Zambian Electoral Commission propose Parley seat increase

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has written to government on the need to amend the current constitution to facilitate the increase in the number of constituencies in the country from 150 to 235. ECZ chairperson Irene Mambilima says this has been necessitated by the creation of new districts in the country.

Speaking during a special meeting of the political parties liaison Committee on delimitation in Lusaka this morning, Justice Mambilima says challenge to the commission as a result of the creation of the new districts is a situation where a District with one constituency has been demarcated into two. She names the affected districts as Chirundu, Chembe, Sioma, Nkeyema and Ngabwe which demarcated from Siavonga, Mansa, Shangombo, Kapiri Mposhi and Kaoma Districts.

Justice Mambilima says it is for this reason that going forward the commission has suggested the increase in the number of constituencies in the affected new Districts so that each of them should have its own constituency.

Meanwhile, Justice Mambilima says the Commission is not asking for something out of the ordinary by requesting to be granted more powers to enable a leveled electoral playing field in the country.

Justice Mambilima says the commission holds the position that in order to effectively level the electoral playing field it must be given powers to impose more severe sanctions on erring political parties. She has cited the Kenyan Electoral Code of Conduct which contains severe sanctions including fining or banning of political parties from taking part in next elections.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201406160348.html

Zimbabwean First Lady calls for rapists to be beheaded

First Lady Grace Mugabe yesterday stunned people attending World Blood Donor Day commemorations in Chinhoyi when she called for rapists to be beheaded saying they were inflicting untold suffering on women.

"Those who commit heinous crime like rape should be immediately sent to the gallows," said Mugabe while officiating at the event. The commemorations come at a time the country is facing a critical shortage of blood. World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative David Okello said it was sad that many mothers were dying during childbirth. Okello said statistics showed that one out of every 38 women died from pregnancy-related complications, particularly relating to bleeding during childbirth.

"No mother should be allowed to die giving birth to life. This is a very sad thing and the most common cause of a mother dying during childbirth is bleeding. In Zimbabwe we are losing too many mothers," he said. Minister of Health and Child Care, David Parirenyatwa also said mothers were losing lives during child birth unnecessarily as blood had become too expensive. He said blood was now out of reach of many ordinary Zimbabweans. A pint of blood costs between US$80 to US$240.

"We are losing 525 women out of every 100 000 pregnant women. That is too much and one of the major reasons is shortage of blood," he said. Parirenyatwa said 15 000 units of blood purchased through Healthy Transfusion Fund were not enough and it was now high time fiscus allocated money towards blood procurement.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201406150174.html

ANC wins SA elections

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has won the 2014 general elections, thus securing President Jacob Zuma's second term in office, the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officially announced on Saturday.

The ANC received 249 seats in the National Assembly dropping 15 seats compared to the 2009 elections while the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA) received 89 seats, and newcomers the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) received 25, the third highest number, IEC chairwoman Pansy Tlakula announced at the release of the final election results in Pretoria.

Among over 25 million registered voters, 73.43 percent voters turned out in 22,263 polling stations on Wednesday to elect the new National Assembly and provincial legislatures.The 73.43 percent voter turnout during the general elections showed that democracy was thriving, Tlakula said.

"Today we celebrate two decades of democracy and conclude the fifth democratic national and provincial elections, we can confirm to the world democracy is well and thriving in this land," she said.

The ANC has won a fifth consecutive success with a 62.16 percent share of the votes, down from the 65.9 it got in the 2009 elections. The leading opposition party DA won 22.22 percent up from 16.66 percent in 2009, achieving its best ever result comparing with previous elections, and the newly-formed Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) won more than 1 million votes as 6. 35 percent.

The SA National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by proportional representation with a closed list approach. Two hundred members were elected from national party lists; the other 200 were elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces.

The President of South Africa will be chosen by the National Assembly after the election. The premiers of each province will be chosen by the winning majority in each provincial legislature. The 2014 general elections are the first since the death in December of Nelson Mandela, and also the fifth election since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.

Original article: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2014-05/11/c_126484916.htm

Zim journalists behind Baba Jukwa exposed

The two journalists behind the Facebook page, Baba Jukwa, admitted to lying to their followers in addition to extorting an undisclosed amount of money to fund their project, a sensational cache of emails hacked from their Gmail account, babajukwa2013@gmail.com, revealed over the weekend.

