Zambia’s President Michael Sata has absolved his government of blame on the country’s unprecedented number of by-elections.
Responding to a strongly worded Pastoral Letter from Catholic Bishops, who also condemned Sata’s poor governance record, he chose to respond only to the issue of by-elections, in which he was accused of tampering with the democratic process by lobbying opposition MPs to defect to the ruling party.
Swazi boycott call
Swaziland’s banned main opposition party, the People’s United Democratic Party, recently said international observers should boycott this year’s national poll because political parties are still outlawed by King Mswati.
Pudemo President, Mario Masuku, said countries should also not respect the outcome of the elections because no election could be free in the absence of multiple political parties. He said the proposed poll was a charade and a mockery of democracy.
Paper’s nude outrage
The Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse recently joined a growing chorus of condemnation against the Times Sunday newspaper, which recently published a nude picture of a female blackmail victim.
The woman’s former boyfriend had published naked pictures of her on social network sites and sent them to her colleagues and acquaintances after their relationship broke down and the couple argued over money. The paper interviewed the Zimbabwean man and included one of the pictures he was circulating in the story.
Guebuza tackles floods
Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza recently pledged his government’s continued mobilization of financial and other resources to build the infrastructure needed to reduce the impact of floods.
Guebuza said Mozambique needed to mobilize resources for flood control measures, notably the construction of dams at some sites like Mapai and rehabilitate existing ones. He added that further dams were needed on rivers in the centre of the country, like the Pungue and the Buzi.
Thousands rescued
Mozambique’s National Disasters Management Institute recently rescued 1,800 people buffeted by torrential rains in Nicoadala district, in the central province of Zambezia. INGC central regional director, Belem Monteiro, said boats had been requested to rescue people cut off by the rising waters.
The Zambezia storms had also destroyed homes displaced families in the provincial capital of Quelimane. Also, 625 schools had been flooded, affecting more than 37,000 pupils.
Prison chief hails Zim
Botswana Prison Services Commissioner, Silas Motlalekgosi, recently commended Zimbabwe’s commitment to strengthening security and defence ties through the two countries’ departments of prison services. Motlalekgosi said after his recent tour to Zimbabwe that the desire by the two countries to engage in bilateral issues on the administration of prisons was laudable.
Post published in: Africa News