The AfricaNews articles of malan

  1. DRC: Court declares Kabila election winner

    16-12-2011 21:54 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan The Democratic Republic of Congo's Supreme Court has declared Joseph Kabila winner of the presidential polls, rejecting opposition calls for results to be annulled. Jerome Kitoko, the court's president, said on Friday that Kabila had won 48.95 per cent of the vote, and handed a fresh term to Kabila, who is the incumbent of the vast central African country. “In consequence, Joseph Kabila is proclaimed president-elect of the republic with a simple majority,” he said at the Justice Ministry. The BBC reports that Lawyers for opposition candidate Vital Kamerhe, who got 7% of the vote, walked out of the court on Thursday, describing it as a &…

  2. ICC dismisses Rwanda rebel charges

    16-12-2011 21:36 door malan
    International Criminal Court judges dismissed charges against a Rwandan rebel accused of involvement in the murder, rape and torture of Congolese villagers by a Hutu militia in 2009. The judges last week ordered the release of Callixte Mbarushimana, saying there is not enough evidence to support the charges against him. - But Prosecutors said they would send the case to appeals judges and quickly filed a request to halt Mbarushimana's release pending the outcome of the appeal. If judges reject the request, the court has to find a country willing to accept Mbarushimana before he can be released and it is not clear how long that could take. According to the BBC, the ICC judges also…

  3. Great Lakes Region summit endorses Kabila re-election

    16-12-2011 21:08 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan Leaders from Africa's Great Lakes region have welcomed the re-election of Congolese President Joseph Kabila in a disputed poll. The 11-member International Conference on the Great Lakes Region issued a statement Friday congratulating Mr. Kabila on his win. The bloc also urged opposition parties who have challenged the results to accept them and work toward building Congo. “The summit congratulated the president of DRC on his re-election and urged those not satisfied with the election results to accept them and work towards building the country,” the International Conference region said in a statement at the end of a two-day summit in Kampala. …

  4. South Africa pledges probe into Machel death

    16-12-2011 14:11 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan South African President Jacob Zuma says his government is commitment to “a full investigation” into the “mysterious circumstances” surrounding the death of Mozambique’s first President, Samora Machel. Addressing the Mozambican parliament, Zuma acknowledged the sacrifices made by Mozambique during the anti-apartheid struggle. “The support this country gave us in the fight against apartheid is immeasurable,” he said. Machel died on 19 October 1986, when his plane, a Soviet manufactured Tuplov 134, crashed into a hillside at Mbuzini, just inside South Africa. Officially, the pilot is blamed for the crash, but most Moz…

  5. IMF expects Lesotho's international reserves to decline

    15-12-2011 09:45 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan Lesotho must continue its fiscal consolidation efforts in order to build up international reserves, while protecting spending for poverty reduction and some priority infrastructure, the International Monetary Fund said. The IMF said that Lesotho’s economic performance for 2011/12 was ‘’broadly satisfactory’’ as all targets were met but warned further action was needed. The IMF said it expected Lesotho’s International reserves to decline to around three months of imports by end-2011/12. “To this end, in addition to strict expenditure control, stepped-up efforts for strengthening domestic revenue mobilization are called…

  6. Iran to open embassy in uranium rich Namibia

    11-12-2011 20:45 door malan
    Iran has announced that it will open an embassy in the Namibian capital Windhoek, cementing the already existing strong ties with the uranium-rich Southern African country. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced Tehran's intention at a joint press conference with his visiting Namibian counterpart Utoni Nujoma in Iran. - “It was agreed that the Islamic Republic of Iran's embassy be established in Namibia in the near future,” Salehi said. Nujoma said Iran’s resistance in acquiring peaceful nuclear technology despite all pressures was praiseworthy. “We must find ways to make plans on expansion of bilateral ties operational,” Nujoma sai…

  7. DRC: Opposition rejects Kabila re-election

    11-12-2011 10:59 door malan
    Gunfire erupted in parts of Democratic Republic of Congo last weekend as the leading opposition party in the in that country rejected Friday's official announcement of Joseph Kabila's re-election as president describing it as "totally unacceptable". - The official results gave President Kabila 49% of the vote against 32% for veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, according to results released by the election commission on Friday. The results are yet to be ratified by the Supreme Court. In Kinshasa, there were reports of police firing live ammunition and crowds ransacking shops, a day after election authorities declared President Kabila re-elected. According …

