WEEKLY POLITICAL & SOCIAL NEWS (SEPTEMBER 7
th- SEPTEMBER 11
th)
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Politics
COPE considers alliances with opposition parties
President Zuma keeps his word about service delivery
Judge John Hlophe back at work
Anti-Buthelezi demonstrations slammed
ANC Secretary-General addresses service protests
ANC holds tense elective conference in Eastern Cape
SA Cabinet welcomes review of Huntley decision
Foreign Relations
Heads of State arrive in DRC for SADC Summit
SADC Summit appoints DRC President as new chairperson
President Zuma hosts Swedish Prime Minister in Cape Town
South Africa & EU to strengthen relations at summit
Crime
We must protect cops who protect South Africa – Police Commissioner
No performance contract for National Police Commissioner
Pretoria High Court Judge punished for drunken driving
Minister of Police silent on statistics about corrupt cops
Other Social Issues
White South African’s refugee status in Canada challenged
SARS workers yet to agree on wage offer
31 swine flu deaths in South Africa
Cape Town to implement new World Cup operational plan
Government considers banning unions for soldiers
Anger and doubt over latest Semenya revelations
More people are stealing food in order to survive
Neighbouring Countries
No agreement on Malagasy government of national unity
SADC leaders reject new Malagasy government
Lesotho confirms first cases of swine flu
Malagasy opposition rejects country’s new government
POLITICS
COPE considers alliances with opposition parties
Co-operation among opposition parties was high on the agenda of a meeting of the Congress of the People's (COPE) national leadership last weekend. In a statement issued after a 3-day meeting of COPE’s central national committee, party spokesperson Phillip Dexter said discussions with other political parties were bearing fruit and would continue.
Mr Dexter says, “COPE is determined to ensure that it mobilizes all social forces in the country to defend our people from ongoing maladministration, corruption, the incessant interference in institutions such as the judiciary and the deteriorating conditions of the majority of our people.”
The party's structures on the ground will begin debating the nature and extent of COPE’s co-operation with other opposition parties. Last month, opposition parties including the Democratic Alliance (DA), COPE, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the Independent Democrats (ID), the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) agreed to meet on a regular basis to hold co-operation talks. These political parties are aiming to strengthen multiparty democracy and avert the threat of one-party dominance. COPE, which was rocked by reports of leadership squabbles and divisions earlier this year, is in the midst of its policy formulation process.
Details on public participation in this process will be announced soon.
Last weekend, COPE’s leadership discussed a political overview given by party president, Mosiuoa Lekota, received reports on the state of the organization, its finances and structures and discussed the performance of the various departments of the party and its public representatives.
President Zuma keeps his word about service delivery
President Jacob Zuma has kept his word and followed up complaints about services in Balfour, Mpumalanga Province, by dispatching a senior cabinet minister to meet the community. On Monday, the Minister in the Presidency (responsible for performance monitoring and evaluation), Collins Chabane, visited Siyathemba township, the scene of violent protests two months ago, to attend to residents' grievances. Minister Chabane met community members and held discussions with municipal councillors.
Minister Chabane’s visit comes in the wake of President Zuma's surprise visit a month ago when he found the mayor had left his office to go home early. President Zuma met the community and promised to delegate ministers and officials to attend to their complaints as soon as possible. A government statement released last weekend read,
“President Zuma promised the people of Balfour that he would send ministers to deal with the issues that they had raised, relating to inadequate, or lack of, service delivery in areas of health, education, home affairs, social development, human settlements and others. A team of ministers has been meeting to deal with the issues and to work out mechanisms of bringing services to the area.”
Soon after the Zuma administration took office in May this year, service protests broke out across the country with residents accusing municipal councillors of failing in their duties. During the protests, communities vented their anger by destroying property in municipalities in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
Judge John Hlophe back at work
On Monday, Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe was back at work in his high court office. Judge Hlophe went on special leave in June 2008, pending a Judicial Service Commission (JSC - a parastatal watchdog agency which advises the national government on any matter relating to the judiciary or the administration of justice) decision on a misconduct complaint against him.
