Africa
South Africa’s Ramaphosa elected president
South Africa’s Ramaphosa elected president
Cape Town, South Africa – Late-night negotiations and an eleventh-hour agreement led to the formation of South Africa’s first-ever coalition government on Friday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa at its head.
The multiparty coalition signed its agreement only on Friday, as members of parliament were sworn in after marathon negotiations and back-and-forth calls between Ramaphosa and leaders of other parties.
Late Friday night, Ramaphosa was elected as the country’s president in parliament. Under the unprecedented coalition agreement, the Democratic Alliance (DA) – the African National Congress’s (ANC) official opposition until now – and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) voted for an ANC president for the first time.
The multiparty coalition was prompted after the ANC suffered its worst electoral decline in 30 years. The party holds 159 of 400 seats in parliament – short of the 201 seats needed to have a majority – after winning 40 percent of the vote in the country’s May 29 election.
After days of internal talks within the ANC, Ramaphosa announced last week that the party would seek a “government of national unity”. But the left-leaning Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) – which was created months before the election and ate into the ANC’s traditional voter support – refused to join the government, especially with the DA a part of it. The MK Party had also demanded Ramaphosa’s removal from the presidency.
The right-leaning DA, with 21 percent of the seats in parliament, will now be the ANC’s main partner in government with the support of the nationalist IFP. The parties agreed to an eight-page framework that will govern their unity government, including a clause stating that a decision could only be made if “sufficient consensus” was reached.
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This means that Ramaphosa and the ANC will not be able to make decisions without buy-in from coalition partners. The parties agreed to 10 fundamental principles, which included respect for the constitution, and positions against racism and sexism.
In the agreement signed, the parties agreed that “rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth” would be the coalition government’s apex priority.
The ‘hard part’ starts now
Former DA leader and negotiating team member Tony Leon said that he had never imagined a world where the ANC and the DA would co-govern.
“The last time I negotiated with the ANC around the new constitution was in 1996, and they had 62 percent support,” he told Al Jazeera.
Leon described the talks since the May 29 vote as “very hard”, but said the president’s election was the “easy part”.
“The next five years are going to be difficult,” he said, adding that trust would make the coalition government functional.
Leon said talks were still incomplete five minutes before parliament’s sitting began on Friday at 10am local time (08:00 GMT).
“We agreed to outline a modality of how you get through today and some signals and signposts of the future. It is about some broad principles and important provisions; at the end of the day, this will not just depend on goodwill. It will depend on trust between the parties,” he said.
The agreement signed on Friday morning did not include details on which parties will occupy what positions in government. Ramaphosa has until Wednesday to determine that. He will be sworn in by the country’s chief justice next Wednesday.
According to the agreement signed, while Ramaphosa has the prerogative to appoint ministers and deputy ministers, he needs to consult leaders of other parties in the coalition before he does so.
Pierre de Vos, professor of constitutional law at the University of Cape Town, said he was wary about what a coalition government might mean for the country’s governance.
“It is difficult to be confident in what’s to come,” he said.
De Vos said that while a coalition government was “good on paper,” South Africa had a fractious society that the ANC kept together for three decades. “When it comes to difficult issues like inequality and racism, the two parties are polar opposite sides,” he said.
The DA has fought against race-based transformation policies, which the ANC has pushed for three decades.
Other analysts said they believe the coalition government would force ideological parties to the centre.
“This coalition agreement is a good thing. It will force the ANC away from the left to the centre and the DA away from the extreme right,” said political analyst JP Landman.
South Africa’s Ramaphosa elected president
Africa
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the ECOWAS region, under the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition (ESBC), have called for the establishment of a railway corridor linking all member countries, alongside the existing road network.
The proposal was made at the end of their inaugural exhibition and workshop, which took place from November 21 to November 23 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the event, organized by the ESBC in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission and Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, brought together small business operators from across the region.
The coalition highlighted the challenges faced by SMEs in transporting goods and services within the ECOWAS subregion.
They emphasized the need for better communication and a clearer understanding of cross-border trade obligations, as well as improvements in the movement of goods and people.
While ECOWAS has confirmed the free movement of goods and people under existing protocols, it clarified that such movements still require compliance with formalities and customs duties.
Addressing transportation and trade barriers
NAN reports that during the workshop, members of the ESBC presented a range of proposals to address transportation challenges.
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They called for an end to cross-border harassment and corruption, which they attributed to the imposition of unnecessary taxes.
They also suggested that local Small Business Coalitions (SBCs) should be empowered to issue certificates of origin to entrepreneurs to streamline trade processes.
Additionally, the coalition proposed the establishment of online training platforms for SBCs to enhance their capacity to support SMEs.
Proposals for improving access to information and financing
- The coalition also noted the importance of access to information for the success of SMEs and urged them to take advantage of policies such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ECOWAS frameworks.
- They called for greater awareness of these initiatives to help SMEs navigate trade barriers.
- Furthermore, reports inform that the coalition underscored the need for the harmonization of fiscal policies across the ECOWAS region and advised SMEs to choose suitable business models and consult advisory firms for better guidance.
Innovation and sustainable development for SMEs
- The coalition also discussed the need for greater innovation and sustainability in the region’s SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.
- They proposed training programs focused on certification, efficient technology transfer, and increased research to help businesses expand across borders.
- Despite the availability of financing mechanisms for SMEs, the coalition pointed out that many small businesses struggle to access these funds due to inadequate resources and poor absorption capacity.
- In response, they suggested focusing on promoting new business models suited to African realities and learning from the BRICS nations’ approach to economic development.
Future initiatives for strengthening SMEs
- ESBC proposed several initiatives to further support SMEs in the region.
- These included the creation of an ESBC television network to raise awareness, the establishment of a dedicated bank for SME financing, and the development of strategies to encourage a common currency within ECOWAS.
- They also called for the removal of customs and monetary barriers and the establishment of international shipping lines to improve logistics. To address the needs of landlocked countries, the coalition proposed facilitating better access to ports for these nations.
- The ESBC concluded that substantial work remains to be done to enhance the competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the ECOWAS region, particularly in the areas of innovation, financing, and cross-border trade facilitation.
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
Africa
Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested
Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested
Africa
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
Cristel Nchama, one of the women appearing in viral explicit videos allegedly involving Baltasar Engonga, the former director-general of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has filed a formal complaint with the National Gendarmerie in Malabo.
Engonga has been the focus of intense public scrutiny after investigators, probing allegations of fraud, searched his home and office and reportedly uncovered approximately 400 explicit videos featuring him with multiple women.
The tapes allegedly show Baltasar Engonga with his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the country’s president, the wife of the director-general of police, and around 20 wives of ministers, among others.
The recordings, which have since gone viral, are said to have taken place in Engonga’s office, hotels, and bathrooms, purportedly with the consent of those involved.
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In her complaint, Nchama disclosed that she had been in a four-year relationship with Engonga and expressed profound distress over the public leak of the videos, which she says has harmed her reputation.
Nchama claimed that Engonga “misled” her into trusting him and that she had initially resisted being filmed, under the impression that any recordings would be deleted.
She also claimed to have been “betrayed” by Bello for publishing the videos.
“I am humiliated,” she stated. “It is my reputation, my honour. I want to know where these images came from and why he kept the images.”
In addition to filing her complaint, Nchama has demanded reparations from Engonga for the damage caused to her reputation and personal dignity.
Following the scandal, the government dismissed Engonga from his position at ANIF on Thursday.
Officials also announced the suspension of various public officials allegedly involved in sexual activities within government offices.
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
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