  8. Seven Somali pirates to be tried in Seychelles

    10-12-2011 18:20 door malan
    Seven suspected Somali pirates captured last week by a British navy arrived in Seychelles to face prosecution. The seven will be tried under an agreement between the UK and Seychelles. Under the agreement, Seychelles can consider accepting the transfer of pirate suspects where there is sufficient evidence to pursue a prosecution. - British navy arrested the suspected pirates after a helicopter-led chase in the Indian Ocean. Britain’s navy RFA Fort Victoria ship was patrolling an area off the coast of Somalia and the Seychelles when it received information that a Spanish fishing vessel had come under attack by a group of pirate vessels. Warning shots were fired from a Royal Naval …

  9. Zambia secures US$24.8 Million agri loan

    10-12-2011 11:32 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) approved a US$24.8 million loan to Zambia to accelerate growth in smallholder agriculture and reduce rural poverty in the country. Zambia and International Fund sealed the loan agreement for the Smallholder Productivity Promotion Programme in Rome on Friday aimed at Agricultural Development. According to a statement, Zambia’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agency Samuel Mapala and President of IFAD), Kanyo Nwanze signed the deal. Agriculture is an important sector for Zambian economic development, contributing nearly 22 per cent of the country…

  10. IMF approves US$143.67 million Loan disbursement to Kenya

    10-12-2011 10:38 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan The International Monetary Fund on Friday agreed to disburse US$143.67 million to Kenya after approving the East African country’s second review of its three-year loan agreement with the global lender. “The Board also approved an augmentation of access equal to 60 percent of quota, which would lead to a total access of 180 percent of quota, an amount equivalent to SDR 488.52 million (about US$760.63 million), under the ECF (Extended Credit Facility) arrangement,” the IMF said in a statement. This is a second tranche the global lender has approved. In June, Fund disbursed US$65 million after approving the first review. The IMF said Kenya’…

  11. Mugabe presses for Zimbabwe election

    09-12-2011 10:53 door malan
    Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe won his party's support to remain in office at a conference on Thursday aimed at choosing a nominee for coming elections and quelling the infighting to succeed him. President Mugabe is locked in a fractious coalition with his political rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. That union came about after the violence surrounding the 2008 poll. - “Both partners have since described coalition as unworkable, but have differed sharply on timing of elections. We are saying time has come now to prepare to have elections - we just have to have elections next year,” Mugabe told the conference in the city of Bulawayo. He said the unity government …

  12. Malawi to review anti-gay law

    08-12-2011 20:47 door malan
    Malawi has announced that it will review a list of legislation, including a ban on homosexual acts. "In view of the sentiments from the general public and in response to public opinion regarding certain laws, the government wishes to announce to the Malawi nation that it is submitting the relevant laws and provisions of laws to the Law Commission for review." Justice Minister Ephraim Chiume said in a statement. - Chiume said the government would review provisions of the penal code concerning “indecent practices and unnatural acts” This comes hot on the heels of an announcement by the Unites States Government that it considers how countries treat gay, lesbian, bisexua…

  13. IMF sees strong Mozambique economic growth in 2011

    08-12-2011 17:04 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan Mozambique’s economy is projected to grow by 7 percent in 2011, boosted by a good harvest, robust performance in the service sector and megaprojects in the natural resource sector. the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday. The IMF said Mozambique continued to weather the global economic turmoil well. “While risks related to the external environment have increased, Mozambique’s macroeconomic stability and prudent policy mix over the past few years should help the economy mitigate the impact of a temporary global downturn,” the IMF said in a statement. The IMF also said the tightening of monetary policy in 2011 has been effective…

  14. Namibia leaves rates unchanged to boost recovery

    08-12-2011 10:00 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan Namibia’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at six per cent to support the “weak recovery of the domestic economy”. It is the sixth consecutive time the central bank has stuck the interest rate at 6 percent to help boost economic growth as inflation accelerated. Namibia's inflation hit a 20-month high of 6.1 percent year-on-year in October, from 5.3 percent in September. October inflation rate is the fastest pace since February last year, as food and fuel costs increased, the statistics office said last month. Briefing journalists on Wednesday, Bank of Namibia Governor Ipumbu Shiimi said while the domestic pictu…

