ABUJA (Reuters) - Hundreds of people demonstrated outside the headquarters of Nigeria's electoral commission on Wednesday to demand the removal of its chairman ahead of nationwide elections due by next April.

Members of labour unions rallied to demand the removal of Independent National Election Commission (INEC) chairman Maurice Iwu, whom they deem responsible for flawed 2007 polls which brought President Umaru Yar'Adua to power.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, who assumed executive powers almost two months ago with Yar'Adua too sick to govern, has made overhauling the electoral system a top priority and reform legislation is before parliament.

But INEC's critics say the reforms will be toothless unless Iwu himself is replaced with someone more credible who can better organise the next polls, due by April 2011.

"Even the president said the (2007) election was flawed. Iwu is the chairman of INEC and he is responsible," Justice Obi, a 33-year-old businessman among the protesters, told Reuters.

"If he stays, rigging will be outrageous, and there is no chance of free elections next year. Forget it," he said.

Behind him demonstrators held up banners with the words "Iwu must go", "A vote stolen is a future hijacked" and "Half-baked electoral reform is poisonous". The protesters planned to march to the National Assembly as police looked on.

Jonathan has moved quickly to assert his authority since assuming presidential powers, removing close Yar'Adua allies including the national security adviser and former justice minister, and last month dissolving the entire cabinet.

Political analysts expect more public officials to be sacked once Jonathan has formed his new cabinet and local media have speculated that Iwu may be among them.

The 2007 polls were so marred by ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation that local and international observers said they were not credible.

Legal challenges to Yar'Adua's victory lasted for months after he took office, undermining his authority for much of the first half of his rule.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least 16 people were killed and 20 more wounded in clashes on Wednesday between rival clans in central Somalia, residents said.

The two clans have been fighting over land and water in Mudug region in the past few weeks. The latest clash happened in Barag village, 80 km (50 miles) north of Haradheere town.

"It's awful fighting and tension is still high," Ibrahim Osman, an elder in the village, told Reuters.

Residents said the fighting had stopped but more was expected as gunmen had been flowing into the area.

Hundreds of residents fled the village as their herds scattered because of the loud explosions.

The Horn of Africa nation has had no effective central government for 19 years and the West's efforts to prop one up have been undermined by an insurgency led by the al Shabaab rebel group that is viewed by Washington as al Qaeda's proxy in the region.

The chaos onshore has allowed pirate gangs to flourish and make millions of dollars from hijacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's High Court on Wednesday deferred its decision on whether to drop charges against an ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai until May 10 due to a delay in preparing the trial transcript.

Roy Bennett, treasurer general in Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, faces a possible death sentence if convicted of illegal possession of arms for purposes of committing terrorism, banditry and sabotage.

The MDC says the charges are politically motivated.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - An international think tank has accused Sudan's ruling party of trying to rig elections in wartorn Darfur region, as the country prepares for its first multi-party polls in 24 years.

The International Crisis Group said voter registers for the April 11-18 polls had been manipulated, constituencies based on a flawed 2008 census and the election commission staffed with too many pro-government officials, in a report released late on Tuesday.

Darfur has 19 percent of the population of Sudan. Incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's dominant National Congress Party can expect little support in south Sudan, which has slightly more people.

"Winning big in Darfur is thus central to the NCP's hopes of capturing enough votes in northern Sudan to ensure its continued national dominance," the report said.

"According to national and international observers alike, many groups targeted in the conflict, especially IDPs (internally displaced people), were unable to register (to vote) or refused to do so," the report said.

"In many instances, people were deliberately denied sufficient time and information, while teams worked hard in remote areas to register nomads who support the government."

The United Nations estimates the conflict which began in North Darfur in 2003 has driven more than 2.5 million from their homes, with some 200,000 refugees in neighbouring Chad. It estimates 300,000 have died in the ensuing humanitarian crisis.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Most of those displaced fled North Darfur to camps in the west and south, the United Nations has said. But the 2008 census found the population had increased in North Darfur and decreased in West Darfur.

"The impact of the census is very significant," the ICG said. "Western Darfur (was) allocated only fifteen seats in the national assembly compared to 24 for Northern Darfur."

"The rebel-held Jebel Marra massif in Southern Darfur, with an estimated population of 1 million but only 35,000 according to the 2008 census, has no seats," it added.

ICG said the mid-ranks of the National Elections Commission had been filled with NCP supporters, an allegation the commission has denied.

