EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 01/05/2025

South Africa sets up inquiry into apartheid prosecutions

By Wedaeli Chibelushi, PRETORIA South Africa 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a judicial inquiry into allegations of political interference in the prosecution of apartheid-era crimes.

The alleged killers of Fort Calata (second from right) and Matthew Goniwe (far right) have never been prosecuted

The announcement comes three decades after the end of white-minority rule - and after a group of survivors and victims' relatives sued Ramaphosa's government over a perceived lack of justice.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up in 1996, uncovered apartheid-era atrocities like murder and torture, but few of these cases progressed to trial.

Announcing the new inquiry, a presidential statement said Ramaphosa is "determined that the true facts be established and the matter brought to finality".

The investigation is the outcome of settlement discussions in a high court case brought by 25 families and survivors.

The group, which is suing the government for damages worth $9m (£6.8m), says apartheid-era crimes were never properly investigated by the governments that came after the racist system.

Plaintiffs include the son of Fort Calata who, among a group of anti-apartheid activists who came to be known as the Cradock Four, was burnt and killed by security forces in 1985.

Their murder of the four men sparked outrage across the country and six former police officers eventually confessed their involvement to the TRC. 

They were denied amnesty by the commission, but were never taken to court. All six officers have since died.

For years, critics have alleged that the post-apartheid leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) formed a secret deal with the former white-minority government in order to prevent prosecutions. The ANC has denied this.

On Wednesday, the presidency acknowledged that "allegations of improper influence in delaying or hindering the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes have persisted from previous administrations".

The head of the inquiry, along with its timetable, will soon be announced.

SADC begins withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from DR Congo

KIGALI,  Rwanda 

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) began on Tuesday the withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)through Rwanda.

Local media sources in Rwanda reported seeing SADC forces moving several trucks of soldiers and equipment from Goma in North Kivu province through Rwanda.

Reports indicate that the convoy will travel to Chato in north-western Tanzania before repatriation to various countries.

“Our orders say by May 30, everyone and everything needs to be out of Goma and on its way. It was chaos over the weekend, but nobody is complaining because we’re finally going home,” one soldier is reported as saying.

Rwanda had agreed in April to give safe passage to the SADC forces.

The force of several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania had been sent to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to help the Congolese government pacify a mineral-rich region plagued by various insurgencies.

The SADC military mission had suffered heavy losses in the previous months, with around a dozen soldiers from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania killed as the M23 rebels seized control of Goma.

Their termination came after losing about 17 soldiers to the rebels in the DRC.

The rebels have said they want to take their fight to the far-off capital, Kinshasa, while Congo’s president has called for a massive military mobilization to resist the rebellion.

The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away.

Rwanda has rejected charges, including by the Congolese government and U.N. experts, that it backs M23 in eastern Congo, a region that is now one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced.

The withdrawal of SADC troops comes after the M23 took control of eastern Congo’s main city of Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu, in offensives over the past two months.

Fourteen South African soldiers, and at least three from Malawi, were killed in January in the fighting. The United Nations later evacuated a group of critically injured South Africans.

Trump celebrates 100 days in office by touting record and blasting foes

WASHINGTON, United States

United States President, Donald Trump has celebrated the 100th day of his second term in office with a campaign-style speech, touting his achievements and targeting political foes.

Hailing what he called a "revolution of common sense", he told a crowd of supporters in Michigan that he was using his presidency to deliver "profound change".

The Republican mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, and aimed fresh criticism at the US Federal Reserve's chairman, while dismissing polls that show his own popularity slipping.

Trump has delivered a dramatic fall in the number of migrants crossing illegally into the US, but the economy is a potential political vulnerability as he wages a global trade war.

"We've just gotten started, you haven't seen anything yet," Trump told the crowd on Tuesday in a suburb of Detroit.

Speaking at the hub of America's automative industry, Trump said car firms were "lining up" to open new manufacturing plants in the Midwestern state.

