2010 one team – 15 nationsthe african union, at its summit last year, declared the african decade...

THE WORLD is watchingsouthern Africa this year as theregion prepares to host theWorld Cup finals, set for SouthAfrica in June-July.

A coordinated approach hasbeen adopted to manage activi-ties related to sports in a bid todeepen regional integration inthis period, and to ensure that allcountries in the region benefitfrom the international exposure.

The theme is “One Team – 15Nations – For SustainableDevelopment”.

Neighbouring countrieshave been actively engaged inupgrading facilities, and refur-bishing hotels, roads and air-ports to cater for an anticipatedsurge in visitors.

A “SADC 2010” investmentpromotion programme pro-

vides a framework for seizingthis opportunity to market theregion's assets, and to guide,inform and coordinate activitiesin preparation for the WorldCup.

This coordinated approach isexpected to help the region toattract tourists and investmentthrough strengthening jointprojects such as Trans FrontierConservation Areas.

As many as 90,000 fans andofficials, mainly from qualify-ing countries, are expected tocome to the region for the finals,according to the world footballgoverning body, FIFA. This is inaddition to more than 400,000tourists from all over the worldwho are expected to visit south-ern Africa during the tourna-ment.

The year started with a majorcontinental event, the AfricanCup of Nations, hosted byAngola, showcasing some ofAfrica's best footballers.

The impact of new stadia infour different cities and thedrama of the opening displaywere marred by the ambush ofthe buses carrying the Togonational team from their camp inPointe Noire, Congo, to Cabindain Angola.

This attack took place in aremote part of the region anddoes not reflect on preparationsfor the main event in farawaySouth Africa, but it cast a shad-ow sending a sharp reminder ofthe need to prepare for theunexpected.

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POLICY 3

TRADE 4-5

INFRASTRUCTURE 6

FOOD SECURITY 7

ENERGY 8-9

TOWARDS 2010 10-11

GENDER 12

AFRICA 13

ELECTIONS 14

EVENTS 15

HISTORY TODAY 16

SADC TODAY Vol. 12 No 2 February 2010

2010 One Team – 15 Nations

2 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today

continued from page 1...

2010 One Team - 15 Nations

Mutharika to chair African Union

Four southern African coun-tries qualified for the competi-tion – Angola, Malawi,Mozambique and Zambia –which was won by Egypt forthe third time in a row. For theWorld Cup later this year, theonly qualifier from southernAfrica is South Africa.

Another defining momentfor the region is the expectedlaunch of the SADC CustomsUnion this year, to promote themovement of goods, servicesand capital across borders.

The launch of a CustomsUnion would usher in one ofthe largest free trading zonesin Africa with a combinedpopulation of more than 250million. Two years ago, SADClaunched a Free Trade Area(FTA), one step before aCustoms Union, which allowsMember States to tradeamong themselves withoutsuch restrictions as tariffs orquotas on goods originatingfrom within the region.

The year 2010 marks oneyear after the global financialcrisis whose negative effectswere felt across the region.Most of the regionaleconomies have since shownsigns of recovery, and hope tobenefit from the World Cupand the Customs Union.

The drive to promoteregional cooperation through awider FTA with the CommonMarket for East and SouthernAfrica and the East AfricanCommunity is expected to fur-ther improve SADC's tradeand investment environment.

SADC, COMESA and EAChave started a process of creat-ing a single FTA by 2012 com-bining a market straddling 26countries and intended to leadto a single Customs Union.

Regarding energy devel-opment, 2010 should be a cru-cial year for the region as theSouthern African Power Pool(SAPP) intensifies the imple-

mentation of short-term gen-eration projects to ensure fullenergy recovery by 2013.

A total of 2200 megawatts(MW) were expected to beadded to the SAPP grid in2009, while 1000 MW areexpected this year.

SADC Member States areexpected to increase theuptake of clean energysources that result in low car-bon emissions in line with thenew trends in the global ener-gy sector.

Clean energy has emergedas the most lucrative source of“carbon financing” and SADChas the potential to boostpower generation if variousenergy resources such as wind,solar and hydro are harnessed.

The SADC EnergyMinisters meeting set for Aprilin Angola should provide fur-ther impetus for the region tofast track any rehabilitationwork and promote efficiency,coming as it does ahead of theWorld Cup tournament, a peri-od when the region, especiallythe host nation, can least affordpower disruptions.

A comprehensive plan isexpected to be approved bythe ministers to ensure thatSouth Africa and the rest ofthe region have adequatepower supply during theWorld Cup finals.

On the environment front,southern Africa together withthe rest of Africa will continue

to negotiate on a better cli-mate deal after failing toreach a consensus at therecent Copenhagen Summitheld in Denmark.

Africa favours anapproach in which develop-ing countries will be benefici-aries of technology transfer,capacity building and fund-ing to the tune of US$200 bil-lion a year by 2012, instead ofthe proposed US$100 billion ayear by 2020. (See page 3)

The year 2010 will alsosee southern Africa preparefor the Convention onInternational Trade inEndangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES).

The long-running globaldebate over African elephantsfocuses on the benefits thatincome from ivory sales maybring to conservation and tocommunities living side-by-side with the elephants, espe-cially in countries that have asurplus elephant populationsuch as Botswana, SouthAfrica and Zimbabwe.

Member States are stillpreparing ratification anddomestication of the SADCProtocol on Gender andDevelopment approved bySummit in 2008, and will jointhe rest of the world in review-ing the Beijing + 15 PlatformFor Action (PFA) that aims toadvance gender equality.

The last review in 2005showed that, despite impor-

MALAWI HAS been electedto chair the African Union, tak-ing over from Libya at theSummit in Ethiopia in January.

The AU chair rotatesaccording to regions andSADC leaders endorsed thecandidacy of Malawi'sPresident, Bingu waMutharika, ahead of theSummit. He said Malawi'sterm will focus on food securi-ty, infrastructure and energy.

tant milestones, SADC gov-ernments still face challengesin meeting the PFA targets,although significant progresshas been made.

The African Union, at itsSummit last year, declared theAfrican Decade on Genderstarting 2010, and SADC willjoin the rest of the continent incelebrating achievementsmade by women over theyears as well as acceleratingimplementation of policiesthat promote equality.

On the political field, 2010brings elections in at leasttwo SADC Member States.The United Republic ofTanzania is set to go to thepolls in October whileMauritius is to hold itsNational Assembly electionin July and LocalGovernment polls in October.

The SADC-brokered agree-ment in Madagascar whichrequires the country to holdelections this year is on shakyground as the parties havefailed to honour their com-mitments.

In Zimbabwe, a major targetfor this year is the drafting of anew Constitution to replace the30-year-old, much-amendeddocument that came as part ofthe independence negotiationsin 1979. The constitution-mak-ing process is provided for inthe SADC-brokered GlobalPolitical Agreement signed in2008 leading to an inclusivegovernment in 2009.

Angola has written its ownpiece of history when parlia-ment passed its first home-grown Constitution on 21January 2010.

The President of theDemocratic Republic ofCongo, Joseph Kabila, thecurrent SADC Chairperson,will hand over the rotatingchair to Namibian PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba at theannual Summit to be held inWindhoek later this year.(sardc.net) r

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 3

Expectations not met in CopenhagenEXPECTATIONS FOR south-ern Africa and the continentwere not met at theCopenhagen conference onclimate change in December.

The conference on theUnited Nations FrameworkConvention on ClimateChange ended without alegally binding agreement butrather a political agreement,the Copenhagen Accord.

Southern Africa expresseddissatisfaction with the con-tents of the Accord as expecta-tions were not met, especiallyregarding binding emissiontargets and financial contribu-tions to tackle the impacts ofclimate change due to rise inglobal average temperatures.

While the Accord statesthat developed countriescommitted themselves tojointly mobilize US$100 bil-lion a year by 2020 and anadditional US$30 billion forthe period 2010-12, for adap-tation and mitigation in vul-nerable countries, this fell farshort of Africa's expectations.

The Accord makes refer-ence to 50 percent reductionof emissions by developedcountries by 2050 comparedto 1990 levels with no imme-diate 2020 commitments.

“It does not give legallybinding commitments forindustrialized countries andhas no mid-term targets,”said Zambia's EnvironmentMinister, Cathrine Namugala.Africa and the rest of devel-oping countries wanted therich nations to cut emissionsto at least 40 percent belowthe 1990 levels by 2020.

Africa also wanted deepercuts by developed countriesto reach at least 80 percentbelow 1990 levels by 2050.

While the Accord recog-nizes the need to keep globaltemperature rises below 2degrees, Africa says new cli-mate studies show the dan-gers are even greater thanthought just a few years ago.

