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Tensions simmer in DRC over Justice Bill

Samuel Musarika
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By Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Kinshasa, DRC – Tensions between the Common Front for Congo (FCC) and the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) are mounting as days progress over a proposed amendment of the Justice Bill.

Although the FCC and the UDPS are currently in a coalition government, the proposed amendment to the Justice Bill has caused members of the two political parties to clash.

The FCC, which is former President Joseph Kabila’s political party brought up the proposed Justice Bill amendments.

Célestin Tunda ya Kasende, the Minister of Justice was on Saturday arrested and later on released after  he clashed with President Félix Tshisekedi over the contested legal changes.

The FCC proposes to have the office of the prosecution answer to the Ministry of Justice, a situation which is being opposed by the UDPS, other political parties and the National Union of Magistrates.

According to President Tshisekedi’s UDPS, the FCC is aiming to protect criminals and encourage impunity at all costs, “the proposed amendments won’t resolve any difficulty related to the functioning of the judiciary, but aims to undermine justice for the benefit of the Ministry of Justice.”

Seychelles still open for business despite COVID-19 pandemic

Samuel Musarika
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By Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Victoria, Seychelles – Seychelles is amongst the very few countries in the world that is still depicting a level of normalcy when it comes to basic livelihood.

Most countries are on a nationwide or partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The southern African country has now 69 confirmed COVID-19 cases but despite that, business is still going as usual.

On Saturday, ten non-Seychellois people tested positive for COVID-19. The country’s Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon said that one of the COVID-19 patients who tested positive is a French woman who has been on vacation in Seychelles since March.

“We have already started to trace people who may have come into contact with her, as this may be a possible community transmission case, as we cannot yet pinpoint where she may have been infected,” said Gideon.

In light of the new cases, the local health authorities have renewed appeals for adherence to health safety guidelines, urging the population to better protect themselves by practising social distancing, maintaining good hygiene at all times and wearing masks.

‘Another coup in Africa’

Samuel Musarika
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By Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Harare, Zimbabwe – Opposition parties in Zimbabwe have shared mixed feelings over the just ended Presidential elections in Malawi.

On Saturday, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declared Dr. Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) that ultimate winner after he secured 59.34 percent of the national votes against the outgoing President, Prof. Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who managed to gunner only 39.92 percent of the national vote.

However, LEAD president, Linda Masarira said there was nothing to really celebrate about as the results were due to a sophisticated coup.

“The judiciary and the armed forces played a pivotal role in bringing back the revolutionary party into power.

It was a sophisticated coup there isn’t really much to celebrate or emulate, there is no new dawn for the opposition it’s actually a rebirth of the revolutionary party,” said Masarira.

On Saturday, the outgoing Malawian President said that this year’s Presidential elections were the worst he had ever seen since Malawi attained its independence more than four decades ago, “some of our members were beaten and assaulted, this is the worst election I have ever witnessed.”

However, for ZimFirst leader, Dr. Maxwell Rusike Shumba, the Malawian Presidential polls proved that coalitions are the way forward for the opposition in Africa.

“Every African country is unique depending on how the ruling party is entrenched in the socioeconomic aspect.

One thing that the opposition can derive from the Malawian Presidential elections is that the opposition needs to unite.

Unity builds and there is victory in unity. That’s the key message, the winner in Malawi was able to do so because he was able to build a coalition. There is nothing that happened in Malawi that will require extraordinary capital, astuteness won the day and it is possible,” said the ZimFirst leader.

Zimbabwe’s former Economic Minister slams government

Samuel Musarika
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Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Harare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s former Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Dr. Tapiwa Mashakada has slammed at the country’s recent foreign currency auction.

On Tuesday, the government launched a foreign currency auction in a bid to find the appropriate exchange rate of the local currency against the United States dollar which is now pegged at US$1:ZW$57.

The auction yielded a weighted average weekly exchange rate of US$1:ZW$57 which will prevail until Tuesday the 30th of June 2020. The highest bid was US$1:ZW$100 and the lowest was  US$1:ZW$25 and about US$10 million was alloted against total bids of US$11 million.

