President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) submitted to parliament on Thursday a declaration of his wealth, in accordance with the national transition constitution that came out of the inter-Congolese peace and reconciliation dialogue. The contents of Kabila's declaration will be made known only to members of the National Assembly, unless disclosure of the information to anyone else was necessary.

It is no accident that when Nelson Mandela declared his opposition to lawsuits for reparations for the victims of apartheid he did it in the company of Nicky Oppenheimer speaking for De Beers Diamond Mines. So we know clearly, if we had any doubts, that he is on the side of the corporations and not on the side of the workers - many of whom suffered terribly at the hands of the corporation, even while it was making millions. A diamond may be forever, but the lives of the miners was hard, and for many of them unpardonably brief.

Nor is a conjunction with Rhodes House and Rhodes Scholarships inappropriate; Cecil Rhodes made his millions out of Africa, which made possible the many Rhodes Scholars at Oxford University which helped further the imperial project in South Africa and (of course) Rhodesia - as Zimbabwe was once known. (The links between the Oppenheimers and the equally amoral Anglo-American Corporation need surely not be enumerated).

So now we may be fated to see the names of Mandela and Rhodes linked in Mandela-Rhodes Scholarships. And this linking with a ruthless robber-baron may prove not inappropriate in future history, when the Mandela statue is towering over Algoa Bay where I grew up and engaged in resistance with oppression.

An additional thought about timing: South Africa is about to engage in a momentous debate about reparations for the victims of apartheid; that the Mandela denunciation of lawsuits for reparations should come on the eve of a reparations conference exhibits a cynicism worthy of the old robber-baron who dreamed of a British Empire from "Cape to Cairo"!

This conference, incidentally came as the end product of a long and complicated process in which the South African Council of Churches had a curious difficulty in declaring in own position and in finding a convenient date for such a conference - with those who called for a conference such as Jubilee South Africa and Khulumani - finding themselves under snide attack from Rev. Frank Chikane, from the office of President Thabo Mbeki no less, for being "special interest" groups who were not interested in the hardships of the victims of Apartheid.

Each acre of US cotton farmland attracts a subsidy of US $230 – equivalent to the average annual income in Burkina Faso. In 2001-2002, America’s 25 000 cotton farmers reaped a bumper subsidy harvest of US $3.9bn – a sum larger than Burkina Faso’s GDP and three times the total USAID budget for Africa. The largest 10 per cent of producers receive three-quarters of total payments. Oxfam estimates that the income lost to African producers is equivalent to the value of a third of total US aid to Africa. Mali received US $37m in US aid in 2001 but lost US $43m as a result of lower cotton export earnings. US subsidies cost Mali 1.7 per cent of GDP and 8 per cent of export earnings.

Direct theft was not the only virus that afflicted the harambee system, says this article from The Nation newspaper. A top Moi Government official, Mr Philemon Mwaisaka, confesses he retained Sh1 million for 14 years because he and another Moi potentate would not agree on who should control the school for which the money was collected. His is a rare mea culpa from that generation of permanent secretaries. More encouraging still, he says he has finally turned over the cash.

The Southern African Development Community Heads of State has approved the region’s development blueprint for the next five years. The summit held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, this week, approved the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.

The voting in Rwanda’s first democratic elections was completed peacefully on 25 August, and a landslide victory for the incumbent President Paul Kagame of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) has been declared. African Rights congratulates the people of Rwanda on their courage and commitment to democracy. They, their newly elected President, and concerned members of the international community should now all move forward in a positive spirit to focus upon the many social, economic and political challenges facing the nation.

In a statement released the week before the poll, African Rights emphasised that while the genocide proved how people are mobilised by fear, for democracy to work, all concerned must now understand that voters will only be inspired by hope. We concluded:

"Experience across the globe shows that democracy is a fragile concept touted by many in the quest for power, but rarely delivered intact. No single political party, government or individual can create a democracy. Scrutiny, monitoring, open criticism and time are needed—and so is practice. If on the 25 August the majority of people can journey to the polling stations in peace and mutual tolerance it will be a good start."

