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Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has taken special leave. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers

Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s fight to prevent law enforcement agencies from arresting her is headed for the Pretoria High Court on Monday.

This was after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that the urgent application will before court. 

But the NPA said it will oppose the application as it was baseless.

The stand-off began last week following a raid at her house in Johannesburg by the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID). .

The speaker has since taken special leave and parliament said this was provided for in the rules of the National Assembly.

Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of taking bribes totalling R2.3 million from a supplier in the department of defence. At the time of the alleged incidents Mapisa-Nqakula was minister of defence before she was deployed to parliament in 2021.

On Sunday the NPA said the urgent application will be heard in the high court on an urgent basis.

“She is seeking an order interdicting NPA’s ID from arresting her. The NPA’s ID will oppose the application as we believe it is baseless and has no merit,” said NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga. Mapisa-Nqakula has denied allegations of corruption against her. Political parties have called for Mapisa-Nqakula to quit. By Siyabonga Mkhwanazi, IOL

Trucks waiting for customs process at the Rusumo border post. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

Rwanda and Tanzania are moving to open a new border post, as the two countries deepen trade ties at a time trade and political forces pull regional partners in different directions. The new post will be opened at Tanzania’s Kyerwa district in Kagera Region to provide a second passage for people and goods and reduce pressure on the Rusumo border post.

Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, January Makamba, said this in Kigali during his recent four-day visit to Rwanda.

“We want to make it easy for people of the two countries to cross and visit each other,” he said. “We have talked about the possibility and readiness to open a new border front in Kyerwa, and we are ready to have it operational.”

The minister, who led a delegation that included senior officials from the Tanzanian Ministries of Transport, Trade and Industry, ICT, Agriculture, Energy, and other key parastatals, said Tanzania is committed to expand business with Rwanda.

Read: Samia, Kagame discuss trade expansion deals

“We are committed to being a reliable partner, and keen to expand business with Rwanda. Tanzania is Rwanda’s second largest trading partner, the potential to be first exists,” he said. 

He highlighted existing business projects Rwanda and Tanzania are involved in such as the Rwandan dairy factory located in Mwanza, which opened up the Tanzanian market to Rwandan milk.

“Rwanda uses Tanzania broadband infrastructure for a certain amount of capacity in its connectivity. We have committed to be a reliable partner in this area, and we are keen to expand this.”

Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, said a second border post would come with a lot of economic prospects and trade value for Rwanda.

“We must work together to solve common challenges and prioritise things that will improve the lives of people from our two countries. The bilateral relations between our two countries have always been excellent and they keep improving to greater heights.”

Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, said a second border post would come with a lot of economic prospects and trade value for Rwanda.

“A new border post is a good proposition, it will even be much closer to Rwanda. It will definitely ease the cargo pressure on Rusumo. From a trade perspective, this is a development that we welcome,” he said.

The new border post is part of a raft of measures to scale up trade ties between the two East African countries. Others include harmonisation of levies, a concern which was raised by Rwandan and Tanzanian truckers.

Read: High hopes border reopening will cut cost of goods

Dodoma and Kigali have enjoyed good bilateral and trade relations over the years, with volumes of Rwanda bound cargo going through Tanzania growing exponentially in the past three decades.

The armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recently put the two countries on a collision course, as Dodoma signed up to deploy its military in eastern DRC under the Southern African Development Community, alongside Malawian and South African armies to help the Congolese army defeat the M23 rebel group, who Kinshasa says are backed by Rwanda.

Western powers like the US and even UN experts have cemented these claims, which Kigali continues to reject.

Rwanda is the third largest user of Dar es Salaam port, with more than 80 percent of its cargo going through it.

As relations with DRC -- Rwanda’s leading trading partner for years -- collapse, Kigali will has seen the need but nurture ties with strategic regional neighbours like Tanzania.

Rwandans buy cereals, cement, garments, fuels, and many other goods from Tanzania. By MOSES K. GAHIGI, The East African

Kenya's President William Ruto. PHOTO | NMG

An American diplomat has made controversial claims about Kenyan President William Ruto's move to head the UN-backed mission to restore peace in Haiti.

In an interview with CNN, Daniel Lewis Foote, who was the US special envoy to Haiti from July to September, said that the Kenyan president was after the money the UN is expected to inject into the mission.