Increased rates of meltingglaciers including those onMount Kilimanjaro – fasterthan recorded by theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) – pro-vide evidence to this effect. Assuch, Africa argues global tem-perature rises should be keptbelow 1.5 degrees.

The agreement also fallsshort of providing a crediblepathway for reaching theobjective. The Accord leftdomestic pledges on emis-sions to be submitted by endof January 2010.

In an attempt to appease thedemands of the developingnations and small island states,the Accord, which is set to bereviewed in 2016, wouldinclude possible strengtheningof the long-term goal to limitthe increase in global averagetemperature to 1.5 degrees.

The Accord also commitsdeveloping countries toemission reductions, butonly in the context of futuredevelopment. These coun-tries would have to report ontheir emission cuts everytwo years.

“The developed countrieswill give percentage of emis-sion reduction while develop-ing countries will give nation-ally appropriate mitigationaction. By February (2010) wewill have a fair idea of whatcountries are willing to com-mit,” the IPCC Chairman,Rajendra Pachauri, said.

He also said action will betaken soon after, to use thesubmissions as a basis for cre-ating a legally binding agree-ment within a reasonableperiod of time.

While the Accord is volun-tary, there is an incentive thatmight encourage many devel-oping nations to join as itpromises funding to helppoor nations deal with cli-mate change.

Batilda Burian from theUnited Republic of Tanzania

said the conference reachedpromising stages and has laida good foundation for the cli-mate summit which will beheld in Mexico in December2010, although it failed toagree on most of the Africanrecommendations.

Dr Burian said apart fromthe money, African countriesrequested that they should beempowered technologicallyso that they could effectivelydeal with the effects of cli-mate change, but nothing wasagreed upon.

While South Africa, India,Brazil, China and USA con-tributed in drafting theAccord, South Africa's negotia-tor Alf Wills said the resultingagreement was limited in thenumber of nations that accept-ed it, the 28 represented at thelate-night negotiations.

He however, said theAccord did have positive ele-ments that can be built uponat the next round of talks.

South Africa is negotiatingto reduce its emissions by 34-42 percent by 2020, dependingon the amount of aid given.

The Accord also recognizedthe need to provide funds tosave forests as carbon sinksand to create market mecha-nisms – a reference to carbontrading systems – to promoteemissions reductions.

This commitment was con-firmed by the formation of theCopenhagen Climate ChangeFund to sponsor environmen-tal projects such as those forreforestation.

The Accord states that onlydeveloping countries thataccept financial support fortheir reduction projects haveto accept international moni-toring and verification oftheir reductions.

While the Copenhagen out-comes were not satisfactory,some delegates to the confer-ence say outright failure toagree on anything at all wouldhave been very much worse.

The Parties agreed to “takenote” of the Accord ratherthan formally adopt it andresolved to meet again inBonn, Germany, around Junefor a preliminary meeting asa build-up to the nextConference of the Parties(COP 16) to be hosted byMexico in December 2010. r

P O L I C Y

Main points ofCopenhagen Accord

l Climate change is one of thegreatest challenges of our time.

l Deep cuts in global emissions arerequired according to science,and as documented by the IPCCFourth Assessment Report witha view to reduce global emis-sions so as to hold the increase inglobal temperature below 2degrees Celsius, and take actionto meet this objective consistentwith science and on the basis ofequity.

l Adaptation to the adverse effectsof climate change and the poten-tial impacts of response measuresis a challenge faced by all coun-tries.

l Annex I Parties commit to imple-ment individually or jointly thequantified economy-wide emis-sions targets for 2020,

l Non-Annex I Parties to theConvention will implement miti-gation actions, including those tobe submitted to the secretariat bynon-Annex I Parties.

l The crucial role of reducingemission from deforestation andforest degradation was recog-nized.

l There is need to pursue variousapproaches, including opportuni-ties to use markets, to enhance thecost-effectiveness of, and to pro-mote mitigation actions.

l Scaled up, new and additional,predictable and adequate fund-ing as well as improved accessshall be provided to developingcountries… including substantialfinance to reduce emissions fromdeforestation and forest degrada-tion (REDD-plus].

l Copenhagen Green Climate Fundto support projects, programmes,policies and other activities indeveloping countries related tomitigation including REDD-plus,adaptation, capacity building,technology development andtransfer. r


A REDUCTION in importsby Botswana has led to adrop in its annual revenueshare from the SouthernAfrican Customs Union(SACU). Though Botswanahas maintained its status asthe second biggest economyafter South Africa, its annualshare has plummeted to R5.6billion.

Minister of Finance andDevelopment Planning,Kenneth Matambo, has sinceindicated that the money,though not enough, will beused to finance the country's2010/2011 budget.

A ministry official said theactual SACU revenues forrecent fiscal years such as2008/09 collections werelower than forecast, hencethere is a deficit in theCommon Revenue Pool.

South Africa is said tohave proposed a review ofthe SACU-sharing formular a i s e d d u r i n g l a s tSeptember's Council ofMinisters meeting.

The formula shows thatthe country with the biggesteconomy gets the biggestshare when the revenue is dis-tributed.

SACU, whose main objec-tive is to facilitate the cross-border movement of goodsbetween the Member States aswell as to promote conditionsof fair competition, wasreported to be under threat ofcollapse after South Africathreatened to withdraw.

This came after Botswana,Lesotho and Swazilandinitialed an interimEconomic PartnershipAgreement (EPA) with the

they would endorse a fullagreement when outstandingissues are addressed.

These issues include tradecoverage of the agreement,non-discrimination clauses,export taxes, safeguards andrules of origin.

Negotiations on Sanitaryand Phyto-Sanitary Standards(SPS) and Technical Barriers

to Trade (TBT), as wellas those on trade facili-tation are close to anagreement.

Significant progresshas been made on agri-culture and services.Discussions on othertrade-related areas suchas investment, intellec-tual property, govern-ment procurement, sus-tainable developmentor competition areongoing. r

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEENAfrican, Caribbean andPacific countries and theEuropean Union on EconomicPartnership Agreements(EPAs) are still underwayalbeit with challenges over anumber of issues.

The EPAs are being negoti-ated by the EuropeanCommission (EC) on behalf ofthe European Union (EU),with six groups of African,Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)countries. Four of the groupsare in Africa.

These are SADC, Easternand Southern Africa (ESA) orthe Common Market for Eastand Southern Africa (COME-SA), Economic Community ofCentral African States(CEMAC), and the EconomicCommunity of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS).

The membership in thesenegotiating African groups isnot exactly the same as themembership of the RegionalEconomic Communities(RECs) known by these names.

For example, the SADCgroup is not made up ofall Member States of theREC. The SADC negotiatinggroup consists ofAngola, Botswana, Lesotho,Mozambique, Namibia,Swaziland and the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania – nowcommonly referred to as the“SADC Seven” by the ECnegotiating team.

South Africa participatesin the same group as the“SADC Seven”, however,only as an observer as thecountry already has tradeagreements with Europe.

Malawi, Mauritius,Madagascar, Zambia andZimbabwe are negotiatingunder the ESA/COMESAgroup while the DemocraticRepublic of Congo is in theCEMAC group.

Some members of COME-SA are not negotiating theEPAs, such as Egypt andLibya who also have tradeagreements with Europe.

Experts have attributedthis fragmented approach tothe EPAs as a major stum-bling block to the negotiationprocess. They argue that adeal could be reached ifAfrica negotiates as asingle block.

They further arguethat the EPAs must sup-port regional and conti-nental integration amongAfrican countries andnot undermine them.

Initiated in a fewyears back, the EPAs aredesigned to promotefree trade between theEU and ACP countries.

The EPAs offer dutyfree, quota free, access

Botswana share of SACU revenue plummets

T R A D E

for all exports from Africa,with transition periods forsuch goods as rice and sugar.In return, the continentshould also liberalize its mar-ket to EU imports.

A number of countriesfrom Africa, including south-ern Africa, such as Mauritiusand Zimbabwe, have signedinterim EPAs, indicating that

European Union (EU) inwhich the EU will offer theSADC-EPA states duty- andquota-free market accessfor all products. SouthAfrica and Namibia havedelayed the signing of theaccord.

According to a recentstudy by the BotswanaInstitute for DevelopmentPolicy Analysis (BIDPA), theEPA has a potential of dissolv-ing SACU as all SACU mem-bers are also members ofSADC.

This came after the SADCFree Trade Agreement cameinto force in January 2008with an estimated 85 percentof all trade in goods havingbeen liberalised, andthe remaining tariff linesexpected to be phased outby 2012. (Botswana Gazette) r

Africa-EU negotiations on EPAs hobble on


SOUTHERN AFRICANcountries have set the toneahead of the Convention onInternational Trade inEndangered Species (CITES)scheduled for March in Doha,Qatar.

