Germany blames Chinese land buy-ups for African drought
Germany's Africa policy coordinator on Thursday blamed China's practice of buying up land in the Horn of Africa for contributing to the devastating drought ravaging the region. In the case of Ethiopia there is a suspicion that the large-scale land purchases by foreign companies, or states such as China which want to carry out industrial agriculture there, are very attractive for a small (African) elite.
SA banks in Mugabe's sights
Zimbabwe has 26 operating banking institutions, which include 17 commercial banks, four merchant banks, four building societies and one savings bank. Most of these are, in fact, owned by locals. President Robert Mugabe and his officials accuse foreign banks of refusing to lend money to local companies and individuals. Last week Kasukuwere threatened to seize assets of foreign-owned companies within the next two months if they continued to defy the controversial expropriation laws. Times Live
Mbeki: Africa has lost faith in the UN
Former President Thabo Mbeki has accused the United Nations of destabilising peace processes in countries such as the Ivory Coast and Libya.He said Africans had lost confidence in the world governing body and that Western control over the UN would lead to the powerful nations installing leaders they preferred, to run the continent.
Understanding South Africa's changing Energy Landscape
As South Africa struggles with the policy challenges of meeting the ever-growing demand by business and consumers for energy to fuel development and economic growth, households are faced with the increasing cost of electricity and other forms of energy, as well as the ongoing possibility of disruptive load shedding. In order to determine what mix of the available energy sources is best for their needs, South Africans first need to understand and appreciate that the energy landscape has changed.