The NCP was not immediately available to comment on the report. It has previously dismissed similar opposition comments.

The report argued the international community should award no legitimacy to whoever won the polls.

"Since the vote will impose illegitimate officials through rigged polls, they (Darfuris) will be left with little or no hope of a peaceful change in the status quo, and many can be expected to look to rebel groups to fight and win back their lost rights and lands," it said.

Sudan's opposition groups have said the conflict and emergency law in Darfur have hindered their campaigns there and some have asked for elections to be delayed.

OSLO (Reuters) - More than 110 countries have signed up to the Copenhagen Accord on fighting global warming but the United Nations said on Wednesday that their pledges for cutting greenhouse gas emissions were insufficient.

The first formal U.N. list of backers of the deal, compiled since the text was agreed at an acrimonious 194-nation summit in December, showed support from all top emitters led by China, the United States, the European Union, Russia, India and Japan.

It also includes smaller emitters from Albania to Zambia.

The accord, which falls short of a binding treaty sought by many nations, sets a goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. But it leaves each nation to set its own targets for 2020.

Yvo de Boer, outgoing head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat which compiled the list, said pledges for cutting greenhouse gas emissions so far fell short of that goal.

"It is clear that while the pledges on the table are an important step towards the objective of limiting growth of emissions, they will not in themselves suffice to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius," he said in a statement.

The accord also outlines almost $10 billion a year in aid for poor nations from 2010-12, rising to at least $100 billion from 2020, to help them slow emissions growth and cope with impacts such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels.

MEXICO

De Boer said the accord could be used to help advance formal negotiations towards a successful outcome in Mexico, which will stage the next U.N. climate conference of the world's environment ministers in Cancun in late 2010.

Many experts, including de Boer, have expressed doubts that Mexico will achieve a breakthrough where Copenhagen failed to work out a U.N. pact to succeed the existing Kyoto Protocol. One reason is that U.S. carbon capping legislation is stalled.

The Secretariat said that 112 parties -- 111 nations and the European Union -- had so far signed up for the accord. The list of 111 includes the 27 individual EU states.

It said 41 rich nations submitted goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and 35 developing countries outlined plans to limit growth of emissions. Together they account for more than 80 percent of world emissions from energy use.

The Copenhagen Accord was merely "noted" by the 194-nation summit after objections by a handful of developing nations including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Sudan. The United Nations then asked all countries to say if they wanted to be listed or not. Wednesday's list is the result.

Many emerging economies were initially reluctant to sign up after the deal failed to gain universal support, even though the original text was worked out by U.S. President Barack Obama with leaders of states such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa.

Many developing nations want the 1992 U.N. Climate Convention to guide U.N. negotiations on a new treaty, arguing that it spells out more clearly that rich nations must take the lead. Washington, by contrast, favours the Copenhagen Accord.

Nations that stayed off the list include many OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia, which fears a loss of oil revenues if the world shifts to renewable energies, and some small island states such as Tuvalu which fear rising sea levels.

ABUJA (Reuters) - The United States embassy in Nigeria said on Wednesday it had raised its security alert status because of "continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S. citizens".

An email sent to Americans living in Nigeria did not give details of the threats.

"Due to continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S. citizens, U.S. government facilities, and U.S. interests, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, which includes the U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, has increased its alert status," the notice said.

CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) - OPEC officials on Tuesday appeared undecided on how to respond if oil prices rose definitively above the $70-80 a barrel range they have praised this month, highlighting a looming challenge for the cartel.

Although prices have held calmly within this band for much of 2010, U.S. crude, currently around $82 a barrel, is near the top of its recent range, and some analysts said it could push even higher as demand from the United States and other industrialized nations rebounds as their economies recover.

Some major consumers at the biannual International Energy Forum (IEF) agreed with OPEC members' claims the $70-80 price was good for both sides, providing sufficient revenues for producers and incentives to build new projects but not so high as to choke off growth in importing nations.

But there was no sign of a clear consensus by OPEC members at what price they would ramp up production if prices broke above the band Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi this week called "most appropriate".

"Prices above $85 for a sustained period of time could well be harmful. We have to be aware that the economic recovery is still fragile," an OPEC delegate told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum, which is aimed at promoting dialog between oil consumers and producers.

Naimi did not respond to questions about whether $85 a barrel would mean a rise in output. Asked the same question, a person familiar with Saudi thinking said simply: "No."

