The Daily Maverick

Africa

11 March: Thousands of Nigerians call for president to go

Also today: South Sudan risks blotting its democratic copybook over arrests: Al-Qaeda’s North African wing frees Spanish hostage: Foremost Egyptian Muslim cleric dies: Niger’s junta appeals for millions of dollars in food aid.

Thousands of Nigerians call for president to go Nigeria Nigeria is seeing a minor people’s revolt, weeks after President Umaru Yar'Adua returned to the country of 140 million following a three-month hospital stay in Saudi Arabia for heart problems. The presidency says he’s still in intensive care, so thousands of Nigerians marched to the gates of the presidential villa demanding an end to his presidency, saying they’re tired of a president they can't see and who can't govern. Yar’Adua’s had a history of illness, and this has long fuelled political restiveness across the nation. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has already… More

11 March 2010

World

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10 March: Somalia's president asks for US airstrike support

Also today: Clinton adds pressure over Nigerian massacre; Ransom allegedly paid for abducted South African sound engineer; Zim high court says MDC speaker must stay; Family told to exhume Rwanda's first president for redevelopment project; Massive African polio vaccination campaign starts; Ugandans want to move people from landslide areas.

Somalia's president asks for US airstrike support Somalia Somalia's government says it would love to have some US air support for an expected offensive against al-Qaeda-linked militants which run huge swathes of the central and southern regions of the anarchic country. The offensive has been rumoured for quite some time, but Somalia’s government and army aren’t known for their capacity to implement much at all. Nonetheless, speaking during a visit to Britain, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said international aid for reconstruction would be needed to secure any land gained in the push. It almost sounds as if an offensive actually… More

10 March 2010

Africa

09 March: French navy catches big gang of Somali pirates

Also today: Americans free up Internet technology to foes; Bennett’s lawyers ask for ‘fictional’ terrorism trial to be scrapped; Gambian president turns on his own government; Kenyan politicians asked to stay home for constitutional debate.

French navy catches big gang of Somali pirates Somalia In a rare turnaround, the French navy captured four pirate mother ships and six smaller craft off the coast of Somalia, also snatching 35 suspected buccaneers. Numerous of the world’s navies operate in the waters off the anarchic country, and much farther out into the Indian Ocean, trying to stop pirates grabbing dozens of vessels ranging from yachts to bulk carriers, and ransoming them and their crews for millions of dollars. EU forces used helicopters and fired warning shots to capture the gang, one of the biggest successes since the Europeans… More

9 March 2010

JOS, Nigeria

500 horrific deaths: the cost of Nigeria's latest religious upheaval

Religious violence, unfortunately, is nothing new in Nigeria. In the latest apparent reprisals over the weekend, scores of women and children, mostly Christians, were killed in villages around the central Nigerian city of Jos.

This violence appears to be in reprisal for attacks in January when more than 300 people died, most of them Muslim. Estimates are that some 500 have died in the pre-dawn attack on Dogo na Hauwa village, near Jos, many hacked to death with machetes – including young children, some of whose bodies are reported to have been mutilated. Jos has been under an all-night military curfew since the violence in January, so it is still unclear how the attackers managed to evade the lock-down to launch attacks that began early on Sunday. Following the violence on the weekend, Nigeria’s… More

8 March 2010

Johannesburg

Global HIV, TB, malaria fund pushes results as it shakes the begging bowl

Just weeks away from a conference where it will ask for $20 billion over three years – twice the record amount ever raised for health – the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria launched a report trumpeting its recent successes. The world is on the brink of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission, beating malaria (on a public health scale) and containing drug-resistant TB, it says. All it needs is a flood of money, in the middle of a fiscal drought.

For a minimum of $13 billion, and a maximum of $20 billion, the world can end the outrage of mother-to-child HIV infections, the Global Fund says, and rectify some of the imbalances in mortality rates between the third world – and Africa especially – and rich countries. That’s the amount of money it will be asking for, in the next couple of weeks, for grants in the three years starting 2011. From countries like the United States, where legislators are getting militant and any spending outside the country, or countries like South Africa, where budget deficits have suddenly ballooned over… More

8 March 2010

Africa

08 March: New bout of killings erupts in central Nigerian city of Jos

Also today: Nigerian player dies of heart attack during soccer game; Togo’s opposition nixes poll result; Egyptian ‘anti-government’ blogger released; UN to start nominal withdrawal of DRC peacekeepers by June; Sudan’s Bashir backs Eritrea over sanctions; Zuma claims EU listening to his Zimbabwe calls - but it’s not; Niger’s junta frees ministers detained during coup; Nigerians lambast corrupt police.