The two, Mkhululi Chimoio and Mxolisi Ncube, work for the shadowy, Zimbabwean newspaper, published by Wilf Mbanga in Britain before being shuttled for sale in Zimbabwe. The expose has come as an anti-climax to many who had been taken in by the Facebook character because of the complete contradiction between what he claimed to be, a senior Zanu-PF Politburo member, and what the pair are in real life, two struggling journalists who had no qualms conning their employer and unsuspecting followers of an indeterminate amount of money.

The two, last year, claimed that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF had put up a US$300 000 bounty on their heads but in an e-mail dated July 6, 2013 addressed to one Commander Milan, they owned up to lying about the alleged bounty. "Did you see people say they can catch me with $300 000," Baba Jukwa wrote, "kikikiki I made that one up to cause chaos. Now everyone thinks they are really after me but they can't stop this freedom train commander. I got the money, thanks (sic) god for your support. Let me know if you need any resources from my end because we are in this together to the last day."

The sensational claims were picked up by some sections of the Zimbabwean and international media, among them CNN, BBC, ABC and the Daily Telegraph, who claimed Baba Jukwa had so unsettled Zanu-PF that a bounty had been put on his head. Chimoio and Ncube also promoted the bounty line in their articles in The Zimbabwean where they claimed Zanu-PF had launched an operation code-named "Clean House" which they said was aimed at them along with CNN's Robin Curnow, the BBC's Andrew Harding and one Thuso Khumalo of Studio 7.

They also launched an appeal for funds through PayPal, an online payment platform, from their followers that they claimed would go towards funding a sustained media campaign against Zanu-PF. They reassured their followers that the donations would remain a secret since the PayPal account they were using had been "opened and secured in Switzerland".

Though it is not clear how much Chimoio and Ncube made, the campaign did not appear to have brought the desired rewards as evidenced by an exchange between Baba Jukwa and another troll going by the name Sahwira waBaba Jukwa, who is believed to be Mkhululi Chimoio where Mxolisi berated their followers for not opening the purse strings.

In a Google chat dated May 30, 2013 with Sahwira WaBaba Jukwa and in response to his question on how the fundraising was going, Baba Jukwa complained that the money they had received through PayPal was too little. "Not gud at all zimbos (colloquial for Zimbabweans) are fools they don't appreciate good things just imagine 30 dollars so far." Despite this, the documents at hand show that they two received up to eight transfers in one day broken down as US$30, £36, and 60 Australian dollars. This money was ostensibly meant to contribute to the development a new mega media platform to fight Zanu-PF.

It is unclear how much was actually realised or what it was used for but what is clear is that the two journalists made money even from their employer, Wilf Mbanga whom they duped into believing he was dealing with a senior Zanu-PF Politburo member. The game Mbanga engaged Baba Jukwa as a columnist, and agreed to pay him for promoting his paper on his page. Baba Jukwa was paid US$50 per article published by The Zimbabwean and an undisclosed amount of money for promoting the paper on the Facebook page.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201405120143.html

Dewani arrives in SA

British murder accused Shrien Dewani has landed at Cape Town International Airport, just after 9.30am, from London.

According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, Dewani will be immediately escorted to the Western Cape High Court, where he is expected to appear for the first time in a South African court of law at 11:30am. There he will be formally charged and processed by the investigating team. He will be charged with murder and is expected to face charges relating to conspiracy to commit murder and defeating the ends of justice. Dewani is accused of orchestrating the murder of his wife, Anni, while on honeymoon in November 2010. He claims he and his wife were kidnapped at gunpoint as they drove through Gugulethu, and that he was released unharmed.

Dewani arrived in the country today on a chartered flight procured by the department. Mhaga said the use of the private aircraft was informed by Dewani's peculiar medical condition, which needs to be monitored. The use of a commercial flight, Mhaga said, had the potential to compromise Dewani and that could have an adverse effect on the pending medical examination.

"We took into account the fact that there was undisputed evidence during the extradition hearing that he had displayed suicidal tendencies and the South African government did not want to take chances. "There was a need to ensure that Dewani and the whole team are secure, and that would have been difficult on a commercial flight with many passengers, which had the potential to compromise their security, as his identity is now well known," said Mhaga.

