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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 12 Oct Zimbabwe power-sharing deal collapses as Mugabe forms unilateral cabinet
Robert Mugabe (pictured) has broken the spirit of the Government of National Unity in Zimbabwe with the opposition party MDC, by forming a new cabinet unilaterally.
The MDC has denounced Mugabe's move, said to have been urged by his cronies in ZANU-PF and hardline war veterans, as a "giant act of madness."
Mugabe gave ZANU-PF 14 ministries, including the influential defence, home, foreign affairs, justice, local government and media portfolios.
ZANU-PF has also retained control of the army, police and other state security apparatus.
Tsvangirai's MDC has been given 13 portfolios, including constitutional and parliamentary affairs, economic planning and investment promotion, labour and social welfare, sport, arts and culture and science and technology development.
A splinter opposition grouping led by Arthur Mutambara will be in charge of education, regional integration and international co-operation and industry and commerce, according to the report.
The shock announcement came just hours after negotiators for Mugabe, main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC party and the head of a splinter MDC group urged former South African president Thabo Mbeki to once again resolve the latest deadlock.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa urged fresh regional mediation to end the ruinous political crisis, which has added to the plight of citizens grappling with acute shortages of food and basic goods and a freefalling currency.
"There is a deadlock and it can only be broken through SADC (the Southern African Development Community) and its appointed mediator, Mbeki," he said.
The Mbeki-brokered power-sharing pact was signed on September 15. It came after the ruling party lost control of parliament in March elections for the first time and Mugabe's re-election in a controversial second round boycotted by Tsvangirai.
Mbeki will head for Zimbabwe Monday on a new mediation bid, his spokesman said.
"He's continuing with the mediation process," Mukoni Ratshitanga said. "We're going to Zimbabwe on Monday to discuss those very matters that are holding up the operationalisation of the power-sharing deal."
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 10 Oct Zimbabwe power-sharing talks suspended
Zimbabwe’s power-sharing talks have been suspended amid calls by one of the principal negotiators, that former South African president Thabo Mbeki, should intervene.
Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) leader of the main faction of the Movement for Democratic Change yesterday suspended the talks with Zanu PF and called for Mbeki, Sadc and the African Union (AU) to come in and resolve the impasse, as guarantors of the deal signed on September 15.
The stumbling block between Zanu-pf and the two factions of the MDC is the the allocation of cabinet posts.
Tsvangirai, prime minister-designate in the inclusive government, told the press at his Strathaven home in Harare that after engaging with Zanu PF at both the negotiators' and principals' level, there was a deadlock on the allocation of ministries.
"There has been no progress made on this entire section as ministries can only be negotiated comprehensively and not individually," Tsvangirai
said. "It is not true to say that we are left with two ministries (Finance and Home Affairs) to negotiate as any agreement reached on those two particular ministries would have an effect on the allocation of the rest of the ministries."
He added: "In this regard we have declared a deadlock and therefore the process cannot move forward except in the presence of the facilitator (Mbeki)."
Robert Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba claimed on Saturday that there were only two outstanding ministries to be allocated after the 84-year-old leader met with Tsvangirai and the leader of the other formation of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara.
Furthermore, Tsvangirai said Zanu PF lacked sincerity and commitment to work with the MDC as demonstrated by the government's failure to issue him with a new passport.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - South Africa |
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 08 Oct ANC split looms amid deep divisions within party
Mosiuoa Lekota (pictured) the former South African Defence Minister has warned that some members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) may leave the party.
Lekota is one of the ministers who handed in their resignations after President Thabo Mbeki who was forced to step down last month.
"Today we are serving divorce papers," he said today, announcing a conference in the next few weeks where a decision may be taken to split from the ANC.
General elections are due in South Africa in the first half of next year.
Analysts say Lekota’s move underlines the expanding division within the party, between supporters of Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, who won a bitter party contest to become ANC leader last year.
Lekota, known as "Terror" because of his prowess on the football field, is a former ANC chairman.
Speaking to the press Lekota said: "We intend within a short period of time... to call a national convention of comrades or something of that nature to determine how to proceed to defend democracy in this country. If the leadership of the ANC continues in their arrogance... we will proceed with the next step."
He did not refer to Zuma by name but condemned tribalism and ANC leaders who "stand on public platforms singing songs that advocate violence." Zuma's trademark song is the apartheid-era anthem "Bring Me My Machine -Gun".
Last week, Lekota wrote an open letter, in which he accused the new ANC leadership of damaging democracy. Supporters of Zuma have been accused of intimidating the judiciary during his recent legal problems.
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe responded by saying Lekota and those who supported him were free to leave the party.
Mbeki stood down after a judge suggested he may have interfered in the prosecution of Zuma on corruption charges.
Responding on Tuesday evening to rumours of a split, Zuma said he thought it would be short-lived. "I don't think it would have a very long life span, I would be surprised," he said. "You can't believe in the ANC and its policies so deeply, and then form an organisation that repeats the same policies, that would be funny."
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Kenya |
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 07 Oct Obama author detained in Kenya
Jerome Corsi (pictured) the American author of a highly critical book about US presidential candidate Barack Obama, has been detained in Kenya.
Kenyan authorities said Corsi, the author of The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, was being held in the capital, Nairobi, because of a problem with his papers.
In a recent press release, Corsi who has been accused of a smear campaign against Obama, said he would "expose deep secret ties between between US Democratic presidential candidate Sen Barack Obama and a section of the Kenyan government leaders."
A senior Kenyan immigration official, told the press that authorities had picked Corsi up from his hotel on Tuesday because he did not have the necessary work permit.
The Obama campaign says Corsi has listed a number of false claims in relation to Kenya in his book - including that Sen Obama contributed $1m to Kenyan Prime Minister Rail Odinga during Odinga's presidential campaign.
07 Oct Shelling kills 17 people in Somali
At least 17 people were killed after shells were fired at the main market in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Authorities say Islamist insurgents fired mortars at the presidential palace from positions in the Bakara market. Government troops and their Ethiopian allies responded and a shell landed in a busy part of the market.
Meanwhile, a landmine has killed a UN driver in the southern port of Merca. The attack comes as the UN has started to pull out its foreign staff from the town of Baidoa.
Baidoa, a strategic town on the main road from Mogadishu to Ethiopia, is one of the few parts of Somalia under government control. Human Right Watch said Somalia was the most ignored tragedy in the world.
07 Oct Angola arms trial opens in France
Forty-two people have gone on trial in Paris accused of involvement in illegal arms sales to Angola in the 1990s.
The two key suspects - French and Israeli-Russian businessmen - deny organising the sale of $790m worth of weapons to war-torn Angola.
One of the two, Arkady Gaydamak, is a candidate for mayor of Jerusalem. Other suspects, including the son of late French President Francois Mitterrand, are accused of "complicity in illegal trade" and taking bribes. The "Angola-gate" case has strained ties between France and Angola.
Angola had sent its lawyers to try to stop the trial, citing reasons of Angolan national security. Around 300,000 people died during a 27-year civil war between Angola's socialist government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and the US-backed Unita rebels.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 05 Oct Mugabe and Tsvangirai fail to resolve impasse in talks
Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) the new Prime Minister under a Zimbabwe power-sharing agreement, have failed to reach agreement on a unity cabinet.
The two signed a power-sharing deal nearly three weeks ago after disputed presidential elections in June. However, the allocation of ministerial posts between Mugabe’s Zanu-pf and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change has been the bone of contention.
Both sides said they would meet early next week to resume negotiations.
A spokesman for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the discussions had been "frank and realistic" but that negotiations remained deadlocked.
Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba, said differences remained over who should hold the finance and home affairs portfolios. But the MDC said the disagreement was over the entire cabinet.
MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said the delay in forming a government was a threat to people's lives. "People are dying," he said. "The humanitarian response has to be activated and you need a functional government to do that."
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has confirmed he will continue his efforts to mediate the deadlock in Zimbabwe.
05 Oct Kidnapped Nigerian workers set free
Nineteen Nigerian oil workers who were kidnapped two weeks ago by the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) in the oil-producing Niger Delta have been set free.
Mend released a statement saying it was still keeping two British workers and a Ukrainian who were seized along with the Nigerian workers.
