20100413
SABC

A storm is brewing between the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and members of the deposed Limpopo provincial executive committee who are refusing to step down following this weekend's conference. The disgruntled members, including former Limpopo chair Lehlogonolo Masoga, is planning another conference following the Makhado conference that saw the election of France Moswane as his replacement. But the league at national level has threatened anyone who attends with expulsion.

Police were called in to remove some delegates seen as sympathetic to Masoga. The group does not recognise the new leadership.

Deposed Masoga says: “There were no reports that were provided to that conference. We, the leadership of the ANC did not present any credentials; it’s us who must say this is the state of the province, who gave the credentials report? Who gave the organizational report? Who gave the political report? So that would not be the conference convened legitimately by the provincial leadership” (sic).

But the national ANC Youth League has warned Masoga and his group against the move and says the new leadership was correctly elected and no one raised an objection on its outcome within party structures.

ANCYL secretary general Vuyiswa Tulelo says: “It would really be unfortunate if they insist because in our understanding that would constitute an anti-party behaviour and an anti-party behaviour is an equivalent of expulsion.” The disgruntled group says it will appeal to the mother body because its national structure has an interest in the matter. But the ANCYL national office says anyone with complaints must direct them to its office.

20100413
SABC

In a dramatic twist of events, the ruling ANC party has stated that it is not going to instruct its investment arm - Chancellor House to sell its controversial stake in Hitachi Power Africa. The ANC's Chancellor House owns 25% stake in Hitachi.

The ANC has drawn an onslaught of criticisms from opposition parties and labour federation Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) for the conflict of interest its stake in Hitachi poses. This is because Hitachi has won a multi-billion rand tender from state owned Eskom to provide boilers to its Medupi and Kusile power stations.

Eskom has also just secured a R29 billion loan from the World Bank to build the coal- fired power station. But the ruling party is putting its foot down, saying it is not for them to decide whether Chancellor House should sell its lucrative stake in Hitachi.

"Whether we are going to dispose of our stake... I do not think that decision should be taken in Luthuli House because you have got a company which is having a board and that decision must be taken by them," says ANC secretary general, Gwede Mantashe.

Drawing from its experience with its own investment company, called Kopano Ke Matla, Cosatu sharply disagrees with the ANC. "Because the board members can take decisions we do not like. We need to check if those decisions do not pose conflict of interest for the mother body," says Cosatu deputy secretary, Bheki Ntshalintshali.

Contradictory decision

The ANC decision now contradicts earlier assurances made by ANC Treasurer General Mathews Phosa that they have told Chancellor House to sell its share in Hitachi.

"It is very clear that there is uncertainty within the ANC’s ranks about whether they are doing the right thing or not. The fact of the matter is that Chancellor House/Hitachi relationship is a conflict of interest. It becomes a de facto fund raising mechanism which does not level the playing fields for the political processes in the country and it is certainly a threat to the principles of democracy in South Africa," says political analyst, Roelof Botha.

The ANC remains adamant that it has to generate its own funding because it no longer receives donor funding since apartheid ended.

20100413
SABC

North West police say seven people have been arrested and three were injured during clashes involving striking the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) members at Rustenburg.

Police spokesperson Lesego Metsi says clashes erupted when police tried to control protesters. He says Samwu members were throwing stones at moving vehicles, disrupting the flow of traffic and intimidating members of the public. He says they will face charges of public violence.

In many cities across the country, Samwu members could face disciplinary action after trashing streets as they continued their strike action. In the Eastern Cape, thousands of Samwu members have overturned rubbish bins and scattered litter into the streets of Mthatha CBD.

In Nelspruit, the Mbombela Local Municipality has warned that workers who trashed the streets will face disciplinary action. In Kimberley in the Northern Cape, police have used water cannon to disperse over 500 municipal workers. They emptied rubbish bags in front of the Sol Plaatjie municipal offices and set them alight.

The Port Elizabeth city centre was also trashed. In the Western Cape Samwu chair, Douglas Baartman, has called for discipline from union members after verbal clashes between protesters and police at George.

Residents suffer

In Johannesburg, residents are beginning to feel the impact of the strike. Johannesburg residents say they are fed up with municipal workers always striking. The municipal workers union remains resolute. It has announced that the strike action in the sector will continue indefinitely.