Earlier in the day he softened a key element of his economic plan - tariffs on the import of foreign cars and car parts - after US car-makers warned of the danger of rising prices.

At his rally, Trump also said opinion polls indicating his popularity had fallen were "fake".

According to Gallup, Trump is the only post-World War Two president to have less than half the public's support after 100 days in office, with an approval rating of 44%.

But the majority of Republican voters still firmly back the president. And the rival Democratic Party is also struggling in polling.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) said Trump's first 100 days were a "colossal failure".

"Trump is to blame for the fact that life is more expensive, it's harder to retire, and a 'Trump recession' is at our doorstep," the DNC said.

Trump conducted his own informal poll in Tuesday's remarks, asking the crowd for their favourite Biden nicknames. He also mocked his Democratic predecessor's mental agility and even how he appears in a swim suit, while continuing to insist he was the real victor of the 2020 election, which he lost.

Other targets of his ire included Jerome Powell, head of the US central bank, whom the president said was not doing a good job.

Trump touted progress on immigration – encounters at the southern border have plummeted to just over 7,000, down from 140,000 in March of last year.

The White House also said almost 65,700 immigrants had been deported in his term so far, although that is a slower pace than in the last fiscal year when US authorities deported more than 270,000.

Part of the way through his speech Trump screened a video of deportees being expelled from the US and sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador.

His immigration crackdown has faced a flurry of legal challenges, as has his effort to end the automatic granting of citizenship to anyone born on US soil.

During Tuesday's speech he insisted egg prices had declined 87%, a claim contradicted by the latest government price figures.

Inflation, energy prices and mortgage rates have fallen since Trump took office, although unemployment has risen slightly, consumer sentiment has sagged and the stock market was plunged into turmoil by the tariffs.

Pressure mounts to probe Kenya police and army after BBC exposé

By Wycliffe Muia, NAIROBI Kenya

Leading human rights organisations have renewed calls for investigations into the killing of protesters by Kenya's security forces during demonstrations against a rise in taxes last June.

It follows a BBC Africa Eye investigation, exposing members of the security forces who shot dead three protesters at Kenya's parliament, igniting public outrage and demands for justice.

Amnesty International and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said the officers identified in the documentary should "face the law".

Kenya's government spokesman has responded by saying "every life is important", the police watchdog is conducting an investigation and criticised the BBC documentary for being "one-sided".

"Those who did the documentary should have sought government opinion... so that they can be fair and balanced," Isaac Mwaura said.

"For example, they show the parliament being burnt, but they don't show who is doing it; they seem to minimise the vandalization that happened in parliament."

He admitted the protesters had legitimate concerns about the finance bill but said: "We cannot have a country that also is led through anarchy and mayhem."

The BBC had asked the government to take part in the documentary.

It was briefly discussed in Kenya's parliament on Tuesday when MP John Kiarie accused the BBC of "pushing a foreign agenda", while another MP, Millie Odhiambo, said the government and parliament should deal with the aftermath of the protests "soberly", without gagging the media.

"The BBC documentary has created more anger among young people... You can't stop the media," Odhiambo said.

In response to the documentary before it was aired, the police service said the force could not investigate itself, adding that Kenya's Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) was responsible for investigating alleged misconduct.

The Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) told the BBC the IPOA had not forwarded any request to look into any of its personnel involved in the operations at parliament.

BBC Africa Eye's Blood Parliament documentary revealed how security forces brutally responded to youthful protesters who breached Kenya's parliament on 25 June 2024, the day lawmakers voted to approve the proposed tax hikes.

The controversial finance bill was aimed at raising $2.7bn (£2bn) the government said it needed to cut its reliance on external borrowing - but had sparked widespread.

Using open-source data and user-generated content, the BBC's analysis of more than 5,000 images identified uniformed security personnel - a policeman and solider - who opened fire killing three unarmed protesters at parliament.