New bout of killings erupts in central Nigerian city of Jos Nigeria The central Nigerian city of Jos has erupted in violence again after hundreds of people were killed in January during religious riots there. Reports say corpses are piled up after a new bout of blood-letting, when gangs of men descended on a village a few kilometres south of the city, slashing residents with machetes. Security forces in central Nigeria are on full alert, following the murder of up to 200 people during clashes between Islamic pastoralists and Christian villagers. Photo: Reuters. Read more: Bloomberg, Punch Nigerian player… More

8 March 2010

Africa

05 March: Brown to Zuma: It’s too early to let Mugabe and cronies off the hook

Also today: Ugandans bury mudslide dead; Madagascar’s Rajoelina dismisses Addis Ababa talks; Geldof, charity and Ethiopians take swing at BBC aid-for-weapons report; UN discusses troop withdrawal from DRC; Ivorians getting payout over toxic waste claims.

Brown to Zuma: It’s too early to let Mugabe and cronies off the hook Zimbabwe British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told South African President Jacob Zuma targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe wouldn’t be lifted until human rights violations and media restrictions are addressed. And there’s lots of those. Zuma, on a state visit to the UK, said sanctions should be eased to help the country’s battered economy. But President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai remain deadlocked over many issues, despite forming a unity government last year. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change party wants central bank chief Gideon Gono and… More

5 March 2010

Africa

04 March: Band Aid cash bought weapons for Ethiopian rebels

Also today: It’s official: More women of reproductive age die from Aids-related illnesses than anything else; MDC gives Mugabe’s mob hard time over indigenisation law; ICC says Kenyan leaders guilty of fomenting deadly 2008 violence. Niger junta keeps some old guard soldiers in transitional government; Egyptians try blogger in military court.

Band Aid cash bought weapons for Ethiopian rebels Ethiopia Millions of dollars in aid for victims of the Ethiopian famine of 1984-85 was used by rebels to buy weapons. The crisis prompted a high-profile relief effort spearheaded by rock star Bob Geldof's Band Aid campaign and Live Aid concerts. Now former rebels have told the BBC they posed as merchants while meeting aid workers to get hold of the money, and used the cash to attempt to overthrow the government of the time. One former rebel leader said nearly $100 million was channelled to the fight. Fortunately, it seems much… More

4 March 2010

Africa

03 March: Chadians allow UN peacekeepers to stay a while longer

Also today: Ugandan mudslide kills scores; IMF says Zambians must raise mining taxes; Ethiopian opposition candidate stabbed to death; France arrests wife of assassinated Rwandan president; Somali pirates attack aid trucks.

Chadians allow UN peacekeepers to stay a while longer Chad Chad says thousands of UN peacekeepers can stay a few more months. They’re tasked with protecting nearly a quarter of a million Sudanese refugees on the border with Darfur, where some 300,000 people have been killed by fighting over the last seven years. Earlier, Chad’s President Idriss Deby said the peacekeepers’ mission had failed, and he wanted them out by mid-March. But he’s been in Sudan talking to his counterpart Omar al-Bashir, and signing a truce that prevents either country from supporting the other’s rebels. Tensions between the two countries… More

3 March 2010

Africa

02 March: Zimbabwe’s indigenisation law for foreign-owned companies kicks in

Also today: Darfur said to be in flames again; Niger’s junta warns of famine; Ugandans petitioned by concerned world over gay bill; Gaddafi’s son visits his patsy in Libyan jail.

Zimbabwe’s indigenisation law for foreign-owned companies kicks in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s law that forces foreign-owned companies to sell a majority stake to indigenous citizens is now in effect. They’ve got five years to pass on a 51% stake in firms worth more than $500,000, or their local bosses may go to jail. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whose Movement for Democratic Change party is in a fragile power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, says the law is illegal because it was published without due process. Mugabe’s seizure of white-owned farms has left the country needing at least $10 billion to get… More

2 March 2010

Africa

01 March: Gaddafi calls for jihad against Switzerland

Also today: Many killed in Timbuktu mosque stampede; Al-Shabaab tells WFP to leave Somalia; Nigerian cabinet minister damns ‘cabal’ around her sick boss; Ivorian opposition changes mind, agrees to unity government; Sudanese parties reach vital agreement on parliamentary seats; Ugandan president appoints son as head of his security.

