Security Council urges States to help Iran in bringing terror bombers to justice

The Security Council today condemned “in the strongest terms” the terrorist attacks in Iran which killed 57 people and injured 150 others on Sunday, and called on all States to “cooperate actively” with the Iranian authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

President Zuma Calls For Rethink on Municipalities

Zuma calls for rethink on municipalities

BEN MACLENNAN | CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 20 2009 14:07

President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday condemned the violence of recent service-delivery protests, but also called for a major rethink on the role and functions of municipalities.

“It is clear that we need to do more, and that we need to do things differently,” he told about 280 mayors and municipal managers from across the country in Cape Town.

He said it was possible some municipalities had been given functions they would never be able to fulfil, and that there was a need for “fundamental changes” in the way municipalities were governed.

The meeting, at a community hall in Khayelitsha, was also attended by 15 Cabinet ministers, their directors general and the nine provincial premiers.

Zuma said the meeting, most of which was closed to the media, was “not a local government inquisition but a discussion amongst colleagues and partners to find solutions”.

He said recent service-delivery protests had become violent, criminal and destructive.

“I wish to take this opportunity to state without any ambiguity: this government will not tolerate the destruction of property, the violence and the intimidation that often accompanies protests,” he said.

“There is no cause in a democratic and free society, however legitimate, that justifies the wanton destruction of property and violence that we have witnessed.”

South Africa had a proud history of protest against wrongdoing and injustice, which was what made it the democracy it was today.

“However, burning down libraries, torching houses of people and looting spaza shops do not build a strong nation. It does not solve our legitimate problems.”

But while the negative elements of some of the protests were condemned, it also had to be acknowledged that there were challenges that needed urgent attention.

Zuma said many municipalities were bankrupt, and some were owed revenue, even by other government spheres.

National and provincial government departments currently owed municipalities R53-million for services, something the leaders in those departments needed to act on without delay.

Power struggles
In addition, many municipalities faced a “deep crisis of governance” due to political power struggles.

“These battles for control over resources render the affected municipalities effectively dysfunctional,” he said.

Some municipalities lacked the basic administrative systems necessary for collecting the revenue to fund service delivery. There was also weak financial management, which often resulted in irregular spending, corruption and adverse audit reports.

Zuma said there had to be a rethink on the role that other spheres of government played in the local government sphere. Experience showed the role of provincial and national spheres had not always been useful or productive.

“There are often too many administrative burdens they place on municipalities, too many requests for reports for this or that,” he said to applause from his audience.

Sometimes the other two spheres of government made decisions that had serious implications for local government without consulting it.

“So if local government has to work better we have to drastically rethink the relationship between local government and the other spheres.”

He asked whether municipalities with vastly different capacities could be expected to perform the same functions.

“Answering this question is important because it may well be the case that we have entrusted some responsibilities to certain municipalities which they can never be able to fulfil.

“It is equally possible that some municipalities, especially metros, can perform more functions than we have given them.”

Zuma said it was clear fundamental reforms were needed in the way municipalities were governed. These should include separating executive functions from administrative ones.

“In some municipalities councillors tend to interfere in administrative management and operations of municipalities. They want to be mayor and municipal manager at the same time,” he said, as Western Cape Premier and former Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, seated behind him, smiled to herself.

After Zuma’s address the media were asked to leave the meeting.

Delegates were scheduled in a closed session to hear a “presentation on budget and economic crisis” by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, view a video on the presidential complaints hotline, then spend an hour-and-a-half talking about “service-delivery improvement at a local level”. — Sapa

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-10-20-zuma-calls-for-rethink-on-municipalities

Zuma: Violent protests won’t solve our problems

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA Oct 20 2009 11:06

The government will not tolerate the destruction of property and the violence that often accompanies service-delivery protests, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.

“There is no cause in a democratic and free society, however legitimate, that justifies the wanton destruction of property and violence that we have witnessed,” he said.

Zuma was addressing about 280 mayors and municipal managers from across the country at a meeting in Cape Town.

His remarks follow a wave of violent protests in municipalities, many of them accompanied by clashes with police.

Zuma said South Africa has a proud history of protest against wrongdoing and injustice.