Apart from an unsuccessful attempt to return to work in February this year (which was upheld by then Justice Minister Enver Surty) Judge Hlophe has been off work since then. The complaint was that Judge Hlophe allegedly tried to improperly influence Constitutional Court judges who were weighing up a decision on President Jacob Zuma's corruption case, which has since been dropped. However, the JSC announced two weeks ago that it was abandoning its probe into the charge but that decision does not mean Judge Hlophe is scot-free. The civic human rights body, Freedom Under Law, headed by former Constitutional Court Judge Johann Kriegler, said last week it intended challenging the JSC decision as irrational and unreasonable. In addition, the Premier of the Western Cape, Ms Helen Zille has announced she is seeking legal advice on whether she was unconstitutionally excluded from the JSC committee that took the decision on Judge Hlophe. Meanwhile, Judge Jeanette Traverso has been acting as Western Cape Judge President in Judge Hlophe’s absence.
Anti-Buthelezi demonstrations slammed
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has criticized the recent spate of demonstrations against its leaders, saying the protests are tarnishing the image of the party and the legacy of the party's president, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
After holding a national council meeting in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal last weekend, the IFP stated that people who took part in the protests were unworthy of membership in the party and its subsidiaries. The weekend meeting came in the wake of recent protests at the party's offices by separate groups calling for leadership transformation as well as
the retention of the status quo respectively. Last week, police fired rubber bullets to separate the two factions when they threatened to clash outside the IFP headquarters in central Durban.
The national council, the IFP's highest decision-making body between conferences, resolved to discipline everyone engaged in such activities and especially those who, despite their negative attitude towards the IFP, continued to enjoy the party's patronage. The party’s national council also criticized the South African Democratic Students Movement (SADESMO), which is aligned to the party, saying it was providing platforms to those bringing the party into disrepute. The IFP has resolved to take legal steps to prevent former members of the IFP and its subsidiaries from addressing its members on party-related issues. The party’s national council says the lack of preparedness of the IFP’s branches is responsible for the party's national elective conference (which was expected to be held this month) being delayed.
ANC Secretary-General addresses service protests
African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe says government officials will visit various areas around the country affected by service delivery protests. Performance Monitoring Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane, led a delegation of Cabinet Ministers to Balfour in Mpumalanga on Tuesday this week to follow up on President Jacob Zuma’s surprise visit. The area was engulfed by a series of violent demonstrations last month.
Mr Mantashe says the ANC has vowed to visit other poor areas and talk to the municipal councillors and residents before protests erupt. Mr Mantashe says, “We must be in a position to detect discontent early enough and deal with it before it reaches the stage of a protest.”
ANC holds tense elective conference in Eastern Cape
Blood is said to have already been spilt ahead of the tension-ridden ANC’s Eastern Cape elective conference. The registration of delegates turned violent with one person being admitted to hospital with a cracked skull after a fight during a regional conference.
On Thursday, more than 2 000 ANC delegates descended on the River Park Conference Centre in East London, Eastern Cape Province for the party’s 3-day provincial conference. The ANC’s top leadership, including President Jacob Zuma and Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe, are expected to make last-ditch efforts to stamp out divisions that threaten to collapse local governance in the Eastern Cape. Already there are fears that the provincial conference may be disbanded prematurely if the ANC’s top leadership does not alleviate the current tension.
The contestants for the position of ANC Provincial Chairperson are Finance and Economic Development MEC (Member of an Executive Council - a provincial cabinet minister) Mcebisi Jonas and Health MEC Phumulo Masualle. ANC insiders say there is a move to get the two candidates to withdraw from the leadership race because it is felt that the election of either one will create further divisions within the party. The Eastern Cape remains the ANC’s most powerful province, having more than 153,000 members of its 621,000 party membership. Luthuli House (the ANC’s headquarters in Johannesburg) is also hoping to stamp its authority on the provincial conference and send a strong message to other provinces, including Gauteng, where signs of pre-conference tensions are already evident with reports of bad blood between current Provincial Chairperson Paul Mashatile and his Deputy Ms Nomvula Mokonyane.
