Renamo leader Dhlakama “alive and well” in Mozambique

The General Secretary of Mozambique's former rebel movement Renamo, Manuel Bissopo, declared in Maputo on Monday that Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama is alive and well. Addressing a press conference, Bissopo said that he had been with Dhlakama when the armed forces (FADM) occupied the Renamo bush headquarters at Satunjira, in the central district of Gorongosa, on 21 October. Dhlakama had left Satunjira on foot, he added, to avoid casualties.

In the FADM shelling, the head of Renamo mobilization, Armindo Milaco, was hit by shrapnel, and died of his wounds, Bissopo said. Milaco is the only confirmed casualty of the capture of Satunjira. Bissopo said the last time he spoke to Dhlakama was seven days ago. He did not reveal Dhlakama's whereabouts, but said the Renamo leader had not left the country. He added that Dhlakama “will shortly speak to the people” through the media.

Bissopo said that Dhlakama will only meet with President Armando Guebuza if his security is guaranteed by foreign forces. He suggested that United Nations “blue helmets”, or any other foreign force not under the influence of the Mozambican government, could be used to protect Dhlakama.

If this is a condition that Dhlakama himself has imposed, then it means that there will be no meeting at all in the foreseeable future, since the Mozambican government will not accept the presence of foreign troops. Bissopo also demanded the withdrawal of all government military forces from the Gorongosa area, a demand which the government has repeatedly rejected.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311260488.html

Mugabe and ministers sleep through economic summit

The emergence of yet another picture showing President Robert Mugabe fast asleep during proceedings at a two-day Arab-Africa Summit has reignited calls for leadership renewal in the country.

The summit, held in Kuwait on 19 to 20 November, was aimed at improving economic and trade links between Gulf and African states. Mugabe was accompanied by his customary large entourage of ZANU PF gurus, who included Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi - with most of them captured asleep.

Nixon Nyikadzino, of lobby group Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, slammed Mugabe's sleeping habits which he said "were now out of hand".

Speaking to SW Radio Africa on Monday Nyikadzino said: "Mugabe and his ministers should distinguish between a bed and a meeting. They are doing the nation a disservice by sleeping even during meetings that should define the economic development of the country.

"This also shows that these people should not be occupying these Cabinet positions because they are all well past the retirement age and should be at home playing with their grandchildren.”

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311260321.html

Pre-election riots mar opposition rally in Mozambique

The electoral campaign of Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) in Dondo ended with a rally at their headquarters on Sunday. Members of opposition party said they did not turn out in the streets of the second city of Sofala province, in order to avoid incidents similar to those experienced in the previous day in Beira, the capital city of Sofala, where there were clashes involving members and supporters of MDM and Frelimo.

There was chaos in the neighborhood of Munhava when the Rapid Intervention Force (FIR) intervened,  which some suggest was in defense of the "corn" party (Frelimo).

In addition to MDM members, the final stretch of the hunt for votes on 17 November was attended by a multitude of citizens. MDM candidate José Chiremba spoke at the rally which attracted hundreds of people eager to listen closely the promises laid out by the party led by Daviz Simango.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311190599.html

Zanu-PF infighting ahead of annual conference

With only a few weeks before ZANU PF's December conference, factional fighting is marring the run-up as Robert Mugabe loyalists publicly quarrelled over provincial elections. Elections for provincial chairmen were held over a week ago in Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland Central where John Mvundura, Jason Machaya and Luke Mushore were respectively declared winners amidst allegations of vote-rigging.

Zimbabwean media reported that Mugabe had, prior to his departure to Singapore last week, attempted to contain the crisis by trying to resolve the sharp differences that arose following the chaotic provincial elections. However, according to reports things came to a head when Presidential spokesman George Charamba suggested that the results of the Mashonaland provincial elections did not stand.

Reports Monday said senior party members were livid with Charamba who announced last week that the politburo had not yet received results of the Mashonaland provincial elections. ZANU PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa told the media that Charamba had 'jumped the gun'. In a weekend media report, spokesman Rugare Gumbo agreed with Mutasa saying Charamba was a 'mere civil servant' with no mandate to communicate ZANU PF issues. Information minister Jonathan Moyo defended Charamba whom he said was communicating President Mugabe's message. Moyo dubbed as 'mischievous' anybody disagreeing with Charamba's communication from Mugabe.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311190279.html

International campaign petitions Angola to stop harassment of activists

Transparency International has joined with Transparência e Integridade, Associação Cívica, its partner in Portugal, and Rafael Marques de Morais, the winner of the 2013 Transparency International Integrity Award to call on the government of Angola to stop the harassment of civil society activists.