Gaddafi calls for jihad against Switzerland Libya A top UN staffer in Geneva says Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's call for a jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland is just not on in the context of international relations. It sounds as if Gaddafi’s reverting to his old ways, after the West spent years trying to rehabilitate his country from being a “chief sponsor of global terrorism”. Gaddafi and the Swiss have been at loggerheads over numerous issues. Recently the Swiss voted against the building of minarets on mosques in their picturesque country, and one of Gaddafi's sons was arrested in Geneva… More

1 March 2010

Africa

26 February: Algeria’s top cop shot dead by colleague

Also today: Sarkozy says French made mistakes in Rwanda; War starts again in Darfur despite deals; Nigeria’s Jonathan still in charge; Zambia inks China investment deal; Paris Club relieves Congo debt.

Algeria’s top cop shot dead by colleague Algeria Algeria's national police chief Ali Tounsi was shot dead by a colleague who went berserk, according to officials. They say there’s no link between the top cop’s death and al-Qaeda militants who’ve been fighting Algeria’s government for years. But the police play a big role against the Islamist insurgency, so many people will be wondering whether this is true. Ali Tounsi was killed during a meeting and a judicial enquiry has been opened to determine the sequence of events. Reports say Tounsi and another senior police official were arguing. The attacker… More

26 February 2010

Pretoria

Pretoria High Court Zim judgment: black eye for Mugabe, headache for SA government

In a splendid new twist to Southern African Development Community rulings over white farm seizures by Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF party, the High Court in Pretoria said SADC tribunal rulings against such seizures should be registered, recognised and enforceable by the South African government.

That’ll give the ANC something to think about, as it will be difficult to continue the same Zimbabwe foreign policy. Two SADC tribunal rulings in 2008 and 2009 declared that if Zimbabwe’s government didn’t pay compensation for the seizures, South Africa, as a SADC member, could attach Zimbabwe's assets as compensation. Now, with the Pretoria High Court’s decision, SADC’s ruling has come closer to home, setting a legal precedent. Quite how this will spin out in practice is anybody’s guess, but AfriForum, the body that made the application, stated the obvious when it said the ruling was a moral victory… More

26 February 2010

Africa

25 February: Nigeria’s president back home after heart treatment, but what's next?

Also today: Al-Qaeda frees Mali hostage, angering Mauritania, Algeria; Ivorians install new government as unrest simmers; US charges ex-con over Somali visa fraud; Niger’s military appoints transitional PM; Rajoelina picks man who gave him power for foreign affairs role.

Nigeria’s president back home after heart treatment, but what's next? Nigeria The cat’s back, but the mice might still play on. Nigeria’s been on shaky ground ever since Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua went to Saudi Arabia for heart treatment. He’s just returned home after three months, but whether this is enough to stop the lust for power behind the scenes, ahead of elections due in the first part of 2011, is uncertain. He arrived home in the nation’s capital, Abuja, in the wee hours on a plane from Jeddah. An ambulance was waiting on the tarmac. Yar'Adua didn’t attend… More

25 February 2010

Africa

24 February: Total ready to invest $20 billion in Nigerian oil exploration as President Yar’Adua returns to the country

Also today: Darfur’s JEM rebels not yet ready to sign peace deal; Niger’s opposition calls for Tandja to face high treason charges; Mauritanians recall ambassador to Mali over al-Qaeda; Ivorian opposition says unrest to continue until electoral commission restored.

Total ready to invest $20 billion in Nigerian oil exploration as President Yar’Adua returns Nigeria Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan says French energy firm Total is ready to invest $20 billion in oil and gas exploration, according to Reuters. That’s another feather in the cap of one of Africa’s largest producers. But an amnesty for thousands of rebels in the oil-rich Niger Delta started to unravel after President Umaru Yar’Adua spent three months in a Saudi Arabian hospital, suffering from heart problems, leaving the country of 140 million people on the edge of a constitutional crisis. He’s just returned… More

24 February 2010

Africa

23 February: Fresh round of protests rock Ivory Coast

Also today: Let them eat cake: China’s Harare embassy throws Mugabe birthday bash; Libyans march Swiss businessman off to jail; Guineans need cash to hold election; Niger’s coup leaders make all the right democratic noises; Eritreans around the world demonstrate against sanctions.

