AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION AND THE KOFI ANNAN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING TRAINING CENTRE CONCLUDED THE TRAINING PROGRAMME OF THE AU HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVERS

Accra, Ghana, 20 May 2016: The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeepers Training Centre (KAIPTC) have concluded the training programme designed for the human rights observers that are to be deployed to Burundi. The training programme was held at the KAIPTC in Accra, Ghana and was financially supported by GIZ-Ghana.

The KAIPTC is a regional Centre of Excellence for the delivery of training and research in the areas of conflict prevention, management and peace building. The KAIPTC has to date offered over 230 courses in diverse aspects of peace support operations for over 11,000 military, police and civilian personnel. This course was designed by Experts aiming at building and enhancing the capacities of the Human Rights Observers involved in multi-dimensional peace operations to ensure human rights compliance, address human rights violations and mainstream human rights principles and practices.

The special objectives of the course were to enhance participants’ ability to understand, identify and apply international legal, policy and institutional frameworks for the promotion and protection of human rights; provide participants with practical skills and strategies to advocate and support the implementation of human rights mandates; and expose participants to the challenges of human rights promotion and protection and equip them with the knowledge and skills required to overcome them.

Amb. Salah S. Hammad, Senior Human Rights Expert, representing H.E. Dr. Aisha L. Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs, addressed the Closing Ceremony of the Training Programme and thanked the KAIPTC for its efforts to train the African Union Human Rights Observers that are to be deployed to Burundi in conformity with decisions of the AU Peace and Security Council.

The AUC and the KAIPTC discussed ways and means to enhance the existing working relationship and recommended that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be signed between the two institutions as a platform to strengthen this important partnership.

The proposed MoU is expected to avail opportunities for cooperation and non-exclusive partnership in the following areas:

• Training programmes for the human rights observers for deployment by the AU;
• The development of a well-designed roster of personnel trained in areas needed by the KAIPTC;
• Assist the AU in policy development and the provision of  resource persons for common programmes in the area of Human rights, rule of law and other peace support operation courses that may be needed by the AU;
• KAIPTC will develop other training support AU might require.

For further information please contact:

Amb. Salah S. Hammad

Department of Political Affairs

HammadS@africa-union.org

Tel: +251-11-551 77 00

AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

Ministers adopt Africa’s key health policies

Geneva, Switzerland, 21 May 2016- Ahead of the Wold Health Assembly African Ministers of Health met on Saturday and adopted key health policy instruments that will provide the strategic direction for the continent for the next fifteen years. These health policy instruments were finalised by Member State Health experts meeting in Addis Ababa in April this year for consideration by health ministers.

“I am confident that the Africa Health Strategy will provide the strategic direction that is needed to create better performing health sectors and address the major challenges impeding our efforts to reduce the continent’s disease burden” said Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, the Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union Commission.

The revised African Health Strategy provides the overarching superstructure to address Africa’s broad health and development agenda in the next 15 years. To strengthen health systems the strategy addresses issues related to health financing, governance and improved multi-sectoral partnerships. The framework also refocuses service delivery, community empowerment and seeks to expand social protection to address equity. The blueprint also prioritises human resources for health, commodity security, regulatory and support environment for provision of quality medicines and technologies, disease surveillance and disaster management.

“I commend the increasing role played by the African Union Commission in positioning health at a very high level on the continental agenda. These health policy instruments are important reference frameworks for addressing the unfinished agenda of the MDGs and for meeting the new SDG agenda” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organisation.

During the meeting the Ministers of Health also adopted the Maputo Plan of Action (2016-2030) and the Catalytic Framework to end AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030. The revised Maputo Plan of Action provides a framework for the full implementation of the continental policy framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. The action plan seeks to catalyse the expansion of contraceptive use, reduce levels of unsafe abortion, end child marriage, eradicate harmful traditional practices, eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls and ensure access to services by young people.

The Catalytic Framework provides a business model for investing for impact to end AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030.  The framework focusses on three strategic investment areas, each with clear catalytic actions. These areas are health systems strengthening, generation and use of evidence for policy and programme interventions and advocacy and capacity building.

During the meeting the Ministers of Health adopted the concept document on the establishment of the African Health Volunteers Corps which will operate within the umbrella of the recently established Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Through this dedicated Corps the Africa CDC’s capability to assemble, equip, and mobilise a deployable roster of volunteer medical and public health professionals will be assured. This will ensure rapid and effective responses to public health emergencies to Member States and address matters of global concern including health impacts of natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

For further details please contact:

Mr. Tawanda Chisango| AIDS Watch Africa (AWA) Program Advocacy & Partnership Expert| Department of Social affairs | African Union Commission | Email: Chisangot@africa-union.org| Tel:+251934167052

DAILY SUN

NATIONAL

7 HOURS AGO

LIVING TWIN IN THE GRAVE!