Ultimately the poll did, in our view, deliver gains in this respect; political violence played no part in this election and given Rwanda’s history this must be seen as an achievement. As African Rights emphasised in its statement of 19 August, voters’ perceptions were bound to be coloured by the legacy of genocide and war, including ongoing concerns in relation to genocide justice, human rights and regional insecurity. Some caution and even hostility towards multiparty democracy, and the freedoms required to implement it, was therefore inevitable.

African Rights had called upon the candidates to collectively seize the moment to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the welfare of ordinary people of all ethnicities. It was nevertheless disappointing that both the campaigning and the reporting of the elections were dominated by concerns about “divisionism” so that little space was left for the articulation of practical agendas in relation to poverty, development, justice, regional security/ foreign policy, or HIV/AIDS. The result was that the quality of debate was narrow and at times lacklustre.

It is questionable whether the electoral process will have served to substantially invigorate national politics. And it remains to be seen whether the electorate believe their leaders will be accountable to them on a wide range of issues. As is so common in fledgling democracies, neither campaigning nor voting was entirely without risks or fears. This is not to suggest, however, as some human rights organisations and commentators argued prior to the elections, that the process itself was so flawed as to be unworthy of international funding. There was evident support for “free and fair” elections in the country as the determination shown by so many Rwandese individuals, businesses and organisations to help make up the shortfall in the budget of the National Electoral Commission illustrated.

African Rights was able to observe the voting at 13 polling stations, as summarised in a forthcoming paper. We cannot testify to events on a national scale, but our sample reveals only minor mistakes on the voting day which, given the scale of President Kagame’s victory, could not have affected the result. There was no evidence of intimidation at the polling stations we visited and no indication of a systematic effort to manipulate the result. Perhaps the most notable deficit, in fact, was the lack of international observers—despite over 1000 invitations issued, less than 100 were present.

Certainly there is scope for analysis of the context in which the elections took place—shaped by both historical and the events of the past year—and how this contributed to the voters’ choices. Indeed, there is scope for reflection upon the definition and implementation of democracy in Rwanda and beyond. But we should not lose sight of some favourable outcomes. There was a respectable turnout of voters in Rwanda’s first poll. We cannot be sure of the personal motivations of each individual in making their choice, but through their shared experience of voting in peace, they have defied their past. It is to be hoped that Rwanda will emerge from its elections more secure and with a greater confidence about its future.

* Rakiya Omaar is the director of African Rights. For a copy of African Rights’ statement of 19 August or to request an email copy of the forthcoming paper summarising our observations of the voting in Nyamirambo, Gikondo, Kanombe and Kicukiro in Kigali. Please email us at [email]rights@rwandatel1.rwanda1.com

SABCnews reports that a new development co-operation agreement between South Africa and the European Union (EU) is about to be finalised. The agreement is worth R4.3bn over a period of four years (2003-2006).

Business Day reports that Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, has ordered an investigation into allegations of irregular financial management and recruitment practices at the National Development Agency (NDA). The allegations surfaced after former Pan-Africanist Congress general secretary, Thami ka Plaatjie, was appointed as Senior Manager: Strategy and Policy Co-ordination at the agency. NDA staff members accuse NDA management of appointing Thami ka Plaatjie without advertising the position. At the same time, the Ministry of Social Development has indicated that allegations of serious irregularities around spending of NDA funds have been made.

Nearly 20 000 people have been improperly registered as voters for this week’s urban council and parliamentary by-elections, while another 1 700 who voted last year and in 2000 are missing from the voters’ roll, according to figures released by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). MDC director of elections Remus Makuwaza said the 1 700 voters whose names were missing from the voters’ roll were discovered in Harare Central constituency alone.