CITES has provided along-running global debateover African elephantswith focus on the benefitsthat income from ivory salesmay bring to conservationand to communities livingside-by-side with the ele-phants.

The debate also centres onconcerns about whetherlimited ivory sales encouragepoaching. At the last CITESmeeting, four southernAfrican countries with bal-looning elephants popula-tions – Botswana, Namibia,South Africa and Zimbabwe –

THE MAURITIUS economyis expected to grow by 4.5percent in 2010, according tothe country’s central bank.

This is up from an earliergovernment forecast of 4.3percent, and should be accu-rate barring any policychange or major externalshock, the head of the centralbank has said.

Governor RundheersingBheenick said an upwardrevision for the global econo-my by the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) willprovide the Indian Oceanisland's almost US$10 billioneconomy with an “upwardspull”.

“It seems like the (global)recovery will be robust andwe can only benefit fromthat,” Bheenick said.

“Although there are someworries about the timing andcoordination of exit strategiesin major markets, we do notbelieve there is any risk of adouble dip or prolonged stag-nation.”

Gross domestic productgrowth slowed to 2.8 percentin 2009 from an above 5 per-cent average for the previousthree years, as demand forkey exports dropped andlocal consumer demandcrumpled.

The Indian Ocean Island,which exports textiles andsugar, is a popular tourismdestination for visitors fromEurope, Africa, the MiddleEast and Asia.

It also has a thrivingoffshore financial sector.(Allafrica.com)

were given rights to restrictedtrade in ivory products as analternative to a total ban, inrecognition of their conserva-tion efforts.

Speaking ahead of the con-vention, Namibia, the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania and

Zambia have said that theytoo should be allowed totrade in ivory. Trading isrestricted to a one-off ivoryauction.

“We will support Tanzaniaand Zambia's proposalbecause it is in line with ourphilosophy of utilizing ournatural resources sustain-ably,” Namibia's permanentsecretary for Environment

Mauritius economy to grow by4.5 percent this year

Debswana targets 20 millioncarats in 2010

and Tourism, KalumbiShangula said.

The three countries haveurged CITES to considerdown-listing their elephantpopulations from AppendixI to Appendix II.

Appendix I prohibits alltrade in animals and plantspecies, while Appendix IIallows trade if it is moni-tored.

As in previous meetings,some African countries suchas Kenya and Mali are expect-ed to oppose the proposal forAfrica to trade in ivory, argu-ing that any resumption ofivory trade could result inmore elephants being slaugh-tered.

If southern African coun-tries manage to have a one-offsale, it would be the thirdtime since the world bancame into force in 1989, afterthe wholesale killing of ele-phants in East Africa in the1980s. r

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

Southern African state seeks ivory auction

T R A D E

BOTSWANA'S DIAMOND mining giant, DebswanaDiamond Company, says it is targeting to produceat least 20 million carats of diamonds which levels to around60 percent of its normal production in the year 2010.

Group Manager for Public and Corporate Affairs, EstherKanaimba-Senai said despite the fact that the diamond mar-ket continues to reel from the global economic downturn, thecompany is ready to respond to market demand and wouldramp up production accordingly.

She said the company produced approximately 17.1 mil-lion carats of diamonds in 2009 which is equivalent to around50 percent of its normal levels as compared to the 33.6 million

carats it produced in 2007,and is ready to respond tothe market demand.

She indicated, however,that, based on currenttrends, production mightreach full capacity onlyin the year 2012.(Mmegi) r

Elephant population needs to be kept to manageable levels

Gautrain test-run set for March

SYSTEM TRIAL operations of the Gautrain are set to begin inMarch on the section between Sandton station in Johannesburgand the OR Tambo International Airport.

According to spokesperson Dr Barbara Jensen, the Bombelaconsortium is expected to complete 10-week trial runs in May.

Although, in terms of the contract, the completion date forthe first phase is 27 June, Bombela hopes to bring this date for-ward by a month, so as to have the line in public service in timefor the Soccer World Cup kick-off in June.

All electrical and mechanical installation work has beencompleted, with only some automatic fare collection equip-ment outstanding.

The Gautrain feeder bus depot at Midrand is to be finishedin February. Stations at the airport, Rhodesfield, Marlboro andSandton are planned for completion before the end of May.

Track installation for phase two should be finished by theend of 2010, as well as power supply and distribution work.

The whole of the line from Park station in Johannesburg toHatfield in Pretoria together with all infrastructures is sched-uled for completion in 2011. (Railways Africa)r


SADC HAS said it is open toinitiatives of investors fromthe private sector to buildbasic infrastructure such astransport corridors, projectsfor water and energy supply,information technology, andcommunication and borderconservation areas.

Speaking at an investmentmeeting in Luanda, the SADCDeputy Executive Secretary,João Caholo, said those whowant to invest in one of the 15countries of the communityshould visit the SADCSecretariat in Botswana to getmore information on the proj-ects.

He said the region has thepotential to be a surplus pro-ducer of electricity and other

sectors, but there is need tocreate suitable legal condi-tions to attract investments.

With regards to tourism,Caholo said work is beingdone to attract tourists com-

I N F R A S T R U C T U R E

THE AFRICAN Union hasannounced plans to create aninvestment bank to financeprivate sector developmentswithin the continent, as partof efforts to put the continenton a sound growth pathtowards its industrialization.

AU Commissioner forEconomic Affairs MaxwellMkwezalamba said talks onthe formation of the conti-nental development bank

were underway to give thecontinent's investors accessto much-needed capital tofinance development initia-tives.

“Africa's industrialisationdream would be unthinkablein the absence of the privatesector,” Mkwezalamba saidat the opening session of theAU-sanctioned AfricaPrivate Sector Forum, con-vened to explore continentalinitiatives to industrialiseAfrica.

Africa's leading businessminds, including bankers,financiers, mobile phonecompany chiefs, airline exec-utives and security experts,gathered at the AU hub todiscuss available investmentopportunities in Africa.

The forum aimed to sensi-tise the African populace onanti-graft efforts needed topush the industrialisationprocess, in addition to seek-ing to put the economic inte-gration of Africa on a fast-track while creating workingrelationships with Africa'sprivate sector.

Mkwezalamba said thecontinent's private sectorfirms were incapable of com-peting on a global scalebecause of their inabilityto produce industrialisedgoods on a massive scale.

In addition, he said,African industries are oftenbogged down by poorinvestment policies.

“The private sector has akey role in Africa's industri-alisation. The potential for

the private sector to pushAfrica's industrialisationthrough investments ininfrastructure and educationcan make Africa more com-petitive.”

He said Africa stands tobenefit from the right invest-ment policies, targetedinvestments in preventingclimate change impacts suchas drought, and fighting cor-ruption, if the continent'sprivate sector players targettheir social responsibilityinvestments on climatechange.

Ethiopia's industry minis-ter, Tadesse Haile, said theprivate sector was Africa'sonly hope for industrialisa-tion, because of the growingbudget shortfalls that mostAfrican states face, leavinglittle or no funds for extrainvestments in roads, elec-tricity and education.

“The budgetary con-straints make it more diffi-cult for Africa to invest ininfrastructure, that is whywe require the private sectorto work with us in the pri-vate-public partnerships,"the Ethiopian Minister toldthe delegates.

He said Africa's privatesector, in its current form,was "weak and fragmented"and unable to compete,adding this could beaddressed if the govern-ments worked together toeliminate tedious taxationprocedures and ensure non-discriminatory investmentrules. (Africanews) r

ing to Africa for the AfricanCup of Nations in Angola andthe World Cup in SouthAfrica.

The investment meetingwas part of the “SADC 2010”

programmed aimed at ensur-ing that the region benefitsfrom the international expo-sure associated with hostingtwo major events in 2010.(Angola Press) r

Region open for investment

African Union to create investment bank


by Egline Tauya

THE JANUARY to March2010 climatic projections justreleased show more rainfallfor most parts of southernAfrica than in the first half ofthe season, October toDecember 2009.

The predictions are stilllargely consistent with theforecast of the 13th SouthernAfrican Regional ClimateOutlook Forum (SARCOF-13)held in August 2009.

As forecast in SACORF 13,normal to above-normal rain-fall is expected across thenorthern half of continentalSADC, Madagascar andMauritius, with some areasreceiving above normal-tonormal rainfall.

This covers the northern-most parts of Angola, west-ern Botswana, DemocraticRepublic of Congo, southernLesotho, Malawi, northern-most parts of Mozambique,easternmost parts of Namibia,southern portions of SouthAfrica, United Republic ofTanzania, Zambia, and north-ern half of Zimbabwe.

