African press review 29 December 2016

In Tunisia, at least five people are dead and more than 50 injured after a train slammed into a public bus before dawn near Tunis, while South African children donate big time to Syrians.  

According to Nigeria’s online newspaper Today the bus was torn in two when it was struck on the tracks at around 6am near Sidi Fathallah, some 10 kilometres south of the capital Tunis.

Five people including a child were killed and another 52 taken to hospital, many with serious injuries, says the Tunisian interior ministry. Among the injured were eight soldiers.

'Deplorable' aviation situation

Today also reports on the "deplorable state of navigational aids" at Nigeria's airports, as the dry dusty Harmattan winds strike.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria yesterday issued a statement on the problem.

The organisation chairman Nogie Meggisson said the situation had made flying in the Nigerian airspace difficult during the Harmattan, leading to many flight cancellations and disrupting travel plans for the festive season.

He said that exactly 48-years-ago, the first aircraft operated at so called Category lll landing in zero visibility at Heathrow airport, yet Nigeria was unable to land aircraft with visibility of about 800m today, and are still talking of Cat 1 landing systems.

SA kid's dig deep for Syria

According to the South Africa News 24 Wire, South African children have dipped into their savings to contribute 9.6 Million Rand - over half a million euro - to Syrian Children.

The report claims it was the "pain-etched faces of Syrian children covered in blood" which "touched South African children and drove them to donate their piggy bank savings to their Middle Eastern counterparts."

South Africans it goes on, were the largest number of donors contributing to the fund which was collected within a week as part of Operation SA.

According to social activist Yusuf Abramjee a large number of children were calling in, to donate their 50 Rand money boxes and spending money.

One child donated over 40 euro to Syria, while a family who had planned a 1000-euro holiday instead pledged it to Syrian civilians, who are living in freezing conditions after the evacuation this month of formerly rebel held areas of eastern Aleppo.