Africa Institute of South Africa
Current Affairs Newsletter
No 04/2003 Date 2003/01/31
Distribution by e-mail
NOTE : The weekly newsletter serves as a supplementary service to the bi-weekly discussion
group and the Africa News Flashes which are distributed on a daily basis. Participants are
welcome to request that any of these items be included at the following meeting for in depth
discussion purposes by sending an e-mail to Hermann Hanekom at [email protected]
referring to the newsletter reference number and the title of the item in question. Such requests
must please be submitted not later than the Tuesday preceding the Friday meeting.
SPECIAL NOTE
The following bi-weekly discussion session will be held on 14 February 2003 at 11h30.
Venue: the Boardroom, Africa Institute, Nippilar House, Vermeulen Street, Arcadia.
High lights from the African continent for the period 27 to 31 January 2003
Index
BURUNDI Another rebel leader signs memorandum on ceasefire
implementation
CôTE D'IVOIRE Ivory Coast parties adopt peace plan
KENYA Kenyan judge in court on corruption charges
MALAWI Malawians unite in prayer against Muluzi
Teargas, bullets fly as Malawi protests mount
SADC Lawlessness Scaring Away Investors
SOUTH AFRICA Mbeki says no to war in Iraq
Nelson Mandela joining Mbeki
SA institute accused of trying to oust Mugabe
ZAMBIA Mwanawasa 'used state money for elections'
ZIMBABWE We'll give you land, Zimbabwe tells white farmers
Police question five foreigners
Zim declares independent daily illegal
*****
Summary of events
BURUNDI
Another rebel leader signs memorandum on ceasefire implementation
- Burundian President Buyoya and the leader of a wing of the Conseil
national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la
democratie (CNDD-FDD, Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a memorandum of
understanding, paving the way for the implementation of a ceasefire accord
they reached in Arusha, Tanzania, on 2 December 2002. The memorandum,
signed in Pretoria, was reached after "a marathon meeting", which was
supposed to have ended on 26 January. The Office of South African
President said the parties agreed to the "urgent establishment" of the Joint
Ceasefire Commission; provide information to the facilitator of the Burundi
ceasefire talks, South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, that will
facilitate the conclusion of the "Forces Technical Agreement"; and the
immediate deployment of the African Union Military Observer Mission.
Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa have agreed to provide troops for
this mission.
CôTE D'IVOIRE
Ivory Coast parties adopt peace plan - Rival Ivory Coast factions agreed
on 24 January to a package of peace proposals that will hopefully end the
country's four-month civil war. Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has
accepted a peace deal to end the four-month civil war in the country. The
peace deal includes :
President Gbagbo remains in power
Coalition interim government named
Non-partisan prime minister appointed
Government prepares fresh elections
Under the plan, Mr Gbagbo will cede most of his powers to a prime minister
who will head a national unity government. The new administration is to be
headed by Seydou Diarra - who was also prime minister from 1999 to 2000
during the period of military rule in Ivory Coast.
Fighting broke out in Agboville, 80km from Abidjan, between armed
members of the local Abbey ethnic group and Dioulas, a Muslim group from
the north of the country. Both churches and mosques have reportedly been
burnt in Agboville. Air France announced on 28 January that it was
suspending all its flights to Abidjan and streamlining its staff there. South
African Airways took similar action on 29 January.
The Ivorian Minister of Information put his weight behind the military in
rejecting parts of the Paris Peace Agreement. As time moves on it appears
that the peace agreement is becoming more and more fragile. The military
rejected the peace plan and made it clear that they will not accept that the
portfolios of defence and the interior be given to the rebels. Gbagbo is
walking a political tight rope. Effectively he is now only a ceremonial head of
state. Although to early to make effective judgements the possibility of
military coup and the resumption of the rebellion cannot be ruled out.
France appears to be evacuating all French citizens from the country. Air
France and South African Airways have in the meantime, for security
reasons, suspended all flights to Abidjan. Baring in mind one of the
underlying principles of the African Union, ie African solutions for African
problems, it seems that France successfully proved that non-African
solutions will not work in Africa any longer. This leaves one to wonder what
ulterior motives the French had in promoting such legitimacy in favour of the
rebels?