Foote claimed that the Haiti mission was no walk in the park and that the well-organised gangs that overthrew the government would fight the Kenyan police to the death.

Read: Kenya on 'standby' as US raises funds for Haiti mission

“You see the reticence on the part of the Kenyan public to send these guys and that makes me nervous. I believe that this is more of a cash grab by President Ruto, whose country is going to receive a lot of money in doing this,” Mr Foote said.

foote

In an interview with CNN, Daniel Lewis Foote, who was the US special envoy to Haiti from July to September, said that the Kenyan president was after the money the UN is expected to inject into the mission. PHOTO | POOL 

President Joe Biden’s administration had promised to inject Ksh13 billion ($100 million) to support the multinational force.

Kenya had promised to send 1,000 troops to the Caribbean nation in a deal struck between the Kenyan president and former Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry, who recently resigned to pave the way for the Transitional Council.

However, Mr Ariel resigned barely a week after signing an agreement in Nairobi, which stopped the deployment for a while.

After signing the deal, Mr Ariel was forced to land in Puerto Rico's capital San Juan as fighting intensified.

While the Haiti mission has received support from Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Kenya, Mr Foote believes that there is a need to increase the number of troops that should be deployed if the mission has to be successful.

"A thousand isn't going to cut it and while they have commitments for double or triple that, that's still not going to cut it. Every time there has been a military intervention in Haiti in the past 20 years, it's had a minimum of 20,000 troops or police going in there," Foote stated.

Read: Five states pledge personnel for Haiti security mission

While Mr Foote suggests that Kenya’s motivation was based on billions that the UN Security Council will pump into the mission, the President has maintained that the country is going to Haiti because Haitians need help from Kenya.

“From Kenya, we are ready for this deployment, and I request all the other partners across the globe to step up so that we can respond in good time,” Ruto said when he signed the deal with Mr Ariel.

The latest development from the Caribbean state is that one of the gang leaders known as Ernst Julme, known as Ti Greg, was killed by the police in Thursday’s operation in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The death of Julme a member of gang leader Jimmy, better known as Barbeque, comes after the death of another gang leader, bringing hope to the people who have been cut off from essential services such as electricity, water, and access to health.

The situation in Haiti deteriorated in July 2021 following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The East African

Plenary session during the reopening of the 13th Parliament on February 13, 2024.[Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Parliament has now created an avenue for President William Ruto to appoint an unlimited number of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs).

According to new amendments to the National Government Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, the initial cap on the number of CASs to 22 has been removed and replaced with "as many as required".

The Bill seeks to amend the National Government Coordination Act of 2013 to entrench the CASs' positions

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) chaired by Tharaka Nithi MP George Murugara had, in its initial report tabled in February, proposed that the number of CASs to be 22 similar to the number of Cabinet Secretaries. 

But in an addendum to the report, the committee took a U-turn and gave Ruto his much-sought opportunity to accommodate loyalists and losers of the 2022 General Election.

"In light of the varied roles that may be assigned to a CAS, JLAC noted that capping the number of CASs may affect the ability of the Executive to recruit and deploy the number of CASs required to deliver its programmes,” read the addendum.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo was, however, opposed to the idea, criticising the creation of the CASs positions which he said would only add to the already bloated wage bill. 

Amollo was concerned that giving Ruto a free hand to appoint unlimited CASs violated Article 152 (1) (d) of the Constitution which states that Cabinet Secretaries shall not be fewer than 14 and not more than 22.

“The proposal to introduce an uncapped number of CASs is indeed an affront to the Constitution and would occasion additional expense on public finances and pose an unnecessary burden on Kenyan taxpayers,” he said. 

The Bill that is in the reading stage and is to be considered as soon as the House resumes from recess has also spelt out the roles of the CASs.

It sought to have the appointments made by the President on recommendation by PSC in an exercise that takes into consideration regional and gender balance.

In its report on the National Government Administration Laws (Amendments) Bill, 2024, JLAC explained that the functions and designation of the office of the CAS will be streamlined to avoid conflicting roles with the Principal Secretary in the state departments. 

The committee also proposed amendments to the Bill which will hinder the CASs from handling any parliamentary matters unlike in an earlier proposal where they would act as liaisons with Parliament and county governments on matters of concurrent mandate.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has allowed for the continuation of debate on the CAS Bill.