   

By  Sibonelo ZwaneFriday, May 20, 2016 07:00

The living twin sister was lowered into the grave before and after her brother’s coffin was put in to prevent bad luck and death from following her. Photo by Trevor Kunene ~ 

THE 11-year-old boy, allegedly killed by his father to please his stepmum, was buried yesterday.

As tradition demands, the boy’s twin sister was lowered into the grave before and after his coffin was lowered.

Traditional and community leader Sibangani Khanyile (40), said this was done to prevent bad luck and death from following the living twin.

The boy’s sombre funeral was organised by community members as the whereabouts oftheir mother’s family is unknown. The community came out in large numbers to say their last goodbyes.

The twins are originally from Mpumalanga and were brought to Kagiso, Mogale City by a friend of their mum after she died.

A neighbour said after the twins arrived in Kagiso they were ill-treated by their stepmum, who said she couldn’t accept them because their father had cheated on her with their mum.

The boy was killed last Saturday and his body was found on Tuesday.

His father has reportedly confessed to killing him.

At the funeral the boy’s devastated sister was comforted by their mum’s friend, Nomgqibelo Maphanga (49), who brought them from Mpumalanga.

Nomgqibelo expressed her pain and said she had lost the most free-spirited child she has ever come across.

She expressed her appreciation and relief that the funeral arrangements went according to plan.

“My prayer now is that his soul rests in peace,” she added.

The father has been charged with murder and is still in police custody.

DAILY SUN

NATIONAL

3 HOURS AGO

BODY OF ONE OF 2 MISSING MINERS FOUND

   

By  News24.comFriday, May 20, 2016 11:30

Mine  ~ 

The body of one of two miners trapped underground at Impala Platinum's mine in Rustenburg, North West, has been found, the company said yesterday.

"This is a tragic loss for everybody and our heartfelt condolences are with the families of our colleagues," Implats CEO Terence Goodlace said in a statement. A search and rescue team found the body on Thursday. It could however not be recovered yet as it was in an unstable area.

Efforts to find the second missing miner were continuing.

The two were trapped underground at the mine's 1 Shaft after a rock fall on Tuesday.

According to reports, seven other miners working in the same area got out unharmed.

The families of the two workers had been receiving support from the mine, the mineral resources department, and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction union.

They had asked that the identities of the miners not be made public.  

HTTP://WWW.NEWS24.COM/SOUTHAFRICA/NEWS/BODY-OF-ONE-OF-2-MISSING-MINERS-FOUND-AT-IMPLATS-2016051

DAILY SUN

NATIONAL

2 HOURS AGO

WHY I'M A BLESSER!

   

By  Tebogo MoobiFriday, May 20, 2016 12:22

TOUCH OF CLASS: Sergio Cabonge in one of his expensive possessions. Photos by Samson Ratswana

      

IT’S HARD to remember that he spent seven years behind bars awaiting trial. 

Today Sergio Cabonge is a famous blesser, with at least five blessees whom he showers with money. 

BUT HE CLAIMS HE DOES WHAT HE DOES OUT OF RESPECT FOR WOMEN. 

He said he believes in sharing his fortune with young girls.

“I take them out to expensive clubs and buy them expensive clothes, food and wine. 

“And of course I give them money,” he said.

“A woman needs to be spoiled. It all depends on her age and her needs but I do spend thousands. 

“I’m blessed and I share my blessing by being a blesser,” he said.

Serge, as he is popularly known on networks around the world, believes he knows what it takes to be the best.

“Respecting women makes you the best blesser. Blessers respect their women,” he said.

Sergio spent seven years in jail after he was arrested and charged with international fraud. 

He said while he was in prison it was women who took care of him.

“I got a lot of support from women while inside and when I got out and appeared in the newspapers.  I realised they liked attention and money,’ he said. He said after his release he worked hard to pay all the women who were there for him.

“I realised that South African women needed to be pampered and taken care of and they lacked love.” 

His life took a drastic turn when he bumped into his old friend, Kenny Kunene, in Sandton, Gauteng.

“I met Kenny in prison and when we met again there was no turning back,” he said. Kenny took Sergio under his wing and he turned out to be a success. 

Today he is living a lavish lifestyle in Centurion, Gauteng with his wife and three children.

He travels in and outside the country making international deals for his artists.

But he said he hates women who throw themselves at men for money. 

Since he appeared on SABC’s Cutting Edge he says he’s had thousands of invitations from hopefuls. “They send me messages. 

“Some are naked. They want me to be their blesser but things don’t work that way. 

“A woman must respect herself before demanding respect,” he said. 

He said he is flying to New York, then Miami and Las Vegas to shoot his forthcoming blessers’ reality show.

He denied being responsible for a Facebook page, supposedly his, that referred to him not using condoms.

“I do not have an account on any network, but I thank the person who did it because even bad publicity helped people to have a debate about such issues.” 

