Jacob Zuma Is A Threat To South African Democracy

Adriaan Basson | Protect democracy from Zuma and his MKP's lies accreditation Adriaan Basson Comments Comments gifting Gift article add bookmark Bookmark 06:38 Fear of the nation | Former president Jacob Zuma addresses MKP supporters outside the Electoral Court in Johannesburg. Fear of the nation | Former president Jacob Zuma addresses MKP supporters outside the Electoral Court in Johannesburg. Mlungisi Louw / Gallo Images The IEC and Constitutional Court must be protected from defamatory and hateful statements made by Jacob Zuma's MKP, writes Adriaan Basson. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), former president Jacob Zuma's new political home, uses disinformation and emotive language to discredit the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and the Constitutional Court. They must be exposed and stopped. After the IEC announced its decision to appeal a ruling by the Electoral Court that Zuma could be a candidate for Parliament, the MKP has attempted to discredit two of the most important institutions of democracy in our constitutional dispensation. READ | Zuma's MK Party guns for the IEC, calls for Zondo's recusal in appeal The IEC and the Constitutional Court are arguably the country's two strongest state institutions. Both have a proud history of 30 years of independent, professional service to the people of South Africa. The IEC has overseen multiple national, provincial and local elections with the highest integrity and accountability. It is an institution run by professional accountants, lawyers, systems engineers and auditors. I've witnessed first-hand how the IEC's professional staff run, compute and audit elections. It is a world-class show. Attempts to discredit the IEC for taking the MKP ruling on appeal is an underhanded attempt by MKP to erode the public's confidence in the institution. It is interesting how Zuma never questioned the integrity, professionalism, and accuracy of the IEC while he was the president of the ANC and the president of the country. Yet, since he has been anointed as the "leader" of MKP, a party that will definitely not obtain a national majority on 29 May, he is happy to undermine the IEC. In 2016, after the local government elections, then-president Zuma said: "The commissioners and IEC staff worked long hours, and delivered an efficient and fair election yet again. They have once again affirmed the faith and confidence our people have in the IEC and the integrity of our elections." As they say on social media, "we see you". The IEC had every right – like Zuma has done in the past, on multiple occasions – to approach the Constitutional Court for certainty on a ruling that affect the IEC's mandate. Under the Constitution, a criminal who received a sentence of 12 months or longer, without the option of a fine, is disqualified from becoming a member of Parliament. The Electoral Court is yet to give reasons for ruling in Zuma's favour, but his legal team's strongest argument was that President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to grant Zuma a remission of sentence in August last year effectively meant his 15-month sentence was reduced to the almost two months he served. It is a technical argument and deserves to be digested once more by an appellate division – in this case, the Constitutional Court. Zuma's sordid relationship with Chief Justice Raymond Zondo started when Zondo refused to withdraw as head of the commission into state capture because of a prior relationship with Zuma's family. Zuma's refusal to subsequently appear before Zondo led to his conviction of contempt of court by the Constitutional Court, for which he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. On Sunday, MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela told City Press that Zondo was "the same person who sentenced Zuma in 2021 – illegally and unlawfully". Ndhlela further accused the IEC of approaching the Constitutional Court to "collude with corrupt judges". This is blatantly false, and Ndhlela deserves to be called out and rebuked. READ | Ramaphosa's remission of Zuma's jail sentence at the centre of legal blows in Electoral Court Zondo never participated in the contempt of court proceedings. He recused himself because the case centred on his order for Zuma to appear before the State Capture Inquiry. He was also not sentenced by Zondo. The conviction and sentence, by a full bench of Constitutional Court judges, was delivered by then-acting chief justice Sisi Khampepe. To accuse the IEC and the Constitutional Court of conspiracy and corruption is highly defamatory to both institutions. Ndhlela himself should be hauled before the Electoral Court. Ndhlela continued by saying the IEC is not independent and should "shut up and move on". This is dangerous rhetoric shortly before an election. Nobody has ever told Zuma to "shut up and move on" if he wanted to appeal one of this many court cases. Zuma should lecture his new colleagues in MKP about the importance of the Constitutional Court and the IEC. Having served as state president for nine years, he must know the dangers of undermining critical institutions of democracy. The reason for Ndhlela's outburst is apparent: the MKP needs Zuma's face on the ballot paper to stand any chance of winning a few seats in Parliament. At least he is honest about that: "Zuma's face being on it is alone at least 50% of our job done." The MKP is banking on a few thousand people voting for the party because of Zuma and nothing else. No policies, governance track record or vision. They are allowed to campaign as hard as they like, but they cannot denigrate critical institutions of democracy that, if acted upon, could lead to anarchy and violence. – Adriaan Basson is editor-in-chief of News24 and co-author of the recently published Who Will Rule South Africa? (Flyleaf Publishers). *Want to respond to the columnist? Send your letter or article to opinions@news24.com with your name and town or province. You are welcome to also send a profile picture. We encourage a diversity of voices and views in our readers' submissions and reserve the right not to publish any and all submissions received. Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