In his acceptance speech for the Integrity Award at a ceremony in Berlin on 8 November, Marques, a journalist from Angola, made a passionate plea for civil society to be given space to operate without harassment.

He dedicated the award to Manuel Chivonde Nito Alves, a 17 year-old activist who had been released from jail that day following his arrest for attempting to print T-shirts criticising the president of Angola, Africa's second longest serving leader. The charges against Nito Alves, however, have not been dropped.

Transparency International and its network of more than 100 organisations work around the world to fight corruption and to create a safe space for civil society to speak up against corruption without persecution or fear of reprisal. Angola ranks 101 out of 109 at the bottom of the 2013 CIVICUS Enabling Environment index, a study of how open and safe a country is for civil society activism. 

Arrests and minor clashes mar Mozambican election campaign

The police have detained two members of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), in the town of Boane, near  Maputo, accused of vandalising election campaign material of the ruling Frelimo Party.

According to the Frelimo candidate for mayor of Boane, Jacinto Loureiro, and the party's spokesperson, Matias Bila, the two were caught red-handed destroying propaganda material and the case was immediately reported to the police.

The two were held at a Boane police station for questioning, and were released on Tuesday morning. The police have opened a case file against them, but they will await their trial in freedom.

Under the law governing the municipal elections, anyone found guilty of destroying election material of their opponents is punished with a jail sentence of up to six months, and a fine of between six and 12 times the monthly minimum wage. The lowest of the current statutory minimum wages, for agricultural workers, is 2,500 meticais a month. So the minimum fine for this offence would be 15,000 meticais - about 500 US dollars at current exchange rates.

Bila told AIM that on Sunday the MDM members daubed a billboard bearing Loureiro's portrait with mud, and ripped up smaller Frelimo posters. “We had to arrange buckets of water to clean up the billboard”, he added. A similar incident happened in the central province of Manica. According to a report in Tuesday's issue of the “Mozambique Political Process Bulletin”, published by AWEPA (Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa) and the Mozambican anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), nine MDM members have been detained over the last three days for destroying Frelimo posters.

Editor of Malawi’s leading paper arrested on extortion charges

Editor of the online publication Malawi Voice, Justice Mponda, was arrested last week in Blantyref on charges of trying to extort money. Police have confirmed that they are holding Mponda in cell.

In an alert to a Malawian journalist on their internet discussion forum, the chairperson of the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Anthony Kasunda, said he has been to Blantyre Police Station where Justice Mponda is being held on "extortion" charges.

"I did not manage to meet him as I was told it is late, but a police officer on duty was kind enough to go inside and speak to him on my behalf. In brief, he says he was told by some PP officials (name withheld for the time being) to meet them in Limbe to thank him for removing a critical story on the internet. As he was receiving K500, 000 as a thank you and part payment to develop a website for the PP guys, Police officers arrested him. The money is here as exhibit according to the officer," Kasunda informed.

Mponda was last year cleared from the courts on charges of insulting President Joyce Banda and publishing false information. Misa-Malawi has always argued that only dialogue between government and the media would provide a more enabling environment for media freedom, freedom of expression and ultimately citizen empowerment.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311030300.html

World Bank to aid Lesotho’s growth and job creation

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$13.1 million credit to support the Government of Lesotho's (GoL) program aimed at creating jobs by improving the country's business environment and increasing diversification in new growth sectors such as tourism and horticulture through private sector-led economic growth.

The project will facilitate improvements in Lesotho's business environment by supporting regulatory reforms and efforts to streamline the processes for obtaining licenses and construction permits, which will reduce the number of days it takes to get a construction permit from 106 days to less than 65 days.

It will also support the creation of an electronic portal for business licenses, which will include an online database of all laws, regulations, tariffs and steps for all types of trade and industrial licenses. Furthermore, the project will improve access to finance by establishing a credit information bureau designed to provide a stable and predictable credit market.

It will also support changes to credit requirements, such as allowing a diversified set of investments, including stocks and equipment, to serve as collateral for a loan, increasing the availability of credit to the unbanked population.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311040654.html