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SADC LEADERS CONTINUE TO CEMENT BILATERAL AND REGIONAL TIES

SOUTHERN AFRICA: INTEGRATION/SABANEWS/29/6/18 SABANews 1

SADC Regional integration becoming a reality (Pic. SADC)

DAR ES SALAAM – Efforts to create continental, inter-regional, and regional ties, as well as integration, have been ongoing for a number of years now, but results are still discouraging.

ONE of the major culprits in the failure of such efforts has been lack of peace in a number of individual nations of regions such as the SADC, where TWO heads of state last year left office unceremoniously.

It all started, quite unexpectedly, in the ZIMBABWEAN capital, HARARE, where the military intervened following a dangerous campaign led by former FIRST Lady GRACE MUGABE in a bid to take over after her husband.

Despite the volatile nature of ZIMBABWEAN politics over the 37 years of independence, the world witnessed a smooth transition into a new dispensation in a manner that left many wondering whether, or not, to call it a coup de tat.

The man who took over from former dictator ROBERT MUGABE has been making rounds around the SADC Region, and this week President EMMERSON MNANGAGWA is in DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA.

President JOHN MAGUFULI, who invited him for a State Visit, has congratulated the ZIMBABWEAN Leader, saying peace in ZIMBABWE is peace in TANZANIA and the rest of the AFRICAN Continent.

President MAGUFULI says President MNANGAGWA’s preach of peace is an encouragement for the people of ZIMBABWE, who want to experience national cohesion.

He says the official visit will help improve diplomatic, historical, social and economic bilateral relations between the TWO countries.

BENARD ACHIULA, Senior Lecturer at the College of Diplomacy and International Relations in the commercial capital says the visit of the ZIMBABWEAN Head of State is very crucial to TANZANIA.

President MNANGAGWA has already visited NAMIBIA, ZAMBIA, MOZAMBIQUE, ANGOLA, BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA and the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO in his diplomatic offensive to win back the global community.

Before concluding his TWO-day-long trip to TANZANIA, President MNANGAGWA will travel 75 kilometres north of DAR ES SALAAM to KAOLE Arts College in BAGAMOYO, the COAST Region.

KAOLE Arts College served as a training center for liberation war fighters from different countries of Southern AFRICA that were still under colonial rule after the independence of TANZANIA on NINE DECEMBER 1961.

The ZIMBABWEAN Head of State is ONE of the earliest guerrilla cadres to be hosted at the TANZANIAN institution./Sabanews/cam

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BOMBING PUSHES CHURCHES TO MARCH FOR PEACE AHEAD OF POLLS

ZIMBABWE: VIOLENCE/NEWS DAY/29/6/18 SABANews 1

Religious gatherings touch souls and help change societal attitudes (Pic. myjesuscares.org)

HARARE – The weekend bombing at a presidential rally in ZIMBABWE is still a vivid horror that will take time to clear from minds, and churches are calling for divine intervention.

The NEWS DAY says a number of CHRISTIAN denominations in the capital, HARARE, are due to gather for a prayer meeting this SATURDAY.

It says the worshippers also hope to plead for tolerance among political players ahead of next the 30 JULY General Elections.

The paper quotes Event Co-ordinator VIOLET KADZUNGE of the VISION PROTECTION INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY as saying their program comes after the WHITE CITY Stadium explosion that killed TWO people and injured 47 others.

She says what happened in BULAWAYO has pushed CHRISTIANS to place more emphasis on praying for the nation and peace, and she believes GOD wants to use the 23 JUNE incident to be part of the jigsaw puzzle pieces in praying for peace.

Ms KADZUNGE says her Ministry has been holding the thanksgiving events annually since 2015, and they have invited musicians DUDU MANHENGA and CALL TO WORSHIP to perform at the SATURDAY event.

The NEWS DAY says a number of pastors, including KEN CLERK, MARVELOUS NCUBE, and PRISCILLA WAZARA, are also likely to take part in the annual prayer session: going by the theme, A Chronicle of Good News.

Ms KADZUNGE says she believes thanksgiving is a powerful tool of warfare that people should make a lifestyle; because GOD is drawing the nation to that place of thanking him, and not asking.

She says the highlight of the day will see representatives from the 10 provinces in the country decreeing and declaring peace in their regions during the elections.

ZIMBABWE is this year voting for the FIRST time without former dictator ROBERT MUGABE, who critics say had turned the nation against itself over the 37 years he ruled with an iron fist./Sabanews/cam

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GENDER VIOLENCE COSTS NATION MILLIONS OF DOLLARS YEARLY

SEYCHELLES: GENDER/SNA/28/6/18 SABANews 1

Delegates have agreed violence against women and girls are a priority development issue (Pic. SNA)

VICTORIA – SEYCHELLES is losing about 17-MILLION-300-THOUSAND US dollars each year due to violence against women and girls.

National news agency, SNA, says the information is in a new COMMONWEALTH report launched today (THURSDAY) in the capital, VICTORIA.