Unrest in the Niger Delta has led to a 20% cut in Nigeria's oil production. On Saturday, President Umaru Yar'Adua said the situation in the Niger Delta was a "nightmare", which was scaring away potential investors in the country.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 02 Oct MDC mull pulling out of deal with Zanu-pf
Robert Mugabe’s (pictured) insistence that his party, Zanu-pf, retain control of the key ministries of Finance, Home Affairs, Local Government and Justice in a power sharing government with the MDC has frustrated the opposition who are now mulling a withdrawal from the negotiations, sources said.
Following the collapse of the latest round of talks between Mugabe and Tsvangirai on Tuesday, reports said MDC elements are urging the party leadership to walk away from the unity deal if there are no concessions from ZANU PF.
“Talks will only resume once Zanu-PF agrees to conditions that ensure a fair sharing of cabinet posts in terms of the political agreement signed on September 15,” a source close to the negotiations said.
“There is intense debate among the party leadership on what to do next after yesterday's (Tuesday) failure by the two leaders to agree on the sharing of ministries. There are those who want out and we have those who want to give the deal a chance, so they're equally split on the next course of action,” the source said.
An analyst said given that the majority of MDC MPs are from urban constituencies that have borne the brunt of the country's economic crisis, the party was unlikely to concede to Zanu-pf’s attempts to hang on to the Local Government ministry.
The MDC controls almost all urban constituencies where supply of electricity is now down to four hours a day. Water shortages and sewage flowing through the streets of most towns and cities have become part of daily life. The living conditions for most Zimbabweans are becoming more and more intolerable.
Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Mugabe’s hand in the negotiations is being controlled by the top brass in Zimbabwe's security forces, who have threatened to resign en masse if any of their ministries are handed over to the MDC.
Sources said commanders met Mugabe at his State House in Harare early this week and told him in no uncertain terms that they cannot directly work under the opposition leaders, especially Tsvangirai, saying that such an arrangement would render the country ungovernable.
The security commanders, who included Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, General Constantine Chiwenga, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander, Lieutenant General Philip Valerio Sibanda, his Airforce counterpart Air Marshal Perence Shiri, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and Prisons Services Commissioner, Paradzayi Zimondi, are said to have accused the MDC leader of having a clear vendetta against most of them.
"They told Mugabe that they will all leave their jobs if he handed over their ministries. They complained that, after what happened in the past eight years, it would be best for them to quit their jobs. They said that Tsvangirai is itching to try them for the alleged brutalisation of him and other members of his party during the past few years," said a source within Zanu-pf.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 01 Oct Mugabe, Tsvangirai fail to agree on share out of ministries
Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) failed to agree on a share-out of ministries in a government of national unity, during their meeting on Tuesday.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the press that the deadlock had been referred back to former South African president Thabo Mbeki who mediated the agreement signed in September.
"As MDC, we refuse to be junior partners in the inclusive government," Chamisa said. "Any power-sharing is supposed to be a partnership of equals. As a result of this there has been a deadlock. The matter has been referred to the mediator."
Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a faction of the MDC and a signatory to the power sharing agreement did not attend the meeting after he was caught up in floods and his flight was cancelled in China, a party official said.
Mutambara was in China for the World Young Leaders Forum and should have flown to Zimbabwe on Sunday.
The impasse in the power-sharing agreement follows Mugabe's claim on Monday that a new government would be formed by the end of the week.
"Unfortunately, there has not been any movement on the part of Zanu PF who are insisting on taking all the powerful ministries against the spirit of a
power-sharing agreement," said Chamisa.
A source close to the negotiations said the standoff was over the local government, home affairs, foreign affairs and finance ministries.
"We are hoping that SADC (Southern African Development Community) who are the guarantors of this deal and the AU (African Union) will help us resolve this matter," said Chamisa.
On Monday, Mugabe said four ministries remained to be allocated and denied there was a deadlock. "We will be setting up government by the end of the week," Mugabe said on his return from the United Nations general assembly meeting in New York. We never said there was a deadlock."
Under the agreement signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara on September 15, Mugabe will remain as head of state after nearly three decades in power, while Tsvangirai is to take up a new post of prime minister.
The deal brokered by Mbeki was heralded as a historic initiative to resolve Zimbabwe's political deadlock and economic melt-down. Zimbabwe has the world's highest rate of inflation, last estimated at 11.2 million percent, leaving 80 percent of the population living in poverty.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 29 Sept Zimbabwe women demand immediate formation of unity government
OVER 600 members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) took to the streets of Bulawayo today demanding the immediate formation of a new government as outlined in the 15 September power-sharing deal.
WOZA is renowned for protest meetings led by women. Leading campaigners such as Jenni Williams (pictured) have been beaten up numerous times and jailed.
The demonstrators converged around the Mhlahlandlela Government Complex which is situated opposite the Zimbabwe Republic Police Drill Hall. However, there were no members of any demonstrators being arrested, according to a WOZA press statement.
The protest began at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) where participants delivered a protest note, complaining about poor electricity supply and high tariffs.
WOZA is enraged that 15 days since the government of national unity deal was signed, no progress has been made in forming a new government.
“Food prices are soaring, electricity and water cuts are increasing but no one seems interested or able to deal decisively with these issues and the ordinary citizens continues to carry the ever-increasing burden,” the statement said. “WOZA members, along with the rest of the nation, are starving but unable to access food aid despite recognition in the deal that the situation is urgent.”
“WOZA is therefore demanding immediate action regarding the formation of a new government that will begin to work on solving urgent social issues, like food, electricity and water. We also requested that the mothers of the nation arise and demand a liveable peace.”
Robert Mugabe has said he expects a unity government involving his party, Zanu-pf and two factions of the MDC, to be formed by the end of this week.
Speaking to reporters in Zimbabwe on his return from a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Mugabe said the outstanding issue of allocating ministries to each party, had been discussed before he had left for the UN.
visit www.wozazimbabwe.org
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 29 Sept Zimbabwe unity government in the offing - Mugabe
Robert Mugabe (pictured) has said he expects a unity government involving his party, Zanu-pf and two factions of the MDC, to be formed by the end of this week.
Speaking to reporters in Zimbabwe on his return from a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Mugabe said the outstanding issue of allocating ministries to each party, had been discussed before he had left for the UN.
"Only four [ministries] remain, but there is no deadlock. We will be setting up government this week, towards the end of the week," Mugabe said.
He did not reveal the ministries where no agreement has been reached but Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC has made no secret of its intention to control the finance, home affairs and information ministries.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara who leads the other faction of the MDC signed an outline agreement on a new government earlier this month, with the proviso that Mugabe will remain president, while Tsvangirai will become prime minister in a government tasked with ending the economic crisis.
Under the power-sharing deal Mugabe's Zanu-PF party will get 15 cabinet seats, Tsvangirai's MDC will get 13 cabinet posts, while the Mutamabara faction will be handed three positions.
Mugabe will chair the cabinet, which decides on government policy while Tsvangirai, will chair a council of ministers, which implements policy.
Mugabe also keeps the reins over the military, while the MDC aims to be in charge of the police.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Somali ship ransome |
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 27 Sept Somali pirates demand $20m for seized ship carrying tanks
Somali pirates who seized a ship carrying tanks and weapons last week say they are surrounded by at least three foreign warships.
According to the pirates who spoke to the press through a satellite phone, one of the ships is the American US destroyer, USS Howard, another is from Russia, but the nationality of the third is not clear.
A man who identified himself as one of the pirates, Sugule Ali, told the press that his group wanted a ransom of $20m (£11m) and were not interested in the weapons. Earlier, the pirates had demanded $35m.
"It is true we are surrounded by three foreign military vessels and there are some others we can see in the distance," Ali said. "We are not afraid of their presence, that will not make us abandon the ship or to refrain from asking for money. There is no shortage of food supply and all the crew members are healthy and well, including ours."
However, Ali admitted that one of the kidnapped sailors had died, but said this was from natural causes.
Meanwhile, Kenya has insisted that the shipment of 33 72-T tanks on board the Faina, which was seized last Saturday, were destined for its military.
Various sources have suggested that the tanks and spare parts were really bound for the autonomous government of South Sudan, in possible contravention of a UN arms embargo.
A spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, Lt Nathan Christensen, said the USS Howard was within 8km (5 miles) of the Ukrainian vessel, but refused to say whether they were preparing to attack the pirates.
He said the ship's cargo of battle tanks made it a particularly worrying situation.
"We're concerned that this might end up in the wrong hands, such as terrorists or violent extremists," he said.
