Malawi will not heed Tanzania’s calls to stop oil and gas exploration in Lake Malawi pending resolution of a border dispute. Foreign Affairs Minister Ephraim Chiume said this week that his country would press ahead with exploration in the lake that forms the border with Tanzania. Tanzanian officials have warned the 50-year-old territorial dispute over the lake between the two countries could escalate if significant oil and gas discoveries are made.
Education the key: Zuma
Newly-elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said this week that good education and skills must be provided to the continent’s children. She believes that educating young people would ensure Africa’s economic growth. She said the continental body should mobilise Africans in the Diaspora to return and contribute to the development of the continent.
Zambian leader charged
Zambia’s main opposition leader, Hakainde Hichilema, was arrested early this week and charged with publishing false information, after he accused ruling party youth of being trained by Sudanese militia.
Hichilema, who leads the United arty for National Development, said this at a press conference on June 11. He was released on $6,000 bail, after he briefly appeared before a magistrate in Lusaka. He denies the charge.
Mswati ready to listen?
Obed Dlamini, adviser to Swaziland’s King Mswati III, has denied accusations that the country’s leader has refused to meet with opposition groups demanding democratic forms. Dlamini, a former prime minister, said the king had in various meetings called on his government to hold talks with the opposition about possible political changes.
Lesotho busts crime
A crime syndicate allegedly trading illegal firearms for drugs from SA’s KwaZulu-Natal province was bust in Lesotho this week. Arrests followed six months of a covert operation by South African police. About 330kg of dagga with a street value of about R1 million, illegal arms and ammunition was seized in one week.
Need for Diaspora unity
The Zimbabwe Diaspora Education Support Initiative this week called for unity among exile groups in trying to forge a way forward on the country’s development. Johannesburg-based ZDESI, whose members were part of the team that met the Education, Sports and Culture Minister, David Coltart last week, said collaboration between various Diaspora groups would avoid duplication of effort.
Students run amok
Students at the University of Zambia ran amok early this week, smashing windscreens of motor vehicles while protesting the institution’s reported looming closure. Education Minister, John Phiri, said the institution would not be closed as believed on September 1 this year, but that renovation would be done in phases to allow classes to run as scheduled. Six students were arrested for disorderly behaviour, but later released.
Lesotho’s indigenisation
Lesotho’s Prime Minister, Tom Thabane, reiterated this week that the country’s mooted 51-49 percent localisation policy would only affect the mining sector and take the softer line of investment-friendly Botswana, rather than the controversial indigenisation and control structures seen in Zimbabwe. Thabane, whose All Basotho Convention leads a coalition government in the National Assembly, noted that Botswana had a very successful partnership with foreign investors, unlike Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Africa News