Algerian Oil Minister Chakib Khelil stressed that oil markets could sustain the current oil price for six months to a year, and that OPEC had no specific target price that would trigger an increase in production.

Some members of the cartel aren't waiting for a policy decision to gradually step up production. Total supply from OPEC's 11 members rose by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March, taking compliance with supply curbs agreed in December 2008 to just about 50 percent, a Reuters survey found.

"I'm not very happy with that percentage," OPEC Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri said on Monday, pinpointing OPEC compliance last month at 54 percent.

COMMON ENEMY - VOLATILITY

The IEF aims to produce a statement when the meeting concludes on Wednesday outlining measures to minimize oil volatility, including steps to increase market transparency, after price swings from a record high near $150 a barrel to below $33 in 2008 hit the economies of producers and consumers.

From the consumer's perspective, Holland's Energy Minister Maria van der Hoeven said $70-80 a barrel as fair, while Italy's Minister of Economic Development Claudio Scajola said $60-70 a barrel was a good.

But Japan's trade minister, Masayuki Naoshima, said that while producers had a consensus around $80 a barrel, consumers had not agreed on a price.

The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman said that fundamentals were better suited than targets to determine prices.

Rex Tillerson, chief executive of ExxonMobil, said the biggest U.S. oil company was less troubled by volatility, citing the firm's history of making long-term investments.

"For us it's really not a daunting issue," he told reporters during a press briefing.

KINSHASA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The governor of Equateur province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Jean Claude Baende, announced the end of the months old Enyele rebellion here on Tuesday.

Baende made the announcement in a report to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security Adolphe Lumanu Mulenda.

"We no longer talk of the Enyele rebellion as an organized group, but just as small groups of residual elements who are searching for means of survival," said the governor.

"The province is now enjoying tranquility," he said, adding the insecurity the insurgents created three months ago by attacking boats along the River Congo had ended.

"One can now move peacefully from Kisangani (Orientale province) to Mbandaka, the headquarters of Equateur and from Mbandaka to Kisangani," he affirmed.

The Enyele insurgency, which erupted in October 2009 in Dongo, South-Ubangi district, led to the massive displacement of of local people, including 50,000 taking shelter in Impfondo in the Republic of Congo.

NAIROBI, March 30 (Xinhua) --The Kenyan government vowed Tuesday it would step up its counter terrorism measures in the country.

Internal Security Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia said the East African nation has intensified the war against terrorism in the country, stressing that no particular community was being targeted in the war against the vice. "We have intensified a crackdown on terrorism and the borders are well secured. Our officers are out there to make the country safe," Kimemia told journalists after attending a regional forum in Nairobi.

His comments came after a series of arrests of foreign nationals on suspicion of terrorism. Since last week, the security forces in the country have arrested about nine foreigners over terror links.

The Kenya Somali border is particularly porous and the existence of insurgent groups with suspected links to al Qaida, poses a potential security risk to the country.

Kimemia vowed that the countrywide crackdown against terrorism will continue, and he, however, denied there is an influx of terrorists in the country. "It is not true that there is an influx of terrorists in the country. There have been isolated cases where refugees enter the country and they are profiled like what happened in Dobley (Kenya- Somalia border) and there is no influx at all," he said.

Last week, the Kenyan police freed an Australian terrorism suspect mistakenly believing he was just an illegal immigrant. .

Spokesman Eric Kiraithe has said Hussein Hashi Farah was handed to ordinary police at Busia, at the border between Kenya and Uganda rather than specialist officers because of "an oversight".

Farah apparently then reassured police he would appear in court for an immigration hearing, and was set free. He is wanted for allegedly planning an attack in Australia in 2009.

A group of ethnic Somalis were arrested in Melbourne last year amid reports they had links to the Islamist rebel group al-Shabaab and were planning attacks in Australia.

Kimemia also appealed to the international community to assist Kenya in the prosecution of suspected Somali pirates, saying there should be a shared responsibility in trying and investigating piracy-related cases.

"The arrangement is that all countries should support each other in trying these pirates. Kenya cannot be the only nation that tries all pirates whenever you get them," he said.

Kimemia said the government is increasingly concerned at the large number of piracy-related cases being referred to Kenya.

"We share that responsibility with the international community so those ones can be tried elsewhere in other countries within or beyond the region."