“This is our heritage. It is what makes South Africa the vibrant democracy it is today, and will continue to be in the future.

“However, burning down libraries, torching houses of people, and looting spaza shops do not build a strong nation. It does not solve our legitimate problems.”

Zuma said that while condemning the negative elements of some of the protests, it has to be acknowledged there are challenges that need urgent attention.

He said the Cape Town meeting, being held in a community hall in Khayelitsha, is an attempt to arrive at ways to make municipalities work better. — Sapa

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-10-20-zuma-violent-protests-wont-solve-our-problems

Angry Sakhile residents demand Zuma’s attention

SIBONGILE KHUMALO | STANDERTON, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 15 2009 16:46

The acrid smell of burning tyres filled Sakhile township on Thursday as angry residents vowed violent protests until President Jacob Zuma heeds their service delivery complaints.

In the latest of several recent flare-ups in South Africa, thick black smoke hung over Sakhile’s rubbish-strewn streets three weeks after the area was transformed into a no-go area.

Frustrated residents want Zuma, who took office in May, to respond personally to their plight.

“President Zuma promised to rid government of corruption and lazy officials. Our council here is busy lining their pockets with the money meant for improving our living conditions,” said Sandile Mahlangu.

“We have ran out of patience, there is going to be no order here until Zuma visits the area and appoints an interim structure to run this municipality,” said Mahlangu, an unemployed young man.

In just five months, Zuma’s government has faced a wave of demonstrations in poor informal settlements where demands for access to water, electricity and housing have turned violent.

In Sakhile, residents have barricaded roads and set government buildings alight. Police responded by firing rubber bullets and making several arrests.

The flare-up of violence and a spate of recent strikes have turned up the pressure on the hugely popular Zuma who took power with strong support from unions and the poor, who now want to see some action.

“We will continue burning tyres, we have had enough. Action is better than words,” said Mahlangu.

Amid reports of expensive ministerial car purchases, recessionary pressures and attacks from the left, Zuma remains billed as a leader who is in touch with South Africans facing massive inequality.

In August, he drew plaudits with a surprise visit to a protest-hit Mpumalanga township, followed by the launch of a toll-free complaints hotline which lodged more than 7 000 calls in just three hours.

“Zuma’s pro-poor election card raises the expectation of the people, now they want to see his face everytime there is a service delivery protest,” political analyst Prince Mashele told Agence France-Presse.

One Sakhile resident, Thembi Motha, said the riot was the result of years of neglect by the council and the ruling African National Congress which Nelson Mandela led to power in 1994 at the fall of apartheid.

“This protest was not supposed to turn out like this, but people are angry. We want Zuma to come and drive out these useless officials. They are the cause of all this,” he said.

The ANC has said that Zuma has been advised not to visit Sakhile despite his promise to visit trouble spots unannounced.

“It would be unfair for residents to demand that every time there are service delivery protests, then the president should come and address them,” the Times newspaper quoted a spokesperson as saying.

Several top politicians arrived in Standerton on Thursday to meet local councillors with of a crowd of residents waiting outside the building for an outcome amid a heavy police presence.

“We will not accept any decision which does not respect our demands,” said 56-year-old resident Margaret Sibiya. — AFP

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-10-15-angry-sakhile-residents-demand-zumas-attention

Guinean Military Government Pledges to Work With United Nations InquiryInto Massacre

Junta to co-operate with UN inquiry

CONAKRY–Guinea’s military junta has pledged to co-operate with a United Nations inquiry into a massacre of opposition demonstrators last month, the UN official leading the probe said.

UN envoy Haile Menkerios was speaking after talks in Conakry on Sunday with top junta officials, including military ruler Moussa Dadis Camara and Prime Minister Kabine Komara.

“The prime minister and the president (Dadis Camara) have reassured me that they are ready to co-operate with this commission of inquiry,” said Menkerios, welcoming the junta’s willingness to “speak with the international community”.

The UN envoy “asked for the sincere co-operation of the authorities, security for the team of investigators and for documentation to be made available,” a source close to the talks said.

The UN panel set up to probe the deaths is expected in Guinea “very soon”, said Menkerios.