In 1994, the African National Congress swept to power on a tide of national and international euphoria and pledged to redistribute 30 per cent of all land seized during the apartheid era. Almost a decade later, only two per cent of land has been returned to its black owners. Land rights activist, Andile Mngxitama, believes the answer lies in the claim that racial exclusion has given way to economic exclusion. The Landless People’s Movement has evolved from the land struggles of the apartheid era and represents a growing number of rural communities that remain landless and disenfranchised by the clamour to implement neo-liberal economic policies to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).
Related Link:
* HEARINGS INTO RESTITUTION OF LAND RIGHTS AMENDMENT BILL STARTS
http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=14…

The proposal by developing countries for unblocking negotiations on farm trade at the upcoming World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in the Mexican city of Cancun is reviving the North-South debate. The initiative by a group of countries that includes Argentina, Brazil, China, India and South Africa is based on the notion that in the current Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations it is the industrialised nations that must give in.

The European Union is taking advantage of Africa's weak bargaining power to bloat the list of conditions - attached to development aid - with further demands. Washington Akumu, a senior economic writer and columnist with a Kenyan newspaper, says most of the EU conditions border on tokenism and "the urge to be perceived as politically-correct among the community of nations".

A German engineering company was fined 10.65 million maloti ($1.4m) by a Lesotho court on Tuesday after being found guilty of paying bribes in a massive water project. The Lesotho High Court found the firm, Lahmeyer International, guilty of paying bribes totalling more than five million maloti ($670 000) to the former chief executive officer of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) from 1992 to 1997.

Olive (OD and Training) - 26 October - 5 November 2003 - is offering a programme for managers, leaders, practitioners and consultants in the development field who seek to extend their knowledge and capabilities in the field of facilitation. It is designed to challenge participants to explore the concept in practice and to develop more conscious abilities to facilitate a range of processes in themselves, in groups, in their organisations and in their communities.
For more information and an application form please contact:
Niri Panday: [email]niri@oliveodt.co.za by 26 September 2003

AFRODAD is seeking a dynamic self-starter to fill this challenging post. You will be responsible for developing and implementing AFRODAD's Lobby and Advocacy Programme, and for managing a highly skilled team of Project Associates working on various development policy issues. An excellent communicator and networker, you will be comfortable representing the AFRODAD network at high-level meetings and policy consultations. You will also have experience of writing policy briefs and position papers for diverse audiences, strategy development, fundraising, and budget management.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started the repatriation of about 1,700 Central African Republic refugees from the northern Republic of Congo town of Betou, where they have been since June 2001, an official of the agency told IRIN on Wednesday.

Incumbent President Paul Kagame stormed to a landslide victory on Monday in Rwanda's first multiparty presidential poll with 95.05 percent of the votes, the National Electoral Commission announced. "The electoral commission is pleased to announce Paul Kagame as the winner," Chrysologue Karangwa, president of the commission, told reporters on Tuesday.
Related Link:
INTIMIDATION ALLEGED IN RWANDA POLL
* http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=27588

No fewer than 236 Nigerian police officers are billed to face dismissal following their alleged involvement in extorting money from drivers at police checkpoints across the country, local newspaper This Day reported Tuesday. Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun was quoted as saying: "The exercise of dismissing corrupt officers will continue until the last cell in the corrupt clique is brought to book."

The Lesotho Court of Appeal made strong statements about corruption in developing countries when it recently confirmed the conviction of Canadian engineering contracting firm Acres International on a charge of bribery. Acres was found guilty of having bribed the CEO of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Masupho Sole, to secure a lucrative contract for the construction of the Katse Dam. Sole, now in prison, received bribes totalling R12m from a number of international companies. On Tuesday German engineering company Lahmeyer International will be sentenced on seven counts of bribery. Next in line for prosecution is French company Spies Batignolles. Seven or eight other international companies have been charged.

Robert Chambers, the Godfather of modern community development, reckons that our professional actions are usually overwhelmingly the effects of the culture pervading our professional field. We might thus find ourselves subscribing to nonsensical norms without questioning them. We, development professionals, often preach empowerment, justice, participation and other noble values without reflecting on what we practice "in-house".