Dewani has been fighting removal from the UK on the grounds of mental health problems, including severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before the trial, Dewani will first undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial. If he is not fit to stand trial within 18 months, he will be returned to the UK, as agreed by the British and South African authorities.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201404080468.html

Is there any hope for Zimbabwe opposition?

After being pummeled in the last election, and riven with infighting and recrimination in the months since, Zimbabwe's political opposition is at its lowest ebb in a decade. The Daily Maverick asks the obvious question: if not Zanu, then who? The answer makes for disheartening reading - unless your name's Robert Mugabe, and you've got a country you want to keep running.

It wasn't just losing last year's election that dealt a knock-out blow to Zimbabwe's main opposition groups, in particular Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change faction (MDC-T); it was how the election was lost, by such a wide margin that even if Zanu-PF had rigged the elections - and we're not saying they did, although we have our suspicions - it did not need to.

Look at it this way: despite everything that Robert Mugabe has done, despite the economic calamities he has presided over the and the steady erosion of basic rights he has legislated, a majority of Zimbabweans would rather have Mugabe and his henchmen in charge than trust in any of the alternatives.

For Morgan Tsvangirai, this realisation must be a particularly bitter pill. The veteran opposition leader, now 62, came as close as anyone has...

Read the full story on the Daily Maverick website.

Questions raised over Bona Mugabe’s husband

As Zimbabweans continue to discuss the lavish wedding of Bona Mugabe over the weekend, it has emerged that the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) raised questions about her new husband. Not much is known about 37 year old Simba Chikore, except that his mother is known as a "reverend" in a church group called the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa. It was also, until recently, claimed that he was a pilot.

But speculation has been rife since media reports were released that discredited the claims of his pilot status. Other reports also quoted a CIO official as branding Robert Mugabe's new son-in-law as 'unsuitable' for the First Daughter. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Chikore does not work for either Emirates or Qatar Airways as widely reported. The paper stated that people in the aviation industry in Southern Africa have never heard of him.

Another report, this time by NewZimbabwe.com, quoted a junior CIO officer as saying that Chikore was a 'playboy' ill-suited to be Bona's husband. The officer reportedly said Grace Mugabe's "determination for the marriage to go ahead and her disdain for the country's spy agency had prevented proper vetting of the First Son-in-Law."

The unnamed CIO official was quoted as saying: "He (Chikore) is a workout addict and also much into bike riding. He is known for womanising from his high school days and recently involved in a spate of affairs which were glossed over by the (CIO) team that prepared the final report. This man was deemed too old for the first daughter and too tainted to be involved with her."

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201403040060.html?aa_source=acrdn-f0

Rwandan government expels six SA diplomats

The government has expelled six South African diplomats in retaliation for expulsion of Rwandan diplomats by South Africa. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo confirmed on her twitter handle that the South African diplomats were ordered to leave Rwanda in 'reciprocity' and added that it was also because of 'South Africa harboring of dissidents responsible for terrorist attacks in Rwanda.'

The South African government has refused to extradite Rwandan fugitive Kayumba Nyamwasa who fled to South Africa and has been accused of being the brains behind several grenade attacks in the country. Others, such as the recently murdered Patrick Karegeya, also lived freely on South African soil. The murder has so far not been solved.

The Rwandan diplomats were expelled from South Africa after an attack in that country on the home of Nyamwasa, although no details have been given by South African police on the circumstances. It is not yet clear which Rwandan diplomats were expelled by the South African government.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201403100146.html

Sanctions on eight Zim officials lifted

The European Union yesterday suspended illegal sanctions on eight officials - among them service chiefs, politicians and war veterans - but kept President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe on the embargoed list. This comes as a visiting EU parliamentary delegation yesterday said it felt embarrassed to be part of the bloc that imposed illegal sanctions on a sovereign nation.

Zimbabwe's head of delegation to the African-Caribbean-Pacific and EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Cde Makhosini Hlongwane, also described any claims by the EU that it was lifting travel bans as deceptive because what the country needed was an end to economic sanctions. The five-member EU delegation was in Zimbabwe on a fact-finding mission on the impact of sanctions.

Led by European People's Party vice president Dr Mario David of Portugal, they met senior Government officials, business leaders, farmers and health officials. Other legislators were from Italy, Romania and Spain. As the delegation wound up its mission, the 28-nation EU announced it was removing travel bans on all individuals except the First Family.