A maritime expert said the ship was carrying "dangerous chemicals" and warned against using force.
Somalia has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered continual civil strife, with rival armed groups fighting for control.
The waters off the coast of Somalia are considered some of the world's most dangerous.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Somali |
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 26 Sept Somali pirates seize ship carrying army tanks
Somalian pirates have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying about 30 T-72 tanks, off the coast of the country, an official has said.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
According to the Ukrainian foreign ministry, the captain of the Faina cargo ship had reported being surrounded by three boats of armed men on Thursday afternoon.
Sources in Somali said the ship was also carrying spare parts for armoured vehicles. The tanks were due to be transported by road from Kenya to South Sudan.
Somali, which has not had an effective national government for 17 years, has seen a recent surge in piracy off the coast of the country. Political observers say Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
26 Sept Nigeria police arrest 200 militants
Nigerian police have arrested more than 200 suspected militants in raids in the oil-rich Niger Delta, authorities say.
Reports in the Nigeria press cited the military commander in Rivers State as saying his men had found almost all militant camps there, and he would mount a campaign to destroy them.
Militant attacks in the Niger Delta have cut Nigeria's oil production by about 20% in recent years. The main militant group in the Niger Delta, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) declared a ceasefire at the weekend.
One week earlier, Mend declared a "war" on Nigeria's oil industry, after a fierce military raid on one of their bases. Mend claims that it is fighting for more control over oil wealth in the impoverished Niger Delta. However, critics say Mend is making money from criminal rackets and trade in stolen oil.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - South Africa |
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 25 Sept SA Parliament endorses Motlanthe as interim president
ANC deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe (pictured) has been officially endorsed by South Africa's parliament as interim president to replace Thabo Mbeki, who is stepping down today.
MPs voted in the secret ballot at the parliament buildings in Cape Town and Mr Motlanthe will be sworn in later.
The veteran politician is seen as a figure who could heal tensions between supporters of Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.
Analysts say Motlanthe's low public profile and lack of a personal support base mean he is regarded as a safe interim president - there is no way he could possibly hold on to the presidency once Zuma decides his time has come.
Motlanthe will serve until polls next year, when Zuma, as ANC leader, is widely expected to become president.
During the apartheid years, Motlanthe was imprisoned on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela. After his release in 1987, he became a top official of the National Union of Mineworkers and then the ANC.
Mbeki announced his resignation last Sunday amid claims of political interference in a corruption case against Zuma. Mbeki denies the allegations but said he was stepping down in the interests of party unity, as the ANC leadership said it was recalling him.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said that Mbeki's resignation was "devastating". Mbeki was the key mediator during months of negotiations that recently led to a power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe.
"It's devastating news that President Mbeki is no longer president... but that is the action of the South African people," Mugabe was quoted by Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper as saying. "Who are we to judge them? But it is very disturbing."
Mbeki's departure has led to a flurry of resignations from the cabinet and caused uncertainty on the markets. The widely respected Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was among the 11 cabinet ministers who resigned but he has said he would be happy to serve a new president.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 23 Sept ‘No financial aid for Zimbabwe before impasse on GNU is resolved’ - USA
US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee (pictured) said in Johannesburg yesterday that the new government in Zimbabwe would not receive financial aid until all parties demonstrated they were serious about implementing the spirit of the power-sharing agreement.
Addressing a meeting hosted by the European Union (EU) in Johannesburg on Monday, McGee noted that the EU would not put a penny into the beleaguered country until the new government showed that it was serious about the deal.
A government of national unity was formed after a power-sharing deal was signed by Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai last week.
However, McGee said the international community had decided to move immediately on humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe, as well as what he called
technical assistance to the government.
"So far we have not seen anything from this government - in fact the agreement has not even been finalised", McGee said. "When Mugabe went to the United Nations last week, the cabinet had not been sworn in. It had not even been concluded as to which party will have who or what ministries."
McGee applauded Tsvangirai's decision not to travel to New York for the general assembly, which started on Monday. He chose instead to travel around Zimbabwe to see what humanitarian aid was needed and to look at the food insecurity problems .
"He (Tsvangirai) is busy talking with the nongovernmental organisations and the donor community about what steps needed to be taken in providing food for the people of Zimbabwe. He says that this is his first priority," McGee said.
Furthermore, McGee said President Thabo Mbeki's decision to step down as leader of SA at the behest of the African National Congress could be a boon for Zimbabwe. He said Zuma "has such close ties to the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, both of which say they support Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC".
"I hope this sends a message to Mugabe that things at last are going to change,” McGee said. “I really hope that the light that is shining on them from the international community will stop this regime's excesses .. However, it is worrying that Zanu (PF) has said is not going to change the status quo."
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - South Africa |
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 22 Sept ANC picks new president to replace Mbeki
Kgalema Motlanthe (pictured) will replace Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa, following Mbeki’s dramatic resignation on Sunday.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said it had named Motlanthe to take the position of caretaker president until elections are held in early 2009. Parliament is expected to confirm Motlanthe's appointment to the post.
Mbeki resigned on Sunday over claims of political interference in a corruption case against his political rival, ANC leader Jacob Zuma. Addressing the nation, Mbeki denied the accusations but said he was stepping down, at the request of the ANC, in the interests of party unity.
"Motlanthe will be the president, not interim, he will be the president of the republic until the election," ANC spokesman KK Khumalo told the press.
Analysts say Motlanthe's appointment is almost certain to get the stamp of approval from the ANC-dominated parliament - a vote which could happen on Monday.
ANC General Secretary Gwede Mantashe said the decision to ask for Mr Mbeki's resignation was taken to avoid divisions in the party. "A united ANC is good for the country and it ensures that there is certainty and predictability, that is important for the markets," Mantashe told the press. Furthermore, he said Zuma would not take over immediately but would wait for general elections when, if voted in, he would be "a people's president".
Mantashe has said the resignation call was not a punishment for Mbeki and that the president would be given the chance to continue his role as mediator in Zimbabwe.
However, the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has said Zuma had "got what he wanted" from Mbeki's resignation. Party leader Helen Zille told the BBC's Network Africa programme that Zuma wanted "a political solution to his legal problems".
"I can tell you that that is what this is about and nothing else," she said.
Zille praised Mbeki as a strategic thinker and a "man of great intellect" who had been at the forefront of peacemaking in Africa. In comparison, she said Zuma was "the leader of a rabble out to grab the spoils of state for their own interests".
Mbeki formally resigned following a meeting of the ANC's National Executive Committee. The move came days after a high court judge suggested that Mbeki might have interfered in a corruption case against Zuma.
But during his television address, Mbeki made an impassioned defence of his position. Neither he nor his cabinet had made any attempt to meddle with the judicial process, he said, and he dismissed any suggestion he had been trying to shape the judgement for his own political ends.
"Again I would like to state this categorically: that we have never done this and therefore never compromised the right of the National Prosecuting Authority to decide whom it wished to prosecute or not to prosecute," he said.
Mbeki became leader of South Africa in 1999 and won a second term in 2004. Analysts say his biggest policy success has been South Africa's rapid economic growth since the end of apartheid and the rise of a black middle class.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - South Africa |
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 19 Sept Mbeki rebuffs ANC critics seeking to oust him
Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's President, has condemned critics within his own African National Congress (ANC) party who are calling for his resignation.
Mbeki (pictured) has denied suggestions that he intervened in the corruption case against the ANC leader, Jacob Zuma. He also issued a statement attacking the tendency to "hurl insults" at him.
Mbeki’s statement was made public as senior ANC members prepared to begin a three-day meeting to discuss his future. Mbeki is coming under pressure to step down following a court ruling that said there had been political interference in Zuma's trial.
"We would like to state, for the record, that the NDPP [National Directorate of Public Prosecutions] neither met nor communicated with the president or any official in the presidency before making its determination," a statement from the president's office said.
Analysts said the ANC's National Executive Committee, which is to debate the issue and is made up of mainly Zuma's supporters, cannot force Mbeki to resign as president. However, one observer said that if the ANC leadership cannot persuade Mbeli to go they may opt to take their battle to parliament.
Mbeki lost the leadership of the ANC to Zuma, who will be the party's presidential candidate in elections, expected in the first half of next year. Zuma has tried to cool passions, saying that there is no need to "beat a dead snake".
Mbeki has said he will accept the party's decision and resign.
