sent back home after South Africa’s North West Education Department suspended the teacher,
Ellen Barkhuizen, who is suspected to have separated the children according to race at the school.

Barkhuizen is reported to have taken the photo of the separated children, which is circulating on social media and has gone viral.

According to TimesLive, when parents complained to the school, they were sent a different picture after the children’s break showing that they had been “moved to different seating spaces to ensure they were not separated according to race”.

BLACK PARENT REACTS

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The school has been suspected of discrimination by parents for some time. One parent had this to say to SABC News.

“I have applied on time, but I was so surprised when they said they can’t accept my child, he is on the waiting list. So, I requested to see the list of the white people. They say there is no waiting list for the white people. That’s where I started to worry. Where are we going to take our kids because they are still young? We didn’t want our kids to go far because we are residents here. I came here in March. They told me I must come on the 1st of May. When I came they say I must bring the documents, I bring them. Eish mama, I feel pain.”

WHITE PARENTS REACT

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Speaking to SowetanLIVE, some of the white parents said black parents who are not happy about how the school operates, must take their children to township schools.

 If you are not happy here, take your child to another school, nobody is forcing you. Now they want to make this as if it is racism, everyone just wants to make white people racists. We are not racists, we just want what is best for our children,” said one parent.

“Blacks don’t put their children first, we put our children first, and their safety and education comes first. This is the only white-dominated school in this town. There are over 10 schools in the township. If they are not happy, let them take their children there,” said another parent.

GOVERNMENT REACTS

After meeting school staff and education department officials,
North West education MEC Sello Lehari confirmed that the teacher in question had been suspended.

“As government, we would like to condemn any form of racism, alleged or not, and we deeply regret this unfortunate incident taking place in our country 25 years into democracy,” said a spokesperson for the local government leader, Job Lekgoro.

Liberian president, George Weah, has proven that he is not only a former soccer legend but one with another mission – to be a preacher.

The 51-year-old, whose footballing career played a huge role in his landslide election victory, recently opened his own church and gave an inaugural sermon.

On December 31, 2018, during a watch night service to usher in the new year, the Liberian leader held a service and dedication ceremony for the church – The Forky Jlaleh Family Fellowship Church.

The ceremony was attended by a host of government appointees, including the Speaker of the country’s Legislature, Bhofal Chambers and the Senate Pro-Tempore, Albert Chie, Liberian media, Front Page Africa reported.

In his first sermon on the theme: “Life is a business; what you do with your life will make you profitable or unprofitable”, President Weah encouraged his congregation to be committed and passionate about their objectives in 2019.

To his officials, the former football legend urged them to show commitment to their roles and abstain from sabotaging his administration.

“You work with government then you want to sabotage the government. You are a Minister in the government but you want to sabotage the government. You are an executive then you want to sabotage the government. You want to sit right here so that government work. You are also part of the government”.

“Let’s forget about all the setbacks in 2018 and focus on the prosperous New Year, what God gave you is enough,” he said.

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