KENYA
Kenyan judge in court on corruption charges - A Kenyan high court
judge will be on the wrong side of the dock when he appears in court to face
charges of corruption. A Nairobi magistrate's court ordered Oguk's arrest
yesterday after he failed to appear for further interrogation at the anti-
corruption police headquarters. He's been charged with obtaining money by
false pretences while presiding over a dispute between the central bank of
Kenya and a businessman on the ownership of a plush hotel in the Kenyan
capital. The judge, Samuel Oguk, is accused of having accepted a bribe
worth about $6,700 two years ago. His lawyers say the prosecution violates
the judicial immunity guaranteed by the constitution. One of the main planks
in President Mwai Kibaki's election campaign was a pledge to eradicate
corruption. If one can make a long term judgement it appears that Kibaki is
putting his money where his mouth is regarding wiping out corruption in
Kenya. However, it may take up 50% of his term before success can really
be claimed.
MALAWI
Malawians unite in prayer against Muluzi - Thousands of Malawians
attended a church service in the commercial city of Blantyre on Sunday to
oppose President Bakili Muluzi's plan to change the constitution so that he
can stay in office longer than 10 years. Parliament is due to meet in the
capital Lilongwe to debate amending the constitution by removing the limit of
two five-year terms in office. Muluzi's ruling party narrowly lost a vote on the
same issue last year.
Teargas, bullets fly as Malawi protests mount - Malawian police fired
shots and teargas to disperse about 2 000 protesters on Monday, amid
mounting anger over President Bakili Muluzi's bid to change the constitution
to keep power in the landlocked African country.At least two people were
rushed to hospital, and witnesses said one was shot in the hip with what
appeared to be live ammunition. The rally was organised by the Forum for
the Defence of the Constitution (FDC), a coalition of religious groups, civic
organisations and political parties. Malawi's parliament is debating a
proposed amendment to the constitution which would allow Muluzi to run for
a third term next year. At present, he should step down in 2004 after serving
two five-year terms in the country of some 10 million people.
SADC
Lawlessness Scaring Away Investors - The breakdown of the rule of law
in Zimbabwe has continued to sabotage investment in the sub-region, a
United States Congressman has said. Addressing delegates attending an
African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa) meeting in Mauritius last week,
Ed Royce who chairs the Africa sub-committee of the US Congress'
International Relations Committee, said southern Africa was paying heavily
as investors shunned the region. Royce said that the Zimbabwean crisis
was wasting the opportunities offered by Agoa. Royce called on all
concerned parties in the Zimbabwean conflict to deal decisively with
President Mugabe. Royce's remarks are clear indicators that Africa is not
looked upon in the sense of individual countries, but rather as a unitary
entity in the eyes of the investor community.
SOUTH AFRICA
Mbeki says no to war in Iraq - President Mbeki called t for the Iraq
question to be resolved peacefully through the UN, and not through war.
Writing in the ANC's on-line publication ANC Today under the headline "The
promise of a world free of war," Mbeki said the Iraq issue was more than a
decade old, and concerned the UN Security Council's decision that Iraq
should be disarmed of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass
destruction. War against Iraq would threaten international peace and
security, create instability in the Middle East and elsewhere, and would
postpone further the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mbeki said.
Nelson Mandela joining Mbeki - Former South African president Nelson
Mandela, joining Mbeki, has criticised US President George W Bush over
Iraq, saying the sole reason for a possible US-led attack would be to gain
control of Iraqi oil. The US stance on Iraq is "arrogant" and would cause "a
holocaust", Mr Mandela, a Nobel Peace laureate and one of the world's
most respected figures, told a forum in Johannesburg. They just want the oil.
We must expose this as much as possible Mandela said.He also said UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair - who supports Washington over Iraq - was in fact
the "US prime minister". Mr Mandela, 84, accused both the US and UK
governments of undermining the United Nations. It seems that African
opposition to unilateral action by the US against Iraq is mounting with a
strong insistence on "action through the UN Security Council" only.