National Assembly minority leader Opiyo Wandayi had opposed the passing of the Bill in its current form stating that the prior Bill had led to the High Court declaring the positions illegal.

He reiterated that CAS offices and Chief of Staff as contained in the Bill are "outrightly unconstitutional and therefore, Parliament cannot proceed, and should not proceed to process it in its current form".

Wetang'ula, in his communication to the House, however said that the courts had pronounced themselves in the question as to whether a position can be created through legislation.

He said that the courts had stated that such appointments required approval by Parliament and therefore ruled that the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee was within the law in dispensing the Bill.

"This Bill is therefore properly and legally before Parliament and can now proceed to its final stages,” the Speaker ruled. By Josphat Thiong’o, The Standard

Independent UN human rights experts on Friday expressed alarmOpens in new window over increased reports of sexual slavery and trafficking in Sudan, especially of women and girls.

This is being compounded by an increase in child and forced marriage, and the recruitment of boys by combatants in the continuing war between rival generals that erupted nearly a year ago.

 

All this is happening against the backdrop of the deteriorating humanitarian crisisOpens in new window in the country that has caused an unprecedented mass displacement of over nine million people.

Access to support for victims and survivors has reportedly deteriorated since December, eight months after the outbreak of conflict between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Human Rights CouncilOpens in new window-appointed experts said.

Girls sold at ‘slave markets’

Young women and girls, including internally displaced persons, are reportedly being trafficked, they said.

“We are appalled by reports of women and girls being sold at slave markets in areas controlled by RSF forces and other armed groups, including in North Darfur,” the experts said.

Some of the cases of child and forced marriage are occurring due to family separation and gender-based violence, including rape and unwanted pregnancies. 

“Despite previous warningsOpens in new window to both Sudanese authorities and RSF representatives, we continue to receive reports of recruitment of children to actively participate in hostilities, including from a neighbouring country,” the experts said. 

“The recruitment of children by armed groups for any form of exploitation – including in combat roles – is a gross violation of human rights, a serious crime and a violation of international humanitarian law,” they said. 

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

Mass grave found in Libya highlights migrant horrors 

A mass grave has been foundOpens in new window in southwest Libya containing at least 65 migrants who are believed to have died while being smuggled through the desert.

According to the UN migration agency (IOMOpens in new window), which sounded the alarm on Friday, increasing numbers of people are dying on dangerous routes to northern Africa and beyond.

Without legal pathways for migrants, “such tragedies will continue to be a feature along this route,” the agency warned.

Questions remain

The circumstances are not clear surrounding the deaths of those found in the mass grave and their nationalities are also unknown. 

Libyan authorities had launched an inquiry, IOM said, urging the “dignified recovery, identification and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants” and for their families to be notified.

According to the UN agency’s Missing Migrants Project, at least 3,129 people died or disappeared in 2023 along the so-called “Mediterranean route”. 

Even before the discovery of the mass grave, it was already the deadliest migratory route in the world.

Massive rise in displacement in DR Congo poses dire threat to children

A major upsurge in violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that has displaced at least 400,000 people in North Kivu since the beginning of the year is exposing children to unacceptable levels of violence, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEFOpens in new window) on Friday.

People displaced by conflict are living in a temporary camp near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
© WFP/Benjamin Anguandia
People displaced by conflict are living in a temporary camp near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At-risk children must receive further protection to avoid more deaths, the agency added.

In the latest incident on Wednesday highlighting the spillover of the conflict into South Kivu province, an explosion in the town of Minova seriously injured four children who required hospital treatment.

Schoolchildren bombed

“It is tragic that at a busy time of day when many children were returning home from school, this explosion from a bomb maimed four innocent children,” said Katya Marino, UNICEF Deputy Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The town is already under incredible strain with massive numbers of new arrivals of internally displaced people.”

More than 95,000 newly displaced people, half of whom are children, arrived in Minova in February as the conflict in North Kivu expanded.

Over the past week, UNICEF and local partners distributed essential household supplies in Minova to more than 8,300 newly displaced families. The area is now increasingly difficult to access with assistance, either by road or boat.

UNICEF has been assisting children affected by the conflict there with a package of basic but essential services since 2023 while supporting community-based networks to refer and protect children caught up in the fighting between numerous rebel groups and government forces.

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