The wider clampdown by the security forces on a series of protests against the finance bill left at least 65 people dead, resulted in the forcible disappearance of 89 others and the arrest of thousands, according to Amnesty International.

The Kenyan government put the death toll at 42.

On Monday, the BBC said it had cancelled a private screening of the documentary in Kenya's capital Nairobi "due to pressure from the authorities".

"We are very disappointed not to have been able to share the documentary and panel discussion as planned," a BBC spokesperson said.

"In the meantime, audiences can watch the film on BBC Africa's YouTube channel," the spokesperson added.

Amnesty said the documentary corroborated the group's earlier report that "unnecessary and excessive lethal force was used against protesters".

It called on the police and the army to "publicly state the actions being taken with regard to the findings of the BBC exposé".

The rights group urged Kenyans to sign a petition calling for a public inquiry into the killings during what were dubbed the #OccupyParliament protests.

The KHRC said the BBC documentary revealed how "organised criminals in police and military uniforms" were deployed "to murder innocent Kenyans".

It said the "responsibility rests with [President William] Ruto, who must be held accountable for these deaths".

Kenyans expressed their anger online, pressing the government to hold security officers accountable for the killings and injuries of peaceful protesters.

Ruto has previously defended police against accusations of brutality and recently warned Kenyans against commenting on military matters.

Police have also repeatedly denied involvement in the abductions and killings. No officers have been charged.

On Monday, following the release of the BBC Africa Eye documentary, the IPOA gave an update on the investigations.

The authority revealed that so far, of the 60 deaths under investigation, 41 involved gunshot wounds.

The IPOA said it had completed 22 investigations, while it was actively pursuing 36, and that two cases were currently before the courts.

The investigating agency said it had recorded 233 injury cases during the demonstrations.

In a statement, the main opposition coalition said the "execution of peaceful protesters was premeditated and sanctioned at the highest levels".

Mr Mwaura said the documentary risked "inciting Kenyans to violence" while one legislator called for the BBC to be banned in Kenya.

George Peter Kaluma, said that the 37-minute-long documentary risked "destabilising" the country.

But a senator, Edwin Sifuna, defended the documentary saying there were no "fabrications" in it.

"We must encourage these stories to be told from all angles for the sake of truth and justice. Those who are uncomfortable with this are wrestling with their own consciences and we cannot help them with that," Sifuna posted on X.

Russia supports direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions

MOSCOW, Russia

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Tuesday that he supports the start of direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions, rejecting Kyiv's interest in a 30-day temporary ceasefire.

Moscow considers a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine is asking for, to be a precondition, Lavrov said at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, following a meeting of the economic bloc BRICS foreign ministers, which was broadcast live on Russian TV channels.

The minister emphasized that Russia had previously declared unilateral ceasefires, and Ukraine had taken advantage of those opportunities to strengthen its military capabilities.

Lavrov refuted Kyiv's narrative, claiming Moscow rejects a longer ceasefire.

The minister emphasized that the Russian side approaches the issue responsibly and seeks long-term solutions, insisting that serious negotiations defining specific terms must precede such a ceasefire.

“Vladimir Putin supported this idea, but said that it should be formulated in such a way that it would not fail, like all previous attempts of this kind,” he said.

Lavrov underscored that Kyiv failed to comply with the Easter ceasefire, announced by Putin, and has yet to clarify its position on another Russian peace initiative — a cessation of hostilities during the 80th anniversary of World War II.

Turning to the Russia-US talks, the top Russian diplomat characterized them as a "return to normalcy," emphasizing that numerous countries view this positively.

The minister also expressed concern over the worsening situation in the Palestinian territories, the Middle East as a whole, and many regions of the African continent.

26 killed in Nigeria as truck drove over explosive device

ABUJA, Nigeria

At least 26 people were killed on Monday, April 28, when a truck drove over a roadside bomb in northeast Nigeria near the border with Cameroon, a military source and a local resident told our reporter.