Climate experts in theseregions have already provid-ed warnings of the likelihoodof floods.

However, below-normal tonormal rainfall with longerthan normal dry spells arelikely in the remainder of thesubregion.

In line with the earlier fore-cast, this covers easternBotswana, northern Lesotho,southern Mozambique,northern South Africa,Swaziland, and southernZimbabwe.

Areas with a high likeli-hood of below-normal tonormal rainfall includesouthwest Angola, westernNamibia, and south-westernSouth Africa.

From a farming perspec-tive, the long dry spells usual-ly come when rainfall is mostrequired by crops, particular-ly cereals, thus negativelyaffecting crop production.

Climate experts point outthat this update is relevant onlyfor three-month timeframesand relatively large areas.

Local to month-to-monthvariations may occur andusers are strongly advised tocontact their national meteor-ological and hydrologicalservices for interpretation ofthe outlook (shown in detail inthe map below).

The rainfall outlook wasprepared by climate scientistsfrom national meteorologicaland hydrological servicesfrom the SADC region as wellas the Drought MonitoringCentre and the InternationalResearch Institute for Climateand Society.

In developing the outlook,experts take into account theprevailing and expected seasurface temperature anomaliesover the Pacific, Indian andAtlantic Oceans as well asother factors that affect the cli-mate of the SADC region,including the IndianDownpour and atmosphericcirculation processes that bringmoisture into the region.

In view of these factors, thewetter than normal conditionsin some parts of the regionand the drier than normal inthe other parts are linked tothe effects of the El Niño phe-nomenon.

The impact of El Niño in theSADC region has varied signif-icantly in its severity, though itgenerally has a greater impactin the southern half.

El Niño events have histor-ically produced extremeweather conditions in south-ern Africa, that is, floodsand drought.

Warmer than average con-ditions have persisted in thetropical Pacific since June2009 and El Niño conditionsare well established withmodels projecting persistencethrough April/May 2010.

Sea surface temperatureanomalies became positivesince 2009, consistent with ElNiño years.

El Niño refers to the warmphase of a naturally occurringsea surface temperature oscil-lation in the tropical PacificOcean, while La Niña refers tothe cooling phase of the samesea surface temperature oscil-lation.

Studies of historical cli-mate data show that therecent El Niño variation ismost likely linked to globalwarming.

Records provide evidencethat during the last fourdecades the number of ElNiño events increased whilethe number of La Niña eventsdecreased.

The former phenomenon isknown to occur approximate-

F O O D S E C U R I T Y

Rainfall forecast points to improved season ly every four to seven years,but the last four El Niñosincluding the current one,have occurred every two tothree years.

While well-established, cli-mate experts note that thecurrent El Niño condition israther weak and does not nec-essarily point to a drought insouthern Africa.

Also forecast is a decreaseof the El Nino conditions from90 to 50 percent up to June2010, when the La Niña condi-tions are forecast to start toincrease.

Climate experts note thatbelow-normal rainfall doesnot translate to a drought,neither does above-normaltranslate to floods. There aremany climatic factors whichcome into play.

Above-normal rainfall isdefined as being within thewettest third of historicallyrecorded rainfall amountswhile below-normal is withinthe driest third of rainfallamounts and normal beingthe middle third. (sardc.net) r

January-February-March 2010 SADC rainfall outlook

The numbers of each zone indicate the probabilities of rainfall. The top number indicates theprobability of rainfall occurring in the above-normal category, the middle, number is fornormal and the bottom is for below normal. As such the phrases “normal to above-normal”and “above-normal to normal” cannot be used interchangeably.


Expanding access to energy in east and southern Africa

E N E R G Y

Gas-to-electricity project adds to SouthAfrica's renewable energy

Botswana, Zimbabwe to build fuel pipeline BOTSWANA AND Zimbabwe are planning to build a fuel pipeline link-ing Harare with Francistown.

“Our Ministers of Energy met in Francistown last year (2009) andagreed to work together within the regional thrust of co-operation. TheHarare-Francistown pipeline is one of the projects that are being lookedat,” the Zimbabwean Ministry of Energy and Power Development said.

The Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Justin Mupamhanga, was quot-ed in local media as saying “An inter-governmental memorandum ofunderstanding is being finalized and will give a framework on the imple-mentation of the project.”

The Harare-Francistown pipeline is expected to be a continuationfrom the existing Harare-Beira pipeline for importation of fuel toZimbabwe.

“Botswana is considering transporting its fuel supplies through Beiraas an alternative to South Africa, necessitating the construction of thepipeline,” Mupamhanga said.

“There is also serious consideration on their (Botswana) part to bring inthe fuel through road and rail pending the finalization of the pipeline proj-ect,” he said. r

A LANDMARK project that converts gas from household waste intoelectricity has been officially launched in South Africa.

A first for Africa, the project will produce enough electricity for thou-sands of medium-income homes.

It will also inject tens of millions of Rands into the city coffersthrough the sale of electricity and certified emission reduction credits,also known as carbon credits.

But the real winner will be the environment. Millions of cubic metersof greenhouse gases that would otherwise have escaped into the atmos-phere each year, contributing to global warming, will now be convertedinto clean electricity.

The project is currently operating at the Marianhill and La Mercylandfills and will be extended to the larger Bisasar Road landfill.

Speaking at the official launch ceremony, the Minister of Energy,Dipuo Peters, said the project will accelerate the use of renewable ener-gy and deal with energy challenges, adding that it is an important partof the government's strategic vision to be more sustainable and to tack-le climate change.

She said government recognizes that renewable energy will signifi-cantly contribute to energy supply security by increasing diversificationof energy sources, expanding access to energy services and contributingto sustainable development through the optimum use of cleaner energyresources.

“A number of renewable energy sources and technologies are avail-able in South Africa, but most still need to be developed to their fullpotential.”

Peters said that while the project will address the waste managementand energy demand, it is also expected to reduce poverty by creating

ZIMBABWE IS opening up its doors to investors for its energy sector,Energy and Power Development Minister Engineer Elias Mudzuri hassaid, adding that the government is considering offering tax holidays forinvestors willing to participate in the development of large power proj-ects in the country.

Mudzuri told delegates at the Southern African Energy Week confer-ence, in Johannesburg, South Africa, that the government is hoping toattract investors to participate in the development of the energy sectorthrough public-private partnerships or any other joint venture model, aswell as participation from independent power producers.

The country is producing about 1,100 megawatts of electricity onaverage, with a peak demand of about 2,100MW.

Mudzuri said that the government has come up with short-termmeasures to try and mitigate current shortages, noting that this includedthe rehabilitation of a number of power stations and transmission anddistribution systems.

There are also plans to expand the Hwange coal-fired power stationby 600MW and the Kariba hydropower station by about 300MW. Thereis further potential to expand power generation capacity throughhydropower projects, which could deliver an additional 5,000MW.

This includes the Batoka gorge project on the Zambezi River, involv-ing Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Other smaller hydropower projects that could be constructed nearsmall rivers and dams could add more than 200MW to the country'sgeneration capacity.

Mudzuri noted that Zimbabwe is looking for independent powerproducers to help to develop or set up these projects, saying that pro-ducers did not necessarily have to export the power to the national grid.

Zimbabwe is also looking at renewable energy sources, such as solar,wind, biomass and bagasse. The national electricity supply companyrequires about US$385 million to upgrade and replace vandalizedequipment, while the World Bank has put the cost of rehabilitating theHwange Thermal Power Station at US$135 million. (The Herald) r

bids to build the facility have come in from other firms in South Koreaand Germany.

The plant would be built on a 50/50 basis by Namibia and Angola,which would share the electricity produced.

“The construction will take between five to eight years, and may kickoff in March once all feasibility studies are completed,” he said. (TheNamibian) r

NAMIBIA AND Angola plan to build a joint US$7 billion hydro powerplant on a river that runs along their common border to produce 400megawatts of electricity, a senior government official has said.

Namibia's deputy director for electricity in the Ministry of Mines andEnergy, Daniel Zaire, said the construction of the proposed Epupa Hydroproject on the Kunene River should start this year.

He said the project is likely to be constructed by a Brazilian state firmand three other companies from the South American country. He said

Namibia, Angola to build hydro plant

Zimbabwe woos energy investors

Came

Nigeria

Ghana

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Guinea

SierraLeone

Liberia

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Gab


E N E R G Y

employment opportunities, improving health status and air quality throughreducing the release of harmful greenhouse gases, and contributing towardsthe country's skills development plan.

The landfill gas project received R17.3 million through the Department ofTrade and Industry's Critical Infrastructure Programme.