Political analysts say that divisions between Mr Jonas and Mr Masualle could destabilize the Eastern Cape Province and pose a threat to the Premiership of Ms Noxolo Kiviet. A member of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) says the power struggle in the Eastern Cape is all about power and patronage.
SA Cabinet welcomes review of Huntley decision
The South African Cabinet has welcomed the Canadian government’s decision to challenge that country’s Immigration and Refugee Board over its approval of refugee status to a White South African, Brandon Huntley. Mr Huntley claimed he was attacked several times by Black South Africans because he was White.
Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board ruled that the South African government could not protect White people from Black criminals. South African government spokesperson, Themba Maseko says Mr Huntley’s claims are misleading and says, “That application, if you read the submission you will get the impression that in this country if you walk in the streets, you have groups of rampaging Black youngsters chasing after each and every White person in the streets, which is totally misleading.”
Mr Maseko says Mr Huntley’s claims promote the notion that only Whites are affected by crime. Mr Maseko adds, “To suggest that crime has a racial component, where only Whites are victims of crime is just totally ridiculous. Crime is affecting all South Africans and that is why the South African government’s commitment is to fight crime against all, irrespective of their race.”
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Heads of State arrive in DRC for SADC Summit
On Monday morning, Heads of State and Government from the 15-nation Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) began arriving in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the 26th Ordinary SADC Summit, scheduled to take place from 7-8 September.
President Jacob Zuma, who is the outgoing SADC Chairperson, arrived in the DRC on Sunday, joining International Relations and Co-operation Minister, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who had participated in the Council of Ministers meeting (which prepares the issues for the Summit agenda). During the Summit, President Zuma will deliver his statement as outgoing SADC Chairperson, summarizing the progress made on the SADC agenda under South Africa’s chairpersonship. South Africa will also hand over the chairmanship of the regional bloc to President Joseph Kabila of the DRC. The political situation in Zimbabwe and Madagascar will feature highly during this week’s Heads of State and Government Summit.
SADC Summit appoints DRC President as new chairperson
On Tuesday, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Summit will wrap up its proceedings with a new chairperson at the helm. South African President Jacob Zuma will hand over the chairmanship to President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This year is the first time that the war-torn vast central African country has hosted a SADC summit since joining the organization in September 1997 and by giving it the chairmanship, the region will be giving Kinshasa (the capital city) a role to play as an economic engine in central and southern Africa. President Zuma says that President Kabila was determined to host this year’s SADC Summit, despite enormous challenges facing the country related to reconciliation and reconstruction.
In his address to the SADC Heads of State on Monday, President Zuma acknowledged the progress the regional body made under South Africa's chairmanship, but called on his counterparts to make a concerted effort to win the battle against poverty and underdevelopment that continues to plague Africa. President Zuma told his counterparts to prioritize stability, democracy and socio-economic development. He also told them to ensure that the world economic crisis does not result in the further marginalization of Africa and increase the potential for political and social instability in the region.
President Zuma hosts Swedish Prime Minister in Cape Town
On Thursday, South African President Jacob Zuma will host the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt for bilateral political, economic and trade discussions in Cape Town. President Zuma will be accompanied by the International Relations and Co-operation Minister, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
President Zuma will host Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt within the context of South Africa’s priority to consolidate relations with Sweden with a view to strengthening the North-South dialogue in support of the African Agenda.
Historically, Sweden and Other Nordic countries’ support of South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle was crucial and covered the entire political spectrum including support for grass roots organization.
South Africa and Sweden enjoy cordial relations characterized by regular high-level dialogue, diverse bilateral development cooperation programmes and growing economic ties coupled with sound relations at a multilateral level including the UN Security Council. During their discussions, Prime Minister Reinfeldt (whose country currently heads the European Union’s (EU) rotating presidency) will engage President Zuma on both the EU and his country’s position in the upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, USA on 24-25 September.
