Connect with us

Politics

Succumbing to pressure? Zambian court frees suspects in Kaunda Airport plane arrest

Published

on

A Zambian court has freed some suspects arrested in connection with an in-transit private aircraft at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, last month.

Some of the suspects released on Friday were five Egyptians and one Zambian, but according to Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission, two of the Egyptians will be re-arrested on unspecified lower charges and released on bond.

State prosecutor, Gracilia Mulenga informed the court that the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) had “filed a nolle prosequi with relation to the… people,” using the legal phrase for a prosecutor’s decision not to press charges. But no reasons were given for dropping the charges.

However, the magistrate ruled that five other Zambian nationals who were accused of entering an airport-restricted area were not released and would continue to stand trial at the high court.

During a search of a plane on August 13, the ZDEC discovered around $5.7 million in cash, five weapons, 126 rounds of ammunition, and 602 suspected gold bars weighing roughly 127 kilos. Authorities later claimed that laboratory testing revealed the metal bars had no gold and were primarily made of copper and zinc.

One of the released persons, while reacting to the development, told a journalist outside the court, “This is not the time to mention anything. We knew from day one that we were clean.”

The arrest of the plane and personnel on board had drawn reactions from the owners, a France-based law firm,  Vey & Associés, which accused the Zambian government of committing a major violation of its own constitution.

Politics

President Maisi concedes as Botswana’s ruling party loses 58-year reign

Published

on

Following preliminary results showing his party lost its legislative majority by a landslide in this week’s election, Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, announced his party’s defeat on Friday, ending nearly 60 years in power.

The opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), held a sizable lead with over half of the constituencies reporting, placing its leader, attorney Duma Boko, in a strong position to win the presidency.

According to analysts, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has controlled the small southern African nation since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, was overthrown by growing socioeconomic dissatisfaction, especially among young people.

Botswana has always relied heavily on its diamond industry for revenue, but this year’s economic growth was severely hampered by a decline in the world diamond market, and unemployment increased to 28%.

According to results from 41 of the 61 constituencies up for election, the UDC had gained 26 seats in parliament, while the BDP had only three, according to state television. The president is chosen by the members of parliament.

Boko, who hasn’t made any public statements since the outcome, ran on a platform of increasing social grants and the minimum wage.

“Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside and I will support the new administration,” Masisi said at a press conference.

Small groups of supporters of the opposition celebrated in the streets of Gaborone, the capital, on Friday morning, which was peaceful.

“I did not ever think I would witness this change in my life,” said 23-year-old student Mpho Mogorosi. “The BDP had stayed too long in power and I am proud to be part of the people that removed them for a better Botswana.”

After South Africa’s African National Congress lost its legislative majority after 30 years in power and was compelled to form a coalition government, the BDP became the second long-ruling party in southern Africa to lose at the polls this year.

Later this month, elections will be held in neighbouring Namibia, where the SWAPO party, which has ruled since 1990, is anticipated to face fierce opposition.

“The outcome of Botswana’s elections should serve as a warning to long-time ruling parties across southern Africa and beyond that without economic progress and employment opportunities, political dominance will falter,” said Zaynab Hoosen, an Africa analyst at Pangea-Risk.

 

Continue Reading

Politics

Kenya’s Supreme Court overturns 2023 finance law verdict. What this means

Published

on

Following demonstrations that caused President William Ruto to rescind this year’s finance bill, the Supreme Court of Kenya has overturned an appeal court’s ruling declaring the 2023 financial law null and void.

The government primarily uses the finance bills to outline revenue-raising initiatives, and with the repeal of this year’s legislation, Ruto’s administration has been depending on the 2023 finance law to keep collecting taxes.

“We hereby set aside the Court of Appeal’s finding declaring the entire Finance Act 2023 unconstitutional,” the Supreme Court said in its ruling.

Following a spate of protests organised by the opposition last year, the 2023 law was challenged in court after Ruto’s government used it to hike the top personal income tax rate, implement a housing charge, and triple the value-added tax on fuel, among other measures.

After taking power in September 2022, Ruto’s administration attempted to enact a fresh round of tax increases this year, which infuriated many citizens and led to violent riots in June and July that claimed over 60 lives.

Shortly after the national legislature ratified this year’s version of the finance law, Ruto was obliged to withdraw it due to the disturbance, which also caused a delay in the approval of a fresh funding tranche from the International Monetary Fund.

Ruto has maintained that the tax hikes are required to pay off a significant amount of public debt and support development initiatives in Kenya, the largest economy in East Africa.

After Kenya met the goals established by the Fund in a review of its loan program, the executive board of the IMF is scheduled to convene on Wednesday to approve the new payout. The 2023 finance law was ruled unconstitutional by Kenya’s Court of Appeal in July, but the top court stayed the decision until it considered a government appeal.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Politics39 mins ago

President Maisi concedes as Botswana’s ruling party loses 58-year reign

Following preliminary results showing his party lost its legislative majority by a landslide in this week’s election, Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi...

VenturesNow1 hour ago

Angola’s draft budget estimates 1.65%/GDP deficit in 2025

Draft budget documents show that Angola’s government expects a 1.65% GDP budget deficit in 2025, up from 1.46% this year....

VenturesNow1 hour ago

IMF predicts 4% Middle East, North Africa growth next year

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Middle East and North Africa growth would rebound to 4% next year...

VenturesNow2 hours ago

Cocoa producers in Ghana worry about prices, child labour

A “living income” for farmers is one of the major environmental and social concerns that Ghanaian cocoa growers listed in...

VenturesNow2 hours ago

TotalEnergies sells off offshore blocks in South Africa. Here’s why

Following the release of TotalEnergies’ third-quarter results on Thursday, CEO Patrick Pouyanne informed analysts that the French company had just...

Musings From Abroad2 hours ago

Brazil’s Embraer to invest in Morocco’s aerospace sector

Morocco’s industry ministry has announced that Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, has reached an initial agreement to invest in the country’s...

VenturesNow2 hours ago

Botswana: Debswana diamond sales drop almost 50% in first nine months of 2024

According to data provided by Botswana’s national bank on Tuesday, sales of rough diamonds at the Debswana Diamond Company decreased...

Metro3 hours ago

Translate friendships into economic gains, Tinubu tells foreign countries

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has called on foreign countries to translate their friendship with Nigeria to economic gains for the...

Sports1 day ago

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles beat Ghana to retain WAFU B U20 title

Nigeria’s U-20 football team, the Flying Eagles, on Wednesday, successfully defended their WAFU B U20 title with a 2-1 victory...

Culture1 day ago

SA moves to strip Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina of citizenship

Miss Universe Nigeria beauty queen, Chidimma Adetshina, is on the verge of losing her South African citizenship as well as...

Trending