Total project income revenue is estimated around R4.5 million per monthrealized from the sale of carbon credits and the sale of electricity.(BuaNews) r

MOZAMBIQUE AND India are investing US$10 million in building afactory to manufacture solar panels in the Belulune Industrial Park onthe outskirts of Maputo.

Energy Minister Salvador Namburete laid the first stone for the newfactory in December 2009. Construction is expected to take one year.When operational, the factory will employ 70 people, including 15engineers trained in India.

He said that initially the raw materials for assembling the solar pan-els will be imported from India, but he hoped that later, Mozambicancompanies can be identified to manufacture some of the components.

Currently, Mozambique imports the solar panels used to provideelectricity for schools, health posts and other public institutions that arenot linked to the national electricity grid.

Namburete said that the initiative to build the factory arises as part ofthe government's strategy to use all available energy resources, includ-ing solar power and other renewable energies, for the country's devel-opment.

This is only the first factory, he added, since it could not possiblyserve the entire country. “We want this initiative to be repeated in otherparts of Mozambique.” (AIM) r

First stone laid for solar panel factory

Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia powerlink on courseTANZANIA AND Kenya have reached agreement with Norwayto carry out a feasibility study for the construction of a transmis-sion line to connect the two countries.

The joint project, which also involves Zambia, is estimated atUS$860 million. Zambia has authorized the other two countriesto take the lead in formally presenting the project to potentiallenders and donors.

When operational, the project is expected to create a powerexchange market among the three countries and form the back-bone for a regional power exchange with what should result inlow-cost power supply and optimization in the use of energyresources.

The interconnector would also strengthen trade in electricitywithin the Southern African Power Pool through the Zambia-Tanzania interconnection and the East African Power Poolthrough the Ethiopia-Tanzania interconnection).

SAPP and EAPP are regional bodies that coordinate the plan-ning, generation, transmission and marketing of electricity onbehalf of the utilities in Member State in their respective regions.

In a statement released by Kenya and the United Republic ofTanzania following the signing of a grant agreement with Norwayin December, the countries said feasibility studies and environ-mental impact assessments will be carried out in May.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania will finance thestudies, expected to run for 15 months, at a cost of US$3.4 mil-lion.

“The interconnection will start from a proposed 400kV substa-tion at Isinya, about 40km south of Nairobi to Singida inTanzania, where a 400kV substation is planned by Tanescothrough Arusha,” said the statement, adding that the line will be510 km long.

The interconnector is expected to be linked to future intercon-nections among Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic ofCongo, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, expected to be operationalin 2014 under the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary ActionProgramme (NELSAP).

The action programme aims among other things to promoteinvestment in power development, power transmission and tradein the Nile Equatorial Lakes. Countries under the NELSAP areBurundi, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Sudan.

The interconnector will also connect to other future intercon-nectors that are planned in the SADC region by SAPP.

These include the Central Transmission Corridor Network thatinvolves Botswana and Zimbabwe, the MozambiqueTransmission Backbone and the Zimbabwe-Zambia-Botswana-Namibia (ZIZABONA) transmission project.

The SADC region is moving towards constructing more trans-mission interconnections across Member States to ensure coun-tries benefit from new generation capacity installed in variousparts of the region.

SADC is not fully interconnected as Angola, Malawi and theUnited Republic of Tanzania are not yet connected to the region-al power grid.

This means that any surplus generation capacity installed inany of the three countries cannot be realized by the nine SAPPmembers, namely, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Mozambique,Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Building interconnections in the region will also create newcorridors that can support industrial development and improveenergy security in other parts of the region without necessarilybeing stifled by overloads on the existing transmission lines. r

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Swaziland

T O W A R D S 2 0 1 0

Swaziland preparesfor 2010 finals

TWO-THIRDS OF the avail-able tickets have been sold forthe World Cup Finals in SouthAfrica after three of the five tick-et sales phases.

The third phase of ticket sales,which concluded with a randomdraw for oversubscribed matcheson 1 February, saw a total of1,206,865 applications receivedfrom 192 countries.

Six matches are oversub-scribed, among them the semi-finals and the final match. Intotal, 55 matches are oversub-scribed in at least one category.

There was huge interest fromSouth African residents, whoaccounted for 79 percent of thetotal applications received(958,381) in this phase.

This represents an increase of24.9 percent in applicationsfrom South African residents inthe third sales phase when com-pared to the earlier ticketingstages.

Apart from the host country,the United States led the ticket

standings for the third phasewith 50,217 applications, fol-lowed by the United Kingdom(41,529), Australia (15,523),Mexico (14,804), Germany(14,647) and Brazil (10,767).

Increased interest was alsonoted in the neighbouring coun-

SWAZILAND HAS intensifiedefforts to attract tourists comingto the 2010 Soccer World CupFinals in South Africa this year.

The Chief Executive Officer ofthe Swaziland Local OrganizingCommittee, Apollo Maphalala,said issues such as security havebeen strengthened to improvesafety.

He said efforts are underwayto facilitate a 24-hour operation atall borders to ensure smoothmovement of people during thefinals.

He said Mozambique, SouthAfrica and Swaziland are work-ing closely on tourism packagesto lure more visitors. They willbe able to have “Breakfastin Swaziland, Lunch inMozambique and Dinner in SouthAfrica,” as part of the package.

Director of the SwazilandMillennium Projects, LlyodDlamini, said the government is“putting finishing touches to theSikhuphe International Airport”to accommodate bigger aircraft.

Swaziland has also launchedthe local “Football FridayCampaign,” an initiative whichpromotes the wearing of soccerjerseys.

The South African World Cupmascot named “Zakumi”launched the campaign in 2009.The visit to Swaziland wasZakumi's first foray outsideSouth Africa.

Swaziland is home to numer-ous attractions and is a suitablevenue for training and camp as itsvenues are less than a 90-minuteflight from Johannesburg. r

Angola benefits from AFCON

Egypt lifts 2010African Cup for thirdtime in a row

THE CONSTRUCTION of newhotels and stadia, the improve-ment of roads and other trans-port networks, and staff trainingare some of the many benefitsderived from the hosting of the2010 African Cup of Nations inAngola.

These remarks were made bythe chairperson of the AngolanAssociation of Hotels,Restaurants and Similar Places(Ahoresia), João Gonçalves.

EGYPT HAS made history bybecoming the first team to winthe African Cup of Nationstournament three times in arow. Their latest victory inAngola in January also saw thenorth African nation increaseits tally to a record seven sincethe tournament was inaugurat-ed in 1957. Egypt beat Ghanaby one goal to nil in the finals.However, Egypt did not qualifyfor the World Cup Finals inSouth Africa, losing out toAlgeria in a tightly fought con-test.

The next African Cup ofNations is scheduled for jointhosting by Benin andEquatorial Guinea in 2012. r

Gonçalves said that withthe holding of the African Cuptournament, the countryopened itself to the worldand, therefore, showed that itis able to promote develop-ment.

He said it is now vital forthe country to build on thisachievement to promotegrowth in Angola and theentire southern African region.(Angola Press)

tries in southern Africa–Botswana leading with 2,519ticket applications, followed byMozambique (1,795) andNamibia (1,191).

The next phase of ticketsales is set to be later inFebruary and should end inApril. During this period, morethan 400,000 tickets will bemade available on a first-come,first-served basis.

From April onwards, ticket-ing centres will be open in eachhost city where fans will be ableto buy tickets over the counterand also collect their confirmedtickets.

To further enhance the serv-ice, ticketing call centres will beopen during the fourth salesphase – both internationally andin the host country. r


The Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, venue of the World Cup opening andfinal matches. The South African mascot, Zakumi will be prominent at the matches.

Soccer fans scramble for tickets to World Cup finals


T O W A R D S 2 0 1 0

SADC aviation industry ready for 2010 World Cup finals

UNIVISA will promote tourism in SADC

Maradona: South African people areloving and friendlyTHE ARGENTINEAN headcoach, Diego Maradona, sayssecurity is not a threat to 2010FIFA World Cup in SouthAfrica.

Speaking to reporters atSoccer City in Johannesburg,the football legend said he willtell his players not to worryabout security when he gotback to his country after con-cluding his recent five-day visitto South Africa.

“I have only stayed fivedays in South Africa, butI've realized that the impres-sion about this country waswrong. People are loving andfriendly.

“I have no doubt that theSoccer World Cup will be a suc-cess and I will also tell my play-ers not to worry about security,but to remain focused on play-ing football,” he said.

Asked about his impressionabout the newly revampedSoccer City stadium, Maradonasaid: “I would have liked to

play, but now that my time isover, I will use my efforts to getmy team to the final of the tour-nament.