This morning, the South African Local Governments' Association withdrew an application intent on halting further action. It says it now wants to pursue further talks. It is hoped a meeting scheduled for tomorrow could pave the way for some solution.

Samwu says labour federation the Congress of South African Trade Unions has been briefed on the matter. It is not ruling out the possibility of asking other unions to join its cause, in solidarity with municipal workers. Samwu is protesting over better working conditions and market related salaries.

DAKAR, 13 April 2010 (IRIN) - People with disabilities must be taken into account in Sierra Leone’s development and poverty reduction plans, say the authors of a new study on living conditions of the country’s disabled.

The study was developed by the UK-based NGO Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD).

The authors – who call the study a “snapshot” and a first step for further research – hope it will help clarify the disabled community’s most pressing needs as the government and its partners rebuild infrastructure and social services.

“The disabled community’s voice is generally a voice that is not heard in discussions of development,” Bentry Kalanga, LCD senior programme manager for Africa.

“Up to now disability has not been regarded as a major development issue; it must be highlighted more.”

While disability has received some attention in the years following the 1991-2002 civil war – in which thousands of people had limbs cut off – the authors say little data is yet available about people with disabilities in Sierra Leone.

The study finds that in many socioeconomic domains such as material wealth and housing, disabled people in the urban areas studied are not dramatically worse off than non-disabled. Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries and eight years after the war living conditions remain dire for many.

“This points to the background of the country. The war left everyone with almost nothing and the country has to undergo a lot of rebuilding,” Kalanga told IRIN.

Still the survey did show that people with disabilities have less access to education, health care and employment than non-disabled, in a country where such access is already quite low.

Over twice as many people with disabilities than non-disabled have no access to health care – 16.4 percent compared to 7.1 percent, the study shows.

Some 1.5 percent of people with severe or very severe disabilities are able to receive social welfare and benefits, compared to 12.4 percent of respondents with no disabilities and 14.3 percent with mild or moderate disabilities.

The disabled are also more exposed to rape and physical abuse, the study found.

Researchers surveyed non-disabled people as well as people with moderate disability and with severe disability to compare daily living conditions among the groups.

A part to play

Polio-disabled people living in the capital Freetown told IRIN they do not want special treatment – simply the same basic services and rights as any citizen.

“We are all human beings,” said Edward Mustapha, secretary general of House of Jesus, an association for disabled people in downtown Freetown.

“Moreover we are citizens of this land. We have a part to play in nation-building, despite our deformity.”

Sehid Souleymane Conteh spoke to IRIN as he was designing t-shirts for a local football team. He teaches young men the skill.

“Most of them would go into the street to beg otherwise. To be disabled, it doesn’t mean you lose your ability. You can do something with your head. I’d like to further my studies and teach other generations so I won’t see my disabled brothers in the streets.”

Family network

The LCD report says that among disabled and non-disabled alike, most Sierra Leoneans count primarily on family and friends for social and economic support. “The extended family in many low income countries is an important source of support and help for members traditionally seen as vulnerable. This highlights the necessity of ensuring the inclusion of families and communities when designing programmes and policies.”

The study was done in and around urban areas in June-July 2009; while the results cannot be said to represent the entire country they do indicate important trends, the authors say. LCD plans to expand the research to rural areas of the country.

The Sierra Leone government in July 2009 ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is currently working on national legislation to ensure compliance.

KIBERA, 13 April 2010 (IRIN) - Josephine Awuor, 34, always looks forward to her turn to receive "merry-go-round" contributions from fellow members of Msingi Bora (Good Foundation), a micro-finance group she belongs to in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum.

Meeting weekly, the 23 Msingi Bora members each contribute 50 shillings (60 US cents), which is pooled for members to take loans from. At each meeting, the members also contribute 20 shillings (26 US cents) each - to be given to one member in what they term their "merry-go-round" as they draw lots to determine the order of receiving the money.

"Numbers are written on small pieces of paper and folded and each member picks one; the number you get determines your position in the order of receiving the merry-go-round money," Awuor said. "Previously, supporting myself and my four children was really difficult; things like school fees, food and rent were hard to get but since I joined Msingi Bora, things are looking up," Josephine said.

Without a steady income - she mostly survives by doing casual labour in more affluent residential areas neighbouring Kibera - Awuor uses the merry-go-round money to buy food and other household items.

Loans from Msingi Bora, which range from 500 shillings ($6.5) upwards, have enabled Awuor, a single mother of four, to put her children in school. Her eldest child is due to sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education this year and another one is in class eight, due to sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education at the end of the year.

