politics

President of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) monitoring Zambia’s election, Lewis Mwape, says his organisation has noted with concern increasing levels of hate speech among several political leaders.

Mwape states that tribal talk and branding of political competitors is retrogressive and does not only deter democracy but also threatens national security.

He says the council has also observed that ambitious promises have heightened in the campaigns.

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has expressed concern that some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Zambia are getting involved in partisan politics and active campaigns for political candidates.

YALI governance advisor, Isaac Mwanza, says even if he believes in the right of NGOs to be critical of government and politicians, he also believes that civil society organisations must avoid the temptation of engaging in active partisan politics that favour one candidate against another.

Zimbabwean civil society has been urged to drop the ‘narrow’ ‘regime change agenda’ and refocus on political, social and economic reforms which have a direct bearing on the lives of Zimbabweans.

This recommendation was made by Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya, director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI), a local political think tank, in its recently published policy document titled ‘Priorities for Civil Society-Donors Engagement in Zimbabwe’.

The University of Cape Town’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship says the Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, has been taken to task for not engaging with relevant experts in a sector that is at a critical low point in South Africa.

The centre’s director, Dr Michael Herrington, states that the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) shows that during the past 14 years, between six and 10 percent of the adult population in South Africa were in the process or considering starting a business.

The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) has launched an urgent application to overturn the suspension of Hawks commander lieutenant general, Anwa Dramat – as well as the appointment of the acting head, major general, Berning Ntlemeza.

Police Minister, Nathi Nhleko purported to suspend Dramat on 23 December 2014 and appointed Ntlemeza to act in his stead.

Following the killing of 12 people at France's Charlie Hebdo weekly, renowned cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro known as Zapiro warns of shrinking media freedom.

Zapiro, whose drawings are published by the Mail & Guardian, told the paper he hoped the attack in Paris "doesn't have a further chilling effect on satirists, commentators and journalists; any free thinkers in society".

According to a second round of preliminary results, Namibia's ruling party looks set for a sixth straight election victory.
 
With slightly more than half of votes counted, the South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) party - in power since 1990 - was leading the polls with 77 percent.
 
The Electoral Commission of Namibia has released the first round of preliminary data putting SWAPO in the lead with slightly more than 66 percent of the vote.
 

Former planning minister, Trevor Manuel, says public protector, Thuli Madonsela’s office is so busy because public representatives are not doing their jobs.
 
Delivering the Helen Suzman Memorial Lecture at the Gordon Institute for Business Science in Johannesburg, Manuel said members of parliament and legislatures receive almost R1 million each to do constituency work.
 
He says if they were more in touch with the people they represent, Madonsela will not get so many complaint, adding that, it is up to civil society to keep democracy in check and energise it.

The African National Congress’ (ANC) provincial executive committee in the Western Cape has given the green light for high-level talks with the Ses’khona People’s Movement, following an attack on controversial poo-throwing activist, Andile Lili.
 
The ANC and Ses’khona have been at loggerheads recently over what the people’s movement dubbed ‘political meddling in a job-creation project it had with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).”
 

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) has welcomed the decision by e.tv to review its editorial management practices.

In a press statement, SANEF chairperson, Mpumelelo Mkhabela, points out that, "Council has noted developments regarding allegations of editorial interference at eNCA implicating politicians, shareholders and senior executives."

Mkhabela says SANEF welcomes the e.tv decision to launch the review of the channel’s editorial management practices to safeguard editorial independence and credibility of news coverage.