  15. Corrupt money's negative impact can be measured: World Bank

    05-12-2011 10:29 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan Tax evasion is estimated at 9 percent of GDP in Namibia, a recent World Bank study released reveals. The same study also found that income derived from corruption is five percent of GDP in Malawi. The study entitled Ill-gotten Money and the Economy, Experiences from Malawi and Namibia showed that corrupt money’s negative economic impact could be measured. Income derived from corruption can be equivalent to a significant percentage of a country’s GDP, it said. tax evasion is estimated to equal 8 to 12 percent of GDP “While these figures are estimates, this study shows that ill-gotten money and its associated economic impact can be more…

  16. IMF expresses concern over Namibia’s debt

    29-11-2011 09:32 door malan
    The IMF has expression concern over Namibia's fiscal outlook as debt to GDP ratio currently at 16 percent could rise to 30 percent by 2013/14 unless authorities scaled back on expansionary fiscal policies. "Ongoing fiscal expansion could put pressure on the country's external position by increasing imports, drawing down official reserves, and placing pressure on the prices on non-tradable goods, which would hurt competitiveness," the IMF said in a statement. - IMF said debt would continue rising beyond that point unless fiscal deficits were significantly scaled back over the medium term. “While the recent Eurobond issue and robust revenues from the SACU (Southern…

  17. Namibia ranks third best brand in Africa

    26-11-2011 17:50 door malan
    Namibia is the third-best country in Africa, according to latest FutureBrand Country Brand Index (CBI). FutureBrand uses a survey leveraging on the social media tools to investigate perceptions amongst key opinion formers and influencers, asking them what makes a country's brand powerful and unique. - It is the most authoritative source on country branding in the world and the seventh CBI. The 2011-2012 FutureBrand CBI documented perceptions around 113 nations of the world, and is based on in-depth interviews, insights and other relevant information. While Namibia is ranked as the third-best country brand on the continent, it is placed 37th globally. Mauritius and South Africa…

  18. Switzerland to support AfDB rural sanitation programmes

    25-11-2011 13:47 door malan
    - By Tatenda Malan The African Development Bank (AfDB) will receive a 20 million US dollar contribution from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to support its Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Trust Fund Announcing the commitment by Switzerland to finance increased access to water and sanitation in rural Africa, AfDB said the funds will help accelerate the programme on the continent. This is the Swiss agency’s second contribution to the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund and it is close to six times the amount of its first contribution. The funds will support the African Development Bank’s strategy to engage governments and donors…

  19. Zimbabwe awards two commercial radio licences

    24-11-2011 20:40 door malan
    Zimbabwe has licensed two commercial radio stations in what was suppose to mark a major milestone in media reforms. The two licenses are the first to be issued to private companies outside state control, breaking the 31-year-old monopoly of the state owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. - But media advocacy group Media Institute for Southern Africa has criticized the move describing it as a “sham” saying the two companies awarded the licences have strong links with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU (PF) party. Since the formation of a power sharing government in 2009, Zimbabwe has eased restrictions to license print newspapers but the slow pace of reforms in radio and t…

  20. 'Corruption worsens in Southern Africa'

    24-11-2011 10:19 door malan
    Corruption is getting worse in Southern Africa, a new survey of six countries in the region by Transparency International reveals. The global anti-corruption group sees the police as the most corrupt, and most people pay bribes for public services. According to the survey's findings, more than half of all those who come in contact with public service providers - 56% - were asked to pay a bribe in the past year. - The survey also found that across the region 62% of people believe corruption has become worse in the past three years. Daily Lives and Corruption, Public Opinion in Southern Africa surveyed more than 6,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambiqu…

  21. Namibia launches climate change policy

    23-11-2011 13:42 door malan
    Namibia has launched its national climate change policy to guide efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change on the country's development. Ahead of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 17) meeting in Durban, South Africa, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, said the policy would guide the country in formulating sector specific strategies to combat climate change. - The policy provides framework for resource mobilisation for the country to embark upon adaptation and mitigation measures. It calls for transfer of technology, capacity building and the provision of financial resources, while promoting and enhancing synergies amongst stakeholders a…