Banning Child and Forced Marriages Is Gaining Traction in Africa
The Zimbabwean Constitutional Court has delivered a landmark decision outlawing all marriages below the age of 18. This includes customary marriages. Predictably, the move generated a great deal of comment and questions. There were even suggestions that the Zimbabwean decision was the first of its kind in Africa. Though inaccurate, the claim legitimately marks the […]
The African leaders who won’t stand down
Even the fate of Blaise Compaore, who was ousted after a bloody uprising in 2014 after 27 years as president of Burkina Faso, has not been enough to deter other African leaders from clinging to power long after their constitutions demanded they go. In 2015, two African presidents amended their constitutions to allow them to […]
Xenophobia: Killers Of Emmanuel Sithole Found Guilty
Two men have been found guilty of the murder of Emmanuel Sithole, who was stabbed to death during a wave of xenophobic violence in Alexandra in April. The SABC reported that Mthinta Bhengu and Sifundi Mzimzela were found guilty in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The third accused, a minor, was purportedly found guilty […]
COMESA and Microsoft collaborate to promote access, skills and innovation in 19 African Countries
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) through the COMESA Business Council (CBC) and Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) have taken a step toward strengthening their working alliance today by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which sets out how they will collaborate in the areas of access to technology, development of relevant skills and […]
‘King Mswati III Wants 10pc of Coca-Cola’
Coca-Cola, the global firm that accounts for about 40 percent of Swaziland’s economy, has threatened to leave the kingdom because King Mswati III has demanded it give him a 10 percent stake in its Swazi subsidiary for nothing, a prodemocracy group reported on Wednesday (4 November 2015). The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said in a […]
Parts of Southern Africa Are Within Tantalising Reach of Eliminating Malaria
There has been a concerted international effort since the early 2000s to tackle malaria. This has led to dramatic reductions in the disease. World Health Organisation estimates show that in 2015 there were 214 million malaria cases and 438,000 deaths globally. This is a 37% decrease in the incidence rate of malaria compared to 15 […]
South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma Bans Universities From Increasing Fees
Zuma has spoken, but have students heard? There were no loudspeakers or screens set up for the student, and Zuma didn’t come out to address them, so most students out on the Union Building lawns are still completely unaware of what was just decided on. Students have reacted with tears and jubilation as news spread […]
President Jacob Zuma To Meet Students In South Africa Over Fees Protests
SOUTH AFRICA’s President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday he will meet student leaders and university authorities on Friday to discuss planned hikes in tuition fees that have sparked a week of nationwide protests, some of which have turned violent. Critics say the increases would further disadvantage black students, who are already under-represented. Zuma has not […]
Saving Mothers And Babies Advances Africa – Melinda Gates
Sometimes the technical words we use to describe a problem mask its true nature.Such is the case for the hundreds of thousands of women who die during pregnancy or delivery each year across Africa. For them, the official cause of death may be recorded as postpartum hemorrhage or uterine rupture. Similarly, for the alarming number […]
Swaziland House Of Assembly Speaker Themba Msibi Told To Resign
The Swaziland House of Assembly Speaker Themba Msibi has been told to resign by a Parliamentary Select Committee. The five-member committee found him guilty of a series of offences, including nepotism and favouritism in the hiring of parliamentary staff; -plotting the ousting/removal of the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini from the Premiership position; -abusing the name […]