“Soon after the announcement of results, retail prices jumped upwards in sympathy with the hike in parallel market rates that were pushed by the new official exchange rate. The auction created new macro-economic shocks which have stoked a new round of inflation and parallel market rates.

The system is porous as bidders may collect forex at a lower official rate and off load at the new parallel market rates of US$1:ZW$100. This is a vicious cycle.

The country is not going anywhere. Fears have been raised about insider trading and information assymmetry. The results show that the amounts allocated to the fuel sector and import of medicines is very low compared to raw materials and machinery.

This is surprising given the current COVID-19 pandemic which requires the importation of sanitizers, masks and related equipment. The country is reeling from food shortages yet not much was alloted to food imports.

The foreign currency auction system has destabilized the market and pushed up parallel market rates and inflation. It is a zero sum game.

However, government must accept full responsibility for policy missteps. The best thing to do is to take the route of complete redollarization accompanied by a post COVID-19 economic stimulus package that will address productivity, export capacity and investment facilitation.

Finally, the RBZ must be sanctioned forthwith from further announcing or issuing new monetary policy measures as they create destabilizing macroeconomic shocks in the economy.

Moreso, unless the RBZ is checked and its wings cut, the economic implosion is going to ignite a revolution, but most importantly, government must implement political and economic reforms to stop the economic free fall. What is happening is just but a deficit of confidence,” said Dr. Mashakada.

Zambia’s stimulus package to aid economic recoveryaft

Samuel Musarika
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Zambia’s stimulus package to aid economic recoveryaft

Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Lusaka, Zambia – Zambia’s US$438 million COVID-19 stimulus package is set to aid the country’s ailing economy.

COVID-19 has really caused some economic turmoils especially to the SMEs and the informal sector.

Zambia, Africa’s second largest copper producer, has been wrestling with growing public debt even before the Coronavirus outbreak which forced lockdowns across the globe, crimping international demand for raw materials.

“Cabinet resolved that it is necessary to provide an economic stimulus through the issuance of the COVID-19 bond in order to improve liquidity levels in the economy

The proceeds from the bond will go towards needy areas, including payment of retirees, contractors and suppliers, which have been hit by reduced liquidity due to COVID-19,” said the Presidency in a statement.

The economy is experiencing challenges such as low growth, high fiscal deficits, rising inflation and debt service obligations. The closure of businesses and restrictions which have been exacerbated by the pandemic have adversely affected the economy.

Moreover, the Central Bank projected in May that the country’s GDP would shrink by 2.6 percent in 2020, its first economic contraction in more than 20 years.

WHO declares DRC Ebola free amid insurgency

Samuel Musarika
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Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Kinshasa, DRC – Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ebola free after two years of fighting the deadly pandemic.

Close to three thousand people succumbed to the virus. Although, the virus was contained in the central African country, insurgencies contributed in the Ebola virus taking time to be fully extinguished.

Rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has been destabilizing and killing civilians in the regions of Beni, Kivu, and Ituri.

Last weekend, close to 20 people were killed by the ADF, “the victims were five men, three women and two children, some were killed with machetes and others with firearms,” said Raphael Bon Benogo, a civil rights activist.

The ADF has been blamed for killing about 500 people since last year in retaliation for an army crackdown on their bases in the forests around the Beni region.

Dozens of armed groups operate in eastern DRC, last year, the DRC army launched a campaign against the ADF.

Zimbabwean economists query China’s friendship

Samuel Musarika
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By Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Harare, Zimbabwe – Some of the country’s economists have raised their eyebrows with regards to China’s debt cancellations in Africa which were revealed earlier on this week.

China’s cancellation of debt towards relevant African countries in the form of interests free government loans that are due to mature by the end of 2020 and a further extension of the period of debt suspension is not sitting well with economists such as Eddie Cross and Terrence Zimwara.

“Africa’s debt to China is massive, Kenya alone owes China US$50 billion. The suspension of payments of debt will make a huge contribution to many countries, including Zimbabwe.

However, we should never borrow from anyone if we cannot pay the debt back. China itself has borrowed massively from the developed world to get where she is today and her debt is equal to 250 percent of her GDP, but she pays her interest and repays the loans on maturity, that is the key.

In Aftica, we borrow for consumption and not production and we do not have the discipline to service our debts.