Before going to Soccer City,Maradona visited a local sec-ondary school, where he donat-ed his national team jersey tothe school soccer team. He alsogave the school caps, sportsshoes and two computers.

At Soccer City, he juggledwith a ball shortly after heexchanged his number 10jersey with the ChiefExecutive Officer of the LocalOrganizing Committee,Danny Jordaan.

Maradona concluded hisvisit at Orlando West HighSchool, a few meters fromformer President NelsonMandela's house.

The Argentinean coacharrived in the country toassess sports facilities inPretoria to be used by his teamduring the Soccer World Cup.(BuaNews) r

THE AVIATION industryin southern Africa is activelypreparing to move thousandsof visitors to and from the2010 Soccer World Cupfinals in South Africa thisyear.

More than 90,000 soccer fansand officials mainly from quali-fying countries are expected tocome to South Africa for thefinals, according to the worldgoverning body, FIFA.

This is in addition to asmany as 400,000 tourists fromall over the world that areexpected to visit Africa duringthe tournament.

To ensure that this hugeturnout is catered for, and visi-tors travel smoothly across theregion, SADC Member Stateshave been refurbishing interna-tional airports and buildingnew ones ahead of the event setfor June-July.

Angola, which hosted the2010 Africa Cup of Nations inJanuary, spent more thanUS$270 million on rebuildingairports to ensure the smoothmovement of visitors to boththe African finals and theWorld Cup.

At the new International air-port in Luanda, refurbishmentincluded three new and mod-ern escalators, and the check-in

desks that have been increasedfrom 12 to 26.

In Botswana, renovation ofthe Sir Seretse KhamaInternational Airport is at anadvanced stage to handle big-ger aircraft.

The new airport building,designed in a diamond shapeis intended to introduceBotswana to every visitor as aworld leader in diamond min-ing.

Estimated at a cost of US$65million, the airport is set forcompletion just in time for theWorld Cup.

Mozambique is also spend-ing about US$80 million on theNacala airport to turn it into acommercial entry point andensure that the country is ableto accommodate more aircraftduring the month-long soccershowcase.

In Swaziland, plans areunderway to construct a newairport at Sikhuphe at a cost ofUS$67 million.

The new airport, with a big-ger runway, will allow interna-tional airlines to fly directly toSwaziland from destinationssuch as Europe and Asiainstead of going through SouthAfrica.

South Africa, as the hostnation, has invested millions of

dollars in refurbishing andconstructing new airports.These include the OR Tambo,Cape Town and DurbanInternational Airports.

Zambia and Zimbabwe arealso refurbishing their airportsahead of the world finals.Zambia is renovating theNdola International Airportwhile Zimbabwe is upgradingthe Victoria Falls Airport tointernational status.

Southern African countrieshave huge potential to attractmany tourists during thefinals as the region isendowed with numerousattractions that include thepristine coastal beaches,national parks and reservesteeming with wildlife, dramat-ic scenery and the rich tradi-tional culture.

Director of the SwazilandMillennium Projects, LlyodDlamini, said the governmentis “putting finishing touches tothe Sikhuphe InternationalAirport” to accommodate big-ger aircraft.

Swaziland has alsolaunched the local “FootballFriday Campaign,” an initia-tive which promotes the wear-ing of soccer jerseys.

The South African WorldCup mascot named “Zakumi”launched the campaign in 2009.The visit to Swaziland wasZakumi's first foray outsideSouth Africa.

Swaziland is home tonumerous attractions and is asuitable venue for training andcamp as its venues are less thana 90-minute flight fromJohannesburg. r

SOUTHERN AFRICA is working towards the creation of a sin-gle visa system, UNIVISA, for travellers in the SADC region.

Initiated a few years ago to promote the free movement ofpeople across borders, the launch of the UNIVISA had beenscheduled before the start of the 2010 Soccer World Cup finalsin June to allow thousand of tourists that will visit SADC forthe finals to move freely across borders between MemberStates.

Outstanding issues that still need to be addressed includeadministrative and coordination issues such as policy agree-ments, procedures and requirements for issuing the visa.

A UNIVISA has many advantages that include increasing themarket share for the region, easing congestion at border posts,and creating employment. r


G E N D E R

Modest progress towards Beijing commitmentsby Patience Zirima

THIS YEAR marks the 15-year review of the BeijingPlatform for Action and pro-vides an opportunity forsouthern Africa to take stockof its achievements since thePlatform for Action wassigned in 1995.

Recent reviews haveshown that despite importantmilestones being reached,African governments still facechallenges in meeting the tar-gets set in the Platform forAction (PFA).

Different regions in theworld have been undergoingregional reviews and south-ern African countries partici-pated in the Africa regionalreview meeting whichtook place from 16 - 20

November 2009 in Banjul,The Gambia.

In March 2010, the UNCommission on the Status ofWomen (CSW) will undertakethe global 15-year review ofthe implementation of thePFA.

The CSW will placeemphasis on sharing experi-ences and good practices so asto overcome the remainingchallenges.

The Banjul review notedprogress in some areas. Forexample, southern Africa hasput in place the SADCProtocol on Gender andDevelopment signed in 2008.

The Protocol encompassesregional, global and continen-tal instruments for achievinggender equality, including thePFA.

the African Union, at its sum-mit in January 2009.

The Banjul report, however,cited the lack of statistics, par-ticularly disaggregated datathat helps governments inreporting gender differentialsin several critical areas of con-cern. Where statistics are avail-able, they are not disaggregat-ed by gender.

There are still limitedresources available for genderequality. The report noted thatthere is need to increase finan-cial and human resources inorder to support the imple-mentation of the PFA andtranslate national political willinto concrete actions.

The Beijing PFA identified12 critical areas of concernthat need redress for genderequality and called for con-crete action and measures inthis regard.

Most countries and sub-regions adopted country- orregion-specific action plans tofacilitate implementation.

SADC identified six of thecritical areas of concern asregional priorities and theseare:l Institutional mechanisms

for mainstreaming gender;l Economic access;l Protection of the human

rights of women and chil-dren;

l Power-sharing and deci-sion-making;

l Women in the context ofarmed conflict and peacebuilding; and

l Gender capacity-building,training, networking andinformation dissemina-tion.Implementing the PFA is

mainly the responsibility ofgovernments but progresstowards these targets is theresult of efforts by all stake-holders including the privatesector and civil society.(sardc.net) r

THE NATIONAL Assemblyin Mozambique has electedVeronica Macamo to the postof Speaker of Parliament(President of the Assembly).

She becomes the firstwoman speaker in the historyof the National Assembly, sig-nalling another step towardsgender equality inMozambique and the SADCregion.

Macamo was the deputyspeaker prior to this appoint-ment. She replaces EduardoMulembue, who had occu-pied the post for the past 15years.

The new governmentannounced by PresidentArmando Guebuza is madeup of 29 cabinet ministers, ofwhich 7 are women.

Women occupy the min-istries of environment, labour,public service, state adminis-

tration, mineral resources,women’s affairs and socialwelfare, as well as theMinister in the President’sOffice for Parliamentary,Municipal and ProvincialAssembly Affairs.

The list of 22 deputy min-isters includes only threewomen, one of them in thekey economic ministry ofplanning and development,as well as environment, andeducation. Three womenwere also included in thenew list of 11 provincial gov-ernors.

Although the new cabinetfalls short of regional targetsfor representation of womenin government at 24 percent,the National Assembly shouldhave a higher profile and rep-resentation of women.

The electoral system inMozambique is based on

party lists and the Frelimoparty has a policy ofpresenting a woman candi-date as one of every threenames on its list. Therefore,women will occupy at leastone-third of seats on thegovernment bench in parlia-ment. r

The protocol is expected toaccelerate progress in achiev-ing targets towards genderequality as it sets specific,measurable targets towardsgender equality and women'sempowerment.

It will also ensure accounta-bility at the sub-regional levelas well as provide a forum forsharing best practices, peersupport and review.

Progress has also beenhighlighted in legal reformsand policies for gender equal-ity as well as in primaryschool enrolment and forsouthern Africa, an increaseof women in decision-makingpositions.

The Year 2010 is also signif-icant as it begins the decadethat has been declared theAfrican Decade on Gender by

First woman speaker for NationalAssembly in Mozambique


A F R I C A

Food security tops African agenda for 2010, Mutharika THE NEW African Unionchairperson, President Binguwa Mutharika of Malawi hasboldly set his priority saying,“no child in Africa should dieof hunger and malnutrition”.

Addressing African lead-ers at the recent AU Summitin Ethiopia, Mutharika saidthe continent is endowedwith vast fertile soils,favourable climate and waterbasins, which if utilized couldlead to a green revolution thathas the capacity to boost pro-duction and improve foodsecurity.