South Africa & EU to strengthen relations at summit
South Africa and the European Union (EU) will strengthen relations and address shared bilateral, regional and global interests at a meeting that commences in Kleinmond, Cape Town on Friday. President Jacob Zuma will co-chair the Second South Africa-European Union (EU) Summit with his Swedish counterpart, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. A top-level EU delegation will meet with President Zuma and his team to review the Trade, Development and Co- operation Agreement (TDCA) that was set up between the EU and South Africa 10 years ago.
Discussions with the EU will focus on issues including climate change ahead of the UN conference in Denmark in December, the global economic crisis, and co-operation between the EU and South Africa on trade, regional development and crisis management. An important part of the SA-EU Summit will be the signing of the amendment to the TDCA. There are about 35 new articles which have been negotiated to strengthen co-operation with the EU, covering areas such as customs and revenue services and communications.
President Zuma will be supported by the following Cabinet Ministers: *International Relations and Co-operation;
*Water and Environmental Affairs; *Finance; *Trade and Industry; *Rural Development; *Economic Development;
*Science & Technology. The EU is the world's largest trading bloc and generates about 30% of global GDP and 20%
of global trade flows. It is the world's biggest aid donor to poor countries, contributing approximately half of global aid. Since the implementation of the TDCA, volumes of bilateral trade between the EU and South Africa have increased from about R56.5-billion in 1994 to R313-billion in 2007.
CRIME
We must protect cops who protect South Africa – Police Commissioner
Last Sunday, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa challenged those who criticized police officers using deadly force in the line of duty to attend a South African Police Service (SAPS) commemoration ceremony to “see for themselves the pain the families of murdered SAPS members go through.”
Minister Mthethwa was speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele hosted the annual commemoration service at the SAPS Memorial. At the memorial service, tribute was paid to the policemen and women who lost their lives while on duty between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009. Minister Mthethwa, Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and Commissioner Cele laid wreaths in honour of the deceased officers. Families, friends and colleagues also paid their respect in memory of their loved ones.
The ceremony not only honoured police officials who were murdered, but also those who were killed in motor vehicle collisions and other accidents. During the 2008/2009 financial year, a total of 105 police officials were murdered throughout the country (41 while on duty and 64 while off duty). This is a marginal decrease from the previous year's figure of 107 murders (49 while on duty and 58 while off duty).
Minister Mthethwa says although the SAPS should clamp down on certain elements within communities that specifically target and want to murder police officers, more attention should also be given to motor vehicle safety, as many policemen and women lose their lives in traffic accidents. Commissioner Cele says police officers who have lost their lives will be remembered forever by the people of South Africa for the sacrifice they made to ensure the safety of the public. Commissioner Cele commented, “As we remember, honour and celebrate the lives of our fallen colleagues, we are reminded about their positive contribution in the fight against crime. Our members were not cowards. They remained the number one enemy of the crime regime. As they serve and protect, they too must protect themselves.”
No performance contract for National Police Commissioner
The newly-appointed National Police Commissioner, Bheki Cele was appointed without a performance contract and is due to sign one only at the end of October. This week, the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, revealed in answer to a parliamentary question that a performance contract has been drafted for Commissioner Cele, who was appointed last month, but amendments to police priorities still have to be included in the contract.
Minister Mthethwa says Commissioner Cele has, since his appointment in August, visited all nine provinces and held numerous discussions with role-players. This has resulted in additional strategic priorities being identified that will be included in Commissioner Cele's contract, to be signed by 31 October. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party says Minister Mthethwa has had a year since his appointment in September 20008 to finalize a performance contract for the Police Commissioner, knowing that the previous Police Commissioner’s (Jackie Selebi) contract would come to an end.