The study, entitled Measuring the Economic Cost of Violence against Women and Girls, says the amount of money lost represents ONE-POINT-TWO percent of the national GDP.

It says the losses are in the cost of health care, the justice system, social services, as well as the loss of earnings and productivity in the country’s economy.

Health Minister JEAN-PAUL ADAM says violence against women and girls makes everyone vulnerable and, unlike threats such as climate change, the problem is something that citizens can address right now.

He says the government appreciates immensely that the COMMONWEALTH has chosen SEYCHELLES as the pilot for the project.

The scheme seeks to contribute to efforts to end violence against women and girls through development of a revolutionary and living framework measuring the real impact violence has on society.

Minister JEAN-PAUL ADAM says his government is committed to acting, and it firstly needs to lead with advocacy and sensitisation as to the scale of the problem, acknowledging there is significant underreporting.

SNA says speakers during the launch of the study outlined that the 2016 national baseline study in SEYCHELLES, concluded there is a serious underreporting of gender-based violence.

It says the best sources of information on prevalence patterns and consequences are population-based surveys rather than police and hospital statistics or studies.

The National Bureau of Statistics key findings in the gender baseline survey of 2016 show 59 percent of women have experienced violence once in their lifetime.

The study further shows most of the violence occurs in the home between intimate partners, while 54 percent of women have experienced intimate partner violence.

At least 172 women out of the ONE-THOUSAND-560 respondents reported having experienced physical intimate partner violence, with 78 percent confirming they have experienced some form of abuse before they reached 18 years.

COMMONWEALTH Secretary General PATRICIA SCOTLAND presented the report to SEYCHELLES Minister Designated MACSUZY MONDON./Sabanews/cam

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RENAMO PROPOSES TO DISARM MILITIA WITHIN THREE MONTHS

MOZAMBIQUE: DISARMAMENT/RM/28/6/18 SABANews 1

Group of RENAMO terrorists (Pic. Afro Cache)

MAPUTO – The opposition RENAMO Party in MOZAMBIQUE says it needs some THREE months to disarm and demobilise its armed terrorists.

The group says the 90 days will be sufficient to allow it gather the militia and reintegrate them into the MOZAMBICAN society or incorporate them into the defence forces.

RENAMO Secretary General MANUEL BISSOPO has made the announcement during a media briefing today (THURSDAY) in the northern province of NAMPULA.

RADIO MOZAMBIQUE says his pledge comes barely FOUR days after President FILIPE NYUSI challenged the former rebel movement to disarm its militants and denounce violence.

It quotes Mr BISSOPO as saying THREE months will be long enough for rules and principles set up under the current agreements with the government to be followed.

He says RENAMO wants peace to last forever, and it wants the country to have only a single armed force to ensure people do not kill each other tomorrow.

Mr BISSOPO has also told journalists his group wants the whole procedure to take place in a healthy environment.

He says such a development will ensure the integration of RENAMO occurs within the spirit of harmony that President NYUSI and the late rebel commander AFONSO DHLAKAMA had achieved.

Mr BISSOPO says the demilitarisation is proceeding normally under the accords between the State and RENAMO, and the group is greatly committed to keep the peace.

The late DHLAKAMA and his members have clashed with government forces since he lost a disputed election FOUR years ago, although he had been set to run again against President NYUSI in 2019.

RENAMO had re-launched a low-intensity guerrilla campaign in late 2012 that forced tens of thousands of MOZAMBICANS to flee across the border into neighbouring MALAWI and ZIMBABWE.

The organisation, which was trained by RHODESIANS and SOUTH AFRICANS to destabilise the country as far back as 1975 and waged a campaign in which about ONE-MILLION people were killed.

The MOZAMBICAN terror group fought the government up to 1992 after a peace deal that gave combatants a blanket amnesty and allowed RENAMO to regroup as an opposition party./Sabanews/cam

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PRESIDENT SUSPECTS RULING PARTY RENEGADES OF BOMBING

ZIMBABWE: BOMBING/THE HERALD/28/6/18 SABANews 1

Two people were killed and 47 others inujured in the blast (Pic. Bulawayo 24)

HARARE – President EMMERSON MNANGAGWA of ZIMBABWE says he suspects a faction from his ruling ZANU PF is responsible for his recent attempted murder.

The Head of State narrowly escaped death last weekend after a device exploded soon after he addressed a rally at the WHITE CITY Stadium in the commercial capital, BULAWAYO.

He says he suspects members of a group known as the G-40, who allegedly have made numerous attempts on his life in the past, had a hand in the bombing.

The explosive killed TWO of his bodyguards and left 47 other people injured at his campaign rally.

President MNANGAGWA says he also does not trust former FIRST Lady GRACE MUGABE, whom he claims has been used as a tool by the group that wants to eliminate him.

THE HERALD says Ms MUGABE appeared on social media dancing happily and showing a victory sign while in the FAR EAST, THREE days after the bombing.

It says President MNANGAGWA has told BBC News this week that there is no need to press the panic button and place his country on security alert following the incident.