Protestors In Niger Demand That U.S. Troops Leave

The Emperor’s New Clothes NIGER Protest broke out in Niger’s capital of Niamey over the weekend, with demonstrators demanding the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the US and welcomed its first delegation of Russian military personnel, Reuters reported. The crowd waved Nigerien flags in a demonstration that recalled anti-French protests which spurred the withdrawal of the French military from Niger last year after Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by the military, the newswire wrote. “We’re here to say no to the American base, we don’t want Americans on our soil,” said protester Maria Saley. Last month, the junta revoked a deal that had stationed 1,000 US soldiers in two bases, to help the former government fight Islamist insurgents in the Sahel region. Niger has long been an important strategic partner in fighting Islamist extremists. Mali and Burkina Faso – which also had military coups over the past few years and are run by military juntas – also have ended deals with their erstwhile Western allies, partnered with Russia, and quit the regional bloc, ECOWAS, which had also taken steps to oppose Niger’s junta following the coup. On Wednesday, Russian military instructors and equipment arrived in Niger, part of an initiative by Moscow to boost its influence on the continent. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russians are part of the Africa Corps, the new paramilitary structure replacing the Wagner Group, the military contractor whose mercenaries spread in Africa until its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed last year. Even so, the equipment that Russia is supplying isn’t likely to be used in the fight against the insurgents but more to protect the junta from ECOWAS, the BBC wrote. At the same time, a senior US official said that despite the demonstration and public calls for US troops to leave, senior ministers in Niger’s government were privately requesting the US not to abandon the deal or Niger completely, the New York Times reported. As a result, there is no timetable yet as to when the US military personnel will leave. Meanwhile, analysts told the BBC they fear that as Niger moves closer to countries outside the Western bloc including Russia, China and Iran, the alliance with Russia could encourage the junta to delay further a return to civilian rule, as has happened in neighboring Mali. Still, protesters said they don’t want Russia to replace France or the US as “occupiers.”

A Liberian War Criinal Gets A Long Sentence FOr War Crimes

Sowing Justice LIBERIA A French court recently sentenced Kunti Kamara, a former rebel leader in Liberia, to 30 years in prison for war crimes during the West African country’s first civil war between 1989 and 1997. Kamara, now 49, committed “acts of torture and inhuman barbarity” against civilians in the 1990s, the court found, including reportedly eating a teacher’s heart, failing to prevent his soldiers from raping two teenage girls, and a host of other horrors, wrote Agence France-Presse. His actions were part of the country’s two civil conflicts that claimed a total of 250,000 lives over 14 years. Kamara led part of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy, or ULIMO, which opposed ex-president Charles Taylor of the National Patriotic Front. Taylor’s forces won the first civil war and he became president, but a second domestic conflict broke out three years later, ending only in 2003 when Taylor fled the country. As Human Rights Watch explained, in 2012, Taylor became the first former head of state convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity by an international court. Many Liberians say they are happy that foreign courts have punished their leaders and rebel commanders, such as Alieu Kosiah, who was found guilty of rape, murder and cannibalism by a Swiss court in 2021. But many also want their country to deliver justice for the crimes committed during the civil wars. That’s one reason Liberian President Joseph Boakai is supporting the creation of a War and Economic Crimes Tribunal in the country, to try these war criminals at home. Liberia’s lower legislative chamber, the House of Representatives, approved the creation of the tribunal. Now, reported the Daily Observer, a Liberian newspaper, the Senate is debating the measure. Some senators feared a tribunal would inflame tensions, reopen old wounds, and undercut the amnesty law that allowed the fighting to cease and the country to move on. “Any attempt to undo that legal instrument that is the basis for our peace … is a means to enthrone instability,” said Senator Prince Johnson, a former rebel commander who fought alongside – but later against –Taylor, according to Reuters. Still, activists and members of civil society groups such as Dempster Brown, the head of Liberia’s Independent National Human Rights Commission, say they want more accountability for crimes committed during the conflicts: “We think that it is overdue.” Writing in an Al Jazeera op-ed, Liberian writers Dounard Bondo and Leshan Kroma argued that the tribunal was the only way Liberia could flourish. “If Liberia is to truly leave war behind, heal its wounds, and start building itself a prosperous future, the new president has to succeed in delivering that message of ‘peace and reconciliation,’” they wrote. “The strongest such message would be the establishment of a special tribunal for war crimes that would finally bring justice back home to Liberia.”