"Unbanked"

With the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of people who live in Kibera lacking any kind of formal banking facilities, micro-finance groups such as Msingi Bora fill the gap, providing members with credit they would otherwise not have access to.

While some groups are initiated and established by the slum dwellers on their own, some groups, such as Msingi Bora, have the backing of national and international organizations that provide training and psychosocial support.

CARE International, through a community-based organization known as the Kibera Slum Education Programme, supports Msingi Bora and dozens of other such groups by providing training, capacity-building, resource mobilization as well as sub-granting for projects such as the education and care of orphaned and vulnerable children.

"CARE has found that the answer is not necessarily to bring banks or microfinance institutions to the poor, but instead enable and empower poor women to set up informal saving and loan groups," Helene Gayle, the president and chief executive officer of CARE USA, said on 10 April during a visit to Kibera.

According to CARE, members of its Village Savings and Loan Associations receive intensive money management training before their groups begin transacting loan operations. Most members of these groups are women, often earning less than $2 a day.

Gayle said the savings and loans projects give women in slums economic options they often lack and enable them to afford health care, take their children to school and put food on the table.

"Although such village savings and loan programmes help to make a difference in the lives of women and children, there is room for improvement as more and more people should have access to such programmes in order to have an even greater impact," she said. "The projects in Kibera illustrate that we can really make a difference in peoples' lives."

CARE also supports economic empowerment self-help groups - comprising male and female members - such as the Haki Self Help Group that operates from the Kibera Hawkers Market, making ornaments from bones.

Turning waste into profit

"We have turned waste into profit by working with the bones discarded after meals; we work with cow, camel and goat bones to make a lot of beautiful ornaments such as necklaces and bangles," Charles Ogutu, head of the Haki Self Help Group, told IRIN on 10 April. "Our main challenge is the market for our produce; we have contacts with traders who come and buy from us and later resell on the tourist markets, but sometimes their orders are not enough."

Ogutu said the proceeds from the project are used for members' economic empowerment as well as the group's community projects, which include care-giving to orphaned and vulnerable children and a justice programme aimed at community reconciliation in the aftermath of the post-election violence that hit the slum in early 2008.

Lauren Hendricks, the executive director for CARE's Access Africa, told IRIN that since 1991, CARE has had savings and loans programmes in 21 countries, reaching 1.6 million people.

"Over this period, there has been significant improvement in household economy for those involved in the savings and loan programmes," Hendricks said. "As you know, one of the underlying causes of poor maternal health is lack of income for many women; we can combine group savings and loan programmes with others such as education so that we use resources more efficiently."

20100413
alalam

Sudan's national election commission has extended voting for two days due to some logistical problems at the beginning of the country's first elections in 24 years.

"The number of voting days has been extended by two further days in all of Sudan" from three days to five, national election commission spokesman Salah Habib said.

The vote, which was originally scheduled for three days, kicked off on Sunday with reports of delays.

"We decided to extend for two days, Wednesday and Thursday, so the whole process will be five days long," the National Election Commission (NEC) said in a statement.

"The decision is based on the results of the first day and to enable all the electors to vote and to compensate the lost time due to errors and obstacles of the first day," the NEC said.

On Sunday, the NEC admitted there had been some technical "mistakes" including polling stations not opening, ballot papers not being delivered or going to the wrong places.

But the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement said they wanted voting extended further.

"I appreciate the effort of the NEC. We had requested for four more days... With two days we are quite satisfied... but we are still thinking it is not enough. We are going to press for more," Samson Kwaje, campaign manager for southern leader Salva Kiir told reporters.

Sudanese were voting on Sunday to choose their president as well as parliamentary and state representatives, in the country's first multi-party elections in 24 years.

20100413
aljazeera

Eight aid workers have been abducted by armed men in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the International Committe of the Red Cross has said.

The seven Congolese and one Swiss national were seized on Friday near the town of Fizi in South Kivu province.

Red Cross officials said that the abduction had been staged by members of the Mai Mai Yakutumba militia.

"The ICRC has been able to get in touch with some of our colleagues after the incident," Marcal Izard, the Red Cross spokesman, told reporters in Geneva.

He declined to say whether the Red Cross had been in contact with the abductors.

The Swiss foreign ministry said it was aware of the situation and was in touch with the Red Cross and Congolese authorities.

