African press review 28 May 2012

Criticism of the ruling ANC's economic policies in South Africa, from the brother of the country's former president, Thabo Mbeki is just one of the interesting issues covered today, in some of the continent's papers.

The Johannesburg financial daily BusinessDay reports that South African diplomats have welcomed Nigeria’s backing of Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s bid to become the chairwoman of the African Union Commission.

Diplomats say Egypt had also pledged its support for the South African candidate.

Dlamini-Zuma’s campaign suffered a setback two weeks ago when Kenya voiced its support for the incumbent, Jean Ping of Gabon.

Ping and Dlamini-Zuma squared up for the post in January, but the election was deadlocked when neither of them could get the required three quarters majority.

The economic policies of the ruling African National Congress are creating poverty in South Africa, according to prominent political economist Moeletsi Mbeki, brother of former president Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki was speaking at a seminar at Wits University.

He said that instead of a productive class, the ANC was creating an administrative class, made up mainly of the black elite, which was part of a household-consumption-dependent economy.

On the other hand, the large size of welfare payments - made to over 15 million out of a population of about 50 million - bought off the poor, but worsened their poverty. Last year Mr Mbeki, who has become a strong critic of the ANC, caused an uproar in the party when he said the ANC would face a Tunisia style civil revolt within the next decade.

Parents in Kenya who fail to send their children to school will be jailed if a new Bill becomes law. That's the main story in today's Daily Nation, published in Nairobi.

The parents of truant kids will face a fine of nearly 50 euros or a one-year jail term, according to the draft legislation. No child can be expelled from school, and being forced to repeat classes will also be outlawed.

Entry tests will be banned.

A child who fails to cope with school life for mental, physical or psychological reasons can be excused attendence with the permission of the Minister for Education. But that child must be admitted to a correctional institution suited to his or her needs. The Bill proposes outlawing the employment of school-age children.

The British government has told Kenya that it will not change its position on the International Criminal Court and the cases before the Hague-based court must run their full course.

The message was relayed to Prime Minister Raila Odinga who, earlier this month, held talks with the UK minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, in London.

The UK government subsequently wrote to its High Commission in Nairobi stating that its position on the prosecution of Kenyans facing charges arising out of the 2008 post-election violence is that the cases should go ahead as scheduled by the ICC.

Last Thursday, the ICC Appeals Chamber rejected an appeal by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP, William Ruto, former Civil Service head Francis Muthaura and radio presenter Joshua Sang, challenging the international court’s jurisdiction over the cases.

The Daily Monitor in Uganda reports that airports and tourism sites in East and Central Africa have been put on alert following international intelligence reports that terrorists are planning to strike, to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.

Bin Laden, believed to have been the mastermind of the 11 September, 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, was killed by American forces in Pakistan on 2 May last year.

According to a document released by the International Anti-terror Network, there is a heightened threat of a terror attack in the central African region planned by several terror groups namely: Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, Qods and al-Shabaab, targeting western interests, especially tourist sites, airports and hotels.