An Elephantine Dispute

An Elephantine Dispute BOTSWANA The president of Botswana threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany if the European country insisted on curbing imports of hunting trophies, as tensions mount over a dispute over nature conservation and the interests of the African nation, the BBC reported. German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke from the Green party said earlier this year that strict limits should be imposed on hunting trophies imports, which make up a significant part of southern African nations’ incomes. But that suggestion angered Botswana. “It’s very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion on our own business in Botswana,” the country’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, told Germany’s Bild. He explained that conservation efforts had led to an exponential increase in the elephant population and that hunting was necessary to control it. A ban on trophy imports would impoverish his people, he added. In the interview published on Tuesday, Masisi made the “dead serious” offer to ship the pachyderms to force Germans to “live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to.” He emphasized that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Over 130,000 elephants – a third of the species worldwide – live in Botswana. The number increases by 6,000 each year. The situation has grown out of hand for Botswanans, the news outlet said. “In some areas, there are more of these beasts than people. They are killing children who get in their path. They trample and eat farmers’ crops leaving Africans hungry,” said Wildlife Minister Dumezweni Mthimkhulu. Since 2019, the country has imposed quotas on trophy-hunting and officials said the practice is monitored through the issuing of licenses, which allow rich Westerners to shoot an animal and bring home its head or skin – in exchange for a few thousand dollars. Germany is the largest importer of these trophies in the European Union. Countries like Botswana and Namibia have argued the money is used for conservation measures and to support local communities. But animal rights groups have described the practice as cruel, calling for its prohibition. Berlin denied being informed of Masisi’s elephantine gift and insisted on ensuring the sustainability of the trophy hunting trade. Share this story

Why Weren't Ancient African Cities Built Along The Coast?

Profile photo for Jerry Kofi Adonu Jerry Kofi Adonu · Follow I love history, culture, geography and languages.Feb 26 Why did ancient African empires not build their cities by the coast? Is there any record of a great African coastal city? Why did ancient African empires not build their cities by the coast? Is there any record of a great African coastal city? The main reason why ancient African cities where not usually located on the coast has to do with the fact that cities has this weird tendency of thriving where certain conditions combined are available. Also cities, all over the world, had developed along trade routes and Africa is no exception. And as trade routes too have their weird tendencies (in this case the weird tendency is to link two points in a geographical area), cities developed along trade routes… Where sea trade is a thing (think about the Swahili City States) you will find important cities along the coast. Anyway if you want to learn about an historical African city built on the coast I'll pick the impressive city of Kilwa-Kiswaini and Songo Mnara a UNESCO Heritage Site: Outstanding Universal Value Brief synthesis Located on two islands close to each other just off the Tanzanian coast about 300km south of Dar es Salaam are the remains of two port cites, Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. The larger, Kilwa Kisiwani, was occupied from the 9th to the 19th century and reached its peak of prosperity in the13th and 14th centuries. In 1331-1332, the great traveler, Ibn Battouta made a stop here and described Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were Swahili trading cities and their prosperity was based on control of Indian Ocean trade with Arabia, India and China, particularly between the 13th and 16th centuries, when gold and ivory from the hinterland was traded for silver, carnelians, perfumes, Persian faience and Chinese porcelain. Kilwa Kisiwani minted its own currency in the 11th to 14th centuries. In the 16th century, the Portuguese established a fort on Kilwa Kisiwani and the decline of the two islands began. The remains of Kilwa Kisiwani cover much of the island with many parts of the city still unexcavated. The substantial standing ruins, built of coral and lime mortar, include the Great Mosque constructed in the 11th century and considerably enlarged in the 13th century, and roofed entirely with domes and vaults, some decorated with embedded Chinese porcelain; the palace Husuni Kubwa built between c1310 and 1333 with its large octagonal bathing pool; Husuni Ndogo, numerous mosques, the Gereza (prison) constructed on the ruins of the Portuguese fort and an entire urban complex with houses, public squares, burial grounds, etc. The ruins of Songo Mnara, at the northern end of the island, consist of the remains of five mosques, a palace complex, and some thirty-three domestic dwellings constructed of coral stones and wood within enclosing walls. The islands of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara bear exceptional testimony to the expansion of Swahili coastal culture, the lslamisation of East Africa and the extraordinarily extensive and prosperous Indian Ocean trade from the medieval period up to the modern era. Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara The remains of two great East African ports admired by early European explorers are situated on two small islands near the coast. From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, ... https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/144/#:~:text=The%20islands%20of%20Kilwa%20Kisiwani,up%20to%20the%20modern%20era. . …and let's don't forget that Kilwa-Kiswaini and Songo Mnara were not just an exception to the rule, other cities, today associated with tourism, like Mombasa, Malindi, Zanzibar and Sofala among others shared the same peculiarities and were engaged in the same profitable Indian Ocean Trade Networks. So if there is any reason for which there are (if it's even the case as this aspect is not at all unique to the African Continent) a lower figure of important historical African cities located on the coast this has to do with profitability of sea trade, and the only really profitable sea trade was the Indian Ocean one, at least until the Europeans managed to create another one on the Atlantic Ocean… 261K views View 1,039 upvotes View 20 sharesAnswer requested by Kizito Okokhere 1 of 19 answers

