 Director's Note
We wish everyone a happy, healthy and rewarding New Year!
ACLENet has had a great 2018, as you have seen in reading these newsletters. Doors have opened, volunteers have stepped up, donors have opened their pockets and 2019 will be busy and productive.
THANK YOU to all who have contributed!
ACLENet looks forward to a 2019 full of opportunities, interesting challenges and creative solutions - Come JOIN us!
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Tell your story
We invite you to share your questions and stories about lightning with readers worldwide who are interested in lightning, especially in Africa. We will do our best to publish it and respond to questions with expert advice from our worldwide pool of research advisers and lightning safety experts.
If you witness a lightning incident, please report it, post images on our social media sites and be part of the effort to 'reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage'.
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LIGHTNING MYTHS AND FOLKLORE
A common belief in South Africa:
the Witgat tree is never struck by lightning.
 Many people in southern Africa believe that specific trees offer protection against lightning.
The Khomani San in the Northern Cape area are descendants of the original hunters and gatherers that lived in the Kalahari. They believe that the witgat tree (Boscia albitrunca, also called a Shepherd’s Bush) is never struck by lightning and that it is the place to shelter if caught outside during a thunderstorm.
Other tribes attribute similar properties to trees in their areas, such as the Swazi with the sausage tree Kigelia africana and the Cape plane tree Ochna arborea. |
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 The Ludwick Family Foundation grant will protect more schools in Africa in 2019 and equip them as lightning safety education centres for their districts.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP
Volunteers monitor Google searches of lightning injuries in English, Portuguese and Spanish. We need someone fluent in French to assist with news reports of injuries in French West Africa.
We also need volunteers who speak other African languages so that we can find out how many people are injured or killed.
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Lightning Deaths for December
Over 50 killed in one month - nearly three times the number killed in one year in the US.
Note two incidents from November reported late.
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Seven people die because of lightning in a rainy night in the center of Angola
25 November, 2018
Angola
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Three members of the same family victims of lightning discharge will be buried on Tuesday
30 November, 2018
Angola
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Three people die due to lightning in the commune of Lépi
2 December, 2018
Angola
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Family of 3 perish as they investigate tree hit by lightning, teenager hospitalised
6 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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Lightning survivors relive horrific incident
6 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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MUTARE: Lightning kills three in Honde Valley
6 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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Lightning strike, kills farmer in Liwale
6 December, 2018
Tanzania
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Lightning Discharge kills six people of the same family in Ucuma
6 December, 2018
Angola
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Floods, hailstorm cause carnage as 10 pupils struck by lightning
7 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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'Most people don't survive' - KZN hikers survive lightning strike
8 December, 2018
South Africa
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Six people including four pupils at one school died after they were struck by lightning
9 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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One footballer instantly killed, 3 others injured mid-match
9 December, 2018
Kenya
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Lightning strike kills three siblings, injures others in Busia
9 December, 2018
Kenya
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Lightning kills Rangwe woman, husband in critical condition
9 December, 2018
Kenya
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Four lives lost in Busia as lightning strikes
9 December, 2018
Kenya
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Lightning strikes family, claims three lives
9 December, 2018
Zimbabwe
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