Those removed from the travel ban list are Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Army Commander Lieutenant-Gen Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, intelligence supremo Brigadier-Gen (Retired) Happyton Bonyongwe, police boss Commissioner-Gen Augustine Chihuri, Zimbabwe Prisons boss Major-Gen Paradzai Zimondi, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Cde Didymus Mutasa, and war veterans leader Cde Jabulani Sibanda.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402180344.html

Protests against Botswana President over bushmen issue

Loud protests at an anti-poaching conference in London February 13 highlighted the devastating impact of a hunting ban on Africa's last hunting Bushmen in Botswana. Ian Khama, President of Botswana, was reported to be attending alongside Prince Charles and Prince William. Protesters outside the 'London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade 2014', chanted slogans and carried placards reading 'Botswana: Bushmen hunters are not poachers'.

Botswana is persecuting the Bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in the name of wildlife conservation by stopping them from hunting game. But the Bushmen pose no threat to the wildlife of the CKGR, alongside which they have lived sustainably for centuries. The Botswana government's hypocrisy was recently exposed by revelations that large parts of the CKGR have been leased out for fracking, and a mine by Gem Diamonds is projected to start operations inside the CKGR in October 2014.

A 2006 high court ruling confirmed the Bushmen's right to live and hunt in the CKGR, but the government continues to intimidate, torture and arrest Bushmen for hunting. The majority of Bushmen are forced to apply for restrictive permits to enter their ancestral land in the CKGR - a policy which has been likened to the hated Pass Laws under apartheid South Africa.

The Bushmen are prevented from hunting game on their ancestral land in the name of conservation, which a judge likened to condemning the tribe to death by starvation. A high court judge involved in the 2006 court case said that the government's refusal to allow the Bushmen to hunt 'was tantamount to condemning the [Bushmen] to death by starvation.'

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402171076.html

Malawi electoral body to receive nomination papers

Malawi's Electoral Commission (MEC) will begin receiving nomination papers for presidential, parliamentary and local level elections beginning on Monday, ahead of the May 20 vote, says Sangwani Mwafulirwa, spokesman for the electoral commission. On January 15, Mwafulirwa says, the MEC gave all political parties their nomination papers -- to give them ample time to gather supporting materials before submitting the documents to the electoral body for screening and possible acceptance.

He also says for the first time, prospective voters will witness three debates, among the presidential candidates which will be broadcast on radio, television and social media platforms. "Starting May 10th the Malawi Electoral Commission will start receiving nomination papers for candidates," said Mwafulirwa. "For presidential candidates they are going to submit it to the Malawi Electoral Commission in Blantyre, but for candidates who are competing for local government and also parliamentary elections, they will be submitting their nomination papers to their district commissioners in their areas," he said.

He says the MEC will scrutinize all documents to determine whether the candidates meet requirements that will allow them participate in the May general election.

"After receiving the nomination papers we are going to screen them... a nomination paper needs to be supported by at least 10 people from the constituency and also 10 people from the district that is in case of local government, parliamentary and presidential election respectively, said Mwafulirwa. "We need to verify that these people who supported the nomination papers are registered voters or not."

The MEC, Mwafulirwa says, will release a list of qualified candidates before March 20, well ahead of the general election. The electoral body has almost completed the first part of the process of compiling a final voters list for the elections. "We are compiling the voters role at the moment, and we are optimistic that come early March or thereabout we should be able to display this voters role for people to go and inspect how their details appear on the register," said Mwafulirwa.

He also says the electoral body and the Presidential Debate Task Force Committee are working with political parties to agree on how the debates will be staged. "So far we have some clear picture about. We are planning for three debates which will be in all the three regions," said Mwafulirwa. "We are also planning to meet with the secretary generals of the presidential candidates just to agree on the final modalities of the debates. We are also finalizing and mobilizing to make sure that we give people the best." Mwafulirwa says the electoral commission has established a platform that includes all stakeholders to address concerns of political parties ahead of the elections to ensure a transparent and credible vote.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402090127.html

Mugabe’s son ordered to pay $340,000 debt

First Lady Grace Mugabe's son, Russell Goreraza, who was involved in a hostile takeover of gold-rich Tolrose Investment Mine from businessman Jameson Rushwaya, now risks losing the mine over a salaries and wage debt estimated at nearly $340,000.