Under the South African constitution, removal of the president from office would require a two-thirds majority and could only be done on specific grounds. It would have to be shown that the president had committed a serious violation of the constitution or the law, been responsible for serious misconduct, or was unable to perform the functions of office.
Parliament could also pass a motion of no-confidence. This would require the support of a simple majority of MPs. The president and the other members of the cabinet and any deputy ministers must then resign, triggering early elections.
The ANC controls 297 out of the 400 seats. However, many MPs owe their positions to President Mbeki and know that they are unlikely to return to parliament after next year's elections.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 18 Sept Mugabe says power sharing deal with MDC is a humiliation
Robert Mugabe (pictured) has told his Zanu-pf party leaders that the power-sharing deal with the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change is a "humiliation".
Addressing a Zanu-pf politiburo meeting in Harare on Wednesday, Mugabe said: “If only we hadn’t blundered in the harmonised elections, we wouldn’t be facing all this humiliation. That is what we have been saying. If only we hadn’t chosen to be divided. If only, if only, if only! Yes, we made it the hard way.”
Mugabe, who will cede some of his state power to prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai, said Zanu-pf had no alternative after losing the March parliamentary elections. He is expected to meet prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai today to discuss allocating ministerial posts under the deal.
Nevertheless, Mugabe said Zanu-PF remained in the driving seat. "We are still in a dominant position which will enable us to gather more strength as we move into the future," he said.
Under the deal, Mugabe's party has 15 posts in cabinet, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) 13 and a smaller MDC faction three. However, the allocation of portfolios among the parties and the naming of the ministers has still to be decided.
Mugabe will chair the cabinet, while Tsvangirai will chair a "council of ministers" attended by all cabinet ministers. The cabinet under Mugabe will decide on government policy, while the council of ministers will implement it.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 15 Sept Mugabe and Tsvangirai sign power-sharing deal
Zimbabwe has embarked on a government of national unity after President Robert Mugabe signed a historic power-sharing deal with his long-time rival, opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mugabe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara - leader of a breakaway MDC faction - signed the agreement in front of around 3,000 invited guests, including several African heads of states, in Zimbabwe's International Conference Centre.
The deal opens the way for international donors to help to revive Zimbabwe's collapsing economy, where inflation is pegged at around 11,000,000%.
Tsvangirai said the agreement provided the best hope for Zimbabwe and was a "product of painful compromises" and that it did not provide "an instant cure" to the fortunes of Zimbabwe.
"I've signed this agreement because I believe it represents the best opportunity for us to build a peaceful and prosperous democratic Zimbabwe," Tsvangirai said.
Furthermore, Tsvangirai who takes the reins of power as Prime Minister, called for the support of the international community and African neighbours in helping to rebuild Zimbabwe’s key sectors - healthcare, education and the economy.
The new deputy prime minister, Arthur Mutambara, said the compromise agreement was a victory for Zimbabwe. "This is a victory of Zimbabweans saying to each other there is more that brings us together than that which divides us," he said.
As prime minister, Tsvangirai is expected to chair a council of ministers which is responsible for the day-to-day managing of the country's affairs. According to the leaks, the MDC and another MDC faction will together have 16 ministers, while President Mugabe's Zanu-PF will have 15 ministers.
Mugabe said that if the unity was going to last all the way, all parties had to observe the salient principle that Zimbabwe is a sovereign state. “Zimbabwe is a sovereign state,” he said. “Only the people of Zimbabwe have a right to govern it. They alone will set up governments and they alone will change those governments. That principle must remain.”
Details are still emerging on how exactly power will be shared.
Reacting to the news of the agreement, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said a decision on lifting sanctions on Zimbabwean officials had been postponed until October. He also said the EU will wait for concrete measures before it resumes economic aid to Zimbabwe.
UK foreign secretary David Milliband said: “We are all on tenterhooks. It is too early to say anything definitive. From our point of view, the priority is the welfare of Zimbabwean people.”
Negotiations started at the end of July, but stalled over the allocation of executive power between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. The breakthrough came late on Thursday after months of difficult negotiations mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 14 Sept Mugabe and Tsvangirai pact creates 31 cabinet posts
Robert Mugabe (pictured) and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, on Saturday finally agreed on a list of 31 cabinet portfolios under their power-sharing deal, according to informed sources.
A government official said Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to form a government of national unity comprising 31 ministries, including 13 new ones. ZANU-PF would have 15 cabinet seats, Tsvangirai's MDC 13 and a splinter MDC faction three seats.
The powerful ministry of state security was abolished, while the justice ministry was split into two, with a new prisons department, according to the list availed by sources close to the talks.
Details of the ministries allocated to each party and individuals to head the ministries would be announced on Monday.
“The most significant part of this deal is that the pact abolishes the ministry of state security which controls the notorious Central Intelligence Organisation,” an analyst said.
However, it remains unclear how the secret police -- a key instrument in maintaining Mugabe's 28-year grip on power -- would be integrated into the new government structure, and under whose authority.
"At the moment it is unclear what will happen to state security but I am sure this is something that is being worked by Mugabe and Tsvangirai. I am sure it will have a home, it is a matter of time before we know," a senior government official said.
An opposition official said Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was pushing to head the home affairs, justice and finance ministries but was willing to leave Mugabe's ZANU-PF in charge of security and defence.
Such an arrangement would give the MDC control over the police and responsibility for rescuing an economy reeling from the world's highest rate of hyper-inflation, more than 11 million percent.
ZANU-PF's top decision-making body, the politburo, endorsed the power-sharing deal at a meeting chaired by Mugabe in Harare on Saturday, according to informed sources.
Analysts are cautious over how quickly the power-sharing deal can end the crisis or persuade Western powers -- deeply opposed to Mugabe -- to step in with much needed financial support to aid recovery.
Zimbabweans are desperate for an end to a crisis that has ravaged the economy and pushed millions of refugees into neighbouring countries.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - South Africa |
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 12 Sept Zuma cleared in SA corruption case
Jacob Zuma, (pictured) leader of South Africa’s ruling party, African National Congress has been cleared of corruption charges which threatened his succession of President Thabo Mbeki.
Judge Chris Nicholson said the decision to prosecute without consulting Zuma, (66) had been invalid and ordered the charges relating to corruption, fraud and money laundering relating to a multi-billion dollar 1999 arms deal, to be dropped.
The judge sitting in a Pietermaritzburg court, also said there was reason to believe the decision to charge Zuma was politically motivated. His words were drowned out by cheers of Zuma’s supporters outside the court.
"I must repeat that this application has nothing to do with the guilt or otherwise of the applicant. It deals only with the procedural point relating to his [Zuma] right to making representations before the respondent [the prosecution] makes a decision on whether to charge him," Judge Chris Nicholson said in his ruling.
The decision effectively clears the path for Zuma to become president.
Eyewitnesses said a jubilant Zuma embraced his lawyer after the ruling. His lawyers are also applying for a permanent stay of prosecution in a separate case.
The charges against Zuma related to South Africa's largest post-apartheid arms deal, involving contracts totalling 30bn rand ($3.7bn; £2bn) to modernise its national defence force. The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France and South Africa.
Zuma was sacked as South Africa's deputy president in 2005, when his financial adviser was found guilty of soliciting a bribe on behalf of Zuma and jailed for 15 years in connection with the deal.
Zuma was subsequently tried, but the case collapsed in 2006 when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed. In April 2006, Zuma was acquitted of rape in a separate case.
He was charged again last December shortly after winning a bitter campaign against President Thabo Mbeki to become ANC leader in what his allies say was a political conspiracy to prevent him becoming president. Elections are due to be held in April or May 2009.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 12 Sept Zimbabwe: government of national unity pact sealed
Zimbabwe will announce a government of national unity next Monday following an agreement to share power between Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-pf and opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change.
The breakthrough was announced by South African President Thabo Mbeki (pictured) who has been mediating the talks in Harare. He said the agreement would be signed and made public on Monday.
He said: "I am absolutely certain that the leadership of Zimbabwe is committed to implementing these agreements."
Tsvangirai was first to announce the breakthrough, telling reporters simply: "We've got a deal." Mugabe has yet to comment.
Although the concrete details of the agreement have not yet been publicised, analysts believe that Tsvangirai will chair a new council of ministers and control the day-to-day running of the country, while Mugabe will head the cabinet as president.