'Humanitarian nature'

The Red Cross has several offices in South Kivu, which like much of eastern DR Congo has been wracked by violence since the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda spilled across the border.

"It is in order to protect and assist armed-conflict victims that we have been carrying out our activities in the area,'' Franz Rauchenstein, the head of the ICRC's mission in Dr Congo, said.

"We continue to insist that the strictly neutral, impartial and humanitarian nature of our work be recognised, and that our colleagues be able to return to their loved ones soon."

The Mai Mai group, which was formed to resist Rwandan Hutu forces who fled into DR Congo after the genocide, controls it own territory in the region.

The region has been the scene of violent clashes which have resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians in recent months.

Staff of the aid group have previously been targeted for abduction in other conflict regions across the world.

Three foreign Red Cross workers were abducted in the Philippines last year and
French staff members were seized in Chad and Sudan. All have since been released.

20100413
aljazeera



More than 20 people have reportedly been killed in violence in Mogadishu as African Union and Somali forces clashed with anti-government fighters, police and medical services sources said.

At least 13 people were killed in fighting after mortars were fired at the airport, while another six people died in when two roadside bombs exploded.

The mortars were at the city's airport and the presidential palace from the crowded Bakara market area, prompting African Union (AU) peacekeepers to respond with shellfire.

The anti-government fighters carried out the shelling while a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's national army was taking place at the airport.

"We have so far carried out 13 dead civilians and over 30 who were injured. The death toll is higher and we are busy collecting casualties," Ali Muse, an ambulance service official, said.

In another statement, Muse said: "Several children are among the dead."

He described the shelling as the "worst in months.

The president, the prime minister, the parliament speaker, the country's chief of staff, the police chief and other senior government officials were attending the ceremony during the attack.

Somali government officials confirmed the shelling but declined to give details.

The two remote-controlled roadside bombs targeted an AU convoy, but killed four civilians and two police officers, police and residents said.

"The first bomb nearly hit the AU's last car," Nur Salad, a Somali police officer, told Reuters news agency.

"Some policemen and residents ran to the scene, and then the next bomb exploded killing these people."

Somalia's fragile government controls just a few blocks in the capital while al-Shabab fighters, who have vowed to topple the UN-backed administration, and other armed groups control much of southern and central Somalia.

The government has said for several months that it plans to launch a major offensive against al-Shabab, which has professed loyalty to al-Qaeda.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled the fighting in Mogadishu.

afrol News, 13 April - The movie industry seems to have discovered the potential of Mozambique. 'Margarida' and 'A república di mininus' are the two new feature movies that have just started their filming in Mozambique these days. Both are coproductions between Mozambique, Portugal and France.

'Margarida' is a film by Licinio de Azevedo, writer and director of Brazilian origin and resident in Mozambique since 1977, produced by Ebano Multimedia (Mozambique), Ukbar Filmes (Portugal) and Liaison Cinématographique (France).

"Margarida is a film about destiny," reveals Mr Azevedo, who chose the capital of Mozambique, Maputo, and the district of Sussundenga for the filming of the movie. "I needed a dense forest and a river where people could take a bath," Mr Azebedo told the Mozambican independent weekly 'Savana'. The film is made in Mozambique, produced by Peter Pepper, coproduced by Ukbar Filmes and Liaison Cinématographique.

"Mozambique, 1975. After 500 years of Portuguese colonisation, Mozambicans hoist their flag for the first time. It is a moment of great emotion, great expectations, but also a glimpse into their future. The policy changes are not just cosmetic. It is necessary to transmit a new way of seeing life, a new political approach on the country to people living in areas occupied by the colonial powers, which inevitably means a radical change in habits and behaviours, and accept a form of relationship between Mozambique and the world," says Licinio Azevedo.

Among the works by Licinio de Azevedo, 'A Guerra da Água' ('Water War', Mozambique, 1996), 'Desobediência' ('Disobedience', Mozambique, 2002), 'O Grande Bazar' ('The Graat Bazaar', Mozambique, 2005) are seen as key. In addition to having won numerous international awards, he is the founder of the Mozambican producing company Ebano Multimedia.

For its part, the film 'A república di mininus', directed by Flora Gomes of Guinea-Bissau, is produced by Filmes do Tejo (Portugal) and Les Films de l'Aprés Midi (France), in collaboration with Ebano Multimedia (Mozambique).

