African Union – praag.org

SA must learn new anthem and fly AU flag

President Jacob Zuma on Sunday urged South Africans to learn the African Union anthem, and asked companies and institutions to fly the African Union flag alongside that of the national flag.

“On this 21st year of being part of the AU, we must begin a new chapter and formalise the promotion of the AU and our African identity in every aspect of life,” Zuma said while speaking at an Africa Day event at the University of Pretoria.

“Starting today, every school, church or community choir and individuals, must practice the African Union anthem so that we can sing it at all our important gatherings and celebrations.”

We urge South African institutions and companies to begin flying the African Union flag together with the South African flag.”

Africa Day is officially celebrated on May 25 to commemorate the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union (AU).

South Africa joined the OAU on May 23, 1994.

Zuma said South Africans should reclaim their African identity which was suppressed during the apartheid era.

South Africa would continue working with the AU to advance peace and stability on the continent.

“We are proud of our modest contribution to the success of the continent through involvement in peacemaking, peacekeeping as well as reconstruction and development, working within the ambit of the African Union with other sister countries,” said Zuma.

“We continue to work together as Africans to find solutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Mali, Sudan, the Central African Republic and other parts of the continent facing challenges such as Burundi in recent weeks.”

While the continent continued to show advancements on the economic front, more work needed to be done, said Zuma.

“Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. We have a sound socio-economic development plan in the form of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD. We have clear programmes to advance infrastructure development, industrialisation and advancement in agriculture, health and other social programmes,” he said.

“The challenge is to make the growth inclusive and for it to translate into an improved quality of life for the one billion Africans who inhabit our continent.”

Source: ANA

Violence erupts in Burundi

The UN Security Council has echoed calls by the Secretary General urging all parties in Burundi to refrain from acts of violence and intimidation as tempers flare over a decision that will see President Pierre Nkurunziza seeking a third term.

Demonstrations in the capital Bujumbura have been building for a number of months with opposition groups arguing that a third term would violate both the Arusha Peace Accord and the country’s constitution.

Thousands have already fled across the border to Rwanda while the UN has warned that 400 000 people could be affected as violence erupts.

While the African Union has urged patience for a Constitutional Court ruling on the legality of a third term, concerns from Security Council members about rising political tensions, Council President for April, Jordan’s Mahmoud Hmoud explains, ”They called on all parties to refrain from acts of violence and intimidation and for the need to restore calm and peace in Burundi.

Council members reiterated the importance of the freedom of expression and assembly in Burundi and expressed concern regarding the restrictions being placed on those freedoms.”

Opposition parties have expressed doubts that the Constitutional Court will be a fair arbiter on the third term’s legality. Presidential elections in Burundi are due on June 26th.

Bob says AU is failing because of whites

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe says South Africa is failing to lead the economic development of countries in the African Union (AU) because its economy is in the hands of the white minority.

Speaking at a function attended by African diplomats stationed in Beijing, China, on Monday where Sierra Leone ambassador Victor Bockarie Foh and Liberia’s McKinley Thomas heaped praise on him, Mugabe said South Africa was in a compromised situation.

“We would love to see South Africa taking the lead. But the country’s economy is still controlled by the white community, making it difficult [for blacks] to take charge.”

His address took place on his recent two-week tour of China to seek funds for Zimbabwe’s ailing economy.

In response, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told Voice of America’s Studio 7 on Wednesday that South Africa would not “drive whites into the sea” in a manner that would look like Zimbabwe’s chaotic black empowerment programme.

He said South Africa would not draw inspiration from Zimbabwe in redistributing national resources.

Last year, in a televised interview with Dali Tambo, Mugabe took a dig at Nelson Mandela for being too “friendly” with whites. “Mandela has gone a bit too far in doing good to the non-black communities, really in some cases at the expense of blacks,” said Mugabe.

Since taking over as chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) earlier this month, Mugabe has pushed for South Africa to help other African countries, especially those in the region, instead of using them as a “dumping ground” for surplus products.

He told journalists at the end of the SADC summit: “We also appeal to South Africa, which is highly industrialised, to lead us in this, and to work with us and cooperate with us and not just to regard the rest of our countries as open markets for products from South Africa.”

Before this address, Mugabe had been let down by South Africa which, with Namibia, had refused to sign the Protocol on Trade in Services. It provides for a mandate to progressively negotiate the removal of barriers to the free movement of services.

Source: City Press

African Union observers find Zim election ‘credible and fair’

Zimbabwe’s election was credible and fair, the chief of the African Union observer mission said Friday, but the bloc’s report noted some problems with the voter roll and of people being turned away from polling booths.

President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF appeared confident of a sweeping victory, while the rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said the “sham” polls would plunge the country into crisis.

“We are very happy this morning. We are very confident and excited. We think there is a sense of victory for us,” ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told dpa.

He said the party expected to get between 130 and 140 seats in the 210-member parliament.

Results from about 30 per cent of seats in parliament showed Zanu-PF taking a strong early lead, with 52 to the MDC’s 10.

Mugabe’s party managed to wrest control of some urban constituencies previously held by the rival MDC.

The final results of Wednesday’s election must be announced by Monday.

Local elections observers noted there were serious problems with the voters roll in urban areas – long considered MDC strongholds.

Tsvangirai has declared the elections to be “null and void” because of allegations of vote rigging.

Zanu-PF insists the poll were conducted in a “free and fair” manner, as does the Zimbabwe Election Commission.

In the 2008 election that was marred by violence, Tsvangirai won the first round but did not get enough votes to avoid a run-off. Widespread intimidation, including the deaths of some 200 of his supporters, forced him to pull out of the runoff.

The presidential poll results are only expected in the coming days. If no candidate gets at least 50 per cent of the vote, a second round will be held September 11.

The 89-year-old Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since 1980, has vowed to step down if he loses.

Africa’s oldest head of state presided over a decade-long economic collapse, in part blamed on his policy of grabbing white-owned farms without compensation and fueling hyper inflation. -sapa-dpa

Dlamini-Zuma becomes head of African Union

South African media on Monday said the election of Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the first female head of the African Union Commission was a watershed and a victory for the region.

Dlamini-Zuma beat incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon in a closely fought election over several rounds of voting late Sunday at the AU summit in Addis Ababa.

She is the first person from the region to head the organisation since its birth in South Africa 10 years ago.

“SADC victory” said the Business Day in a front-page headline, referring to the 15-member Southern African Development Community which backed her candidacy.

“First female AU boss” was a front-page teaser in The Star daily, with the inside story headlined “Dlamini-Zuma finally pips Ping to AU post”.

Local radio stations interrupted scheduled programming late Sunday to break the news of Dlamini-Zuma’s election. Her election also dominated radio talk shows Monday morning.

Her victory ends a six-month impasse over the job, which had divided the continent.

Her former husband, South African President Jacob Zuma, was one of the first to offer his congratulations after the vote.