Some residents of Mozambique’s city of Quelime have refused to leave their illegally built houses, which are set to be demolished by the local authority.
The houses are obstructing a US funded project to build a new drainage system for the city. The residents stood their ground this week, despite having received compensation for the houses.
Malawi regulates media
The Malawian government is on the verge of enacting electronic legislation to regulate on-line media. The E-Bill seeks to limit the freedom of speech by certain principles of public order, as is the case with television, radio and written press. It says the main objective is to improve the quality, availability, affordability and utilisation of broadband internet in Malawi, which boats several online publications.
Moz freedom of info bill
Mozambican civil society has demanded that Parliament immediately place on its agenda a debate on the freedom of information bill.
The draft bill was placed before the Assembly by the Mozambican chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, seven years ago. Despite verbal commitments, parliamentary deputies have still not discussed it.
Zambia’s Diaspora policy
The Zambian government is in the process of drafting its first Diaspora policy. Foreign Affairs Minister, Given Lubinda, recently told Zambians in the United States that his ministry had started drafting the policy, which seeks to recognise the country’s exiles as the sixth region of the Continent, in line with African Union policy.
Banda cuts own pay
Malawi’s President Joyce Banda has slashed her salary by 30 per cent, in a bid to share the pain of her citizens. She this week that more austerity lay in store for long-suffering Malawians. Her salary, initially $60,000 a year, will be equivalent to what a mid-level South African civil servant earns when cut to $42,000.
Botswana helps Swazis
The Swazi government’s mining engineer, Sam Ntshalintshali, recently paid tribute to Botswana for playing a key role in both the formulation of his country’s Diamond Act last week and Swaziland’s admission into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which represents all diamond producing and consuming countries and civil society monitors.
Post published in: Africa News