"As a filmmaker, I feel like I am on a swing that balances around Africa. Sometimes when I travel around all its width from one extreme to another, shaken by events, my view on this continent becomes ironic, sceptical, and I want to run away. 'But where?'" were the words of Flora Gomes, who chose to go to Mozambique for her latest work, 'A república di mininus'.

'A república di mininus' is a story that does not pretend to seem plausible. It is a story that gives rise to reflection and laughter, concludes Mr Gomes in an interview with 'Savana'.

Flora Gomes, born in Cadique, Guinea-Bissau, in 1949, is a pioneer of the film industry in Guinea-Bissau and one of the most representative African filmmakers. He is known for his original way of drawing pictures using African myths and contemporary history, in a delicate fusion of elements with strong poetic charge and universal sense.

Mr Gomes began his film production with the film 'O Regresso Cabral' (1976), which was followed by works such as 'A Reconstrução' (1977), 'Mortu Nega' (1987), 'Os Olhos Azuis de Yonta' (1992) 'A máscara' (1994), 'Nha Fala' (2002), and 'As duas faces da Guerra' (2007), among other works.

The shooting of these two projects in Mozambique are to take place between April and June. In Mozambique the projects are strongly welcomed and seen as a good way to give the country international visibility, create jobs and inspire the national film industry.

afrol News, 13 April - South African media associations are challenging the decision by the Prosecution to have the hearing of the murder of the right wing leader, Eugene Terreblanche, in camera. Limited media coverage could lead to speculations.

The groups have said they expect the magistrate to hear their plea first thing tomorrow morning before the two suspects appear for the second time in Ventersdorp court.

The media groups argue that the case has draw a lot of interest and that it would be in the best interest of the public that the media is at least allowed into the proceedings instead of reporting speculation.

The decision to have the hearing in camera was made as one of the suspects is a minor, 15 years of age.

According to the media group's papers, terms of restrictions could be drawn on the media, especially in protecting the identity of the minor suspect.

Mr Terreblanche was allegedly murdered on his farm on 3 April by two of his farm workers, who hit him with an iron rod until he died.

However, there are new versions now coming up, as to what could have caused the dispute that led to his death, including allegations of sodomy.

20100413
afrol

Angola's economy has grown by an impressive 400 percent in the last six years. But lacking efforts to fight corruption and mismanagement has left most Angolans out from this growing wealth, a new report documents.

The US-based group Human Rights Watch today released a report concluding the government of Angola has not done enough to combat pervasive corruption and mismanagement. Angolans were not seeing their lives improve accordingly to the country's oil-driven economic growth, the report said.

The 31-page report documents how the Luanda government took only limited steps to improve transparency after the group in a 2004 report had disclosed that billions of dollars in oil revenue illegally bypassed the central bank and disappeared without explanation. The report details newly disclosed evidence of corruption and mismanagement.

"The government needs to take strong action to combat the corruption and secrecy that undermine Angolans' rights," said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Here is a nation with a wealth of resources while its people live in poverty."

The human rights group said that a recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), enacted in the wake of the global financial crisis and drop in the price of oil, however had offered some hope for improvement if its provisions are carried out.

"The government has improved the publication of oil revenue figures," the report says, but human indicators in Angola remained "abysmal and have not been commensurate with the rapid growth in Angola's national wealth." Angola is the largest producer of oil in sub-Saharan Africa, yet millions of Angolans have limited access to basic social services.

Angola ranked 143rd out of 182 countries in the UN Development Programme's Human Development Index. Angola's ranking in Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index is growing worse, from 158th out of 180 countries in 2008 down to 162nd in 2009.

The report also details new evidence of corruption and mismanagement, including that of Aguinaldo Jaime, who served as the governor of the Angolan Central Bank from 1999 to 2002. As documented by a February 2010 US Senate report, Mr Jaime initiated a series of suspicious US$ 50 million transactions with US banks. For each attempt, the banks, concerned about the likelihood of fraud, ultimately rejected the transfer or returned the money shortly after receiving it. During Mr Jaime's three-year tenure as central bank governor, the government could not account for approximately US$ 2.4 billion.

Recent statements by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos seem to indicate a willingness to combat government corruption. He has called for a "zero tolerance" policy against corruption. And as the US Senate conducted its recent investigation into corruption in Angola and elsewhere, he announced a new Law on Administrative Probity, to reduce corruption by government officials.