Pretoria High Court Judge punished for drunken driving
North Gauteng (Pretoria) High Court Judge Nkola Motata has been ordered to pay a R20,000 fine or face 12 months in jail for drunken driving. Judge Motata was convicted of driving drunk in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court last week. He drove his luxury Jaguar motor vehicle into a wall in Hurlingham (a northern suburb of Johannesburg) in January 2007.
Earlier, Judge Motata’s defence team pleaded for a suspended sentence with no fine. His legal team told the court it would be difficult for Judge Motata to pay a fine as he has already spent close to R1-million in legal fees. Judge Motata’s legal battle has spanned two years, during which time he has been on special leave. Lawyers acting on Judge Motata’s behalf described the trial as mentally and financially draining but the State insisted Judge Motata earned a good salary and should be given a punishment that would deter him from drinking and driving again.
Minister of Police silent on statistics about corrupt cops
The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa has declined to reveal how many police officers who are accused of crimes are still working in the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Minister recently revealed that more than 600 police officers are under investigation by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD - a watchdog governmental agency that investigates complaints of brutality, criminality and misconduct against members of the South African Police Service and the Municipal Police Service) for a range of offences.
The ICD has confirmed that almost 40 police officers were found guilty for murder over the past financial year (1 April 2008 - 31 March 2009) while a further 63 police officers are being investigated for attempted murder and rape. Over 100 cases of theft involving police officers are also being probed. Recently, several police officers in Johannesburg were arrested for selling weapons while in the Western Cape a police constable is behind bars for allegedly helping a notorious criminal to escape from prison. Minister Mthethwa has warned that police officers who turn to crime will be rooted out of the police force. However, police officers cannot be treated more harshly than other offenders because they are also protected by the Constitution.
OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES
White South African’s refugee status in Canada challenged
Legal experts say if Brandon Huntley’s refugee status is overturned it may stop other South Africans from applying for asylum abroad. Mr Huntley (a White South African) was recently granted asylum by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, which found the South African government could not protect Whites from Black criminals.
Canada’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship has applied for leave to appeal the ruling but it could take up to a year before a decision is made. Immigration lawyers say if Mr Huntley is deported from Canada, it may create a sense of panic for other people applying for refugee status. This could hamper efforts by South Africans applying for refugee status in Canada and other countries. Legal experts believe that Mr Huntley does not have a good case because he could not prove that Whites are targeted by Black criminals. Some South African attorneys say it is not true that Whites are exclusively targeted by criminals – the majority of people are Black and it is inevitable that most criminals will be Black.
SARS workers yet to agree on wage offer
Trade unions representing South African Revenue Service (SARS) workers are considering a new wage offer. On Monday, hundreds of SARS workers took part in a protest action outside the organization’s head office in Pretoria.
The workers are demanding a 12.8% wage increase, while SARS is offering between 9.9% and 11%.
As union officials report back to members, SARS management says tax offices will remain operational. A SARS spokesperson says, “In terms of the strike notice that was served to SARS two weeks ago, it was a once-off strike.
We are engaging labour and we expect them to give feedback as to whether they are willing to accept the revised wage settlement offer.”
Meanwhile, the strike by SARS workers is set to continue until Friday, with the company remaining firm on its revised wage offer (between 9.9% and 11%). The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) says the majority of its 6,000 members have rejected the wage offer and will not return to work.
[On Thursday afternoon, the South African Revenue Service said that operations at several of its offices were returning to normal.
SARS employees who were on strike earlier this week have gradually been returning to work. However, NEHAWU says it is still demanding a 12.8% salary increase while SARS is offering between 9.9% and 11%. A SARS spokesperson says both customs officials and revenue officials have returned to work and the number of picketing workers has also declined since Monday.]
31 swine flu deaths in South Africa
Thirty one people have died of swine flu while 7,606 laboratory-confirmed swine flu cases have been recorded in South Africa, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Releasing its weekly situation update, the NICD says the latest figures are as at 17h00 on Monday, 7 September 2009 and that Gauteng remains the province with the highest number of H1N1 laboratory-confirmed cases – having 3191 cases. An increase has also been noted in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Institute says, “The underlying associations related to mortality in the four new additional deaths, include pregnancy (two cases), obesity (one case), HIV-positive (one case)) and a 5-year-old who was apparently healthy.
