Aviation anxiety is rising globally as 49 crashes within the first six months of 2025 have killed over 529 people, sparking renewed fears over the safety of air travel, once considered the world’s safest transport mode. Experts, however, insist aviation remains safe, writes OLASUNKANMI AKINLOTAN Panic is growing both in the aviation industry and among passengers as what is believed to be the safest and fastest means of transportation begins to take human lives in droves. Just midway into 2025, the industry has experienced commercial and non-commercial aircraft incidents and accidents globally, resulting in the loss of hundreds of passengers. Private and military aircraft have not been spared in the fatal crashes. According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, there have been a total of 49 aircraft crashes between January and June 2025, claiming more than 529 lives, while many landed on hospital beds fighting for their lives. As alarming as these numbers are, aviation experts agreed that the severity and fatalities associated with the recent unfortunate incidents have increased compared to past years but insisted air travel remains the safest. In the first six months of the year, the National Transportation Safety Board said, since the beginning of 2025, at least 106 people have died in 20 aviation accidents in the U.S. alone. A mid-air collision between American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700, and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with all 67 individuals on board both aircraft perishing. The Washington crash was the first fatal commercial aviation crash in 2025 and in the past 15 years in the US. Also, a Learjet 55, operating as Med Jets Flight 056, crashed shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, resulting in the deaths of all six individuals on board and one person on the ground. Two days earlier, a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Eagle Air on behalf of Light Air Services crashed shortly after takeoff from GPOC Unity Airstrip en route to Juba International Airport in South Sudan, claiming the lives of 20 out of 21 occupants. In another surprising scenario, Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, disappeared from radar before its scheduled arrival in Nome. The wreckage of the plane was later found 34 miles from the destination, killing all 10 individuals on board. Like Bering Air Flight, in February, a U.S. military EA-18G Growler fighter jet crashed into San Diego Bay near Shelter Island. Both pilots ejected safely and were rescued by a nearby fishing boat. No fatalities occurred. Not so long after Delta Connection Flight 4819, a Bombardier CRJ900, crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipping upside down. A mid-air collision between a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II occurred near Marana Regional Airport, resulting in two fatalities; the Cessna landed safely. The highest fatality in a single crash in the first six months of 2025 was recorded with the crash of the 787-8 Dreamliner operated by India Air, where a total of 274 persons lost their lives, expanding the scale of the worst single-aircraft disaster in the history of Indian aviation. The aircraft with 241 passengers and crew crashed on the campus of Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College, killing an additional 33 medical students, workers, and others in the Meghaninagar neighbourhood. Varying causes of crashes Although all crashes resulted in unpalatable stories, they all happened on different accounts. For instance, Air India Against the popular belief that the unfortunate Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner owned by the India Air airline, which has claimed the largest number of casualties this year at the time of filing this report, crashed over a faulty locking mechanism in the captain’s seat. A preliminary report published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published in mid-July 2025 showed that soon before the June 12 crash, fuel to the aircraft’s engines was cut off. Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel. The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. A midair collision near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on the evening of Wednesday, January 29, also claimed the lives of 67 persons. The crash occurred at approximately 9 p.m. local time when an American Airlines regional jet, arriving from Kansas, collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter operated by the U.S. Army. Initial reports suggest that the air traffic control staffing during the time of the incident was below normal levels, according to The New York Times. Preliminary findings from the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the air traffic controller managing helicopter traffic was also overseeing planes departing and landing at the airport when the crash occurred. The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation. In the same month, a pilot was killed while four others were injured after a Bombardier Learjet 35A veered off the runway on landing at Scottsdale Airport and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet parked on private property. According to initial reports, the Learjet’s left main landing gear failed upon landing, leading to the collision. One person died upon impact, according to Scottsdale Fire boss Capt. Dave Folio. He was identified Wednesday by the Scottsdale Police Department as 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, a pilot on the Learjet flight. The Maricopa County medical examiner will determine the cause of death, police said. Two individuals were in critical condition and sent to local trauma centres. Another person was sent to a local hospital, and a fourth refused treatment at the scene, he added. Also prominent among the unfortunate records was the case of a Cessna Caravan commuter plane operated by Bering Air that took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. on February 6 on a routine flight and disappeared from radar just an hour into the flight. