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African press review 15 September 2014

Does Zimbabwe's First Lady deserve the doctorate she was awarded at the weekend?

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The answer is "yes" according to the front page of this morning's government-owned Herald newspaper.

Far from being an honorary qualification, Amai Grace Mugabe's PhD was for a thesis on changing social structures and the functions of the family. The work was based on case studies carried out in Zimbabwe children's homes.

The privately-owned NewsDay is less sure about the First Lady's academic merit, pointing out that it remained unclear when Grace registered for her PhD with the University of Zimbabwe. Only a few months ago, it was reported that she had registered for a doctoral degree with the institution.

Grace reportedly possesses a first degree in Chinese Language that she completed in 2011 after four years of distance learning with the People’s University of China.

It could not be established if Grace ever completed a post-graduate degree course.

She received her doctorate yesterday from the Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, her husband, President Robert Mugabe.

The president also had to congratulate one leading opposition figure: Nelson Chamisa, who is national organising secretary for the Movement for Democratic Change, graduated with a Bachelor of Law Honours degree, winning the Law Society Prize. Well done, that man.

According to the Johannesburg-based financial paper, BusinessDay, South Africa has called for an emergency meeting of regional leaders to discuss the crisis in Lesotho.

This follows the failure of rival political groups in Maseru to reach an agreement on the re-opening of parliament.

Both sides to the dispute have called for the 15-member Southern African Development Community to step in.

A SADC summit is to be held in Pretoria on Wednesday.

There's an article from South Africa's Finance Minister on BusinessDay's opinion pages. Nhlanhla Nene assures us that the nation's sound economic footing places it on course to emerge stronger and more resilient.

While recent quarterly growth figures reflect only a marginal increase, the minister admits, they point to an economy with strong fundamentals that can hold its own under difficult circumstances. The economy has come under immense strain as a result of strikes in the platinum and manufacturing sectors, and slower growth in the economies of South Africa's major trading partners.

It goes on like that for a long time, fairly standard political drivel about the need for patience, hard work and pay restraint.

Nene ends his piece with the predictable "we are confident growth in the second half of the year will be stronger as the mining and manufacturing sectors recover. South Africans have every reason to be confident in the country’s growth prospects."

The main story in this morning's Kenyan Standard reports that the Nairobi government has warned that it will close mosques which are being used to radicalise youths and encourging them to join terrorist groups like al-Shebab.

Last week, thirty people were arrested during the closing of a mosque in Machakos, 60 kilometres south-east of Nairobi.

The chief of the Kenyan intelligence services said the authorities were investigating a school in Isiolo after reports that the institution is being used as a recruitment ground by al-Shebab.

Over at the Daily Nation, news that experts leading the opposition campaign for a referendum are to meet Attorney-General Githu Muigai later today to discuss what role the government will play in the vote expected to cost taxpayers at least 70 million euros.

Senior Government officials, including Deputy President William Ruto, have voiced their opposition to the referendum. The main areas in which the opposition wants change are the devolution of power to local councils, the redistribution of farm land, and electoral reform.

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