In the majority of persons without any underlying conditions the illness remains mild and self-limiting.”
Cape Town to implement new World Cup operational plan
The 2010 Operational Plan launched by the City of Cape Town aims to improve critical safety and security issues ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The city has upgraded its resources such as facilities, vehicles and employed more staff to better manage the thousands of visitors expected in the city next year. The resources will be used to combat crime, reduce accidents and improve emergency responses.
The City of Cape Town will test their plan within the next few months and a couple of test events at the Greenpoint Stadium will ensure that the city can handle large volumes of people – Cape Town has also learnt from the problems encountered at the recent FIFA Confederations Cup tournament. Some of Cape Town’s new safety measures prior to the 2010 World Cup tournament include: new firefighters, a mobile incident command vehicle, new motor vehicles and motorcycles for the traffic department, new traffic officers and new motor vehicles for the metro police.
Government considers banning unions for soldiers
The South African government says it is considering banning trade unions within the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The State says it is aware of the North Gauteng (Pretoria) High Court’s acknowledgement on Wednesday that soldiers have the right to belong to a union and the State will bear this in mind.
The South African Cabinet has reiterated its full support for the Defence Minister, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu’s decision to fire more than 1300 soldiers for taking part in last month’s violent illegal protest outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria, even though the dismissals have been put on hold by the court. Minister Sisulu and army chiefs have expressed their concern about the unionization of SANDF members. A Cabinet spokesperson says Minister Sisulu is considering the
matter and although no final decision has yet been taken, it is clear that government favours banning unions within the military.
Anger and doubt over latest Semenya revelations
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), athletics authorities and Ms Caster Semenya’s family have called for her gender test results to be dealt with in a responsible and humane manner.
Australia’s Daily Telegraph newspaper has quoted a source, who has apparently seen the test results, as saying that Ms Semenya has both male and female sexual organs – she apparently has internal male testes and no ovaries or womb.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has declined to officially confirm the information, saying medical experts are examining the results and only Ms Semenya will be told about the outcome. The 18-year-old South African made headlines when she sprinted to victory in the 800-metre finals at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last month. SASCOC President, Gideon Sam says he wants to see the IAAF’s medical report for himself. Athletics South Africa (ASA) boss, Leonard Chuene says Ms Semenya is receiving the necessary support from her coach and a psychologist. Ms Semenya’s family has criticized the latest press reports, saying they are still waiting for the official announcement from the IAAF.
More people are stealing food in order to survive
The Consumer Goods Council (an independent, non-profit standards and services organization, representing more than 10,000 member companies in South Africa) says it is concerned by the increase in food shoplifters. Within the last year, food theft has risen dramatically, and it is being blamed on the current economic recession. The Council says people are stealing basic foodstuffs like sugar, rice, maize meal and bread.
The head of the Council’s Crime Programme, Michael Broughton says presently consumer theft costs South African retailers between R500-million and R800-million a year. Mr Broughton says, “The tragedy is that people are turning to crime to supplement their money or supplement their basic household necessities. Unfortunately, the stealing of food is still considered a crime and therefore we treat it as such. We cannot tolerate people stealing in stores, but we do have compassion.”
NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
No agreement on Malagasy government of national unity
Last weekend, Madagascar's opposition movements refused to join Andry Rajoelina's unity government and have warned that the country is heading towards a “dangerous situation”. Mr Rajoelina, who seized power in a March coup, declared last week that he would head the transition and ordered his prime minister to form a government of national unity and restore constitutional order on the oil and mineral-endowed island after months of turmoil. Former Malagasy President Albert Zafy’s delegation says, “Of course we will not participate in this government. We reject it.
The country is moving towards a dangerous situation where there may never be peace.”