He was speaking in response to last week's refusal by the police in Mombasa to accept three suspected Somali pirates and a fourth dead person that arrived at the port aboard an Italian warship.

The developments came just a month after the U.S. State Department apparently issued a fresh advisory against travel to Kenya, citing a new threat from Somalia's Al-Shabaab group which has ties with al Qaida network.

Washington said that it was aware that individuals linked to Al- Shabaab al-Islamiya were planning suicide bombing attacks on the U. S. Embassy and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), a key building in Nairobi.

The U.S. State Department said the individuals were targeting the KICC because it was deemed the largest and oldest building associated with the Kenyan government. The U..S Embassy was targeted for its support of the Kenyan government.

Security fears in Kenya are particularly worrying following the post-election violence in 2008 that killed some 1,300 people.

Given the regional threat from Somali al Shabaab extremists seen as a proxy for al Qaida, it is even more concerning for a nation that has in the past been hit by two al Qaida-linked attacks.

NAIROBI, March 30 (Xinhua) --The United States government said Tuesday that no refugee camp should be used as recruitment base for combatants in the ongoing civil war in neighboring Somalia.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi after touring the Dadaab Refugee Camp in northern Kenya, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration Reuben Brigety outlined that Somali refugees' rights should be observed and that they needed to be treated with civility.

"I have come to reiterate the United States' commitment to working in partnership with the government and people of Kenya to provide a safe refuge for Somali and other refugees," Brigety told journalists in Nairobi. "I am also here to demonstrate concern on security issues and concern about the survival of refugees."

The Dadaab Camp, which is home to over 267,000, has the biggest number of protracted refugees in the world and the number is still rising.

The American envoy said Al Shabaab, which has been branded as a terrorist group by the U.S. and Somali governments with claims that the movement was linked to Al Qaeda, was not concerned about the well-being of Somali civilians because they had retorted to various tactics of extortion and harm to relief and humanitarian agencies.

Brigety hoped the looming elections and the referendum in the Sudan will be peaceful so as to avoid an influx of more refugees into Kenya that will further stretch resources. "I have not come to prepare Kenya, but to renew working relationships with various humanitarian agencies," he stressed. The Under secretary was in Kenya for three days from March 28 to March 30.

aljazeera



Indian authorities are investigating reports of the hijacking of multiple vessels, carrying mostly Indian crew, by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa.

Authorities in New Delhi said on Tuesday that they were looking into the reports which said that about 120 crew members were being held captive on eight boats off the east African nation's coast.

Crew members on a hijacked Indian boat, released by Somali pirates this week, said that at least eight more vessels with Indian sailors had been captured in the past few days.

"The shipping authorities have been asked to probe whether any Indian boats have gone missing and taken over by Somali pirates," P V S Satish, an Indian navy official, said.

The Times of India newspaper and CNN-IBN television network said the eight vessels were on their way from Somalia to Dubai when they
were hijacked, adding that the sailors were from coastal Gujarat.

"They had anchored last in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia where they loaded cargo into their boats. But moments after leaving the port, pirates captured them," the Times of India said on its website.

Seychelles action

Meanwhile, the coastguard office of the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, said in a statement on Tuesday that one of their vessels had repelled an attack by Somali pirates, destroying two of their boats.

The Topaz, one of their two coastguard vessels, had come under attack by three Somali pirate ships late on Monday.

"Topaz returned fire, one attack skiff was sunk and the mother ship exploded and caught fire. The third skiff managed to escape," the statement said.

Pirates seized a ship with 24 crew members on Monday off the port of Aden.

Traders in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, said that seven other vessels had been hijacked en route to the city over the past two days.

Somali pirates frequenty attack vessels in the Horn of Africa, particularly Indian ships, taking an estimated $60 million in ransom payments in 2009.

SABC

President Jacob Zuma last night conveyed condolences to the people of Russia. Thirty nine people were killed in the Moscow Metro on Monday, when two women suicide bombers blew themselves up. President Zuma condemned the attacks and pledged South Africa's continued commitment to world peace.

"I have learnt with shock and sadness of the terror attacks in Moscow which killed scores of innocent people. In this regard I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the Government of Russia and to the families of the deceased. Our hearts and prayers are with you and most especially those who have lost loved ones during these callous attacks," Zuma said.

Yesterday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the culprits behind twin suicide bombings must be scraped 'from the bottom of the sewers' and exposed.