Fresh round of protests rock Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Days after the military killed at least five protesters at a rally in Ivory Coast, demonstrators marched and pelted soldiers and police with stones in response to President Laurent Gbagbo’s dissolving of both government and the country’s electoral commission. Gbagbo says non-Ivorian citizens were being added to the electoral register, but his action has further delayed an election meant to reunite the nation after a 2002/03 civil war split the country into north and south. The election has been repeatedly put off since 2005, and critics say Gbabgo is trying… More

23 February 2010

Africa

22 February: Dear Bob Mugabe, Happy Birthday! Now, would you please leave?

Also today: Niger’s opposition thanks army for coup, calls for elections; Sudan’s ruling party agrees Darfur ceasefire ahead of April elections; Ivorian security forces kill protesters; ICC says Guinea massacre a crime against humanity.

Dear Bob Mugabe, Happy Birthday! Now, would you please leave? Zimbabwe Happy birthday Bob. Now, please think about retiring. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe turned 86 on the weekend, still holding down the top job 30 years after independence. It’s been a bit touch and go in past years, him losing a violent election and all. And you can’t call it democracy. It’ll be a pity if he tries to cling to power until the day he dies, but he was elected unopposed within his Zanu-PF party in December to lead them for another five years. That’s because lots of… More

22 February 2010

Africa

19 February: Niger coup leaders close borders, impose curfew

Also today: ICC says those guilty of Guinea’s September massacre will pay; Chad wants UN peacekeepers to leave; Schengen nations fight over Libyan visa move; Madagascar’s coup leader promises free and fair elections, on his own terms; Ugandan priest shows gay porn to congregation; Archbishop Tutu’s genes show he’s related to the San; Non-refrigerated vaccines a breakthrough for African health.

Niger coup leaders close borders, impose curfew Niger Niger President Mamadou Tandja has been ousted after a protracted gun battle around the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey. Tandja changed the constitution in August to allow him to stand for a third five-year term, a likely reason for the insurrection. Coup leaders announced on television that the West African country’s constitution has been suspended and all state institutions dissolved. Instead, the new junta said the nation will be led by a Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy. Tandja is thought to be being held at a military barracks… More

19 February 2010

Africa

18 February: Mugabe gets delusional over indigenisation of foreign companies

Also today: Guinea steps onto rocky road towards civilian rule; Ivory Coast mediator tells president to get on with elections; UN food agency says it doesn’t feed radical Islamists, but US scoffs at this; Eritrean state media gets it right.

Mugabe gets delusional over indigenisation of foreign companies Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe continues to live in delusional splendour. He says investors would be wise to continue putting money into the bankrupt country, as his government's attempts to transfer majority control of foreign-owned firms to local Africans. Riight. His equally delusional minister of indigenisation and empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere, recently told foreign companies to present plans on how they’ll transfer 51% of shareholdings to blacks within 45 days from 1 March. Mugabe says 49% is a lot of equity and only fools would walk away. Maybe that’s what South Africa’s… More

18 February 2010

Africa

17 February: King Tut’s DNA gives up his secrets

Also today: Feuding Kenyan politicos to boycott cabinet meetings; EU says Zimbabwe’s sanctions will remain; Gambians expel Unicef envoy; Moroccans to get World Bank boost; Liberians to pay off remaining debt by 2010.

King Tut’s DNA gives up his secrets Egypt The mosquito did to King Tutankhamen what it continues to do to African youngsters today. It now seems the boy pharaoh, who was frail, lame and suffered numerous illnesses during his short life, was likely killed by a bad bout of malaria, combined with a degenerative bone condition. He died in his late teens in about 1324 BC, and scientists now say his death has revealed the oldest genetic proof of malaria. They used advanced radiology and other techniques to dismiss any thought of murder, also finding he had a leg… More

17 February 2010

Africa

16 February: Somali defence minister escapes assassination attempt

Also today: Ivorian police teargas demonstrators over election anger; Vodafone rings changes for African cellphone market; Libyans ban Schengen-zone Europeans, welcomes Brits; Sudan southern leader aims for presidency; Kenyan corruption row heats up.