Madagascar's four power brokers (Mr Rajoelina, Mr Zafy and former Presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Didier Ratsiraka) signed a power-sharing accord in early August but have been deadlocked since on who should take key posts. Under the terms of the deal struck in Mozambique's capital Maputo, the four rivals must pick a consensus government, sharing out the top posts of president, vice-president, prime minister and 28 cabinet ministers, among the four parties. Mr Ratsiraka’s movement says that Mr Rajoelina has broken the spirit of the Maputo Agreement by appointing himself and his prime minister to the two key posts. Mr Rajoelina, a former mayor of the capital Antananarivo, spearheaded weeks of deadly street protests earlier this year and toppled President Ravalomanana with the help of a dissident faction of the military. Mr Rajoelina has remained steadfast in demanding the offices of both the president and prime minister in a transitional government. Last weekend, a senior Ravalomanana ally called for the international community to intervene in the impasse, saying “To unilaterally set up a government was not part of the Maputo deal. It is a form of dictatorship they are establishing.”
Meanwhile, the Malagasy armed forces have rejected an opposition call to head the transition, stressing the military has no role to play in politics.
SADC leaders reject new Malagasy government
Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders have rejected the unilateral formation of the new government in Madagascar. The final communiqué from this week’s 29th SADC Summit in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) noted, “The summit rejects and condemns in the strongest terms possible all unilateral decisions which violates the spirit of the Maputo accord. It reiterates its decision to suspend Madagascar from SADC till the re-establishment of constitutional order in that country.”
The SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, which ended on Tuesday, also noted the efforts made to re- establish constitutional order in Madagascar. SADC leaders praised former Mozambican President and SADC mediator, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, for the political progress made in Madagascar, while rejecting any form of unilateral government.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Malagasy transitional authority unilaterally announced the formation of a government in defiance of the opposition by other parties involved in the ongoing talks chaired by the SADC mediator. The Malagasy High Transitional Authority, led by former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, appointed Rajemison Rakotomaharo (the former chairman of the Senate under former President Marc Ravalomanana) as Vice-President of the transitional authority. Jacques Sylla, former Prime Minister under President Ravalomanana, has been appointed as Speaker of Parliament of the transitional authority. Mr Rajoelina took power in mid-March 2009, following two months of violent protests that resulted in the ousting of President Marc Ravalomanana. Mr Rajoelina was declared President with the support of the military - a move that led to the country's suspension from the African Union (AU) and the 15-nation SADC.
Lesotho confirms first cases of swine flu
Lesotho has reported its first cases of swine flu, with 13 people testing positive for the A(H1N1) virus in the tiny southern African kingdom, the Basotho Health Ministry said on Wednesday. A Health Ministry spokesperson says,
“However, we urge the public not to panic as the country has taken necessary precautionary measures to prevent and control the disease.”
The Lesotho government has set up mobile clinics at all the ports of entry into Lesotho, a mountainous nation entirely surrounded by South Africa, in a bid to screen people showing flu-like symptoms.
Malagasy opposition rejects country’s new government
This week, Madagascar’s Prime Minister, Monja Roindefo named a new government but Southern African leaders and the Malagasy opposition have refused to recognize it because it flouts a power-sharing deal. Under the terms of the deal agreed to in Maputo, Mozambique last month, the country’s power-brokers were supposed to share out the top posts of president, vice president and prime minister to see the world’s fourth largest island through to presidential polls. But with the rivals still deadlocked, Mr Roindefo pushed ahead and made 31 appointments in all, keeping himself and Andry Rajoelina in the posts of prime minister and president respectively.
Joaquim Chissano, Mozambique’s former President who is mediating in the island’s crisis, says Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders who met in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week have rejected the unilateral decision taken in Madagascar. Mr Chissano says SADC will continue to negotiate to find a consensual solution in Madagascar. The country’s current suspension from SADC will remain in place until a consensual and inclusive solution to its political crisis has been found.