He has emphasised his hunch, without evidence, is the people who are aggrieved by his new administration style are the G-40 cabal; and there is no need for a security clampdown.

President MNANGAGWA says the explosion is a criminal activity that does not undermine national stability nor the law and order of the country, although there is need for public protection by ensuring the criminals get arrested.

He says ZIMBABWE remains a stable country that is safe for investment in the region; therefore, traders should not worry about an incident that occurred at a political rally.

President MNANGAGWA says while he does not trust the former FIRST Lady, he felt pity for her exposure to the machinations of a group that wanted to get at him before he came to power.

The people suspected to be baying for his blood are a number of former ministers from the deposed ROBERT MUGABE Government and some senior members of ZANU PF.

They include former Higher Education Minister JONATHAN MOYO, former Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare PATRICK ZHUWAO, who are both in self-imposed exile, and the recently returned former Local Government Minister SAVIOUR KASUKUWERE.

The group is alleged to have launched a campaign against targeted former liberation struggle veterans in ZANU PF and government, using Ms MUGABE to win support of her husband in their schemes.

President MNANGAGWA says the new dispensation in his country has brought many positive changes, and the people should focus on what he has managed to deliver since he took over in November LAST year.

The ZIMBABWEAN Leader, who has flown to TANZANIA today (THURSDAY) at the invitation of President JOHN MAGUFULI, is facing a stiff election against 22 other presidential candidates at the end of JULY./Sabanews/cam

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UNCONTROLLED LIVESTOCK THEFTS FRUSTRATE PUBLIC-POLICE RELATIONS

NAMIBIA: LIVESTOCK/NBC/28/6/18 SABANews 1

Herd of cattle recovered from a suspect in Oshana in March 2018 (Pic. Namibian Sun)

DORBABIS – Widespread thefts of livestock around the DORDABIS area of the KHOMAS Region in Central NAMIBIA have strained relations between affected farmers and the police.

NBC News says the law-enforcement agents have recorded 13 cases of stock theft since the start of this year from the area, which in the WINDHOEK Rural Constituency.

However, it says the farmers believe more of animals have gone missing than the numbers reported, and they accuse the police of failing to do enough to stop such crimes in the area.

Farmer NICOLAS ORLAM says intervention by the security personnel is long overdue, because suspects now roam freely around DORDABIS even after having been arrested.

He says the thieves mainly target cattle, goats, and donkeys, and the police never help farmers recover their livestock.

KHOMAS Regional Crime Coordinator SILVANUS NGHISHIDIMBWA has denied police reluctance to act, saying they are receiving few cases of stock theft from DORDABIS.

He says the producers should understand that the law-enforcement agents cannot keep suspected thieves in custody after having taken them to court.

Commissioner NGHISHINDIMBWA says the majority of DORDABIS farmers are based in the capital, WINDHOEK, and they report stock theft cases over weekends, which in most cases is days after the act.

The NAMIBIAN Police official has appealed to farmers across the country to work closely with the police, and follow up on cases they would have reported./Sabanews/cam

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PRESIDENT CALLS ON REBELS TO SURRENDER ARMS

MOZAMBIQUE: REBELS/SABANEWS/27/6/18 SABANews 1

Mozambique Independence Day is a celebration of independence from Portuguese rule (Pic. Afro Tourism)

MAPUTO – President FILIPE NYUSI of MOZAMBIQUE has urged the opposition RENAMO movement to disarm its militia members still carrying guns in the countryside.

He says RENAMO, which is the main opposition in the National Assembly but still has an unknown number of armed men under its command, should also speak publicly against violence.

President NYUSI has made the call as he addressed delegates to a gathering in the capital, MAPUTO, to mark 43 years after independence from PORTUGUESE colonial rule.

He has spoken after laying a wreath at the HEROES Square in MAPUTO, emphasising the demilitarisation of the terrorists is vital for a democratic, stable, and peaceful MOZAMBIQUE.

President NYUSI says there is no other alternative to the demobilisation and disarming of the RENAMO militia, and integrating its members, either into the defence and security forces, or back into civilian life.

Preparations for municipal elections scheduled for 10 OCTOBER have hit a snag over the question of armed bandits, even after the last month death of AFONSO DHLAKAMA, who had led the group more than 40 years.

Military and political commentators had described his death as a game-changer for the terror movement that never completely disarmed its combatants at the end of a 16-year-long civil war in 1992.

Instead, the insurgents launched a low-level guerrilla campaign in late 2012 until early last year when tens of thousands of MOZAMBICANS fled across the border into neighbouring MALAWI and ZIMBABWE.

MOZAMBIQUE gained independence in 1975 following 10 years of armed struggle, from 1964 to 1974, against PORTUGUESE colonial rule.

The FRENTE DE LIBERTAÇÃO DE MOÇAMBIQUE, PORTUGUESE for the MOZAMBIQUE LIBERATION FRONT, FRELIMO, led liberation war and has ruled the SADC country since then./Sabanews/cam