Negotiations between Zanu-pf and the two factions of the MDC started at the end of July, but quickly ran into an impasse over the allocation of executive power between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The UN special representative on Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios, said the announcement marked a way forward that all sides could live with. Britain's Foreign Office said it was following the situation closely, adding that "our concern is the welfare of the Zimbabwean people".
Earlier on Thursday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said any power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe would be judged by how much it reflected legitimate election results.
The agreement opens the way for international donors to help to revive Zimbabwe whose annual inflation is now pegged at around 11 million percent.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 10 Sept Zimbabwe talks: Zanu-pf and MDC close to agreement
Ongoing talks in Zimbabwe between Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) have taken a positive spin towards a government of national unity.
Sources close to the talks said the postponement of special summit meeting on Zimbabwe, which was due to be held in Swaziland today, indicates that the two sides are close to an agreement.
“The fact that South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki is still in Harare to conduct the negotiations, may be a sign that the talks are not too far to an agreement,” one observer said.
After two days of discussions in a hotel, both Mugabe and Tsvangirai told the press on Tuesday that they hoped to address the outstanding issues between them on Wednesday. "I must say that there is a positive development," Tsvangirai said. Mugabe noted there had been "progress - and lack of it - in some areas".
Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper reports that Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara who heads of a splinter faction of the MDC, held individual talks with Mbeki on Tuesday before meeting without the South African president.
Source in Tsvangirai's MDC say they are now proposing that their leader be named prime minister, with full authority over all the ministers, while President Mugabe chairs a new National Security Council. This would mean he keep some authority over the security forces.
Mugabe has threatened to form a government alone if a deal is not reached this week. However, analysts say such a move would deter western donors who are prepared to rescue Zimbabwe’s collapsing economy if the MDC is given real power in government.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Angola |
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 08 Sept Angola ‘vote rigging’ allegations mar MPLA landslide victory
An EU observer, Richard Howitt, has told the press that there was vote-rigging in Angola, where the ruling MPLA is expected to win a landslide election victory.
Speaking from Brussels after his return from Angola, Howitt said the governing party had offered bribes in one province, while soldiers and MPLA officials appeared to have intimidated voters.
Howitt said there had been "massive hand-outs" of money, televisions, radios, alcohol, and even cars. "I personally saw representatives of the ruling party standing not just in the polling station, but in front of the booths where people were voting," Howitt said.
However, Isaias Samakuva (pictured) the leader of Angola’s main opposition party Unita said although he is challenging the conduct of the poll, democracy had prevailed.
Addressing the press, Samakuva said: "Our country has completed an important step for the consolidation of our fragile democracy. From now on, each government is only going to last four years, not more than 33 years."
In the lead-up to the election, Unita accused the MPLA of intimidating its supporters and dominating state media. Around eight million voters are registered in the country - more than a quarter of whom live in the capital.
Other election observers have said the vote was transparent.
With more than two-thirds of the votes counted, the MPLA had 82% and the opposition Unita party 10.5%. Final provisional results of the parliamentary poll are due later today.
The elections are the first in Angola for 16 years, and are seen as a crucial step in the country's recovery from decades of civil war. Analysts said voting passed off peacefully on Friday, but organisation in parts of the capital, Luanda, was chaotic.
The MPLA has ruled Angola since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975 but it fought a civil war against Unita until 2002.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 04 Sep 2008 Mugabe issues deadline on Zimbabwe power-sharing pact
Robert Mugabe (pictured) has said the opposition MDC has until Thursday (4th September) to agree a power-sharing deal, or he will form his own government.
Mugabe, who lost the presidential election to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai last March, was quoted in the state controlled daily newspaper The Herald saying: "We feel frozen at the moment [without a government]. If after tomorrow [Thursday], Tsvangirai does not want to sign, we will certainly put together a cabinet."
Furthermore, Mugabe who returned on Wednesday from Zambia where he attended the funeral of the late president Levy Mwanawasa said: "We are a government and we are government that is empowered by elections. We should form a cabinet. We would not allow a situation where we will not have a cabinet forever."
Responding to Mugabe’s ultimatum, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the opposition would not be "stampeded" into signing a bad agreement. "It's actually better not to have a deal than to have a very bad deal, as the [MDC] president Mr Tsvangirai says,” Chamisa said. "We will not be succumbing to ultimatums, arm-twisting tactics, intimidation and bullying that Zanu-PF has been adopting."
Analysts say if Mugabe forms a cabinet excluding the MDC the move is would almost certainly mean the end of the talks process.
Zanu-PF hardliners have publicly said they won't endorse any deal which gives more power to Tsvangirai than the watered down version of Premiership which Mugabe has offered the MDC leader. Isaiah Muzenda, a representative of the so-called war veterans, a band of young men who often enforce Mugabe's rule, told a local newspaper that the group wrote to Mugabe warning him not to agree to such a deal.
Chamisa said that the talks were stalling because Mugabe is no longer in charge. "He is circled by vultures," Chamisa said. "The military and greedy cronies of his are dictating the pace and direction of the talks from behind the scenes. The tragedy is that they want to continue with a free reign of
looting and plundering the country's resources, and this can only be ensured if Mugabe remains in charge."
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe talks |
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 03 Sep Zimbabwe unity talks remain deadlocked - Tsvangirai
Zimbabwe’s power-sharing talks remain deadlocked and are unlikely to resume soon, according to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
In an interview on South Africa's Talk Radio 702, Tsvangirai who leads the main faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said he "was not aware of plans" for post-election negotiations to resume soon.
The talks have been deadlocked over executive powers.
Explaining why he refused to sign a power-sharing deal with Mugabe (pictured) in talks over recent weeks, Tsvangirai said: "There was an attempt to fragment the cabinet. With some ministries reporting to the president and some ministries reporting to the prime minister."
He added: "In this case the economic and social ministries will go to the prime minister. The security ministries will go to the president."
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in a March 29 election but fell short of enough votes to avoid a run-off vote, which was won by Mugabe, unopposed, after Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence and intimidation against his supporters.
Meanwhile, analysts say Mugabe threat to name a new cabinet, which the opposition says would scuttle any further talks, is being driven by a group of his long-time loyalists and ruling-party insiders who are opposed to the ceding of any executive power to Tsvangirai.
A close ruling-party associate said that the group never intended to cede any "real or meaningful power." It hoped instead to bring Tsvangirai into the government as a junior or ceremonial partner. HOwever, Tsvangirai has insisted on some form of executive power, according to opposition members who are not authorized to speak publicly about the talks.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - DRC plane carsh |
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 02 Sept DR Congo humanitarian plane crash – 17 feared dead
A humanitarian plane carrying 17 people -- most of them relief workers -- has crashed during a storm in a mountainous region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Christope Illemassene, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the capital city of Kinshasa told the press that search and rescue crews were not immediately able to land their helicopter in the area and determine whether anyone survived the crash in the east of the country.
However, Air Serv International, the relief group that operated the plane, said an aerial survey has indicated that all the occupants on the Beechcraft 1900 plane (pictured) had died.
Air Serv provides air transport for international aid agencies. Rescuers spotted the 19-seat Beechcraft plane about 15km (nine miles) north-west of Bukavu early on Tuesday. The plane was on a routine flight from Kinsasha to the eastern city of Goma on Monday, with three stops, according to the UN.
Air-traffic controllers lost contact with the plane when it approached Bukavu, the last of its three intermediate stops. The weather in the area was stormy at the time. Search and rescue crews spotted the plane's debris Tuesday, about 9.4 miles (15 km) northwest of the Bukavu airport, Illemassene said.
"We're anxiously waiting for results from the search and rescue operation," he said. "We're really hoping the peacekeepers are able to land near the site and confirm whether there are any survivors."
Air Serv International, based in the U.S. state of Virginia, is one of several groups that provides transport services to relief organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Many agencies arrange their own air travel for staff in DR Congo because of the country's poor air safety record. In April this year at least 40 people died when a DC-9 jet ploughed into the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Airline officials said most people on board survived. More than 100 people were treated for injuries.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 01 Sep 2008 Tsvangirai to resist pressure to sign pact with Mugabe
Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) the leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change has vowed to resist any pressure to sign an agreement with Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF that does not reflect the aspirations of Zimbabweans.
In an interview with The Standard newspaper in Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai as he revealed intricate details of what transpired during the collapsed
power-sharing talks brokered by South African president Thabo Mbeki.
