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Mourners waving white handkerchiefs gathered at a Lusaka stadium for a state memorial service for Zambia's first president, who died last month aged 97.
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
LABOUR unions representing civil servants were yesterday divided over the 40% pay offer by government following a prolonged salary dispute with their employer. BY RICHARD MUPONDE Some said negotiations had failed to yield results and preferred to declare a deadlock and refer the matter for arbitration, while others said talks must be given a chance. The divisions are set to further cripple the education sector which is currently mired in chaos with most schools operated without teachers after their unions stuck to their US$520 salary demand during the last round of negotiations last week. This also comes at a time government, in a desperate attempt to get teachers back to work last Friday offered a pay rise which will see the lowest paid teacher earning over $19 975.But the educators turned it down. The lowest paid civil servant will earn $14 528 as per latest government offer. Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou told NewsDay that the best option for teachers was to declare a deadlock in order to push for arbitration. Zhou said there were discrepancies between teachers and other government workers like the uniformed forces who allegedly got better pay than other civil servants. “Nothing was done to discuss discrepancies between teachers and other government workers. It is unpalatable to pay teachers $18 000 and then pay other government workers $28 000 to $50 000,” Zhou said. “If, therefore, the Apex Council (civil service negotiating body) leaders hope to get some semblance of respectability from teachers, they must push for a declaration of a deadlock so that the issue of teachers’ starvation wages is referred for arbitration. Of course, we cannot harvest apples from a thorn tree. There may be a need for teachers across the unions’ divide to push Apex Council to pursue the deadlock and arbitration route.” Zhou also said there was no struggle without casualties, urging the teachers’ unions to budget for protracted legal battles. “The current submission of names of incapacitated teachers must never be used for punitive measures against teachers as in essence, it is the government that incapacitated teachers. Above all, we have taken all the necessary procedures of communicating the plight of our members to the Public Service Commission (PSC), line ministries, and even President Emmerson Mnangagwa as PTUZ and as a united front.” Zimta chief executive Sifiso Ndlovu said his organisation was consulting its members, but castigated the government for intimidating teachers. “Government simply came with a position which it is forcing us to take. This is no longer negotiation,” he said. Teachers have not been reporting for work for the past two months pleading incapacitation. But Apex Council spokesperson David Dzatsunga said the PTUZ and other like-minded unions should stop mudslinging, but follow legal negotiating channels that do not politicise the issue of workers. “To start with, we are the bona fide negotiator at law. PTUZ and whoever wants to negotiate, who thinks that they can neg
‘Hola Guyana,’ the sole Spanish/Latin radio programme on the local airwaves, on Wednesday marked a year since it first aired in Guyana.
The article ‘Hola Guyana’ celebrates first anniversary appeared first on Stabroek News.
Press Release - As of today, the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases is 749 182 with 2 237 new cases identified since the last report.
ZANU PF MP for Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe Prosper Machando has warned youths that they risk being beaten up if they dared protest against government. BY RICHARD MUPONDE Machando said this last Thursday in Harare while addressing a National Association of Youth Organisations (Nayo) indaba. “Adding a voice to national issues is not bad, but very good so that we are heard, but the way we do it is questionable,” Machando said. “If the government says demonstrations are not allowed, they are not allowed and if you demonstrate, you will be beaten up and arrested. “I cannot lie to you that for you to be heard, you have to demonstrate. We cannot lie to you so you praise us here when we all know if you get onto the streets, you will be beaten up.” Vungu MP Omega Sibanda (Zanu PF) said journalists who chose to behave like activists would “face the wrath of the law”. He said this in reference to the continued harassment of journalists by State security agents. “Some of these scribes have become activists. If you want to be a scribe, be a scribe. Once you want to join the two and become an activist, you will face the wrath of the law,” Sibanda said. Seasoned journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has been in and out of remand prison on charges of inciting public violence. Chin’ono is accused of breaching his bail conditions by tweeting about the court outcome of businesswoman Henrietta Rushwaya’s gold smuggling scandal. He had been ordered not to post on Twitter. This followed his earlier arrest in July this year ahead of the foiled anti-government protests of July 31. The statements by the two MPs were made despite the fact that country’s Constitution stipulates freedom of assembly, the right to demonstrate peacefully, as well as media freedom. — newzimbabwe.com
Major African stats: May 31 at 7:00 GMT:
\t
\t\tConfirmed cases = 141,599
\t\tNumber of deaths = 4,070
\t\tRecoveries = 59,191
\t\tActive cases = 78,338
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa I
\t\tLesotho confirms index case
\t\tComoros records first case
\t\tUS support for Kenya, South Africa; Africa’s equipment crunch
\t\tAfrica case increase worries experts
May 31: China to support Africa with virus logistics
\tChina will give Africa 30 million test kits per month, as well as 10 000 ventilators and 80 million masks, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa disclosed on Sunday during a virtual meeting with top editors in the country.