The UN assistant secretary general for political affairs is the highest-ranking international diplomat to visit the country since troops entered a football stadium last month and opened fire on opposition demonstrators, killing at least 150, according to rights groups.

His visit comes amid growing international pressure on Camara, an army captain who seized power in the mineral-rich West African state in December last year within hours of the death of strongman Lansana Conte.

The International Criminal Court will hold a separate preliminary inquiry to determine if war crimes had been committed, the source said.

Regional economic bloc Ecowas imposed an arms embargo at the weekend, but the more powerful African Union pulled back from ordering sanctions after Camara flouted a Saturday deadline to renounce his candidature for presidential elections to be held in January.

“Legally speaking, the deadline has expired but politically, we are still working to put pressure on the junta. It’s the result that matters most,” said Ramtane Lamamra, the AU’s top peace and security official.

He said the AU would await a signal from its mediator on Guinea, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, to see if the junta would change its position.

“If he tells us that they are sticking to their guns, then sanctions will be enforced,” Lamamra added. — AFP.

President Zuma Meets With All Municipalities As Problems Escalate inSouth Africa

Zuma to meet with all municipalities as mayhem escalates

October 19 2009 , 5:59:00

The state of the country’s 283 municipalities is set to receive the highest political attention tomorrow. President Jacob Zuma is hosting a top level meeting with the all the mayors of the nation’s municipalities. Several Cabinet ministers and all premiers are to attend the meeting as well.

Rafts of protests at grassroots level have been the order of the day in South Africa and reasons for the discontent have varied. From the slow pace of service delivery to allegations of corrupt municipal officials and factionalism within the ANC.

President Zuma is stepping in and analysts say decisive leadership is required. Local government expert, Fanie Cloete, says it will all depend on Zuma’s commitment as the head of State and the head of government and his willingness to throw out the bad people, bring in better people and then provide them with sufficient resources to do what they are supposed to do. The meeting is also set to address the skills shortage in rural municipalities.

Meanwhile, classes have come to a halt at the Boresetse High School at Mataleng Township near Barkly West in the Northern Cape. A large group arrived at the school this morning and forced pupils to join in a protest. Local residents are protesting against poor service delivery and want the Mayor of the Dikgatlong Local Municipality, Marta Louw fired. The entrance to the township was blockaded with burning tyres and other objects. But police burst through the blockade and fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

The community members then vented their anger on shops belonging to foreign nationals. Residents say they will resume the protests as soon as police leave the area. But the police say they are not moving. Five people have been arrested for public violence and are expected to appear in court soon.

In another service delivery protest, police had to use rubber bullets to disperse protesting residents as violence flared up again at Mataffin - the site of the Mbombela 2010 stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga this morning. Eight people were arrested for public violence. Last week, 54 people were taken into custody when a police vehicle was set alight after protests turned violent.

Work at the 2010 stadium came to a halt as protesting residents prevented workers from entering the site. Residents are demanding that the two schools be demolished to make way for the stadium to be rebuilt. They say government gave the assurance that the schools would be built concurrently with the stadium. That has not happened.

For the past two years pupils have been attending classes in make-shift structures. Government says the schools will be rebuilt but cannot say when.

Niger Expelled From ECOWAS

Niger expelled from African grouping

Wednesday, October 21

NIAMEY (AFP) - – A west African regional grouping kicked Niger out from its ranks Tuesday to express its disapproval after President Mamadou Tandja defied its call to delay elections seen to tighten his grip on power.

Despite an opposition boycott, international calls and an 11th hour regional appeal for the national legislative vote to be postponed, Niger’s government forged ahead and called voters to the ballots.

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States had told Tandja at the weekend to defer the vote and open dialogue with political foes or risk imposition of “full and automatic sanctions”.

“The resolution of the summit was clear and precise,” ECOWAS commission head Mohamed Ibn Chambas told AFP.

Failure by Tandja to comply with its decision “would lead to the automatic and immediate imposition of full sanctions,” leaders from the 15-country bloc decided at the weekend.

The African Union, ECOWAS and the European Union, a major donor, all urged a delay in order to revive political dialogue between Tandja and the opposition, but Interior Minister Albade Abouba said the call to postpone the election is “inappropriate”.