The mine's movable plant and equipment risk being attached after the High Court on January 24 granted an order allowing the 366 workers represented by Harare lawyer Alec Muchadehama to attach property to recover their wages. The order was registered under HC7622/13 following an arbitral award sought and granted on behalf of the workers by the Tinashe Mugwira-led National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ).

"The arbitration award made by arbitrator M T Magureyi be and is hereby registered as an order of this court. Respondent pays applicants $339 782," reads part of the order. Mugwira said his union was happy that the award had finally been registered and workers would now move to recover their salaries withheld by the employer for over a year.

"Our members had been reduced to mere paupers while some had been hounded out of work both by the previous owner (Rushwaya) and new owner (Goreraza). This order breathes life into their fight and we are optimistic that it will change their lives for the better," he said.

NMWUZ said it would immediately ask the deputy sheriff to enforce the order. Goreraza allegedly bought the shares from the troubled and disputed company from Patterson Timba before elbowing out Timba's former business partner Rushwaya.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402100338.html

Mugabe attempts to force EU Summit invite

President Robert Mugabe has rallied the backing of fellow African leaders in his bid to force an invitation to the EU-African Union summit set for Brussels in April this year. Previous EU-AU summits have been rocked by controversy over the Zimbabwean leader who is banned from travelling to Europe under sanctions imposed to punish alleged human rights abuses and suspected electoral fraud.

The 2007 meeting in Portugal had to be deferred as Britain opposed Mugabe's invitation while African leaders said they would not attend if he wasn't welcome. In the end Mugabe travelled to Lisbon while Gordon Brown, then British premier, boycotted the summit.

African leaders agreed at an AU summit in Ethiopia last week that they would not travel to Brussels in April if the Zimbabwean strong-man was not invited. "The Africa Union has resolved to move as a united front on issues of governance and international policy," said Zambia foreign minister Wylbur Simuusa.

"We must now speak with one voice and make sure we act in the interest of Africa. That is why for the EU-Africa summit coming up, where Zimbabwe has been singled out with restrictions for President Robert Mugabe from attending, the position that the AU has taken is that if Zimbabwe won't go, then Africa will not go and that has been agreed upon. Zimbabwean foreign affairs minister, Simbarashe Mumbengewi, confirmed the development as Mugabe returned from Ethiopia on Saturday.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402020189.html

Ramphele apologises to fans

Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele on Monday apologised for the unhappiness caused by her decision not to stand as the DA's presidential candidate, but said she made the right decision. "I believed that we had the opportunity to transcend party politics and engage South Africans in a conversation about the future," she told reporters in Johannesburg.

"The last week has demonstrated that, for some, this new way of thinking about our future will be hard to achieve right now." Ramphele said some people were not able to transcend party politics and the time for a partnership with the Democratic Alliance was not right.

"Some [people] cannot or will not transcend party politics. We see people trapped in old-style race-based politics." The DA announced on Sunday that Ramphele had reneged on her agreement with the party to be its presidential candidate. DA leader Helen Zille accused Ramphele of playing a game of cat and mouse.

Ramphele on Monday said although the DA remained an important party, both parties had made a mistake by believing that what so many people distrusted could magically disappear. Agang SA was formed to work towards a change in the political landscape, to offer people something other than the status quo.

"If I now have to be a DA member to see that dream and vision realised then I unfortunately cannot pursue the DA offer," she said. "There are millions of South Africans who will never vote for the DA, but they want a home, which Agang SA will give them."

Ramphele admitted that the decision to accept nomination to be the DA's presidential candidate was a rushed one.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402030650.html

Japan pledges huge loans to Mozambique

The Japanese government has pledged to disburse, over the next five years, a financial package to the value of 70 billion yen (about 672 million US dollars) for Mozambican development programmes in areas such as infrastructures and agricultural growth. The aid was announced in Maputo on 19 January after talks between Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Much of the funding, which takes the form of loans, will go towards improving the state of roads, in the north of the country, particularly in the northern development corridor, which runs from the port of Nacala through Nampula and Niassa provinces to the Malawian border. Another slice of the Japanese aid will go towards the ProSavana project, a triangular cooperation agreement between Mozambique, Japan and Brazil intended to improve agricultural production in Nampula, Niassa and Zambezia.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed for interchanges between the Mozambican Agricultural Research Institute (IIAM), and the Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural Sciences.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401270528.html

US speaks out on Mugabe exclusion from US-Africa summit

US President Barack Obama did not invite President Robert Mugabe for a landmark United States-Africa summit in August because the Zimbabwean leader is currently a "Specially Designated National" (SDN), a US official has explained.