Somali defence minister escapes assassination attempt Somalia Somalia’s defence minister survived an assassination bid in the capital, Mogadishu, after a suicide bomber drove a car filled with explosives at his vehicle, injuring two security guards. More explosions went off as Yusuf Mohamed Siyad tried to help the wounded men. Things are getting very dangerous for ministers of the weak UN-backed moderate Islamist government, which recently went on the offensive against radical Islamist insurgents. It’s no wonder many Somali officials choose to live across the border in Nairobi. In December, a suicide bomber attacked a graduation ceremony for medical students,… More

16 February 2010

Africa

15 February: Kenyan president reverses firing of two officials by rival prime minister

Also today: Ivorian leader dissolves government over claims of electoral fraud; Zimbabwe’s MDC sees new elections as only way out of political mess; Togo’s ban from Africa Cup soccer goes to arbitration; Egyptians try men on suspicions of radical Islamist links.

Kenyan president reverses firing of two officials by rival prime minister Kenya Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has revoked Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s suspension of two government ministers over corruption allegations. That should drive an even bigger wedge between the two main parties in the country’s so-called unity government, formed after violent 2007 elections saw the deaths of some 1,300 people. The agriculture and education ministers were suspended by Odinga during fraud investigations into missing funds. An audit showed some $26 million was diverted in a maize scandal, and more than $1 million stolen in an education scam. Kibaki says… More

15 February 2010

Africa

12 February: Zambia’s Chiluba loses big appeal

Also today: Ivorians say hasta la vista to polls; British government squirms over torture allegation; Nigerian central bank claims full-speed ahead for reforms as Jonathan takes throne; UN continues to worry that Sudan’s bluffing over Darfur prosecutions; Ugandan president tells sages what onions they should know; EU gives Zimbabwean peasants peanuts.

Zambia’s Chiluba loses big appeal Zambia Zambia's supreme court has dismissed an application by former president Frederick Chiluba to ignore a British court ruling that he pinched money from public coffers while in power. In 2007, a UK judge ordered Chiluba to pay $58 million to the Zambian treasury, as compensation for alleged theft during his 10 years in office. Zambian officials filed a civil case in Britain to try to recover assets in Europe owned by Chiluba and his mates. Now Zambian prosecutors can register the UK judgment in the Lusaka high court so it can be enforced… More

12 February 2010

Africa

11 February: Niger Delta militants say Nigeria’s acting president is illegal

Also today: Somalis flee Mogadishu on rumours of showdown; Takeover of foreign companies looms in Zimbabwe; Adversaries meet over Western Sahara; Goodluck Jonathan chairs his first Nigerian cabinet meeting

Niger Delta militants say Nigeria’s acting president is illegal Nigeria Nigerian militants have warned that vice president Goodluck Jonathan's assumption of power as acting president is illegal, saying this could foment more attacks in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The Joint Revolutionary Council, a coalition of ex-militants and community leaders in the Delta, say parliament’s approval that Jonathan takes the reins is a ploy by politicians who want to get their hands on Nigeria’s vast oil wealth. Thousands of rebels recently gave up arms after a presidential amnesty promised them education and jobs. However, Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua, in whose… More

11 February 2010

Africa

10 February: Nigerian parliament approves acting president

Also today: Somalis claim to have killed al-Qaeda leader; Ivorians riot as promise of election fades; Chad and Sudan make peace over Darfur; Ghanaian oil find exceeds 800 million barrels, but politics abound.

Nigerian parliament approves acting president Nigeria Nigeria's two-tier parliament has recognised vice president Goodluck Jonathan as acting head of state while President Umaru Yar'Adua recovers from heart problems in a Saudi Arabian hospital. But reports say the country’s constitution makes no provision for parliament to make such a move. In addition, a recent federal high court ruling says there’s no constitutional requirement for the president to hand over power, and that the vice-president can act on his behalf. The constitution itself says Yar’Adua must make a written declaration that he’s on vacation or unable to carry out his duties… More

10 February 2010

Johannesburg

Zimbabwe’s MDC waits on SADC Santa to make it all better

The Movement for Democratic Change says Zimbabwe urgently needs fresh elections. It won’t participate in those elections until the country has a new constitution, however. And it can’t do anything to prevent Zanu-PF from indefinitely blocking the creation of a new constitution. So it is somehow still counting on the body that has proven itself incapable to change, you know, anything.