Russia mourns

The tough talk came a day after the deadliest attack on the Russian capital in six years fuelled fears of a broader offensive by rebels based in the North Caucasus and underscored the Kremlin's failure to keep militants in check.

Putin told a meeting on transport security that surveillance cameras could not prevent terrorist attacks but might help police identify their organisers. "In this case, we know they are lying low, but it is a matter of honour for law enforcement bodies to scrape them from the bottom of the sewers and into the daylight," he said.

Moscow observed a day of mourning yesterday for the victims of the blasts, which authorities said were set off by female suicide bombers linked to the North Caucasus - a string of heavily Muslim provinces that includes Chechnya. – Additional reporting by Reuters

SABC

Deputy police minister and ANC National Executive Committee member, Fikile Mbalula, has strongly condemned the killing of farm workers. Addressing a packed hall at Phase Four in Bloemfontein last night, Mbalula urged law enforcement agencies to act harshly against those involved.

The deputy minister promised tough action against perpetrators of farm killings. He says the South African Police Services will arrest those involved without fear or favour.

He also rallied behind ANC Youth League president Julius Malema saying no one can prescribe what freedom songs should be sung as they are part of South Africa's painful history. He added that the songs are not being sung to incite violence and it is unfortunate that they will remain a part of South Africa's democratisation process.

Mbalula also took the opportunity to accuse the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) of having hijacked the 1956 anti-pass march at Sharperville. He said the ANC had already planned for the march but the PAC surpassed the plans and marched before the ANC could actualise the march. He said South Africa’s struggle icon Nelson Mandela had also written about how the PAC hijacked the march.

Mbalula said they are not opposed to lifestyle audits, but should be done according to the law and not target certain individuals. He emphasised the need for journalists to be subjected to these audits if the need arises.

SABC

The Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana is expected to meet the Local Organising Committee tomorrow to discuss the lack of local artists scheduled to perform at the FIFA kick-off celebration concert.

Xingwana and LOC head Danny Jordaan are expected to discuss the artists' request that 80% of those performing at the June 10 concert at Orlando Stadium should be from South Africa or Africa, department spokesperson Lisa Combrinck said in a statement.

During a meeting Xingwana held with performers yesterday, they argued the soccer tournament's artistic programme should reflect a 'holistic African experience'.

On Friday Xingwana said it was 'unacceptable' that only a handful of local artists were taking part. "It is not fair that mainly artists from outside the country and the continent should welcome our guests," she said in a statement.

The concert line-up includes international acts Alicia Keys, Amadou & Mariam, Angelique Kidjo, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira, Tinariwen and Vieux Farka TourT. The local acts are The Parlotones, BLK JKS and Vusi Mahlasela. – Sapa

20100330
PRESS TV

In a stern warning to former rebels in the south of the country, Sudan's president warns them not to boycott April's elections, else the 2011 referendum on secession would not take place.

During an election rally in the capital Khartoum on Monday, President Omar al-Bashir said that, if the Sudan People's Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) refuses to hold elections then "we will refuse to hold the secession referendum in January 2011."

The multi-party elections scheduled for April 11 and 13 are the country's first for 24 years and, together with a referendum on the south's independence scheduled for January 2011, are key benchmarks of the 2005 deal that ended a 22-year civil war between the SPLM-DC and Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP).

Rumors have been rife in Khartoum that the SPLM-DC and the opposition would seek to have the legislative, regional and presidential elections delayed, or would boycott them.

But Anne Itto, the party's deputy secretary general in south Sudan said Monday that "the SPLM-DC is ready for elections." Any further delay would effect "our preparations for the referendum," she said.

20100330
PRESS TV

As Sudan braces for its first multiparty elections in 24 years, the South's 2011 independence referendum has been dragged into the mounting pre-election concerns.

Sudan's opposition joined forces on Monday to express rigging concerns over the government's printing of ballot papers and demanded a review of procedures for the landmark elections due next month.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has hired a state printing company, the Sudanese Currency Printing Press, to issue ballot papers.
Further revelations on Monday showed that the NEC was contracting the same Khartoum-owned company to print voter registration books.

Meanwhile, President Omar al-Bashir issued a warning in response to speculations that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) would push to delay or boycott the vote.

He said such a move by the former southern rebels would jeopardize the south's 2011 referendum on independence.

"If the SPLM boycotts the elections, we will reject the referendum," Bashir said in comments carried on local television.