Niger’s opposition boycotted Tuesday’s polls in protest at Tandja’s move to extend his tenure, which would have run out in December, through an earlier referendum that it condemned as a “coup d’etat.”

“The threats of sanctions are unfounded,” Abouba told reporters earlier Tuesday.

In a last-ditch attempt to convince Tandja to delay the vote, ECOWAS on Sunday sent to Niamey a delegation led by Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, but he refused.

The polls, to fill 113 parliamentary seats, come after Tandja dissolved parliament in June, two months before he held the referendum to prolong his mandate. Around six million people are eligible to vote.

But turnout was generally low according to independent media, observers and judging from around 50 polling stations visited by an AFP reporter in the capital.

At a polling station in Gamkale district on the outskirts of Niamey, the ballot-paper pad remained virtually intact some two hours after the polls opened. Only two ballot papers were seen in a transparent ballot box at the polling station where some 500 people are eligible to vote.

“People are coming in dribs and drabs,” said a policeman posted at the entrance.

State-run Radio Niger was calling on the electorate to go out to exercise their rights.

The 71-year-old Tandja, a former army colonel, cast his vote early Tuesday at Niamey city hall flanked by heavy security and saying he hoped for a “fair and transparent” vote.

“I wish that this day will be good for Niger, that the voting will pass off smoothly and that the elected deputies will be true patriots,” he said.

In power for 10 years, Tandja defied international and domestic opposition to hold a referendum to change the constitution to extend his stay in office beyond the two stipulated terms, winning approval for his moves in a much-criticised poll in August.

Communications Minister Kassoum Moctar claimed that “nobody is going to punish us”.

“The march towards building a dignified Niger is irreversable,” he said on private radio Dounia.

Tandja has argued that he needs more time to complete work undertaken during his two five-year terms in office, where he has sought peace with Tuareg rebels in the desert north of the country and has signed agreements, mainly with France, for the further exploitation of Niger’s only resource, uranium.

Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, derives the bulk of its foreign trade income from uranium.

Somalia President Urges Resistance Movements to Enter Talks With theTransitional Federal Government

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
12:22 Mecca time, 09:22 GMT

Somali groups urged to join talks

Ahmed heads a government which does not control much of the country

Somalia’s president has called on armed groups in the country to enter into a dialogue with the government for ending decades of fighting in the African nation.

Speaking at a press conference, Sharif Ahmed said his government welcomed dialogue with any party willing to hold talks.

“We regret there is war in southern Somalia with those who have formed an alliance against us and described us as infidels and apostates,” Ahmed said.

“This war proves that their ideas are incorrect. We call on them to stop fighting… the government is ready to open the door for dialogue with all parties to end trouble in the country.”

‘Empty words’

But Hassan Mahdi Othman, leader of the opposition Somali Islamic party, said he considered Ahmed’s reconciliation offer as empty words.

“This is political talk, with no specific objective, such as to seriously hold a dialogue,” Othman told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

“Since he [Ahmed] came to power… he has been talking like that with no actions on the ground.

“We have proposed a [reconciliation] initiative before he did, and we have said that before holding any dialogue, foreign troops must leave [Somalia], the so-called interim government must be replaced, an extended conference must be held, and we have set other conditions,” he said.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991 when the overthrow of the government at the time plunged the country into chaos.

Sharif’s UN-backed government is currently in place in Mogadishu, but it is struggling to restore order with anti-government fighters controlling large patches of the country.

Source: Al Jazeera

Green projects in South Africa and Tunisia receive UN aid

Boosting energy efficiency in South African industry in the face of economy-threatening energy shortages and promoting environmentally-friendly production in Tunisia are the focus of two new United Nations projects signed today.

Pakistani veteran of Somali operation to become new UN military head in Liberia

A Pakistani general who is a veteran of the United Nations quick reaction force in Somalia is set to become the next military head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), a spokesperson said today.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador calls for urgent help for Yemeni children

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil issued an urgent call today for assistance for children caught up in the clashes between Government forces and rebels rocking northern Yemen.

Ban to discuss climate change and development goals during trip to Seattle

The subjects of climate change and the world’s continuing efforts to achieve the social and economic targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be high on the agenda when Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travels to the United States city of Seattle next week.