However, given that the President and ruling party have been in power for more than three decades, including the entire period in which oil-fuelled corruption has been rampant, sceptics are waiting to see whether meaningful action will accompany these statements, Human Rights Watch said. Further, a new constitution was recently enacted that will enable President dos Santos to remain in power for 13 more years.

"Dr Jaime's activities underscore the need for accountability," Mr Ganesan said. "If the Angolan government is serious about transparency and reform, it should rigorously investigate government officials, publish audits of its expenditures, and act on President dos Santos' pledge of 'zero tolerance' for corruption."

20100413
africanews

Kenya's Muslim populations will support the draft constitution and will vote yes in the forthcoming referendum. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, Aden Wachu said no chapter of the draft constitution violates the teaching of Islam and so their support for the draft constitution is justifiable.

According to Aden Wachu the decision to support the draft constitution has been reached after widespread consultations among the Muslim community and urged the clergy to reconsider their position on their stand against the proposed constitution.

The decision took long to be made after some Muslim MPs openly expressed their opposition to the proposed constitution. But the new declaration is the official stand of all Muslims on the proposed constitution.

Deputy Speaker of the Kenyan parliament Farah Maalim urged all Kenyans to look at the contentious issues and not to shun the draft since there was no constitution that is perfect.

The decision by Muslim to support the draft constitution came two days after President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga met the Christian clergy to convince them to support the proposed constitution.

20100413
africanews

At least 22 civilians were killed on Monday and 55 others were wounded after mortars and artillery shells hit the capital Mogadishu, sources said.

The deadly battle erupted after Islamist insurgents fired at main airport in the capital, where Africa Union peacekeepers and the presidency building is based during a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country’s national army.

The African union peacekeepers and government forces patrolling the presidential palace returned mortars and artillery shells hit civilian’s area in the capital of the East Africa nation.

A resident Abdi hakim Mudey told AfricaNews that the clashes was the worst shelling in recent months and described as indiscriminate shelling.

Ali Muse, director of Mogadishu's ambulance service, has confirmed the collection of about 16 civilians and over 55 injured as he was busying collecting casualties.

A local journalist Abdullahi Yasin has quoted police officers that two remote controlled roadside bombs had killed four civilians and two police officers.

Al Qaeda linked group of Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the two roadside bomb which was aimed at an AU convoy and said seven AU peacekeepers and five Somali forces have died after the attack.

Medical sources believed that death toll has increased after some of the wounded people died in the hospitals.

The Al-shabaab hardliners linked to Al-Qaeda controls most of southern Somalia while the weak Somali government backed by western countries runs only a little of the country, including the airport.

The insurgents frequently fire mortars to bases of the AU peacekeeping forces and Somali weak government but AU and government forces react in the areas controlled by the rebel group.

The fighting in Somalia has killed over 20,000 Somalis since 2007 and displaced another 1.5 million. Somalia is one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies.

20100413
africanews

Acting president Goodluck Jonathan of West African nation Nigeria has expressed confidence that the troubled Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could hold credible elections in 2011.

"I am convinced that the present INEC can conduct free and credible elections," Jonathan told a breakfast meeting organised by the Council on Foreign Relations at Washington.

Although there have been several calls for the removal of Professor Maurice Iwu – head of INEC – Jonathan has insisted the problem is not about him but “a missing link.”

He said: "The missing link is that our electoral law says at the end of voting, elections results must be announced at the polling unit. Most of the polling units handle not more than 500 voters, there are very few above that and everybody contesting election is supposed to have an agent at every polling unit.

"We also have observers and our law says at the end of the election, the result must be declared in each of these units, but it is always a problem declaring the result at the unit level because of conflicts. In most cases they take the results, at the end of the voting to the local government headquarters for collation and it is in that process that people think there are wrong-doings.

"That has been the problem in Nigeria and that is why we insist that if you cannot declare the results at that polling unit, we cancel it, all results must be declared at the polling unit and that is what happened in Anambra and Edo."

Credible elections

According to a Daily Trust report the acting president said INEC had demonstrated its ability to conduct credible elections recently in Edo and Anambra states as well as in last weekend's area council poll in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He also said there was no compelling need to change the election laws, as "(even) if you do not change any of our laws, we can still conduct elections."