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, an “event” occurred around 3:18 p.m., leading to the sudden drop in speed and altitude. By the time rescue crews arrived at the last known coordinates, they discovered wreckage scattered across the icy Bering Sea, with all 10 persons on board killed. Alaska State Troopers, the Coast Guard, and the NTSB launched an extensive investigation, sending a multi-state NTSB team to the site. The flight went missing in conditions of light snow and fog, with temperatures hovering around 17°F, aligning with the harsh realities of aviation in Alaska’s rugged and remote terrain. The third major U.S. aviation mishap in just over a week heightened national concern over an apparent spike in aeroplane tragedies. Year-on-year data The number of deaths already recorded in just six months of 2025 has surpassed the data recorded yearly in the last seven years. From records, in 2024, the number of aviation deaths stood at 416, higher than the 229 in 2023 but consistent with the averages of previous years: 578 in 2019, 463 in 2020, 414 in 2021, and 357 in 2022. The last time fatalities surpassed 1,000 was in 2018, when two Airbus planes crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia.   Fear grips passengers With this significant spike in the number of deaths noticed in air accidents in the 2025 record compared to years past, air passengers, particularly in Nigeria, are concerned about aviation safety, taking into consideration accidents that have characterised the first half of the year. Many passengers’ phobia of air transportation seems to have increased, as many are trying to either minimise flying or avoid it as much as possible. While some blame the apparent rise in plane crashes on “random clustering,” where multiple incidents occur in a short timeframe, public perception has not been encouraging. A London-bound passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Dairo Ajediran, said that with the recent incessant crashes, there is a possibility of a recurring mistake ravaging the global industry. Ajediran, who met our correspondent on transit in June, said he ought to have returned to work in London on May 13, but the fear of incessant crashes kept holding him back. He noted that the tragic death of his friend, whom he said was unfortunately a victim of a crash in February, has remained fresh in his mind. “I can’t explain my feelings toward air transport anymore; this is really unspeakable! Aviation is global, and for this to have continued, it means there is an error that experts are yet to either identify, pay attention to, or try to keep away from the public.  “This year alone, I have lost two people to air accidents, and this is too much for me. The most painful was that of my very close friend, who was my neighbour in London. He recently completed his PhD programme. As a matter of fact, we are already planning a party for his convocation, only for him to die in a crash in February.” He added his discussion with an aviation expert showed that accidents will always be sudden, but incessant crashes are “mostly not of God but human errors.” He appealed to aviation handlers to rise to the occasion to minimise needless deaths across the world. Another Nigerian traveller also narrated his harrowing experience of flying with domestic airlines in the country, describing it as a “terrifying ordeal” marked by chronic delays, safety concerns, poor customer service, and deteriorating aircraft conditions. Olufemi Owoeye, a frequent domestic flyer, shared a deeply personal account that reflects growing public frustration with Nigeria’s aviation industry. “Flying with Nigerian airlines fills me with dread. Not just for delays, but for my safety. I wake early, eager for a 9 a.m. flight, only to learn at the airport it’s now 4 p.m., with no warning.” Owoeye described the anxiety caused by these unexplained delays, citing fears over aircraft safety. “The recent reports of frequent aircraft crashes haunt me; I am honestly terrified. Each delay increases my fears of a disaster waiting to happen.” His concerns go beyond flight schedules. According to him, cramped and worn-out seats make air travel uncomfortable, while cabin crew behaviour adds to the distress. Customer service is another source of frustration, as Owoeye painted a grim picture of long queues, unresponsive staff, and complaints that often go unheard. “Complaints about safety concerns vanish into thin air, leaving me feeling helpless and ignored.” He also raised the alarm over treatment in economy class, describing it as physically and emotionally exhausting. “Economy Class feels like a gamble with my life; passengers are treated like they are being done a favour,” he complained. “These issues are so common that I brace for them every trip. My heart races at the thought of a crash,” Owoeye added. While acknowledging that a few carriers strive to maintain higher standards, he argued that most appear indifferent to passenger fears, calling for stricter regulations, improved customer service, and a commitment to safety and professionalism across the board. “I long for stricter regulations, safe travels, and airworthy planes to ease my mind,” he said. “Until then, flying in Nigeria is a terrifying ordeal, where I pray for safe landings and dream of a day when reliable, safe air travel is the norm and not a rare hope.”   Experts intervene  Meanwhile, aviation experts say that although there were increased accidents and incidents, they insisted that the causes cannot be ascribed to shortcomings in the industry globally. The professionals also said the cause of the accidents cannot be generalised, as the unfortunate incidents happened on different grounds. Although some industry experts with various focuses in the industry raised concerns over the shocking development, they also allayed passengers’ fears, insisting that the aviation development had continuously recorded a forward progression, though with pockets of challenges. Citing the Air India aircraft accident in retrospect of the crashes and incidents, experts spoke differently but agreed that the causes of air incidents should not be a subject of speculation, as such might be counterproductive and unprofessional. Also baring his mind, a renowned aircraft engineer and retired Nigerian Air Force officer, Air Vice Marshal Moses Onilede (rtd), called for immediate disregard of circulating claims that a seat defect