Senegal Has A New President

Senegalese opposition politician Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in Tuesday as Senegal’s youngest-ever president, promising radical reform and stability after an uptick of unrest in the West African nation long held up as a democratic model for the region, Agence France-Presse reported. Faye, a 44-year-old, left-wing pan-Africanist, won more than 54 percent of the vote in last month’s presidential election, just 10 days after being released from prison. In his inaugural address, Faye – who has never held elected office before – pledged to defend national sovereignty and achieve African unity, emphasizing systemic change and a peaceful, democratic Senegal. He was among a group of opposition politicians released from prison just days before the March 24 presidential ballot, following an amnesty declared by former President Macky Sall, who had initially attempted to postpone the election. Faye’s campaign resonated with voters seeking change amid political turmoil and economic challenges. He vowed to prioritize national reconciliation, address the cost of living crisis, and combat corruption. He has also pledged to restore sovereignty over key sectors like oil, gas, and fishing, and invest in agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in food. He wants to leave the regional CFA currency union, calling it a legacy of French colonialism. Internationally, the young leader seeks to re-engage with the military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to bring them back as members to the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The three left after ECOWAS pressured the countries’ leaders to restore democracy. Despite a decisive victory, analysts say that Faye will face serious challenges. Currently, he lacks a majority in parliament to pass laws and faces the daunting task of creating jobs in a youthful nation where unemployment is officially running at 20 percent.

Female Genital Mutilation In Gambia

A Cut of Control GAMBIA The Gambia banned female genital mutilation in 2015 because officials said the tradition of partially removing girls’ genitalia violated human rights. It didn’t, however, enforce it until last year. That’s when the trouble began. Now, lawmakers in the tiny West African country, under pressure from influential imams, are considering reversing the ban to “uphold religious loyalty and safeguard cultural norms and values,” reported Semafor. If the new measure passes, it would be the first country to do such a reversal, undoing decades of work to end the centuries-old ritual tied up in ideas of sexual purity, obedience and control, the New York Times explained. The change is connected to the end of President Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule in 2017. Jammeh, an autocrat who frequently jailed and tortured his political opponents, supported female genital mutilation, saying opponents of the practice were “enemies of Islam.” But Jammeh reversed himself in 2015 – potentially because of his more progressively minded Moroccan wife. Female genital mutilation is common in The Gambia. Seventy-three percent of women between the ages of 15 to 49 in the country have been subjected to the procedure, a statistic that has remained level for three decades, noted Agence France-Presse. Around 144 million girls in Africa have been cut, usually at the urging of their families, who believe the practice is necessary in order for the girls to be acceptable for marriage, according to the United Nations. The UN noted that as of 2024, 230 million girls worldwide have been subjected to the practice, a 15 percent increase compared with 2016. Girls who have been cut frequently experience bleeding, infection, psychological trauma, sexual dysfunction, complicated childbirths and, in extreme cases, death, reported Reuters, citing the World Health Organization. This increase reflects growing populations in countries where female genital mutilation is common, wrote Le Monde, as well as rising poverty since the pandemic and a corresponding decrease in educational opportunities for girls. In some countries, meanwhile, the percentages of females undergoing the procedure have been decreasing due to efforts by national and international organizations to educate on the practice’s negative effects. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Gambian National Assembly member Lamin Ceesay, who represents a constituency where female genital mutilation is common, casts doubt on those negative side effects. Other proponents of the practice – mostly imans and the nearly all-male parliament – framed the ban reversal as giving Gambian women a choice between traditional and modern lifestyles, added the Nation, a Kenyan newspaper. Critics of female genital mutilation would say that many girls undergo it when they are as young as five years old, too young to make such a decision. Jammeh’s successor, President Adama Barrow, has avoided discussing the issue in public, as has the minister in charge of women and families. Many Gambians worry that the ban reversal heralds the beginning of a broader rollback of women’s rights. As a result, they are girding for political action. “If this law gets repealed, we know they’re coming for more,” anti-female genital mutilation activist Fatou Baldeh told the Council on Foreign Relations. “So we will fight it to the end.” As she notes, their lives might depend on it.