Jonathan said by June this year, majority of INEC commissioners, including Iwu would have completed their tenure. "Before 2011 there will be a number of changes in INEC.... At the national level, most of the officers have completed their tenure and some will complete theirs in a couple of months.

"So we are going to review them individually and the ones we feel are not good enough to be re-appointed, we will not reappoint them. And we will inject fresh blood and make sure that we bring people that if we mention their names, people in the civil society will be happy, but that is psychological like I said it has to do with perception," he said.

20100413
africanews

One of Malawi's renowned veteran politicians and one time media practitioner Aleke Kadonaphani Banda died last week at Morningside Medi Clinic in South Africa after a long battle with cancer.

Banda who died at the age of 70 was the founder of one of the private print media houses - Nation Publications Limited in the southern African country.

He was a veteran of Malawi's fight against colonialism as well as single party rule. He spent over 50 years in politics and public service before retiring in 2008.

Banda held several ministerial positions in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) era led by late president Hastings Kamuzu and United Democratic Front (UDF) led by ex-president Bakili Muluzi.

In 1993, Banda became the first vice president of UDF where he served for about 10 years before he joined Peoples Progressive Movement (PPM) where he was the president.

The country has been shocked with the death of the politician who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

Meanwhile the Malawi government has shouldered the responsibility of bringing into the country the body of the fallen veteran politician by meeting all transportation costs and buying of a casket.

According to the funeral programme, the politician's remains are expected to arrive in the country later on Tuesday. Banda will be buried on Thursday.

20100413
africanews

With just some few weeks to the World Cup in South Africa, the world football governing body FIFA and the local organizing committee plead with South Africans to buy the remaining 500,000 tickets that have been made available.

Jerome Valcke of FIFA told CNN: “This final ticket phase is very important. We will not want to give that picture of empty seats to the world; all will need to be done in these last days. I’m very happy with the progress that has been made in the last four ticketing phases. What is important now is to seal the remaining tickets. This is the first FIFA World Cup in Africa; this is Africa’s first opportunity to show the rest of the world that it’s also capable to successfully host events of this magnitude."

The head of the World Cup local organizing committee Danny Jordaan said: "We have done everything we were asked to do. We have created a [reduced price] category of tickets exclusively for South Africa. We have now implemented over-the-counter sales to make sure the tickets are accessible. The final thing is that South Africans must respond. If you are a good host, you must be there. We don’t want the (World Cup) experience to end at the stadiums or the match venues; we want to go beyond that. People who visit our country must be able to enjoy many aspects of our culture and visit many iconic sites.”

The CNN reported that fewer than the 450,000 foreign visitors initially expected will be coming to Africa's first World Cup. A significant number of the tickets that have been made available come from FIFA and its affiliates that have decided not to use them.

Ticket sales have been hampered by factors ranging from location of the host country; over 15 hours from New York by air, 11 hours from London and eight hours from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to the global economy and its impact on leisure travel.

20100413
africanews

Amid Mogadishu's ongoing violence, the World Health Organization recently sent a specialized trauma surgeon to the Somalia capital to train dozens of local health professionals in treating trauma cases and delivering emergency care to pregnant women.

The training of 33 doctors, nurses and midwives aims to improve the skills of the Somali health workforce responding to the escalating conflict in the city that is stretching an already weak health system.

In March 2010 alone, at least 900 conflicts related injuries and 30 deaths were reported at Mogadishu's three main hospitals.

Children aged under 5 years accounted for 10% of reported injuries, which included shrapnel and gunshot wounds, fractures and crush injuries.

"We were able to conduct this training successfully, despite the obvious security threats and resource constraints," said Dr Omar Saleh, the WHO surgeon and the Organization's Emergency Preparedness and Humanitarian Action focal point for
Somalia. "This training is essential as its boosts the skill levels of the very health staff who see on almost a daily basis victims of the conflict, as well as expectant mothers needing emergency obstetric care. It shows that despite enormous challenges, the international humanitarian community is still making a difference for Somalis."

At least 3.2 million Somalis are affected by the country's almost two decade-long humanitarian crisis and Somali women and infants are among the world's most vulnerable people. Some 1400 women die per every 100,000 live births, and at least 86 in 1000 infants die before reaching their first birthday.

The crisis has also impacted on the country's health workforce. Doctors and other health workers are among those killed and wounded in the violence, while other doctors have left Somalia to escape the insecurity and seek better work opportunities.