Acting United States embassy in Zimbabwe spokesperson, Jillian Bonnardeaux said apart from being on the SDN list, Mugabe was subject to US sanctions for "undermining democratic processes and institutions in Zimbabwe". A Specially Designated Nationals List is a publication of Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) which lists individuals and organisations with whom US citizens and permanent residents are prohibited from doing business.

But despite Obama's snub on Mugabe, Bonnardeaux said the US was prepared to constantly revisit its bilateral relationship with Zimbabwe. "The US policy is not static and continually evolves," she said.

Bonnardeaux said the US valued and was committed to its long-term relationship with the people of Zimbabwe. She said the US continued to support Zimbabwe through its assistance in health, economic growth and other key areas.

"The US and Zimbabwe share goals of a strong, prosperous, healthy, and democratic Zimbabwe able to meet its people's needs," she said.

Bonnardeaux said Obama looked forward to welcoming leaders from across the African continent to Washington on August 5 and 6 to further strengthen ties with one of the world's most "dynamic" and fastest-growing regions.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401260337.html

Death toll up to four in South Africa following water protests

A fourth person has died following violent clashes near Brits over access to water, Jacarandafm News reported on Monday. Damonsville community leader Paul Hendricks said the man died early on Monday.

"He was shot in the head with live ammunition and taken to Ga-Rankuwa hospital where the bullet was removed," he was quoted as saying.

The man was in a coma and later died.

According to SABC radio news, the 36-year-old man spent seven days in the intensive care unit of hospital. He was injured during clashes last week. His family confirmed the death. SABC also reported that he had died, quoting his brother. Three others who were killed during the service delivery protest in Mothutlung were buried at the weekend.

Two protesters were shot dead, allegedly by police. Another man died after falling out of a moving police vehicle in a bid to escape, according to police.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401200943.html

Angola and World Bank agree $75 million funding for education

The national education system was attributed as from Thursday USD 75 million, fruit of an agreement signed in Luanda between the Angolan government and International Development Agency of the World Bank. The amount will be channeled to the "Learning for All Project", a tool created by the government in order to improve the teachers' competence and assist in the management of schools and assessment of students in primary school.

About 500.000 students in 980 primary schools in various parts of the country will benefit from the project, whose implementation timeline covers the period between 2014/2018. Under the same project, at least 24.300 teachers, municipal and provincial staff of the Ministry of Education will have access to training.

The implementation of the referred project, an instrument to take into account in the materialization of the National Development Plan for 2013-2017 period, also has a financial reinforcement of the government estimated at five million dollars. The accord was signed by the Angolan Minister of Planning and Territorial Development, Job Graça and the regional vice-president of the World Bank for Africa, Makhtar Diop.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401190221.html

High-level Zimbabwean government visit to China

A high-powered Government delegation has left the country for China to explore collaborative partnerships for the establishment of an e-Government Data Centre with a Chinese state-owned company. The delegation, being led by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, would visit China from today to January 18 for technical collaboration between the Government and Inspur Group of China.

Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Ray Ndlukula, in a statement, yesterday said the e-Government Data Centre was the missing link in full realisation of the e-Government vision spelt out in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).

"The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet is leading a high-powered delegation of Senior Government officials on a visit to the People's Republic of China for five days at the invitation of Inspur Group of Company of China.

"Inspur is an information communication technology state-owned company which is a key player on the Chinese local market and internationally," he said.  Dr Ndlukula said the visit would strengthen and deepen political and technical cooperation between the two governments under the Look East policy.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401120191.html

Civilians in Mozambique feeling the presence of rebels

War scenarios, characterized by popular persecution, intimidation, arbitrary detentions and alleged rapid executions of defenseless citizens, especially youth and male adults, caused close to 4,000 residents in the regions of Nhambondo, Tazaronda, Mucodza, Nhataka, Tambarara, Nhankuco, Kanda, Tazonda, Egypt, Barnota, and Vundudzi, in Gorongosa district, Sofala province, to abandon their homes a few days ago.

They are taking refuge in Gorongosa village as a way to escape the atrocities perpetrated by armed Renamo men and government defense and security forces.