was responsible for the recent crash of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Speaking with our correspondents, Onilede emphasised the importance of waiting for the official accident investigation report, which is currently being conducted by Boeing and India’s Accident Investigation Body. “Firstly, and most importantly, I want the public to disregard the claim about the aircraft seat. That cannot be tenable at this time. This is not the first year in the existence of the aircraft type in question, and it would be professionally irresponsible to jump to conclusions without the full findings,” he asserted. Onilede also warned against misinformation being spread via artificial intelligence, noting that AI-generated content can appear realistic, including fabricated videos: “I received one of such videos a few days ago. I advise everyone to disregard such materials in their entirety.” While not ruling out the possibility of human error or technical failure, Onilede stressed that both are common immediate causes of air accidents. He cited scenarios such as bird strikes as potential triggers but maintained that technology and proper analysis would eventually reveal the truth about the incident. Beyond immediate causes, he called attention to the importance of reviewing remote factors such as maintenance standards, pilot training, and regulatory oversight once the investigation is concluded. Despite the tragic incident, Onilede reaffirmed that air travel remains the safest mode of transportation globally. He said, “When you compare the casualty rate with the vast number of air travellers, aviation still stands out as the safest. What we must keep pushing for is proper training, not just for pilots, but for everyone involved in flight operations.” Focusing on the Nigerian aviation sector, Onilede praised the recent interest shown by the Minister of Aviation in improving the industry, urging sustained efforts, particularly from the regulatory authorities. While stressing the importance of ongoing training and refresher courses in maintaining aviation safety, the industry expert added that “no airline should be allowed to operate without meeting the required safety and operational standards. If any operator falls short, they should be grounded until full compliance is achieved.” Also, Managing Director of Belujane Consult and former spokesperson of the liquidated national carrier, Nigeria Airways, Chris Aligbe, stressed that it will be inaccurate to generalise the cause of the incessant crashes and air incidents, stressing that the unfortunate developments have different peculiarities. The industry expert added that the report of the crashes by the accident investigators will better show where global aviation currently stands and where improvements are needed. He said, “For instance, the Air India incident has been said to have been caused by the seat of the aircraft, and I think some of the planes in India have been grounded to further investigate the issues, especially as it has to do with the seats. To then attempt to generalise the causes of the incidents will be very counterproductive. “Aside from the seat of the Air India, there was a head-on collision and all other incidents that have been recorded recently. So, we can only deal with each of the incidents in accordance with their peculiarity after the report of the incident by the accident investigation body of different countries makes their reports public.” A retired chief pilot, Muhammed Badamosi, echoed concerns over the growing number of crashes recorded globally within just six months. While corroborating Aligbe’s assertion, Badamosi said that while the cause of some of the crashes may be said to be human error, he added that some others may be mechanical. Comparing the Air India accident and the collision of two aircraft in Tokyo as a case study, Badamosi said, ”From statistics, there are about 52 air accidents in the first half of this year, with seven of the accidents fatal. Each accident has its own identity and has to be treated differently. Let us take Air India and the collision of two aircraft in Tokyo as a study. “For Air India, the accident was caused by a design error. A preliminary investigation report indicates that the captain’s seat railed back at the beginning of the takeoff climb. It shouldn’t have happened if a fail-safe mechanism had been incorporated in the design. The accident that claimed the lives of many people shouldn’t have been a case study. “This accident can be classified as human error on the side of the manufacturer of the aircraft series and not that of the pilot.” He further said, unlike the Air India, the Tokyo collision was a case of inattentiveness. He added, “As for the accident on the Tokyo runway in which a border guard aircraft made an unauthorised incursion on the active runway while a passenger aircraft was landing on the same runway, it was a clear case of inattentiveness of the border guard crew members. “Fortunately, only four members of the border guard aircraft died, and all passengers on the other plane and the captain of the border guard aircraft survived the accident. With this report, you will agree with me that every aircraft accident has to be treated differently depending on the cause.” He, however, added that such accidents happen when the “chain of doing the right thing is broken.” Another expert, Capt. Peter Adenihun, said the crashes that have occurred this year call for action in the aviation industry, stressing that reports from several of the accidents pointed to mechanical failure, technological vulnerabilities, and others. He observed that “Air crashes in 2025 have raised concerns about aviation safety. According to recent reports, there have been numerous incidents globally, mostly involving aircraft with fewer than 19 passengers, while commercial jets were also involved in some major crashes. He said, “Preliminary reports point to various factors, including mechanical failure, icy conditions, and potential technological vulnerabilities. Aviation watchdogs are investigating these incidents to identify root causes and improve safety measures. “These incidents have sparked discussions about aviation safety, regulatory oversight, and technological vulnerabilities.”