Tsvangirai said he had a hard time during negotiations as he was pressured to sign a deal with President Robert Mugabe. He also revealed how tempers flared as they haggled over the roles they could assume in a new inclusive transitional government.
Tsvangirai also made startling revelations that South African President Thabo Mbeki prepared the controversial draft that would have made him a lame duck Prime Minister and entrenched Mugabe's grip on the country.
Tsvangirai said it was left to Mbeki to come up with the final draft during the Heroes' Holiday after he and Mugabe had failed to agree on some sticking points involving the terms of the transitional government, its duration, the constitution and the need for amendments, the roles and functions of the Prime Minister and the President.
Under Mbeki's draft, Tsvangirai said he realised that he would become an overburdened Prime Minister without any authority: he would not chair the Cabinet and would not have any power to appoint, censure or dismiss ministers. On the other hand he would have been expected to revive the economy of country, destroyed by Mugabe's policies.
In that ceremonial role, it would be Tsvangirai’s responsibility to ensure the state "has sufficient resources and appropriate operational capacity to
carry out its functions effectively". Tsvangirai said he came under serious pressure from Mugabe, Mbeki and Arthur Mutambara, the leader of the breakaway faction of the MDC, to sign the agreement.
Harsh words were exchanged as he was told that was the "best agreement" he could get under the circumstances. Tsvangirai said at one point he suggested that he and Mugabe swap roles in an effort to test the sincerity and fairness of the arrangement.
"Mugabe fumed. He said no ways, he could not become the Prime Minister," Tsvangirai said.
"Fully aware that we won the March 29 election, we could have demanded nothing but outright victory," he said. "But we reached a position, where we said it was important for cohabitation with Zanu PF for the sake of the country."
"We hoped this would show we were genuine in the quest to find an agreement to establish a transitional government that rebuilds confidence in
Zimbabwe and ensure there is food, jobs and justice for Zimbabweans."
But Tsvangirai said his overtures were fruitless because Mugabe, whom he said had not had a "paradigm shift and still thought he was the winner", refused to make some compromises on the functions of the PM.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zambia |
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 28 Aug Late Zambian president to be given state funeral
Zambia’s late President Levy Mwanawasa (pictured) who died in France last week, having suffered a stroke in June from which he never recovered, will be given a state funeral on 3 September.
Vice-President Rupiah Banda has taken over interim leadership of the country, but elections must be held within 90 days to decide who will succeed Mr Mwanawasa.
Opposition leader, Michael Sata who revealed in an interview with the BBC that he was chased away from a mourning gathering for the late president by his widow, Maureen Mwanawasa, said he would be standing in the forthcoming elections.
Sata also said that despite being chased away from viewing the body in Chipata, 580 km (360 miles) east of the capital, Lusaka, no-one could stop him from attending the funeral.
28 Aug Ethiopia prepared to pull out of Somalia
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said he is prepared to withdraw his troops from Somalia even if the interim government is not stable.
Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist militia and re-install the transitional government.
Zenawi told the UK's Financial Times paper that financial pressures had to be taken into account and that the commitment in Somalia was not open ended.
"The operation has been extremely expensive so we will have to balance the domestic pressures on the one hand and pressures in Somalia on the other and try to come up with a balanced solution," Meles told the Financial Times.
So far only about 2,200 of a planned 8,000-strong AU peacekeeping force have been sent to Somalia.
The withdrawal of Ethiopians is a key demand of the Islamist insurgents.
Al-Shabab, the radical wing of the Islamists which controlled much of Somalia in 2006, has demanded that Ethiopian troops leave Somalia before any ceasefire is considered.
Somalia has experienced almost constant civil conflict since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 27 Aug Mugabe hints at forming government without MDC
Robert Mugabe (pictured) has hinted that he will form a new government alone, despite stalled power-sharing negotiations with the opposition.
Reports in Zimbabwe’s state media quoted Mugabe as saying: "The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) does not want to come in apparently."
"We shall soon be setting up a government," the Herald newspaper quotes Mugabe as saying.
Observers in Harare said Mugabe, who was beaten by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the March presidential elections, was speaking in bullish mood on state media about forming a government alone, after being booed and jeered by opposition MPs at the formal opening of parliament on Tuesday.
At the start of his speech in Parliament on Tuesday, Mugabe said there was "every expectation" that a power-sharing deal would soon be agreed.
The MDC says it still wants the talks to continue. "We remain committed to a dialogue process that is going to produce an acceptable outcome for all the players, an inclusive government," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the press.
Analysts say if Mugabe forms a government excluding MDC elements, the move would render the South African-brokered talks, null and void, and leave Zimbabwe in a worse crisis than before the signing of a Memorundum of Understanding (MoU) between Mugabe and the two MDC factions.
Last week, Tsvangirai said the balance of power between the president and the prime minister - a new post Mr Tsvangirai would take - was still a stumbling block at the negotiations.
Meanwhile, three MDC MPs were arrested on Tuesday when parliament was opened. Two other opposition MPs had been arrested the day before, although one was later released.
Reacting to the arrests the MDC issued a statement saying: "MDC views this continued harassment and arrest of MDC legislators by the state security agents as a direct affront to the will of the people of Zimbabwe."
The police have said the arrests were in connection with rape, attempted murder and political violence. Following the March elections, Mugabe's Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 26 Aug Mugabe heckled and jeered as he opens Zimbabwe parliament
Robert Mugabe was heckled and jeered by MPs from Zimbabwe's main opposition party as he opened parliament today, five months after he lost the March elections to MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
"You killed people, we won't forget that," the MPs shouted, while Mugabe (pictured) listed government achievements.
At the start of his speech, Mugabe said there was "every expectation" that a power-sharing deal would be agreed. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had earlier said it would boycott Mugabe's speech, saying it does not recognise his legitimacy.
The opposition argues that parliament should not have been opened until the deadlocked talks were concluded. Following the March elections, Mugabe's Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.
In his speech, Mugabe said he regretted the "isolated cases of political violence" earlier this year and blamed all parties.
The MDC accuses Zanu-PF of organising a campaign of violence to ensure victory in the presidential run-off in June. It says some 200 people were killed and 200,000 forced from their homes. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off, citing the violence.
On Monday, MDC chairman Lovemore Moyo was elected speaker of the lower house. After his victory, Moyo told the press that parliament would no longer just "rubber-stamp" Mugabe's policies.
Moyo’s victory was all the more dramatic because earlier in the day police arrested two MDC lawmakers as they turned up at parliament to be sworn in. One was later released and took the oath of office, along with his colleagues, five months after the elections.
Moyo said he would remain neutral as a speaker but that his decision-making would be influenced by MDC policies. His position means that he will be able to take charge of controversial debates if no power-sharing deal is reached.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the press that it was wrong for Mugabe to address parliament before a power-sharing deal was reached. "The dialogue has not been completed. It is arrogant and reckless for anybody to come and address parliament," he said.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Swaziland |
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 22 Aug Swazi women protest Europe shopping trip for King’s wives
Hundreds of Swazi women have marched through the streets of Mbabane, the capital, to protest about a shopping trip taken by nine of 13 wives of King Mswati III (pictured).
King Mswati (40) has been criticised in the past for requesting public money to pay for new palaces, a personal jet and luxury cars.
The royal wives apparently chartered a plane last week to go to Europe and the Middle East, prompting the protesters to hand in a petition to the finance ministry, saying the money could have been better spent.
"We can't afford a shopping trip when a quarter of the nation lives on food aid," chanted the protesters representing a cross-section of professional and rural women. "We need to keep that money for ARVs [anti-retrovirals]."
The march was organised by Positive Living, a non-governmental organisation for women with Aids. Swaziland is one of the poorest countries in the world and more than 40% of the population is believed to be infected with HIV.
Sources said earlier this week, senior princes warned the women not to march, saying it was against Swazi tradition.
22 Aug Scores die in Somali clashes
At least 55 people are reported to have died and 150 wounded during clashes in the southern Somali port of Kismayo.
Reports in Somali said more than 3,000 people have fled the town, where sporadic gunfire could be heard on the third day of fighting in some of the worst violence in months.
Analysts say Islamists have been trying to seize control of the port from a local clan. There has also been fierce fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and pirate hijackings off the north coast.
On Thursday, Mogadishu was hit by mortars, some of which landed near the compound of President Abdullahi Yusuf, who was out of the country.