The attack happened in Borno state which has been a hotbed of the Boko Haram jihadist uprising in Nigeria. More than 40,000 people have died there in the past 15 years of conflict.

"Twenty-six people died in the blast, comprising 16 men, four women and six children," said a military officer speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the incident.

Three passengers were severely injured, said the officer. "I took part in the funeral of the 26 people killed in the explosion, most of them were burnt beyond recognition," Akram Saad, a resident of the nearby town Rann, said.

A medic at the Rann general hospital said 26 bodies were taken to the hospital, most of them "unrecognizable" from the explosion.

Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launch sporadic ambushes on convoys and plant landmines along highways in northern Borno.

It was not clear which jihadist group was behind the mine blast although ISWAP is active in the area.

The jihadist groups have intensified attacks in recent weeks, with more than two dozen killed in two attacks at the weekend.

Rann, 175 kilometers from the regional capital Maiduguri, has a camp housing more than 50,000 people from surrounding villages displaced by years of jihadist raids.

The displaced make weekly trips to the commercial town of Gamboru to buy supplies.

Rann received global attention in 2018 when ISWAP jihadists raided a United Nations hub in the camp, killing three humanitarian staff and abducting three local women health staff working for international aid agencies.

Two of the hostages were executed while the third escaped after six years in captivity. Since the 2009 insurgency began, conflict has spread into neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, prompting a regional military force to fight the militants.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 30/04/2025

 

Remembering Zambia‘s national football team ( Chipolopolo) that perished in 1993 plane disaster.

LUSAKA,  Zambia 

The Zambia's national football team (Chipolopolo) left Lusaka International Airport on April 27, 1993 for Pride of their country. 

At about 22:45 hrs Gabonese time a Zambian Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo (registration AF-319) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 500 metres (550 yards) offshore from Libreville, Gabon.

The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. 

All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed. 

A Gabonese official investigation into the accident concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine after a fire. 

The investigation found that pilot fatigue and an instrument error had contributed to the accident.

Crew;

Colonel Fenton Mhone (pilot)

Lt Colonel Victor Mubanga (pilot)

Lt Colonel James Sachika (pilot)

Major Edward Nhamboteh (Flight Engineer)

Corporal Tomson Sakala (steward)

Footballers;

Efford Chabala (goalkeeper)

John Soko (defender)

Whiteson Changwe (defender)

Robert Watiyakeni (defender)

Eston Mulenga (defender)

Derby Makinka (midfielder)

Moses Chikwalakwala (midfielder)

Wisdom Mumba Chansa (midfielder)

Kelvin "Malaza" Mutale (striker)

Timothy Mwitwa (striker)

Numba Mwila (midfielder)

Richard Mwanza (goalkeeper)

Samuel Chomba (defender)

Moses Masuwa (striker)

Kenan Simambe (striker)

Godfrey Kangwa (midfielder)

Winter Mumba (defender)

Patrick "Bomber" Banda (striker)

Coaching staff;

Godfrey "Ucar" Chitalu (coach)

Alex Chola (assistant coach)

Wilson Mtonga (doctor)

Wilson Sakala

Others;

Michael Mwape (FAZ Chairman)

Nelson Zimba (Public Servant)

Joseph Bwalya Salim (Journalist)

Barrick faces contractor layoffs in Mali as it plans name change

TORONTO,  Canada 

Barrick Gold (NYSE: GOLD) (TSX: ABX) confirmed on Monday it plans to change its name to Barrick Mining Corporation at its upcoming annual and special meeting of shareholders next week.

The company also intends to change its ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange from GOLD to B, effective at the start of trading on May 9, 2025. Barrick’s shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange will continue to trade under the ABX ticker.

The move reflects Barrick’s ongoing expansion into copper, complementing its gold business.