Republican-led committee plans to ask CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit about the ‘radicalization’ of users. Share Save A Republican-led House panel has asked the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify before Congress next month, following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. In letters sent to each of the four executives on Wednesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer notes that the hearing is intended to “examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts”. Neither Meta nor X, which are far more widely used than the other social platforms, were asked to testify. “The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,” Comer wrote in a statement. “In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.” Renewed focus has been placed on social platforms in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. The suspect in his murder, Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared to have an active online presence and was deeply steeped in gaming and meme culture. News reports suggest that Robinson confessed to the shooting in a chat on the messaging platform Discord. While a number of leading Republicans have sought to present the murder as part of a vast, left-wing “terror movement”, evidence provided by police thus far suggests he acted alone. Activists and officials on the right, meanwhile, have been pressuring employers to fire staff who made social media comments that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s death, or even those who simply posted remarks critical of Kirk. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government would revoke the visas of foreigners celebrating the death of Kirk, while Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech” – remarks she later had to walk back. Free speech advocates have raised alarm, noting that free expression is protected under the Constitution. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

In the 70s and 80s, South Africa bombed or raided Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique. Israel has attacked eight nations this year. By Gershwin Wanneburg Share Save Cape Town, South Africa – Gonda Perez remembers the day South Africa’s apartheid regime bombed a refugee camp in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, during an air raid. It was in the mid-1980s. Perez was working as a dentist at a local hospital at the time and saw about 10 victims brought in on trucks serving as makeshift ambulances. One of the victims is etched in her memory. “I stood in casualty, and I watched people come in with wounds, horrible wounds,” said Perez, now 69. “One man that I remember had blood spurting … so obviously it hit an artery or something out of his back… There was blood all over the show and it was really horrible to look at.” That day, Perez said, the South African Defence Force (SADF) had meant to strike members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), which led the struggle to end racist white minority rule in South Africa in 1994. But they hit civilians instead. Perez, who was an ANC member living in exile after fleeing South Africa in the 1970s due to her political activities, witnessed several SADF bombings and raids across regional countries at the time. She says the Lusaka raid was one of many such “mistakes” committed by the apartheid army due to faulty intelligence. For her – and many observers posting on social media – those bombings also have shades of the Israeli military’s attack on Qatar last week, which aimed to hit the leadership of Palestinian group Hamas, among them senior leaders Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Meshaal. Instead, it killed al-Hayya’s son, Humam, as well as an aide, three bodyguards, and a Qatari security officer, in a residential suburb in Doha that is also home to embassies, schools and supermarkets. The attack came at a time when Qatari officials, who are central mediators in talks between Israel and Hamas, had been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 65,000 people since launching its war on the Palestinian enclave two years ago. A United Nations inquiry and leading scholars have declared the killings in Gaza a genocide. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank has also become increasingly violent, and it has launched attacks on neighbouring countries, citing various threats. Over a 72-hour period this month, Israel struck Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia and Qatar. This military escalation is reminiscent of the brutal assaults the apartheid regime launched on its neighbours in the decade or so before its demise, analysts note, as it attacked countries including Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. Like Israel today, apartheid South Africa justified its incursions as necessary to fight its “terrorist” enemies, a claim which helped both countries win support from the United States. “Similar to Israel’s recent actions, South Africa’s military action abroad relied on targeted attacks against ANC leadership and safehouses, as well as other activists,” said Sonja Theron, a lecturer in security studies at the University of Pretoria. Apartheid assassinations included shootings and bombings, with civilians often caught in the crossfire. “The disregard for international law, particularly sovereignty, is also similar,” Theron noted. Over the last two years, Israel has struck and killed Hamas members in Iran and Lebanon, while its military also bombs sites associated with Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, groups it says it targets for their support of Hamas. Civilians have also been killed in these attacks.  