Kismayo, Somalia's third city, is strategically important because it serves as a port for the south of the country and for neighbouring Kenya. A human rights official in Kismayo told the press that all business activity in the city had stopped and many people had no access to food.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 20 Aug Zambia president dies in Paris hospital
Zambia’s president Levy Mwanawasa (pictured) has died in a Paris hospital after suffering a stroke in June. He was 59.
Vice-President Rupiah Banda, who is expected to take over as acting leader, made the announcement on state TV.
President Mwanawasa suffered the stroke at an African Union summit in Egypt and was then flown to France, where he had remained in hospital. He came to prominence recently for being one of the African leaders most critical of the violence in Zimbabwe.
Mwanawasa was chairman of the South African Development Community (Sadc) when he was taken ill in June. In that role he had been critical of the controversial election in Zimbabwe and had said he sympathised with Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai when he withdrew from the run-off because of attacks on his supporters.
Mwanawasa won a second term in 2006, having campaigned on his economic record which Zambia’s economy grow from strength to strength and won him acclaim from Western donors. When he was vice-president in the 1990s he was involved in a near-fatal road accident which left him with slurred speech.
Mwanawasa was married and had six children. He had been a practising lawyer since 1973. Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda said he had lost a personal friend. "He was a great leader. People loved him. We all loved him. He did great things," Kaunda said in a BBC interview.
20 Aug Zimbabwe parliament to open
Zimbabwe's parliament will open next week, officials say, despite no deal being reached on power-sharing.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which won 109 seats, against 97 for the ruling party, Zanu-PF in March's parliamentary election, says it is not opposed to the opening of parliament.
However, the party said it would oppose any move by Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zanu-PF party, to appoint a cabinet. The MDC and Zanu-PF have been trying to thrash out a deal to share power, but have so far failed to agree terms.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 18 Aug ‘Executive power’ is main stumbling block in Zimbabwe crisis talks
Robert Mugabe (pictured) and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have failed to reach a power-sharing agreement at a summit of Southern African leaders in Johannesburg.
However, Tendai Biti the secretary-general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Tsvangirai said he believed a deal with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF would be reached "very soon".
South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating in the crisis, told the press that talks would continue despite the exasperating stumbling blocks.
Sources close to the talks said the MDC is insisting that Mugabe surrender his executive powers, and that Tsvangirai is said to have agreed in principle to take on a powerful prime ministerial role in a new national unity government, although the exact balance of power is undecided.
Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Monday said he remained confident that an agreement could still be reached.
"It is our expectation as Zanu-PF that a deal will be concluded in the fullness of time so that we can put behind us the divisions, conflict, the polarisation, that in fact has divided our country," he told the press.
Analysts said both sides in the negotiations have agreed on many things - that there should be a power-sharing government, that Mugabe should be president and Tsvangirai prime minister.
However, the sticking point appears to be the MDC’s insistence that Mugabe should cede real executive power to Tsvangirai and stay in office only as a ceremonial head of state.
Sources also said Tsvangirai is prepared to share cabinet posts with members of Zanu-PF, but he wants ministers to be answerable to him rather than to Mugabe – an arrangement which Mugabe has so far refused to contemplate.
Significantly, Mbeki, said negotiations would continue, but added that it might "be necessary to convene parliament" during that time. However, he warned that a solution to the crisis was doomed unless all parties agreed to it. "It won't last unless it's a common product that is owned by this entire collective of the leadership of Zimbabwe," Mbeki said.
Sadc's committee on security and politics reviewed a report on the mediation effort and concluded that the agreements so far achieved on less contentious issues, were "a good basis for a global agreement".
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 18 Aug ‘Executive power’ is main stumbling block in Zimbabwe crisis talks
Robert Mugabe (pictured) and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have failed to reach a power-sharing agreement at a summit of Southern African leaders in Johannesburg.
However, Tendai Biti the secretary-general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Tsvangirai said he believed a deal with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF would be reached "very soon".
South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating in the crisis, told the press that talks would continue despite the exasperating stumbling blocks.
Sources close to the talks said the MDC is insisting that Mugabe surrender his executive powers, and that Tsvangirai is said to have agreed in principle to take on a powerful prime ministerial role in a new national unity government, although the exact balance of power is undecided.
Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Monday said he remained confident that an agreement could still be reached.
"It is our expectation as Zanu-PF that a deal will be concluded in the fullness of time so that we can put behind us the divisions, conflict, the polarisation, that in fact has divided our country," he told the press.
Analysts said both sides in the negotiations have agreed on many things - that there should be a power-sharing government, that Mugabe should be president and Tsvangirai prime minister.
However, the sticking point appears to be the MDC’s insistence that Mugabe should cede real executive power to Tsvangirai and stay in office only as a ceremonial head of state.
Sources also said Tsvangirai is prepared to share cabinet posts with members of Zanu-PF, but he wants ministers to be answerable to him rather than to Mugabe – an arrangement which Mugabe has so far refused to contemplate.
Significantly, Mbeki, said negotiations would continue, but added that it might "be necessary to convene parliament" during that time. However, he warned that a solution to the crisis was doomed unless all parties agreed to it. "It won't last unless it's a common product that is owned by this entire collective of the leadership of Zimbabwe," Mbeki said.
Sadc's committee on security and politics reviewed a report on the mediation effort and concluded that the agreements so far achieved on less contentious issues, were "a good basis for a global agreement".
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 15 Aug Tsvangirai travels to SA after confiscated passport is returned
Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, has arrived in South Africa after his passport was returned to him.
Earlier reports said Tsvangirai's passport and that of the party’s secretary general, Tendai Biti, were confiscated at Harare airport on Thursday, threatening to prevent both men from attending a SADC summit in Johannesburg. The passports were apparently returned a few hours later, after South Africa intervened.
Tsvangirai has been invited to the summit to brief regional leaders on the latest impasse in the Zimbabwe crisis talks. Tsvangirai reportedly wants more executive powers in the envisaged unity government, given that he beat Robert Mugabe in the March 29 presidential elections.
After the passport seizures, the MDC released a statement accusing Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party of not negotiating in good faith.
"ZANU-PF's latest antics show that the regime is not sincere on the dialogue process. The detention is an affront to SADC, to the [African Union] and to the broader international community who are working hard to peacefully resolve Zimbabwe's crisis," the MDC statement said. "Mugabe continues to preach dialogue and to act war."
Reports in Botswana say the government is mulling plans to give Tsvangirai a diplomatic passport. A Botswana official in the department of Immigration and Citizenship told the press that they have received instructions to look into the issue of how they can give Tsvangirai a diplomatic passport.
”We were instructed to see how we can help ease Mr.Tsvangirai's travel as a civic leader in his country after obvious travel restrictions from the government of Zimbabwe,” the official said.
Botswana, which has publicly said it doesn’t recognise Mugabe as the legitimate president of Zimbabwe has threatened to boycott the SADC meeting if Mugabe attends.
Analysts said the impasse in the talks leaves Mugabe coping with a spiralling hyperinflation and a severe currency crisis. Money is so short that Western Union is paying out in gas coupons instead of cash.
Zimbabwe has no hope of a Western rescue package, reengagement with international financial institutions or credibility among foreign investors without a deal that includes Tsvangirai.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that war veterans in Zimbabwe wrote a letter to Mugabe dated Saturday, August 9, in which they advised him that they would not allow him to share executive powers with the opposition, arguing that any such power-sharing scheme would be a clear reversal of the gains of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.
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 13 Aug Mbeki remains ‘confident’ on Zimbabwe talks outcome after stalemate
South African President Thabo Mbeki, (pictured) has said talks between Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and opposition party MDC, have adjourned to allow the leader of one faction, Morgan Tsvangirai, "time to consider" the proposals on the table.
Mbeki said he remained "confident" that all three parties in the talks would find a resolution. He also denied reports that Tsvangirai was unhappy with the role he was offered in a unity government.
The negotiations include Mugabe, Tsvangirai and the head of a smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara.
Earlier, an official from the ruling Zanu-PF party told the press Mugabe and the Mutambara faction had reached a deal that would lead to a new government which excluded Tsvangirai.
But this was denied by Welshman Ncube, spokesman for the Mutambara faction, who said: "No deal has been signed by anyone. Dialogue is still continuing.”
Mbeki said he "wouldn't know" if such a deal had been signed. It is not yet known when the parties will meet again to resume the talks.
Power-sharing discussions began after the Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 21 laying the framework for the negotiations.
