Metro

South African Zulu King leads men to protest violence against women

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2022

Zulu King Misuzulu Zulu, who is the head of South Africa’s most influential traditional monarchy, on Saturday, led hundreds of men on a protest to condemn violence against women, rape and a growing wave of incidents that have put the country on edge in the past few months.

The influential Zulu King who was at the head of the procession, led the other demonstrators through the streets the coastal city of Durban, marching between a central park and a cricket stadium, with some holding signs reading “Stop killing women”, “Real Men Don’t Rape” and “A nation without GBV (Gender-Based Violence) is possible, it starts with me”.

The protest walk, according to King Misuzulu who spoke to journalists, was designated to raise awareness about gender based violence among the male population and attended mostly by men.

“As citizens, we are guilty on two fronts, by commission and by looking the other way,” Misuzulu said.

Smangaye Xaba, the Executive Director of the GoodMen Foundation, a campaign group that organised the Durban event, told a press briefing after the procession:

“Those amongst us who do nothing to wipe out the scourge are just as guilty as the perpetrators.

“It is important to make people understand and also emphasise the critical role of girls and women.
They are our children, some of them, our mothers, our aunts, our sisters, and grandchildren.”

South Africa has witnessed a shocking series of gruesome crimes against women including the gang rape of eight women by suspected miners in July.

Many women have also suffered brutal attacks with some losing their lives, which have led the authorities to declare an all out war against perpetrators.

Police data shows that rapes and sexual offences had gone up by 13 percent between 2017/18 and 2021/2022, while murders of women went up 52% in the first three months of 2022, compared to the same period last year.

Late last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa had said gender-based violence ought to be considered the main “pandemic” affecting the country, as not a day went by without new reports of “horrendous” crimes.

“We need to reach out to boys and young men to develop masculinities that value respect, understanding and accountability,” Ramaphosa had admonished.

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

4 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

10 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.