The miner is investing $6 billion to develop the massive Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan, expected to begin operations in 2028 and last for at least four decades. 

It is also expanding its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia, aiming to position it among the world’s largest copper operations.

Chief executive, Mark Bristow said the change underscores Barrick’s vision of becoming “the world’s most valued gold and copper exploration, development and mining company.”

“Along with our world-class portfolio of six tier one gold mines, we are building a substantial copper business which will be a meaningful contributor to growing our production volumes in the coming years and beyond,” Bristow said in a statement.

“Gold remains core to our foundation,” he added, citing projects such as the Pueblo Viejo expansion in the Dominican Republic and the Fourmile gold project in Nevada.

Meanwhile in Mali, Barrick faces mounting challenges as an ongoing dispute with the African nation continues to impact operations at its flagship Loulo-Gounkoto complex.

At least four Barrick subcontractors employing hundreds of workers have begun laying off staff, Reuters reported on Monday, adding that some have stopped receiving payments for months.

Kenyan authorities block screening of ‘Blood Parliament’ documentary - BBC

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenyan authorities have blocked the screening of a BBC documentary exposing police officers who shot dead protestors at last year’s anti-tax demonstrations at Parliament buildings in Nairobi, the British broadcaster says.

Student journalist Ademba Allans trying to reach David Chege and another casualty lying on the ground after the shooting

The report dubbed ‘Blood Parliament’ was set to screen at the Unseen Nairobi cinema on Monday evening, with a panel discussion.

“A screening of BBC Africa Eye’s 'Blood Parliament in Kenya' was cancelled due to pressure from the authorities,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“We are very disappointed not to have been able to share the documentary and panel discussion as planned. In the meantime, audiences can watch the film on BBC Africa’s YouTube channel.”

Last June and July’s demonstrations against the 2024 Finance Bill and President William Ruto’s government were led by youth, commonly called Gen-Zs.

Over 60 people were killed as police used excessive force to tackle crowds in Nairobi and major cities and towns countrywide. Still, no investigation into police misconduct has been published since.

The BBC documentary, which has amassed over two million views on YouTube within a day of publication, singles out security officers believed to have instructed officers to kill, as well as those who pulled the trigger and killed three young men.

Investigators said they analysed more than 5,000 images to piece together the sequence of events on June 25 and the placement of both the victims and the shooters.

An officer identified as Job Kaboi from Nairobi's Central Police Station can be seen mobilising his colleagues to kill.

Another with his face covered is believed to have shot 39-year-old David Chege and Erickson Mutisya, 25, right outside the Parliament buildings.

Meanwhile, the film pinpoints a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer as the killer of 26-year-old University of Nairobi student Eric Shieni, who was shot in the head while fleeing Parliament.

The report has sparked renewed calls for the arrest and prosecution of all officers who shot at protesters during the demos.

In response, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which investigates complaints of police misconduct, on Monday said it had completed 22 investigations out of the 60 deaths reported.

The State-owned agency said it was pursuing 36 other cases, while two were in court. Two files were closed internally, three were closed following directives from the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), while four others remain in the DPP's office.

IPOA Chairman Issack Hassan said they recorded 233 injury cases during the demos, and blamed non-cooperation from police officers and witnesses for hampering the progress of some investigations.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was set to issue a press statement on Tuesday.

How a new Pope is chosen

VATICAN CITY, Italy

When a pope dies or resigns, the governance of the Catholic Church passes to the College of Cardinals.

Cardinals are bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, personally chosen by the pope, recognizable by their distinctive red vestments. 

Following a vacancy in the papacy, the cardinals hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called general congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally.

They will also prepare for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election.

In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope.

In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors. 

For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.

The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer and dropping the twice-folded ballot in a large chalice.

Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The result of each ballot are counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders.

If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.

When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election.

If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.

The senior cardinal deacon, currently French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, announces from the balcony of St. Peter's "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") before the new pope processes out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.