The African Court on Human and People’s Rights has been asked to use its advisory powers to determine whether the regional leader’s suspension of the SADC Tribunal was legal. This request for an advisory opinion was lodged by the Pan African Lawyers Union and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre at the Court in the Tanzanian city of Arusham on Friday.
PALU and SALC maintain that the decisions taken by SADC Heads of State and Government to suspend the SADC Tribunal were unlawful since they violated judicial independence, access to justice, the right to effective remedies and the rule of law.
DHA taken to court
Migrant rights group PASSOP, the South African Human Rights Commission and 39 unlawfully detained immigrants have taken SA’s Minister of Home Affairs to court for systematically and unlawfully detaining foreigners for in excess of 120 days in contravention of the Immigration Act. Proceedings were instituted on Friday in the South Gauteng High Court.
PASSOP accused the DHA of having failed to respect the law and as a consequence the fundamental human rights that the laws are meant to protect. It described this as an endemic problem, adding that without serious intervention, SA would continue to fail to protect the rights of detained foreigners.
Tanzania blasts AIPPA
Mohamed Tibanyendera, chairman of the Tanzanian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, recently condemned Zimbabwe’s state aggression against the people. He condemned the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act as the worst law condemned by global activists today. He further lamented moves by the Tanzanian government to reproduce AIPPA and called for civil society organisations in the continent to have a concrete, thorough and continuous intervention with the people in the armed forces and the police, the national electoral commissions, politicians and political parties for the promotion of peace.
Banda challenges women
Malawi’s President Joyce Banda said on Monday that the time had come for an African woman to stand tall and be recognized among her male counterparts. Launching the Fourth Regional Conference on African Women in Political Leadership that drew participants from 21 African countries on Monday, Banda found it encouraging that Africa was developing a favourable environment for women to rise to higher positions. She urged women to take advantage of it.
Zim-SA border plan
Zimbabwe and South Africa are considering a proposal from Zimbabwean authorities for the establishment of new ports of entry in the Limpopo province and the Beitbridge Border Efficiency Management System Programme. This came up during the annual bilateral meeting held last week. They also discussed matters of security, safety and defence that affect the two countries.
Swazis are hungriest
The urban poor in Manzini, Swaziland’s economic hub, are more food insecure than people living in the poorest parts of other cities in Southern Africa, a recent study by the African Food Security Urban Network found out. The findings were discussed at a November 26-27 conference in Cape Town on “Migration, Urbanisation and Food Security in Cities of the Global South”. A more national approach that covers both rural and urban areas will help Swaziland move towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce hunger by 50.
Post published in: Africa News