00:06South Africa's ANC suffers a historic setback in local elections, securing just 31% of the vote, its lowest share
00:15in 32 years in power.
00:18A train collision in Egypt killed at least seven people and injured dozens.
00:25And in Nairobi, young female entrepreneurs are giving old synthetic wigs a new lease of life.
00:33Welcome to Africa News Today.
00:35As mentioned in our headlines, Nelson Mandela's party is losing ground, although it remains the country's largest political force.
00:42In the latest local elections, the African National Congress suffered a significant setback, winning just 31% of the vote.
00:50What explains this decline? We take a closer look in this report.
00:56President Sila Moposa said his African National Congress accepts the outcome of the local government elections with humility,
01:05following a result that saw the party secure just over 30% of the vote.
01:11South Africans want to live better and to see their lives go forward.
01:18They want jobs and they want opportunities.
01:22They want water to come from their taps and electricity that works.
01:45The ANC lost control of several key municipalities and city councils, despite remaining the largest party nationally.
01:54Its coalition partner, DA, was a close second.
01:58Through these elections, our people have made their political choices freely, and they will hold those they elected to account.
02:09The ANC's popularity has declined for more than a decade.
02:14In 2024, it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in a national election, which brought about a coalition
02:21national government.
02:24We return now to the deadly train collision in Egypt.
02:28A train traveling from Giza to Fayyum crashed into the rear of another train heading towards Aswan in the south
02:35of the country.
02:36At least seven people were killed, while dozens more were injured.
02:42Outside Alwazita Central Hospital in Bennisworth province, where some of the injured were taken for treatment, survivors spoke of their
02:51shock after the collision.
02:53They said they struggled to breathe as a cloud of dust engulfed carriages before being rescued by villagers who rushed
03:01to the scene.
03:04When the train overturned, we were in shock and couldn't even comprehend what had happened to us.
03:10We couldn't breathe because of the dust.
03:13The seats had collapsed on top of us, and people pulled us out from underneath them and helped us get
03:19out of the train.
03:20The health ministry said over 70 injured have been discharged after receiving treatment.
03:28There were people who had died. Others were trying to get out of the train.
03:32There were other carriages that were completely mangled.
03:36At least seven people were killed in the crash which occurred in Al-Ayat district in Giza province, about 52
03:45kilometers south of Cairo.
03:53His name, Talib Ahmed Ben-Souda.
03:56Popular Gambian mayor Talib Ahmed Ben-Souda faces financial misconduct allegations that could prevent him from running in the December
04:045th presidential election.
04:06His unite party claims a plot.
04:08Par les autorités, son parti unit a cri au complot.
04:12Supporters of Gambia's Talib Ahmed Ben-Souda celebrated on Friday as he filed candidacy papers for next month's presidential election.
04:21The move comes despite a government report last week accusing the popular former mayor of financial improprieties and abuse of
04:30office.
04:30Use Talib Ben-Souda because all the use of the Gambia has decided and Talib is a young person and
04:36he is capable, he is eligible to be our leader.
04:39Ben-Souda has rejected the allegations as a last-minute political manoeuvre intended to confuse the public ahead of nominations.
04:49He has discipline and advocates for term limits.
04:53There's no security in the country.
04:55The situation is so bad that we the women are sometimes afraid to go out at night.
05:00The cost of living is also very high.
05:03So I want President Barrow gone.
05:06During his eight years as mayor of Kanafing Municipality, Ben-Souda gained a loyal following by implementing regular waste collection.
05:16His political star has continued to rise as the tiny West African nation faces prolonged blackouts.
05:24The electricity cuts have led to numerous protests and calls for President Adama Barrow to step down.
05:32The presidential election is scheduled for December 5th, when Barrow will be running for a third term.
05:43Synthetic wigs, weaves and hair extensions are difficult to break down and can harm the environment if improperly disposed of.
05:54Queening Africa is tackling the problem by turning them into handmade products.
06:01This tangled mass of hair extensions could have ended up in a dump site.
06:06Discarded hair is mixed with other rubbish and swept into heaps or left in places where rainwater can carry it
06:13into drainage channels.
06:15But beauty business Queening Africa is giving used hair new life.
06:20Most of the things that happens to the synthetic hair, if it has been used, it is like mostly dumped
06:26anywhere.
06:27People don't care whatever happens to it.
06:29That is where we come in.
06:31That is why we have partnered with the salons.
06:33So we give them like bags.
06:36That is where they dispose their synthetic hair from.
06:38Then we go and collect them and then we bring it to our workshop.
06:41Then the whole process of sorting, cleaning and now hand crafting starts.
06:47The all-women team sorts the hair by color and texture, separates material that can be reused, and washes it
06:54before preparing the strands for crafting.
06:57There is a never-ending supply of the hair for the women to work with, but not all of it
07:02makes the grade.
07:03The finished products are stylish bags that no one would guess began life threaded onto someone's scalp.
07:11Besides helping reduce pollution, the women work together as a group.
07:16Experienced members pass on their knowledge to younger workers.
07:21What convinces me that an initiative like this is delivering economic value is the number of young people earning from
07:31it.
07:31Right now we have around 10 young women that are earning from Queen in Africa.
07:38These are people who are able to sustain themselves from a day-to-day operations.
07:44Even earning food, paying their rent, taking their children to school from such a business.
07:50So that is clear evidence that such organization and such initiatives are economically sustainable.
07:57For women working with Queen in Africa, transforming discarded synthetic hair into handmade products offers a way to earn an
08:05income while putting their skills to use.
08:15Every week on African News Today, we bring you a selection of important dates and events to watch.
08:21Here's what's coming up.
08:22November 9th to 20th, Turkey hosts the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference.
08:29Key issues include the transition away from fossil fuels, climate financing, and protecting vulnerable countries.
08:36November 15th, voters in Cape Verde head to the polls to elect their president following peaceful parliamentary elections on May
08:4417th, which saw the opposition emerge victorious.
08:49Benin hosts the Sika Festival from 10th to 15th November, celebrating 25 years of African musical heritage.
08:57November 12th to 17th, the third and fourth rounds of qualifying matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations take
09:05place with crucial points at stake.
09:10And that's where we end this edition of African News Today.
09:13From the entire news team, thank you for watching African News.
09:17See you again soon.
09:26We'll see you again soon.
09:48We'll be back.
09:52We'll be back.
09:55We'll be back.
09:56We'll be back.
09:57Bye.