According to reports of citizens, some of whom were forcibly separated from their relatives - and reported as missing by virtue of having been captured by the military - the Renamo guerrillas and government forces have protagonized murders of citizens since last October. However, our correspondent can't say for what reasons the militants are provoking this "carnage" and they do not offer any concrete evidence of people who have been victims of this situation.

Manuel da Costa Simão, Pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Mozambique, and resident of the administrative post of Vunduzi, told us that living in this region is causes sadness due to the fact that there are people who are being abruptly executed and in addition to suffering various threats from armed Renamo men. Because of these reasons, he took refuge at a relative's home located in the village of Gorongosa.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401130613.html

Al-Qaeda in Yemen frees South Africans

Militants linked to al Qaeda have released two South Africans kidnapped in the Yemeni city of Taiz in May last year, according to Reuters. The man and woman were in good health, the local officials said, declining to give details of where they had been held or how they were released.

A security official in Taiz confirmed the couple had been released and said he had no information on the identity of the kidnappers. Kidnapping of foreigners in Yemen is common, often carried out by disgruntled tribesmen seeking to press the government to free jailed relatives or to improve public services, or by Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda.

Yemen has been grappling with an Islamist insurgency which took advantage of unrest in 2011 inspired by the Arab Spring to seize control of some southern cities. The insurgents were beaten back by government forces but have since regrouped and mounted attacks on government officials and installations.

Lawlessness in the poor Arabian Peninsula state has alarmed neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter, as well as the United States, which increasingly views Yemen as a front line in its struggle against al Qaeda.

Original article: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/uk-yemen-kidnap-idUKBREA090OL20140110

Mozambique confirms presence of rebels

The Mozambican Defence Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the presence of groups of gunmen of the former rebel movement Renamo in Homoine district, in the southern province of Inhambane.

This contradicts the public position taken on Monday by the spokesperson of the Inhambane provincial police command, Delcir Marquel, who claimed there was no Renamo presence in Homoine, just groups of cattle thieves.

At a Maputo press conference, the National Director of Defence Policy in the Defence Ministry, Col Cristovao Chume said not only had Renamo gunmen entered Homoine, but some of them have been arrested.

“Renamo has moved men into Inhambane, particularly into Homoine, and has put psychological pressure on people living there”, said Chume.

This had led to frightened people abandoning their homes and their property, because of the traumas of the past “notably the massacres carried out by Renamo during the war of destabilisation”.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401071313.html

Japanese PM to visit Mozambique

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to visit three African countries: Ethiopia, Mozambique and Ivory Coast, as well as the Gulf state of Oman for a week starting from tomorrow, Japanese ministry of foreign affairs said.

PM Abe is expected to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of the countries. In addition to that PM Abe is scheduled to give a policy speech on Japan's Africa diplomacy in Ethiopia. In Oman PM Abe is scheduled to hold talks with Sultan Qaboos bin Said and sign an investment pact between the two countries.

PM Abe's visit follows the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held in June 2013 discussed issues, among others, trade and investment and peace and stability in Africa. Japan is seeking to bolster its ties with Africa.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401071309.html

World Bank closes Zimbabwe’s access to further support

The World Bank has become the latest institution to dismiss Zimbabwe's bid to access fresh loans from international lenders, unless the country first clears its arrears. Zimbabwe's external debt runs into billions of dollars and, last year, the country formally approached the World Bank for debt relief under the 'Highly Indebted Poor Countries' (HIPC) scheme.

However, the bank has since indicated that the country does not qualify for support and will need a comprehensive arrears clearance framework with the international community to qualify for fresh loans or further financial assistance.

"Zimbabwe's eligibility to receive assistance under the HIPC Initiative remains unclear," the World Bank said in its latest report.

"(The) Country could potentially be eligible for assistance if it meets end-2004 and end-2010 indebtedness criteria and if it clears its arrears to the (IMF's) Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust," the report further stated.

Tim Jones, policy manager at global lobby group Jubilee Debt Campaign said Zimbabwe was not automatically eligible for the "poor countries initiative".

"So a political decision has to be made over issues to do with the indebtedness criteria statistics has to be made for it to be considered for the scheme.

"There have been indications in the past from the World Bank and western governments that they will be willing to let Zimbabwe in but that was very much linked to political changes in the country," Jones said.

Jones added: "Following the July election result, it's hard to tell what's going to happen in future although we know that the Zanu PF government never wanted to go the highly-indebted poor countries route."

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401080376.html