About 250 qualified doctors, 860 nurses and just 116 midwives work today in Somalia, home to the lowest number of health workers of any country within WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. At 0.11 health workers per 1000 people, its health system is well below the 0.23 threshold required to conduct essential health services, such as providing appropriate maternal health and ensuring 80% immunization coverage. In comparison, Tunisia, which has a similar sized population, has more than 13,300 doctors and over 28,500 nurses, according to the 2006 World Health Report.

Many health workers who remain in the country lack specialized training in trauma management, and many do not receive the opportunity for additional training on medical and surgical advances.

Health action in crisis

But WHO's surgical training program works to overcome this. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Organization to improve the skills of Somali healthcare workers so they can save lives amid the current crisis. In the past year, WHO has trained over 100 health workers in emergency medical services.

One doctor commented that the training had provided her with new skills and experience, and that she wanted to receive further training from WHO and health partners. The approach highlights how on-the-job training within the ongoing humanitarian response can be integrated within the delivery of life-saving services, at the same time as building the capacity of the national health workforce.

WHO and its health partners are seeking US$46 million in the 2010 Consolidated Appeals, which would support further training, provide essential medical supplies, undertake monitoring and assessments of the health situation on the ground, and lead activities of the Health Cluster.

20100413
africagoodnews

Four UN peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region are still missing after 24 hours of search and rescue. The soldiers with UNAMID, a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force left their team site just outside Nyala in south Darfur on Sunday and nothing has been heard about them, according to UNAMID spokesman.

The spokesman Kemal Saiki also expressed concerns about the wellbeing of the missing peacekeepers, while it has informed the Sudanese authorities about the four soldiers, reported RTT News.

Darfur has witnessed a wave of kidnappings of foreign aid workers ever since ethnic Africans in the region took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in 2003 to fight discrimination. UN estimates that about 300,000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million displaced in the unrest.

The UNAMID had taken over peacekeeping duties in the troubled Darfur region in January 2008 from the AU peacekeeping force. Since its deployment, the UNAMID has been the target of several deadly attacks.

The latest development comes as Sudan's election commission extended the voting in the country's landmark elections by two more days because of technical problems. The voting in the three-day elections was originally scheduled to run from Sunday through Tuesday, but commission spokesman Salah Habib said Monday that the polling would be now end only on Thursday.

20100413
africagoodnews

There was virtually no music played on Somali radio stations on Tuesday following orders from hardline militants that such move is un-Islamic. The militants have also banned bras, musical ringtones and movies bringing back memories of strict social rules imposed on Afghans in the late 90s by Talibans.

"Now I think we are going to be forced to hear only the horrific sounds of the gunfire and the explosions," said Khadiya Omar, a 22-year-old Mogadishu resident who called music a "tranquilizer" to help him forget life's troubles in an AP report.

Residents were awestruck by the news as Somalia has a tradition of music. Rock, rap and love songs from the U.S., Europe and Africa could be heard on Somali stations before the ban according to the report.

As many as a dozen Mogadishu-based radio stations stopped playing music on Tuesday after the insurgent group Hizbul Islam gave the order earlier this month.

However, Somalis in the country's capital can still listen to music on two stations: one that the government controls and another that is funded by the United Nations. Both stations are based in the small area of Mogadishu under the control of government and African Union forces.

Similar edicts have been imposed on stations in the southern Somali regions held by the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Islamic insurgents control much of Mogadishu and have been trying to topple the fragile government for three years. Somalia has not had an effective government for 19 years.

"We are in a war-ravaged country and music is what brings us relief from anger, frustration, depression, fatigue and other emotional and physical pain," said Isaq Ali, a Mogadishu resident.

20100413
africagoodnews

EASSy cable is getting closer to completion after the undersea cable, delivering 1.4 Terabits per second of capacity, landed on 6 April in Tanzania, Msasani Peninsula.

The ship laying 5000km long undersea fibre optic cable for The East Africa Submarine Cable System arrived on Tuesday night, 6 April, on the Tanzanian shore and started the cable laying process the following morning, according to Tanzanian Daily News.

"Interconnection with other undersea international cable systems will enable traffic on EASSy to seamlessly connect to Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, thereby enhancing the east coast of Africa's connectivity to the global telecommunications network", said West Indian Ocean Cable Company Chief Executive Officer, Chriss Wood, present at the landing site.

For the full story, please visit IT News Africa.