He said these days people are giving him lots of attention and even popular five-star clubs are inviting him to attend so that he can attract women clients.

 

DAILY SUN

PSL

4 HOURS AGO

BLACK ACES FOR SALE!

   

By  Maxwell RamaruFriday, May 20, 2016 10:26

Mpumalanga Black Aces (File)  ~ 

MPUMALANGA Black Aces are for SALE!

This was confirmed by club boss Mario Morfou to SunSport yesterday.

Morfou told SunSport that they had received many offers from potential buyers, including former Ajax Cape Town CEO John Comitis.

He reveals that Comitis has put down an offer “and many other people are also interested in the club.

“But we haven’t finalised anything yet,” he said after SunSport uncovered Comitis as the front-runner.

“We discussed the matter verbally but haven’t committed ourselves. We want to focus on other businesses.”

Morfou revealed that they would try to convince the buyer not to move the club away from the fanbase in Mpumalanga.

SunSport has reliably learnt that Comitis wants to relocate the club to Cape Town and rename it Cape Town Spurs.

Comitis owned the now defunct Spurs, renamed Ajax in 1999, via the amalgamation of Seven Stars.

However, PSL rules state that a new owner can only relocate or rename the club after two years.

Morfou stressed: “We will try to keep the team in the province if we sell. But if we accept Comitis’ offer you will need to ask him those questions.”

This is not the first time Aces management has put a “for sale” sign on the club. Last year they were linked to relegated AmaZulu.

Comitis was not available for comment.

African Union

First World Humanitarian Summit: African Union is going to Istanbul with its own commitments to the continent and its people

The key concerns that the AU will be raising in the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit include the need for redefining the international humanitarian system…

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 19 May 2016 – The Head of the Humanitarian Affairs, Refugees and Displaced Persons Division in the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mr. Olabisi Dare, highlights the participation of the AU at the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit scheduled to take place on 23 -24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey, during an interview granted to the Directorate of Information and Communication of the AUC, ahead of the event.

According to  Mr. Olabisi, the key concerns that the AU will be raising in the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit include the need for redefining the international humanitarian system which includes a reconfiguration of the entire system, “it being understood that the existing system predicated on Resolution 46 182 is not being faithfully implemented”. It is therefore in respect of this that the African Union is going to Istanbul with its own commitments to the continent and its people and has formulated a Common African Position on Humanitarian Effectiveness. One of the key things the commitment will anchor upon is on the primacy of the state, noting that the state has the primary responsibility to its own people - to satisfy their needs and take care of their vulnerabilities.

Mr. Olabisi explained that the African Union feels the state has to play the primary role of coordinating any and all humanitarian action that may take place within its territory. The state has a responsibility to guarantee the safety of both the humanitarian workers and humanitarian infrastructure and must alleviate the needs of its people, as well as maintain humanitarian space. “We note that the state has the capability and capacity in key areas such as the use of military assets in assisting humanitarian action.An example is the use of military forces in Liberia where the military was deployed to serve as the first line of defense to combat the spread of Ebola. We can’t overemphasize the role of the state in ensuring that humanitarian action and relief is dispensed in an effective manner and we see that this in itself will give effect to humanitarian action more readily on the continent” Mr. Olabisi further explained.

Mr. Olabisi indicated that, the African Union will make proposals for the reconfiguration of the International Humanitarian systems during the first World Humanitarian Summit (WHS). “We recognize that part of the solutions is the need for governments to play the primary role and a greater coordination role in order to fulfill the attributes of state in terms of its predictive nature and responsive nature and other attributes and this in itself is in of the keyrecommendations we are taking to the WHS as part of what Africa has committed itself to doing. We are hopeful that these recommendations will feature prominently in the outcomes”. He emphasized.

Mr. Olabisi underlined that the AU is calling for the re-engineering of Resolution 46182 to reflect Africa’s views, and the need to elevate the role of the state primarily to deliver to its people. “When you look at the Common Africa Position (CAP) you find out that the first pillar speaks to the privacy of the state while all the other 9 pillars speak the same in one form or the other” , he noted.

Mr. Olabisi said Africa will be calling for increased domestic and innovative resource mobilization in order to deliver and allocate more resources to humanitarian action. He further noted that, Africa is of course also cognizant of the dwindling resources from traditional donors and moreso, the bleeding of resources from Africa in the form of illicit financial flows and the like.

With regards to the outcome of the WHS, Mr. Olabisi mentioned that, Africa’s commitments goes beyond the WHS “but the summit give us an opportunity to discuss a paradigm shift in terms of the way we do things in the humanitarian field in Africa and to see that we can positively add to

the mitigation and alleviation the sufferings of our people when disasters and displacements occur”. He concluded that “our resolve is to emerge with an outcome that is workable, pragmatic, and empowering.  Africa has resolved nonetheless to begin to addressing its own problems using African solutions to African problems”.