Back in South Africa, Ramaphosa who is the chairperson of the African Union also defended the decision to reopen the economy of Africa’s most industrialized nation despite being the most impacted and the having carried out the most tests.
The South African president is also current chairperson of the African Union, AU; he is leading Africa’s most impacted country and the continent’s effort to get international support to fight the pandemic.
Africa dangerously behind in global race for virus gear
\tAs Africa braces for a surge in coronavirus cases, its countries are dangerously behind in the global race for scarce medical equipment.
AP
April 23: Africa’s 43% jump in virus cases in 1 week worries experts
\tAfrica registered a 43% jump in reported COVID-19 cases in the last week, highlighting a warning from the World Health Organization that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicenter of the global outbreak.
LONDON, England (AP) — Police around the southern English coastal town of Bournemouth urged people to stay away yesterday as thousands defied coronavirus social distancing rules and flocked to local beaches on what is the UK's hottest day of the year so far.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said services were “completely overstretched” as people sought the sanctuary of the seaside on a day meteorologists confirmed as the hottest of 2020.
Roads, which were gridlocked into the early hours, now have signs telling people the area is full, according to the council.
“The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe,” she said.
“Clearly we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to one area places a further strain on emergency services resources,” said Dorset Police's Sam de Reya.
Thousands of commuters were left stranded in Gqeberha after taxi drivers blocked roads with burning tyres over claims their bosses had kept Covid-19 relief funding for themselves.
At the beginning of last year, Dominican ground tour operator Andy Hogan spent nearly US$60,000 on a brand new safari vehicle – his second – and another US$30,000 or so on a luxurious coach, both for his Lion Tours Safari. In a country where the...
[Nyasa Times] Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the final day of his two-day working visit to the 'rainbow nation'.
Zambia, a landlocked country in south-central Africa, is about one-tenth larger than Texas. It is surrounded by Angola, Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. The country is mostly a plateau that rises to 8,000 ft (2,434 m) in the east.
In 1972, Kaunda outlawed all opposition political parties. The world copper market collapsed in 1975. The Zambian economy was devastated—it had been the third-largest miner of copper in the world after the United States and Soviet Union. With a soaring debt and inflation rate in 1991, riots took place in Lusaka, resulting in a number of killings. Mounting domestic pressure forced Kaunda to move Zambia toward multiparty democracy. National elections on Oct. 31, 1991, brought a stunning defeat to Kaunda. The new president, Frederick Chiluba, called for sweeping economic reforms, including privatization and the establishment of a stock market. He was reelected in Nov. 1996. Chiluba declared martial law in 1997 and arrested Kaunda following a failed coup attempt. The 1999 slump in world copper prices again depressed the economy because copper provides 80% of Zambias export earnings.
In 2001, Chiluba contemplated changing the constitution to allow him to run for another presidential term. After protests he relented and selected Levy Mwanawasa, a former vice president with whom he had fallen out, as his successor. Mwanawasa became president in Jan. 2002; opposition parties protested over alleged fraud. In June 2002, Mwanawasa, once seen as a pawn of Chiluba, accused the former president of stealing millions from the government while in office. Chiluba was arrested and charged in Feb. 2003.
Although the country faced the threat of famine in 2002, the president refused to accept any international donations of food that had been genetically modified, which Mwanawasa considered “poison.” In Aug. 2003, impeachment proceedings against the president for corruption were rejected by parliament. In April 2005, the World Bank approved a $3.8 billion debt relief
The Makana municipality’s housing department, a post office and the City Hall have been set alight during a third day of riots in Makhanda.
Mwanzoni, mtoto huyo wa mchungaji aliajiriwa kama mwalimu, kazi kubwa kwa mwafrika wakati huo, kwa sababu ajira bora na biashara lilikuwa eneo la wazungu pekee. Kaunda hakukubali mipaka hiyo, na aliingia katika siasa, hatua iliyomsababishia kufungwa jela mara kadhaa. Alimudu kuiongoza nchi yake kupata uhuru, na katika uchaguzi wa kwanza…