“Our agenda for Africashould focus on Agriculturea n d F o o d S e c u r i t y, ”Mutharika said in his accept-ance speech.

“Africa must share thisdream so that five years fromnow no child in Africa shoulddie of hunger and malnutri-tion. No child should go tobed hungry.”

Mutharika, who is alsoMinister of Agriculture andFood Security, said this ambi-tious dream is achievable asMalawi embarked on a simi-lar project in 2005 and hasgreatly benefited from thatapproach.

“We can grow enough foodto feed everyone in Africa,”he said, adding, “We havedone it in Malawi.”

Since the introduction ofvarious agricultural interven-tions such as grain subsidiesin 2005, Malawi has trebledmaize production from about1.2 million tonnes to 3.4 mil-lion tonnes in the 2007/08farming season.

The country has movedfrom being food deficit toone producing surplus grain.This phenomenal increase inproduction has saved thecountry a yearly budget ofmore than US$120 millionthat it had spent on import-ing food.

Mutharika, who won theinaugural regional food secu-rity policy award presentedby the Food Agriculture andNatural Resources PolicyAnalysis Network (FANR-PAN) in 2008, said the firststep toward achieving thedesired goal is to urgentlyembark on an extensiveregional food security pro-gramme.

These include allocatingsubstantial budgets to agri-culture and investing in tech-nology such as irrigation andimproved seeds, fertilizersand pesticides.

“Our slogan should be'feeding Africa through newtechnologies: let's act now',”he said, noting that develop-ments in InformationCommunication Technologyare vital in the current globalmarket.

The Malawian presidentsaid there is need for SADCMember States to invest in theconstruction of infrastruc-tures such as food storagefacilities, roads and railwaysto support food security.Improvements in infrastruc-ture will also promote thesmooth movement of foodsurplus to deficit areas moreefficiently and cheaper.

Mutharika urged Africa tofirst feed itself before export-ing as “we have a situationwhere we produce andexport food to the rest ofthe world while Africa is

starving.”He said the continent

must also come up with acomprehensive database onwhat the major staple foodsof the African people are,and which countries growsuch crops. Africa's majorstaple crops include maize,rice, millet, wheat, cassavaand yams.

Mutharika said such adatabase will encouragecountries that do not eat thesestaple food crops to export tothose that consume them. Theinformation should also playa major role in the develop-ment of agriculture and foodsecurity in Africa as it wouldallow farmers to access vitaldata on agricultural products,advanced technologies,research findings, as well asmarkets.

“I firmly believe that if wecould agree that food securityat the Africa level is a priority,then other priorities such asclimate change, transport andinfrastructure developmentwill also become a necessityto enhance flow of informa-tion, movement of people,goods and services includingthe production and supply ofagricultural inputs withinand among nations, regionsand the continent at large,” hesaid.

With regard to economicdevelopment, Mutharika, aformer World Bank econo-mist, said he will strive tostrengthen the foundation forsocio-economic growth in thecontinent and ensure thatAfrica speaks with a singlevoice at the Doha Roundof Talks, the EconomicPartnership Agreementsnegotiations, climate changecommitments, and debt reliefinitiatives.

He said Africa must alsowork together in attainingthe UN Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs)and the objectives of the NewPartnership for Africa'sDevelopment (NEPAD). Heurged the continent to utilizeits resources such as minerals,timber, fisheries and humanresources to address its chal-lenges.

“Africa cannot and mustnot live in the past. Africamust look to the future,” hesaid.

“The way forward is forthe AU to recognize that:'Africa is not a poor continent;but the people of Africa arepoor'. This is a very importantparadigm in determining thefuture of Africa.”

He said Europe and muchof the western world has notdeveloped through resolu-tions and declarations butthrough concrete action.

“I, therefore, appeal to youall for action, action and moreaction. Although Africa facesenormous challenges, Ibelieve that if we tackle themcollectively, rather than indi-vidually, we can overcomethem,” he said.

“We need to go beyonddecisions, resolutions anddeclarations. We must beginto act and implement ourdecisions.”

Mutharika took over therotating AU chair fromLibyan President MuammarGaddafi at the 14th AUSummit held on 31 Januaryto 2 February in AddisAbaba. SADC had endorsedthe candidature of Malawi asthe next AU chair was sup-posed to come from southernAfrica.

The next AU Summit thatwas scheduled for June inUganda has been moved toJuly to accommodate the 2010Soccer World Cup finals set totake place in South Africafrom mid-June to mid-July.The AU Summit is held twice


Zambia to hold constitutional referendum

Quiet year for elections in the region

by Patson Phiri

ZAMBIA'S CONSTITU-TION-MAKING process isbeing delayed by a proposalstipulating that a presidentialcandidate should garner 50-plus-one percent of the totalvotes cast to be declared thewinner.

The National ConstitutionalConference (NCC), a body thathas the mandate to considerproposed changes to the cur-rent constitution, has referredthe matter to the NationalReferendum.

The National Referendumis expected to call for an elec-tion in which Zambians willvote on the proposal.

NCC delegates, who metrecently to consider thechanges, voted for the pro-posal but failed to attainthe mandatory two-thirdsrequired to pass the proposalinto law.

A total of 446 delegatestook part with 260 voting forwhile 184 voted against. Theremaining votes were rejected.

The deadlock is expectedto affect government's plan-ning as the country is thiswould mean organizing twonational elections within ayear.

Zambia is scheduled tohold presidential elections nextyear. The Constitutional refer-endum is expected to be heldbefore the presidential polls.

Zambia is amending itsconstitution following recom-mendations of a nationalreport that called for changesin the country's electorallaws.

The 2004 report recom-mended that a winning presi-dential candidate shouldreceive at least 50-plus-onepercent of the total valid votescast to be declared the winner,or a rerun must be opened

within 30 days between thetwo candidates who wouldhave received the highestnumber of votes.

In the event of a tie in thererun, the team recommend-ed that the Speaker of theNational Assembly shouldsummon parliament to elect apresident between the twocandidates with the highestnumber of votes.

The Speaker or PresidingOfficer shall cast a determin-ing vote should there be a tiein parliament.

Currently, the candidatewith the highest number ofvotes cast is declared the win-ner. Political analysts say thiselectoral system has aidedminority parties and candi-dates to win elections.

For example, the presiden-tial elections in 2001, 2006 and2008 were won on minorityvotes of 29 percent, 43 percentand 42 percent, respectively.

The majority of seats inParliament were also securedon less than 40 percent of theregistered votes cast. A totalof 13 out of 150 seats werewon by more than 50 percentin 1991 elections. In the 2006polls, 17 seats were securedby over 50 percent.

THE YEAR 2010 is a relative-ly quiet period for the regionin terms of elections with onlytwo countries expected tohave polls, compared to fivein 2009.

The two countries areMauritius and the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania.

Mauritius is set to holdNational Assembly electionsin July and Local Governmentpolls in October. TheTanzanian polls are held inOctober.

The last legislative electionin Mauritius, in June 2005,was won by the main opposi-tion alliance, the SocialAlliance comprisingMauritius Labour Party(MLP) and the MauritianSocial Democratic Party(MSDP).

In the United Republic ofTanzania, President Jakaya

Kikwete of Chama ChaMapinduzi (CCM) is expect-ed to seek re-election for hissecond and last term in office.

Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of theunion, also elects a local pres-ident and parliament. r

the ruling Movement forMulti-Party Democracy whichwon on a simple majority.

The ruling party hasopposed the 50-plus-one per-cent clause saying it would becostly to hold two electionswithin a year.

Opposition parties such asthe Patriotic Front and theUnited Party for NationalDevelopment support thechanges.

Zambia is reviewing itsconstitution for the fourthtime since independence in1964. Past reviews were con-ducted in 1973, 1991 and 1996.

Between 1964 and 1991,Zambia used the First-Past-the-Post electoral system. In1991, the system was changedto the 50-plus-one percent,which was later reverted in1996 to the simple majoritysystem. r

E L E C T I O N S

Effectively, the electoral sys-tem in Zambia makes it possi-ble for a small number to bewinners and a bigger numberto be losers, as happened in2001 when about 70 percent ofthe voters had voted against

Zambians to vote on a crucial constitutional change

President Jakaya Kikwete


E V E N T S

2009 / 2010 EVENTS DIARY25 Jan - 2 Feb, 14th Ordinary Session of the African Union SummitEthiopia Heads of State and Government will gather for the 14th

Ordinary Session of the African Union, preceded by technicaland Council of Ministers meetings. The Summit will run underthe theme “Information Communication Technologies (ICT) inAfrica: Challenges and Prospects for Development”.