SA institute accused of trying to oust Mugabe - Zimbabwe's government
has accused Greg Mills, director of the South African Institute of
International Affairs (SAIIA) , of "plotting" to topple President Robert
Mugabe. In a long article in its main mouthpiece - The Herald - and on news
bulletins of the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, the
government claimed on 28 January that the SAIIA had held a secret meeting
with businessmen and diplomats in December 2002 to "mobilise efforts to
remove" Mugabe from power. Mills dismissed the reports and said that the
meeting had been an open one. It had been attended by invited diplomats,
analysts, academics and business people to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.
It had been no different from other meetings convened by the SAIIA on
Zimbabwe. Mugabe and Moyo may be subjected to criticism for their
shopping sprees for many more months to come. However, any criticism will
be met as usual with accusations of conspiring with the UK to bring the
Mugabe government down.
ZAMBIA
Mwanawasa 'used state money for elections' - Zambia's former spy chief
Xavier Chungu testified that money from a government account was used in
President Mwanawasa's election campaign two years ago. Testifying before
the Supreme Court in an ongoing opposition petition to nullify Mwanawasa's
election victory in 2001, Chungu said money was used to buy campaign
materials for the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). The
fund at issue, the Zambia Trans Overseas Account, is supposed to be used
for government-related programmes. If found to be true it appears that
Zambia may go to the polls earlier than Mwanawasa's term of office ends.
ZIMBABWE
We'll give you land, Zimbabwe tells white farmers - The Zimbabwean
government has promised white farmers who lost their land as part of
Mugabe's controversial land reform programme that they will get some if
they want to continue farming, a government-run Herald newspaper
reported on 28 January. The farmers, according to the report, received the
assurance at a meeting between Commercial Farmers Union leader Colin
Cloete and seven cabinet ministers in the capital on 27 January. Cloete in
an interview on 29 January, however, said that the issue has been mooted
but that no finality has been reached. Cloete said the talks were marred by
an attack on a farmer outside Harare on 27 January. Michael Caine was
reportedly assaulted by a group of people when he went outside to switch
on the electricity which has tripped off during a storm. Only time will tell
whether the Mugabe government is sincere or merely playing for time in
view of the Commonwealth's forthcoming review of the sanctions imposed in
Zimbabwe.
Police question five foreigners - In Zimbabwe police have been
questioning five foreigners on suspicion of being journalists who entered the
country under false pretences. The five - from Finland, Germany, Kenya and
the US say they are church workers reporting on development projects for
church magazines. Their passports have been confiscated. The five have in
the meantime been released and are to be deported. This again illustrates
the sensitivity and suspicion of a regime becoming more suspect of anything
that does not agree with it, indicating the insecurity present in the
government's mind set.
Zim declares independent daily illegal - Zimbabwe’s top independent
daily newspaper has been declared illegal, by information minister, Jonathan
Moyo. The state controlled Herald newspaper, reports that Moyo told the
supreme court that the Daily News and its reporters had not applied for to
the government for accreditation. Under tough press laws introduced last
year, all newspapers, reporters and media houses, have to register with the
Media and Information Commission. It is clear that the Zimbabwean
government will go all possible lengths to silence the independent and
opposition press. What will be of great interest will be to see how the regime
will handle the press at the time of the scheduled WCC matches to be
played in Zimbabwe.
Information Sources monitored:-
United Nations IRIN humanitarian information unit, United Nations daily press briefings, Reuters,
Associated Press, Independent Newspapers (South Africa), Mail & Guardian, Nasionale Pers (South
Africa), Pan African News Agency, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch. News and journal
transmissions of the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Nederland and Radio France Internationale, SABC
(radio & TV), Radio 702 and various ad hoc African publications and international shortwave radio
stations.
Disclaimer - Comments, analyses and interpretations are aimed at soliciting discussion, attributable to
the compiler and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Africa Institute of South Africa. Neither the
compiler nor the Africa Institute of South Africa shall be liable for any damages in whatever form arising
from any decision taken on the basis of the above information and or analytic interpretation.
Compiled by Hermann Hanekom,
Consultant - Current Affairs Specialist, Africa Institute of South Africa
e-mail
[email protected] PO Box 13418, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028
