30 August 2021
Zambia: The new President has replaced top commanders of army and police. “The new office bearers”, he said, “must have the interest of the people at heart and serve the country diligently while ensuring human rights, freedoms and liberties are respected”.
BBC Africa Live 30 August 2021. 6:43
Ethiopia: Beyond the human costs, the Tigray war has also come at huge economic costs. Prices have gone up, especially food prices, the exchange rate has fallen, and military expenditure is weighing heavily on the budget. GDP growth is expected to slow to 2% (from 6% in 2020), the lowest level for 20 years. Internationally, Ethiopia's reputation as a place to invest has suffered. The trade deficit and external indebtedness are expected to worsen substantially.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58319977
29 August 2021
South Africa: Aged 72, Agnes Sithole had to take her husband to court to stop him from selling their home. Being black, when they married, in Apartheid South Africa of 1972, they had no choice but to marry “out of community of property”, which meant the man had all property rights. In 1988, a new law allowed black couples to change their marriage status to “in community” with equal property rights for the wife. But this was not automatic. “Black women had to have the consent of their husbands, pay for an application, and lodge it within a two-year period.” When, after more than 40 years of marriage, she realised that her husband wanted to sell the house they were living in, she “in early 2019 (…) filed an order citing financial abuse – arguing she had equally contributed to building their family and shared wealth.” She won – and in what a resounding way! In 2021, extending the judgment to all women in Agnes Sithole’s situation, “South Africa's Constitutional Court confirmed an earlier High Court ruling that the existing laws had discriminated against black couples, and black women in particular. It ruled that all marriages before 1988 would be changed to ‘in community of property’ - giving women equal property rights.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58349080
South Sudan: Anti-government protests are planned for tomorrow, Monday. A coalition is “calling President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar to step down”. According to rights groups, several people linked to the protests (amongst them a bishop) have been arrested and a radio station in Jonglei state has been taken off air. “A police spokesman denied the arrests.”
BBC Africa 29 August 2021. 11:04