February4, South Africa Meeting of the SADC Ministerial Task Force on Regional

Economic IntegrationThe purpose of the meeting is to discuss and provide politicaland strategic guidance in view of the new challenges con-fronting the SADC region in pursuing its integration agenda.

5, DRC Meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Agriculture andFood SecurityThe meeting has been convened in order to consider the estab-lishment of a regional centre for coordination of agriculturalresearch, review the regional food security situation and sign amemorandum of understanding for the implementation of theSADC harmonized seed regulatory system.

15-19, Zimbabwe 1st International Conference on Investment Opportunities inTourism and Related Sectors in Zimbabwe A total of 14 African ministers, international bankers, chiefexecutive officers of international and investment financierswill discuss tourism strategies, investment opportunities andinfrastructure development to ensure Africa benefits from the2010 Soccer World Cup finals set for South Africa in June-July.

25-26, DRC SADC Council of MinistersSADC Council of Ministers meets twice a year to reviewprogress in implementation of various programmes on region-al development, integration and trade among Member States.This year the focus will centre on the 2010 Soccer World Cupfinals to be held in June-July, and the SADC Customs Union2010 to be implemented this year. Council is preceded by ameeting of Senior Officials on 23 and 24 February.

March1-12, USA 54th Commission on the Status of Women

The 54th CSW will undertake a 15-year review of implemen-tation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action andthe outcomes of the 23rd Special Session of the UN GeneralAssembly. Emphasis will be on the sharing of experiences andgood practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obsta-cles and new challenges, including those related to the MDGs.

23-24, SADC Energy Thematic Group MeetingMozambique Officials from the SADC Secretariat, International Cooperating

Partners, the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and theRegional Electricity Regulatory Authority (RERA) attend this the-matic coordinating meeting to plan support for SADC programmesand projects.

April12-16, Mozambique Meeting of SADC Labour Ministers

SADC Ministers responsible for labour and employment will meetto discuss pertinent issues, joined by representatives of employersand works councils, and the International Labour Organization.

27-18, Angola Meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for EnergySADC Ministers responsible for Energy will meet to review theregional energy planning programme to compliment the energyrecovery roadmap established to address the power shortages fac-ing the region.

SADC TODAY Vol 12 No 2 February 2010

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of activities and

opportunities in the Southern African Development Community, and a guide for decision-makers at all levels of

national and regional development.

Southern African Development CommunitySADC Secretariat, SADC House, Private Bag 0095, Gaborone, Botswana

Tel +267 395 1863 Fax +267 397 2848/318 1070E-mail [email protected] Website www.sadc.int

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published six times a year by the Southern AfricanResearch and Documentation Centre (SARDC) for the SADC Secretariat inGaborone, Botswana, as a reliable knowledge source on regional development.Articles may be reproduced freely in the media and elsewhere, with attribution.

EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEKizito Sikuka, Egline Tauya, Patience Zirima,

Clever Mafuta, Phyllis Johnson, Patience Ziramba

EDITORIAL ADVISORHead of Corporate Communications Unit, SADC

Leefa Penehupifo Martin

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of ForeignAffairs, in support of the SADC Energy Thematic Group of International CooperatingPartners, which is chaired by Norway.

© SADC, SARDC, 2010SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY welcomes contributions from individuals andorganizations within the SADC region in form of articles, photographs, newsitems and comments, and also relevant articles from outside the region. Thepublishers reserve the right to select or reject items, and to edit to fit the spaceavailable. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official positions or opinionsof SADC or SARDC.

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published in English, Portuguese and French, andis available electronically at www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development, linkedto www.sadc.int

DESIGN & LAYOUTTonely Ngwenya

PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONSP1 www.cape-town.info, David Martin, www.viviennemackie.worldpress.com, www.foot-

balliscominghome.net, www.spiegel; p2 yebbies.blogspot; p4www.theipinionsjournal.com; p5 David Martin, www. sharkride.com, www.fhinds.co.uk;

p6 www.worldpress.com; p7 Maputo witbank; p10 www.africanfootballer.co.uk, www.footie.co.za, www.wikimedia.com;

p12 newafricanfrontiers.com; p13 www.africa-union.com;p14 www.photo.outlookindia.com, www.wikimedia.com;

p16 www.socialearth.org, www.topnews.in

Subscribe todaySOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is available through an annual subscription fee forsix issues a year: US$55 outside Africa, including postage; US$40 within Africa;and US$30 in southern Africa. Your subscription will enable you to receive thenewsletter by airmail or email. For more details, please contact the Editor.

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1 February Abolition of Slavery Mauritius 3 February Heroes Day Mozambique 4 February National Armed Struggle Day Angola 5 February Carnival Day Angola

Chama Cha Mapinduzi Day Tanzania 14 February Chinese New Year Mauritius

3 March Martyrs Day Malawi 8 March International Women's Day Angola, Zambia11 March Moshoeshoe Day Lesotho 12 March National Day Mauritius

Youth Day Zambia 21 March Independence Day Namibia

Human Rights Day South Africa 22 March Public Holiday Namibia, South Africa 29 March Martyrs Day Madagascar

2 April Good Friday Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

3 April Holy Saturday Zambia4 April Day of Peace & Reconciliation Angola

Heroes Day Lesotho5 April Easter Monday Angola, Botswana,

Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Family Day South AfricaLundi de Pâques Madagascar

7 April Women's Day MozambiqueSheikh Abeid Karume Day Tanzania

18 April Independence Day Zimbabwe 19 April Public Holiday Zimbabwe

King's Birthday Swaziland 25 April National Flag Day Swaziland26 April Union Day Tanzania27 April Freedom Day South Africa 30 April Youth Day DRC

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCFebruary - April 2010

A sharA shared futured future within a re within a regegional communitional communit yy

H I S T O R Y T O D A Y

THE SOUTHERN Africa Development Community (SADC) today joins mil-lions of peace-loving people from all walks of life, particularly the people ofSouth Africa, in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of formerPresident Nelson Mandela.

February 11 marks an important landmark in the history of the South Africanpeople's struggle for self-determination, freedom, democracy, economic andsocial development.

On this day, 20 years ago, Mandela walked out of the Victor Verster Prisona free man. His first steps outside the confines of a prison in 27 years of incar-ceration heralded the beginning of a new epoch in South African history.

SADC proudly joins South Africans and the world in celebrating therelease of the icon of the struggle against apartheid domination.

On this historic occasion, SADC would like to pay tribute to and salutePresident Mandela and the heroic sons and daughters of South Africa who spearhead-ed the struggle for freedom and democracy.

We wish to also honour all those who were imprisoned with Mandela, whose mis-sion was primarily cemented by a common aspiration towards decolonization, liber-ation, equality, justice, progress and the unity of the African people.

The legendary vision and leadership of Mandela, and indeed that of the liberationfighters in the SADC region, to seek a peaceful solution to the dichotomy that facedthe region up to the late 1990s, inspires us today to further achieve greater unity, coop-eration and integration.

The celebration of the release of President Mandela from the shackles of apartheidimprisonment highlights the important role and participation of the people of the SADCregion in the democratization of the region in general and South Africa in particular.

It is important that as we celebrate this historic day in the history of the region, wemust rededicate ourselves to the ideals of deeper regional integration. Issued by SADC Secretariat, 11 February 2010

Angola remembers the start of the armed struggle 4 FEBRUARY is an important date in Angola's long walk to freedom. The day is com-memorated as the beginning of the armed struggle for national liberation and democ-racy, against the Portuguese colonial regime.

This was a landmark in the African struggle against colonization that eventuallybrought independence to Angola on 11 November 1975.

At dawn on 4 February 1961, a group of men and women armed with sticks,machetes and other weapons attacked the São Paulo and Casa da Reclusão prisons inLuanda, to free political prisoners who had been threatened with death by the regime.

The colonial regime reacted crudely with repressive action throughout the territory.The arrests, tortures and murders of this period led some nationalists, such as the

Angola's first President Agostinho Neto to organize for the liberation struggle. Hisparty, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), had been estab-lished in 1956 with the objective of freeing Angola from oppression. The MPLA calledfor resistance against colonial rule and independence for the country.

Angola has set aside this date each year to remember its fallen heroes and heroines aswell as to sensitize the society about the active engagement in the tasks of consolidatingpeace, national reconciliation and reconstruction of the country.

To mark this year's 49th anniversary of the start of the armed struggle for inde-pendence, celebrations are planned to take place in the northern Zaire province from1-10 February.

The theme of the event is, “In Memory of the Heroes, More Efficiency, Rigour andResponsibility.”

3020 years since 11 February 1990

Celebrating Nelson Mandela'srelease from prison

2010 one team – 15 nationsthe african union, at its summit last year, declared the african decade...

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