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the first round of the presidential election in March but boycotted the run-off in June, citing violence against his supporters. Mugabe was declared President after wining the poll unopposed.
One analysts said any power sharing deal between Mugabe and Mutambara, which excludes Tsvangirai, will not solve Zimbabwe’s mounting problems. “Funds pledged by the international community to revive Zimbabwe’s economy will not be released if Mugabe still holds the reins of power,” the analyst said.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 11 Aug Mugabe confident of break-through in Zimbabwe unity talks
Robert Mugabe (pictured) today said he was "confident" a deal would be signed, following marathon power-sharing talks with the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) over the weekend in Harare.
South African President Thabo Mbeki was leading the mediation.
Earlier today, Mugabe who lost the presidential election to Morgan Tsvangirai in March, warned opposition groups not to be "used by enemies", saying the country was not for sale.
Addressing hundreds of people on Heroes' Day, honouring those who died in the 1970s war against white minority rule, Mugabe vowed that Zimbabwe would "never be a colony again".
"Let's not hand over the country to the enemy," he said. "If you are on the enemy's side or you are being used by enemies, stop it."
Mugabe described the first day of talks on Sunday as "a long night negotiating on some little hurdles". He also thanked Mbeki, calling him a "very patient man".
"We spent all night yesterday in discussions and some of the things that were holding back, at times I nearly raised my fist, but he remained cool and said: 'Let us continue talking'," Mugabe added.
However, analysts said talks appear to have been brought to a close by disagreements over the make-up of the new coalition government. Speculation is rife that the pact being discussed would see Mugabe remain president with Tsvangirai, becoming prime minister.
Tsvangirai would head a large cabinet divided evenly between their two parties, but with a smaller faction of the MDC led by Arthur Mutambara holding the balance of posts.
Tsvangirai declined to comment on Sunday, but on Monday afternoon he said he hoped the discussions would soon be concluded.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 09 Aug Dhlakama calls Mugabe a "political criminal"
Mozambique's main opposition leader Alfonso Dhlakama (pictured) on Friday slammed the power sharing talks between Zimbabwe's main political parties and called Robert Mugabe a "political criminal".
Dhlakama, head of the Renamo party, was quoted as saying "Mugabe used to be my hero, but I now consider him as a political criminal to the
Zimbabweans who were denied the result of their choice in the recent elections".
Dhlakama said the power sharing negotiations "were done in bad faith" and echoed the wide spread sentiment that the talks are "a bad example to African and the whole world". He said it "encourages African leaders who lose elections to resort to robbing elections and rely on the solutions of their friends to continue to cling to power".
Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki will visit Zimbabwe this weekend to meet the country's political rivals, his government said
Friday, amid signs power-sharing talks have moved closer to a deal.
The trip by Mbeki, who mediates in negotiations between President Robert Mugabe's party and the Zimbabwe opposition, comes after more than two weeks of discussions in South Africa between representatives of the rival sides.
"He's going Saturday to meet the leaders of the political parties involved in the SADC-mandated talks facilitated by South Africa," foreign ministry
spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said, referring to the Southern African Development Community regional bloc.
Mbeki, who returns on Sunday, will meet Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, as well as the leader of a smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, the spokesman said. It was unclear, however, whether the meetings would be held separately or in one session.
South African newspaper Business Day reported that Mugabe and Tsvangirai will meet Sunday as the two sides draw nearer to a power-sharing agreement.
Mbeki's trip comes ahead of Zimbabwe's Heroes' Day on Monday, which commemorates fighters who died in the guerrilla war that led to independence in 1980.
Analysts said the main sticking points in the talks are believed to involve what roles Mugabe and Tsvangirai would play in a power-sharing government.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 07 Aug Mugabe and Tsvangirai ‘close to settlement’
Robert Mugabe and his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured) are expected to meet on Thursday after details emerged of a possible settlement of Zimbabwe's crisis.
Sources said a 50-page draft agreement, outlines that Mugabe would become a ceremonial president with Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change assuming the role of Prime Minister, until new elections are held.
Analysts said the plan was a "shocking outcome" that failed to heed the will of the people as expressed in the presidential election's first round on March 29, which Tsvangirai won.
Observers said the government of national unity could see Mugabe retaining key ministries, including the army and the Reserve Bank.
"Unless Tsvangirai has real executive power then the whole thing will break down almost immediately," one analyst said. "There is no mechanism for this transition to be policed, so who will Tsvangirai appeal to if Zanu-PF break
out of the deal once they have got their hands on some international finance?"
A report in one of the South African newspapers, "The Star", said under the draft agreement, Zanu-PF would control the defence ministry while the MDC would run home affairs, which includes police and prisons. Other key ministries, including finance, land and justice, would go to independents.
Foreign aid has been promised if there are reforms in Zimbabwe, where inflation officially runs at 2.2 million per cent. A senior Western diplomat
said: "We will look at the deal. If it reflects the will of the people as of March 29, then fine, if not then nothing will change. It is very shocking that people go and vote and then land up with a government of national unity, which is not what they voted for."
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Mauritania |
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 06 Aug Mauritania army overthrows President Abdallahi
Troops in Mauritania have seized power after overthrowing the government of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (pictured).
Reports say the military has formed a state council to rule the country after Prime Minister Yahia Ould Ahmed El-Ouakef and President Abdallahi were held following the sacking of several senior army officers.
Soldiers have been seen on the streets of the capital, Nouakchott, but there have been no reports of fighting. Mauritania staged free and fair elections in June 2007 which President Abdallahi won, two years after a military coup. However, the country has been gripped by political crisis for a fortnight, after a vote of no confidence in the cabinet.
On Tuesday, 48 MPs walked out of the ruling party.
Earlier today, President Abdallahi replaced several senior army officers, including the head of the presidential guard, Gen Ould Abdelaziz. Shortly afterwards, Gen Abdelaziz led soldiers in a coup against the president. Officials loyal to the general said all the officers sacked by the president had been re-instated.
A statement issued by the military also said Abdallahi was no longer president of Mauritania and that Gen Abdelaziz would head the new state council.
Reports say the first indications of a military coup came as state television was taken off the air amid reports of unusual troop movements in the capital, Nouakchott.
Mauritania is one of the world's poorest nations as well as its newest oil producer. The desert nation, a former French colony of more than three million people, has been looking to oil revenues to boost its economy.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 04 Aug Zimbabwe Banks run out of money
Zimbabwean banks have been turning customers away after running out of cash, since August 1, according to reports.
The move follows the introduction of a new currency by Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono (pictured) who lopped off ten zeroes from the old currency, effectively revaluing Z$10 billion to one Zimbabwe dollar.
However, analysts say the move will not solve the country's hyperinflation, currently estimated at 2.2 million percent by the government and at more than 15 million percent by independent economists.
On 4 August, US$1 was quoted to Z$75 on the parallel currency exchange market. The largest denomination of the new currency is Z$500 (US$6.60).
During Gono's half-yearly monetary policy statement on 30 July he said the new notes, along with the bearer and agro cheques being used as currency, would remain in circulation until 31 December. He recommended that wage and salary increments be frozen for six months.
A bank manager, who declined to be identified, told the press that they had not received the new notes. "Our only problem is that the maximum withdrawals have been increased to Z$2 trillion (US$200) per customer per day, and as a result we have run out of cash. The Reserve Bank has not given us any additional supplies of money."
The EU has frozen bank accounts and slapped travel restrictions on Zimbabwe's ruling elite in protest against the government's human rights violations.
In August 2006, Gono chopped three zeroes from the currency in a bid to contain inflation, which was then running at 1,183 percent, describing his policy as a "sunrise - a new beginning for Zimbabwe".
Independent economist Tony Hawkins dismissed Gono's latest strategy as little more than posturing. "What monetary policy? That was a political statement that was made. The nonsense about Zimbabwe being under sanctions was not monetary. There were a few currency changes, but that is where it ends. Freezing wages is not going to end hyperinflation," he told the press.
Hawkins also said unless there was a political settlement, the zeroes would be back on the currency in a few months. The ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change are engaged in negotiations, but no settlement has been reached.
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| AFRICA TOP NEWS - Zimbabwe |
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 31 July Zuma bid to stop documents being used as evidence fails
Jacob Zuma, (pictured) the man tipped to succeed South African president, Thabo Mbeki, has lost a legal bid to stop documents being used as evidence in his corru | | | | |