Similarly, apartheid South Africa’s cross-border attacks aimed to neutralise the MK and other regional liberation organisations which were granted refuge and support by the “front-line states”, a loose coalition of African countries committed to ending apartheid and white minority rule. Observers note that the parallels between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel and the apartheid regime are far from coincidental. Apartheid was officially instituted in South Africa in 1948, the same year the state of Israel was born. Both nations used religious justification to promote an ethnonationalist ideology, and both defined themselves by their struggle against a similar enemy, with the apartheid National Party and the Zionist state each viewing themselves as an oasis of Western civilisation surrounded by hostile native peoples, researchers say. In his 2023 book, The Palestine Laboratory, independent journalist Antony Loewenstein writes that after South African Prime Minister John Vorster, a Nazi sympathiser, visited Israel in 1976, the government yearbook carried the following message: “Israel and South Africa have one thing above all else in common: they are both situated in a predominantly hostile world inhabited by dark peoples.” These affinities resulted in a tight alliance built around defence, with mineral-rich South Africa supplying the capital and Israel the technology. But Israel also took inspiration from South Africa’s harsh racial segregation policies, in particular the “Bantustan” reserves that forced Black South Africans into “homelands”. These ethnic states served as the blueprint for the 165 “enclaves” Israel established in the occupied West Bank, cutting up Palestinian land, according to Loewenstein. At the heart of the relationship were weapons, though. Loewenstein writes that South Africa and Israel signed a secret security agreement in April 1975, which laid the foundation of their relationship for two decades. Loewenstein quotes Alon Liel, a former Israeli ambassador to Pretoria in the 1980s: “After 1976, there was a love affair between the security establishments of the two countries and their armies. We were involved in Angola as consultants to the army. You had Israeli officers there cooperating with the army. The link was very intimate.” So intimate, in fact, that Israel contravened United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed on apartheid South Africa, while also furthering secret cooperation around building nuclear capabilities. Loewenstein reveals that South Africa reportedly even allowed Israel to test nuclear weapons in the Indian Ocean in 1979, which Israel denies. Emboldened by its modern weaponry, South Africa launched its series of wars in regional countries in the 1970s and 1980s. In many ways, the swirl of battles in the front-line states back then was a proxy for the broader Cold War standoff. Civil wars were raging in Angola and Mozambique following their independence from Portugal, with Angolan MPLA government forces backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union fighting against UNITA rebels backed by Pretoria and the US. In Mozambique, the ruling FRELIMO – which was backing liberation movements in the region – fought RENAMO, a group supported by apartheid South Africa and the white minority-led Rhodesia (which became Zimbabwe in 1980 following independence). Meanwhile, Namibia’s South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) was engaged in an independence war with South Africa. An estimated 1.5 million people died between 1980 and 1988 as a result of deaths from direct conflict, disease, famine and disruptions in health services. Angola and Mozambique, where South Africa had backed rebels to fight against pro-democracy liberators, bore the brunt of the conflict. The economic cost of the destruction of infrastructure, much of it due to South African aggression, exceeded $60bn over this period. After decades of apartheid rule and regional tensions, analysts say the goodwill of other liberation movements in Southern Africa towards the ANC was wearing thin, as South Africa’s military and economic prowess exhausted its smaller rivals. But at the same time, Pretoria was drawing increasing international condemnation as its brutal conflicts abroad and its crackdown on civilian uprisings at home became indefensible, resulting in US sanctions via the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986. For many observers, this outrage mirrors the growing opposition to Israel, especially as images emerge daily of Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israeli bombs or starved because of food supplies being blocked. Last Tuesday’s attack on Doha also appeared to deepen international opposition to Israel’s increasingly combative actions. Even traditional Israeli allies joined in the criticism, including Germany and the US. At the same time, Spain and the European Union announced a series of measures against Israel, including an arms embargo, sanctions on “extremist Israeli ministers” and settlers, and a suspension of bilateral support. “The United States’ relationship with apartheid South Africa constantly varied considerably depending on the administration, with the policies of Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan differing in meaningful ways. We see similar geopolitical developments constantly changing the playing field when it comes to Israel and Palestine,” said Lazlo Passemiers, a historian based at the University of the Free State in South Africa. “What can be said with greater certainty is that Israel’s continued reliance on military aggression across the region, and its acts of genocide in Gaza, are making it increasingly unpopular and politically costly for other countries to provide it with open support.” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has called for a collective response to Israel’s attack on Qatar, warning that “the entire Gulf region is at risk.” However, experts point out that despite the criticism of Israel’s actions, Netanyahu is unlikely to back down from his military ambitions as long as he enjoys the support of President Donald Trump’s government in Washington. The key difference between Israel now and South Africa then, according to analysts, is that Israel is of far greater strategic value to the US than South Africa was during the Cold War era, and therefore enjoys almost unlimited support from the world’s superpower. Furthermore, the US’s decision to impose sanctions on South Africa in the 1980s required bipartisan compromise to overturn President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the bill – a scenario which is unlikely in the sharply divided political climate that currently prevails in the US. In the democratic era, South Africa’s ruling ANC has been fiercely pro-Palestine since its first electoral victory in 1994. By asserting its support for Palestine, President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the current head of the ANC, has continued a long legacy of collaboration. Shortly after his release from prison in 1990, Nelson Mandela made it clear that the ANC had no plans to distance itself from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian cause as a whole, despite the PLO being labelled a “terrorist” organisation by the US and Israel. The ANC has maintained its support for Palestinian independence ever since. In 2018, South Africa withdrew its ambassador from Israel after the Israeli army killed dozens of peaceful protesters in Gaza, and in 2021, it campaigned against Israel being granted observer status in the African Union. In December 2023, Ramaphosa’s administration lodged a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. The country’s parliament has also voted for cutting all ties with Israel, though the government has not followed through on that call. Despite criticism from activists that it is not doing enough to hold Israel accountable, the South Africans insist the ICJ case is the optimal channel to register their protest. Meanwhile, as the attack on Qatar leaves the prospect of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas in tatters, analysts say the best hope of bringing the two sides together could lie in the South African example. The major lesson from the downfall of apartheid was that it relied on both external pressure – including boycotts, sanctions, support for liberation movements, and international opposition to Pretoria – as well as domestic pushback, analysts said. “Demands for change from within Israel will be necessary to bring about an end to Israel’s oppression and violence,” said Theron. Meanwhile, for Perez, watching the war unfold in Gaza has triggered memories of her own trauma during the anti-apartheid struggle. She recalls the constant raids across the border into Botswana to abduct anti-apartheid fighters living there, a letter bomb ripping off the hand of a young comrade in Zambia, and the several times she had to relocate to escape apartheid forces, often crawling along the ground as she made her getaway. However, she says what’s happening in Gaza is a far cry from her personal ordeal, and it’s something she hopes Israel can be held accountable for. South Africa must do more, Perez feels, including cutting off all trade relations with Israel and lobbying to have it kicked out of global bodies like the football federation FIFA and the Olympics. “We need to throttle them economically with sanctions [as was done to apartheid South Africa], and then we will reach that point where Israel will be forced to come and negotiate and be forced to consider a free Palestine,” she said. “There’s a lot more work to be done.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