Regardless, we have to be more self-reliant and careful, read the small print on every loan agreement as well as watching prices and costs of Chinese contractors and demanding maximum local interests,” said Cross.

Zimwara also said Africa needed to start standing on its own two feet to avoid unprecedented boomerangs.

“Africa needs to unshackle itself from this inferiority complex. We have to realize that there is no multilateral lender or donor country that will cancel debts or reduce interest on loans without gaining something bigger in return.

Therefore, because we choose expediency we now see fellow countries deep in debt to China. Angola, Ethiopia and Kenya are some countries that owe billions to China and they are now growing fears these countries will surrender key national resources to pay off the debts.

However, to avoid these devastating scenarios, learning to live within means is one practical way of doing this. When they say austerity, it has to be for everyone. There should be no sacred cows.

Moreso, as Africa, we need to make long term plans and follow them through. It does not matter that fruits of this will be enjoyed by later generations. One generation must make the ultimate sacrifice for the next one to have a better chance,” said Zimwara.

Mozambique insurgency getting out of control

Samuel Musarika
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Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Cabo Delgado, Mozambique – There are now continued fears that Islamist insurgency in Mozambique could spread to neighbouring Southern African Development Community (SADC) states.

Attacks by Ansar al-Sunna, now identified as part of Islamic State, have claimed over a thousand lives in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique’s northernmost province.

“There is an increase of Islamic insurgency activities currently in the province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, and these have the potential to spread to other provinces and neighbouring Southern African Development Community states, there are challenges with Mozambique,” said South Africa’s Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

In May, SADC urged its members to support Mozambique in efforts to overcome terrorists and armed groups in Cabo Delgado.

SADC’s head of politics, defence and security co-operation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has called on the bloc to support Mozambique in its fight against terrorists and armed groups and also condemned terrorist and other armed attacks as per the SADC declaration on terrorism and the African Union (AU) Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.

Zambia nabs Health Minister

Samuel Musarika
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Zambia nabs Health Minister

Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Mail

Lusaka, Zambia – Zambia’s Health Minister, Chitalu Chilufya is facing a five year prison sentence following yesterday’s  arrest.

The Minister was arrested and charged with four counts of possession of property reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

However, the Minister was later released after posting bail and is expected to appear before the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court on the 9th of July.

“The arrest follows investigations the Commission has been conducting against the Minister in relation to the allegations of being in the possession of property reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime,” said Jonathan Siame, spokesperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Earlier on this week, many youths in the country issued out a statement against corruption through their formulated Zambian Youth Charter.

In the Charter, the youths stated that they were heavily concerned with the increased levels of unemployment, grand corruption and infringement on human rights, among other issues currently affecting the country.

“We refuse to tolerate the abuse of public resources when a number of young people are starving in public universities for lack of money and we continue to see and hear corruption allegations among top government leaders but no tangible results or actions to curb this evil,” read some parts of the Charter.

Record unemployment rate for South Africa

Samuel Musarika
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By Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily

Pretoria, South Africa – According to the quarterly national statistics revealed by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), the national unemployment rate is now at 30.1 percent.

Yesterday’s revelation is based on a survey conducted by StatsSA before the country went into lockdown on the 27th of March this year.

This relatively means that over 18 million South Africans are now unemployed, with youths and women being hit the hardest.

Some economists have even predicted that by the end of the year, the southern African country could be having an unemployment rate of over 40 percent.

Companies in the aviation, construction, entertainment and hospitality sectors have indicated plans to cut jobs because of heavy losses experienced in the past three months.

“For a country which was already facing an unemployment crisis and weak economic growth, difficult decisions and difficult days lie ahead,” said Cyril Ramaphosa, the country’s President.

The Bureau of Economic Research (BER) also noted that there was going to be a major deficit in the country’s budget primarily due to the diversion of funds which are now assisng in the fight against COVID-19.

“The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has already indicated that, relative to the February budget, revenue in the 2020/21 fiscal year could be a massive R285 billion (approximately US$16.5 billion) below the projection at the start of the year, based on this, one can infer that Treasury expects a main budget deficit of about 14 percent of the GDP in the 2020/21 financial year,” the BER said. 

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