However, a senior party member told AFP on Monday that the SPLM was ready for the election as any further delays would hamper preparations for the January referendum.

SPLM leader Anne Ito also stressed that the printing would give the ruling northern National Congress Party (NCP) a chance to rig the poll, adding that the election committee would have to provide assurances that the vote would be free and fair.

Earlier this month, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky voiced concern that a series of technical challenges to the vote could undermine the fairness of the electoral process.

Among the main obstacles are transporting election materials in areas with little infrastructure as well as managing to recruit and train tens of thousands of poll workers.

20100330
SABC

Thulasizwe Simelane, SABC Harare

In a significant breakthrough in Zimbabwe's long-dragging negotiation process, President Robert Mugabe is to swear in commissioners to serve on various democracy support structures.

President Jacob Zuma's mediation team-leader Charles Nqakula says the swearing in of the commissioners is part the time-line agreed in recent negotiations. The three member mediation team is in Harare, overseeing the conclusion of the talks, before a final report is submitted to Zuma tomorrow. They say they are unfazed by public statements made by parties that seem to water down progress made at the negotiation table.

Zanu-PF statements that appear to contradict president Zuma's announcement of a breakthrough seem to suggest there is something not being told to the public by the negotiators. Zuma's mediation team is adamant an agreement in principle was reached.

Observers say Zuma has upped the pressure, as he is not keen to have his presidency overshadowed by the Zimbabwe question like his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. Analysts say South Africa also does not want the Zimbabwe impasse to steal the limelight, when the country hosts the soccer World Cup in June.

20100330
SABC

The African National Congress (ANC) says there is no connection between the singing of the struggle song ‘Shoot the Boer’ and farm killings. The party says no one has ever produced evidence of such a correlation. Last Friday, the South Gauteng High Court ruled that the use of the song was unconstitutional and unlawful. The ANC is to appeal the decision.

ANC Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe says: "The misinterpretation of the song in the first instance was itself intended to incite fighting communities. Because a Boer, Ibhunu is not a farmer, now to give it a simple interpretation that it says kill the farmer, that wrong interpretation is in itself intended to incite. And therefore we cannot deal with the question of farm killings as a response to incitement which is given a wrong interpretation to a song."

Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League has called for a wider national debate on how South Africans celebrate their history. This was in response to the court ruling. Acting Judge Leon Halgryn said any person found in violation of the court order could face charges of incitement to murder.

The Youth League's spokesperson Magdalene Moonsamy says such songs still have a place in the country. The youth league also said it will rally behind the ANC in its bid to appeal the ruling.

20100330
SABC

Afriforum says it is in the process of attaching three other properties on the Cape Peninsula belonging to the Zimbabwean government. The organisation has already attached a property worth R2.5 million in Kenilworth.

The money will be used as compensation to farmers whose land was seized under President Robert Mugabe's land reform programme. Afriforum lawyer, Willie Spies, says the three other properties are vacant: “What is happening today is the attachment of one property belonging to the Zimbabwean government which we identified as a property that is being used for commercial purposes. Its been leased by the Zimbabwean government to the third party individual and we have found that the value of the property will be sufficient to satisfy the order for costs that was granted by the Sadec tribunal in November 2009 as well as June 2009.”

The North Gauteng High Court last month upheld a ruling by the SADC Tribunal directing the Zimbabwe government to compensate farmers who have lost properties through land reform. Zimbabwe has ignored that ruling and its High Court has rejected the SADC tribunal judgment.

20100330
SABC

The water crisis that has hit Grahamstown could compromise the Eastern Cape’s market share for ostrich products overseas. Ostrich meat processors in the area are worried that if a permanent solution is not quickly found, it will hit the city's struggling economy hard.

The ostrich abattoir, tanning and other businesses rely heavily on water and are struggling to meet International standards of ostrich meat processing.

This abattoir uses on average 80 000 litres of water a day and with dams in Grahamstown drying up, adhering to health and safety standards have become a problem. Although a temporary solution in the form of pumping water from the nearby Fish River has been found, inconsistent water supply could prove detrimental to business.

Although there is a growing demand world-wide for ostrich meat, the decrease in the demand for the hide is also placing the industry under pressure.

The Eastern Cape is the second biggest producer of ostrich in South Africa, after Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape and the water shortage is going to put the region's export status at risk. The province is responsible for 18% of South Africa's ostrich exports.