If you believe the MDC – and don’t believe that the Southern African Development Community has superpowers – then there is no possibility of Zimbabwe’s political problems ever being solved. Negotiations between Zanu-PF and the two MDC factions restarted in Harare this week, with President Jacob Zuma’s team effectively mediating the whole thing. The talks will revolve around many outstanding issues in the supposed power-sharing government structure, such as the appointment of Gideon Gono to run the country’s Reserve Bank and the fact that the MDC’s Roy Bennett has still not been sword in as a minister. But the whole negotiation… More

9 February 2010

Africa

09 February: ICC drops war crimes trial of Darfur rebel leader

Also today: Somali government troops launch offensive against militants in Mogadishu; Human traffickers dump refugees into sea off Somalia's coast; Chad president pays rare visit to old enemy Sudan; Nigeria’s Anambra state governor claims his re-election was fraught with problems; Egyptian authorities arrest members of outlawed group that sits in parliament; Angolan president reiterates anti-corruption drive; Zimbabwe terrorism trial delayed as court workers go on strike.

ICC drops war crimes trial of Darfur rebel leader Sudan International Criminal Court judges ruled there’s not enough evidence to support the trial of Darfur rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, accused of planning the deaths of 12 African Union peacekeepers in the region. He was a senior member of the Justice and Equality Movement, the main rebel group fighting Arab militias suspected of being supported by Sudan’s government, before he formed his own group, the United Resistance Front. Abu Garda has always denied being part of the attack on the peacekeepers. Photo: Reuters Read more: Agence France-Presse, Radio… More

9 February 2010

Africa

08 February: Togo protests being kicked out of Africa Cup of Nations

Also today: Somalis plead for funds before shutting up embassies in Europe; Uganda says to water down anti-gay bill; US court wins a first in Liberian torture ruling; One Swiss businessman beats Libyan charges, another to appeal; Nigerian governor keeps his job after disputed election.

Togo protests being kicked out of Africa Cup of Nations Togo The Confederation of African Football’s ban of Togo from the next two African Cup of Nations soccer tournaments got a red card after more than 10,000 people hit the streets of the capital Lome, saying CAF president Issa Hayatou must go. Togo’s government pulled the team out of this year’s event in Angola after two officials were by killed by Cabindan separatists before the games got started. CAF claims it imposed the ban because Togo’s government interfered in soccer matters by insisting that the team withdraw. If CAF… More

8 February 2010

Africa

05 February: Obama dismisses Uganda’s anti-gay law

Also today: First cracks over president’s long absence show in Nigerian cabinet; World Bank’s private lender to pump billions into sub-Saharan Africa; Rights group attacks Libyan government Internet censorship; Judge rules emails into evidence in Bennett terrorism trial, as defence shouts foul.

Obama dismisses Uganda’s anti-gay law Uganda Uganda’s proposed anti-gay law has been denounced by US President Barack Obama as “odious”. The draft law, which was presented as a private members' bill last year, says gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender relationships should be punished by life imprisonment, or in some cases, the death penalty. In addition, any Ugandan’s failing to report the identities of such persons within 24 hours could receive a prison sentence of up to three years. In an Orwellian statement, Uganda's ethics and integrity minister said a revised law would likely limit the maximum penalty for those… More

5 February 2010

South Africa

President Zuma, King Henry VIII ver. 2.0

One day, when historians set out to write the book about the life of Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, they will no doubt compare it with that of another larger-than-life historical figure, King Henry VIII.

Like King Henry VIII, President Jacob Zuma is accumulating wives at a furious rate. But unlike the monogamous Henry VIII, who was faced with the uncomfortable duty of disposing of his wives, Jacob is having them all together. And the more we learn of Zuma, the closer he compares to the famous English king, whose voracious appetite for things physical and emotional enmeshed themselves into statecraft of the time, adapting culture and religion to suit his personal purposes. The dominant Roman Catholic Church forbade his marriage, so he started a new church. The object lesson being that if your advisor… More

4 February 2010