And why has the South African entrepreneur been busy buying up shares in Tesla? By Alex Kozul-Wright Share Save Tesla shares jumped 6 percent on Monday after CEO Elon Musk disclosed that he had bought $1bn worth of the company’s stock. The move reinforces Musk’s push for greater control over Tesla and comes a week after the company’s board offered him a $1 trillion pay package over the next decade. Musk’s stock purchase – his first open-market buy-up of shares since 2020 – comes at a critical time for Tesla, as it races to transform into an artificial intelligence and robotics firm whilst also grappling with falling sales of electric vehicles (EVs). But Musk’s pay packet has come in for intense criticism. Last weekend, Pope Leo decried the widening pay gap between corporate bosses such as Elon Musk – whose estimated wealth now stands at $367bn – and ordinary working people, which he said was a major factor in growing global unrest. On September 12, Musk, 54, purchased 2.57 million shares (which represents less than one percent of Tesla’s market capitalisation), paying between $372 and $397 per share as the price varied through the day, according to regulatory filings. He now owns almost 20 percent of Tesla, which seemingly pleases its investors. Tesla’s share price rose to around $422 on Monday – still 12 percent lower than its all-time high of $479 (reached in December 2024). Following his recent move, Musk posted on X that the increase in Tesla’s value was “foretold in the prophecy”. While Musk wasn’t an original founder of Tesla – he invested in the company one year after it was established – he became chairman in 2004. The South African entrepreneur has consistently demanded a bigger stake and more voting power at Tesla, having previously said he would prefer to build AI products and robots outside of Tesla if he cannot control 25 percent voting power in the firm. Musk sold more than $20bn of Tesla’s stock (or 4.6 percent of its market cap) in 2022 to fund his acquisition of Twitter, now X, for $44bn. He also owns private holdings in SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company. The Tesla CEO will have to meet certain performance-related criteria first. To unlock the full $1 trillion payout, Musk will have to raise the company’s valuation from roughly $1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion over the next 10 years. He will also have to sell one million autonomous taxis and one million robots and increase Tesla’s profits by more than 24 times what it earned last year. Tesla currently operates a few dozen autonomous taxis in a limited area in the city where it is headquartered, Austin, Texas in the US. Known as “robotaxis“, they are self-driving vehicles but are accompanied by human “safety supervisors”, who can intervene if problems occur. On the robotics side, the company unveiled its first humanoid robot – Optimus – in 2022. In 2024, Musk claimed that Tesla would deploy robots for “internal use [ie for use inside its own factories]” in 2025, and that it would have produced 5,000 units by then. Neither pledge has been met so far. Musk also recently said that “80 percent of Tesla’s [future] value will be Optimus”. After Musk joined Tesla in 2004, he took very little cash pay. Instead, he chose to be paid in equity. Then, in 2018, shareholders approved a landmark 10-year pay package for Musk – linked to various operational targets – estimated at $2.6bn. As Tesla’s market value surged after the start of 2020 (when it was trading at just $29.50 a share), many of those pay objectives were met, and Musk received a large number of additional Tesla shares. Due to broad stock market gains since the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk’s earnings are estimated to have climbed by $40bn-$60bn. Though Musk’s pay windfall at Tesla has attracted regulatory scrutiny for overcompensation, especially from Delaware’s Court of Chancery, most of the company’s shareholders have repeatedly ratified the CEO’s payment packages. Tesla doesn’t disclose non-executive salaries, so it is hard to say how Musk’s income compares to that of the average worker there. However, corporate pay in the US has generally rallied in recent decades compared to that of workers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, average pay for CEOs at S&P 500 companies  – the 500 biggest listed firms in the US – rose by almost 1,000 percent over the 50-year period leading up to 2024. By contrast, a typical worker at an S&P 500 company has seen his or her pay packet rise by just 27 percent (adjusted for inflation) over the same period. Stated differently, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio has increased from 30:1 to 350:1 over the past five decades. In an interview last week with Crux, a Catholic news website, Pope Leo singled out Elon Musk as an example of the kind of wealth he said was corroding “the value of human life, of the family, of the value of society”. Asked about Tesla’s proposed $1 trillion pay packet, Leo responded: “What does that mean, and what’s that about? If [personal wealth accumulation] is the only thing that has any value any more, then we are in big trouble.” Despite its recent uptick, so far this year, Tesla’s stock market performance has been among the worst of the “Magnificent 7” group of tech giants – which also includes Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia – having lost around 2 percent of its value this year so far. Tesla’s most recent quarterly results showed profit losses amid falling demand for electric vehicles and increased import production costs associated with US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. Looking ahead, earnings look set to continue falling. Sales of Tesla cars in the US will likely fall further in the last three months of 2025, as Trump has refused to extend a tax credit for EV purchases for US consumers after October. Up to now, the rebate has played a crucial role in making American EVs more affordable. Follow Al Jazeera English:...