LUSAKA (Reuters) &#8211; Zambia should treat mineral royalty payments as a deductible expense in order to avoid double taxation and attract investment, the Zambia Chamber of Mines said on Monday.



Since 2019, mineral royalty payments have not been treated as a deductible expense when calculating corporate income tax and that provision was kept unchanged in the government’s annual budget unveiled on Friday.



“The effect of this is that mining companies end up being taxed on income that has already been paid over as a royalty – a situation referred to as double taxation,” the chamber said in a statement.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-374752" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-696x464.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zambia_2-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /></figure>



Reversing that provision could unlock a series of investment approvals and kick-start economic recovery, it said.



The chamber welcomed the withdrawal of duty on ore imports, announced in the budget on Friday, and acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue, given the initiation of negotiations to suspend Zambia’s bond repayments.



Africa’s No. 2 copper producer has asked creditors to defer interest payments on three outstanding dollar-denominated bonds amid a crisis, which has driven spending and hit copper earnings.







Zambia had been wrestling with growing public debt before the coronavirus outbreak forced lockdowns around the world and cut demand for raw materials.



The Chamber of Mines noted that a good proportion of the Eurobond holders also hold shares in mining and prospecting in Zambia.



Such a change in the tax regime would help spur growth in the mining sector and help bondholders mitigate their income loss during the proposed moratorium on coupon payments, the chamber said.

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Zambia chamber of mines says double taxation hurting investment

WINDHOEK, Sept 25 (Reuters) &#8211; Namibia is struggling to contain the second outbreak this year of the African migratory red locust, which has destroyed 500 hectares of grazing land in the north-east of the country, the country’s agriculture minister said on Friday.



At least 19 areas in the fertile Zambezi region, which borders Zambia, Zimbabwe Angola and Botswana, have been hit by a red locust outbreak since Aug. 12, agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein said in a statement.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="736" height="549" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/red-locust-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-382661" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/red-locust-3.jpg 736w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/red-locust-3-300x224.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/red-locust-3-696x519.jpg 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px" /></figure>



In total, 4,002 square kilometres have been invaded and 500 hectares of livestock grazing land destroyed, he said.



Thecountry needs around 30 million Nambian dollars ($1.77 million) for additional resources to contain the spread and enable aerial spraying, the minister added.



Some neighbouring countries, also affected, are already spraying from the air, which Schlettwein said was driving the locusts to countries, such as Namibia, that have yet to do so.



The outbreak follows another in February of the large, red-winged grasshopper species, which is common to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds prolifically in conditions of drought followed by rain and rapid vegetation growth.



Sophia Kasheeta, deputy executive director of the agriculture ministry, told Reuters the money needed could be sourced from the private sector, government “or anyone who can come on board”.



So far the Food and Africulture Organization is among international bodies providing technical help and materials.



“There are several challenges being faced by the team on the ground, which include lack of camping equipment, vehicles, and the vastness of the area,” the minister said.

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Red locusts destroy 500 hectares Nambian grazing land, minister says

JOHANNESBURG/CAPE TOWN (Reuters) &#8211; From Sao Paulo to Sweden, thousands of people around the world, including priests, police, ministers and frontline workers, have posted clips of themselves dancing to South African house song “Jerusalema”.



With confirmed global coronavirus deaths nearing a grim milestone of one million, a vaccine still some time away and lockdowns and social distancing measures to curb the pandemic’s spread weighing on public life, the up-tempo gospel groove has provided a moment’s relief across borders and language barriers.



Yet 150 million YouTube views later, the song’s producer is still not sure why. Master KG told Reuters on Thursday he was in “disbelief”.



“Early this year, around January, I thought the song had reached its peak,” said Master KG, real name Kgaogelo Moagi. “And then out of nowhere the song came back.”



The “nowhere” was a group of Angolan friends, who posted themselves performing a self-invented dance routine to the song. In the video, a first group demonstrates the dance to another group, who interrupt their house chores to join-in.







From there the clip made its way to Portugal, the rest of Europe, the United States and South America under the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge tag, inspiring variations such as a group of Italian nuns in tunics and priests in robes, and nurses in full scrubs at a Swedish hospital doing the dance.



“(Now the song is) number one on Shazam. Being posted by Cristiano Ronaldo. Posted by Janet Jackson. Just a lot of amazing things. Things I’ve been dreaming of,” Moagi said.



In a televised address announcing the country was moving to the lowest level of lockdown restrictions, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dared the entire nation to take the challenge.



Moagi said: “The music I make is for the people &#8230; It’s no longer my song, it’s a song for the world. It’s healing them and I’m blessed and honoured by that.”







In Cape Town on Thursday at the studio where blockbusters like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Invictus” were filmed, actors and crew who have mostly been on furlough due the pandemic came to film a short feature on the dance craze.



Director Abongwe Booi said the dance challenge was good fun but also a chance to highlight the struggles of the film industry.



“So many people have been out of work and they haven’t had a chance to come together. For us to do this on a day like Heritage Day is amazing,” Booi said, referring to Thursday’s public holiday which celebrates South African heritage and cultural diversity.

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South African hit ‘Jerusalema’ inspires people worldwide to shake off COVID-19 blues

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Angola will receive $6.2 billion in debt relief over the next three years thanks to agreements lined up with three of its major creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report released on Monday.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-1110x740.png" alt="" class="wp-image-379495" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-1110x740.png 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-820x546.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-768x512.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-696x464.png 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-1068x712.png 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280-600x400.png 600w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/angola-162225_1280.png 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /></figure>



On Friday, Angola said it was close to striking debt agreements with a number of Chinese banks and government agencies.



The African oil exporter has buckled under a rising debt burden following a sharp decline in crude prices and amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.



“Although debt is sustainable, significant vulnerabilities remain,” the IMF said in its report. “Debt dynamics are highly sensitive to further oil-price volatility.”



In a letter included in the report, the Angolan government, which has already sought relief from official bilateral creditors under an initiative backed by the Group of 20 (G20) wealthy economies, acknowledged its precarious position.



“To the extent that unforeseen risks to achieving the medium-term debt target materialise, we will act to mitigate those risks, including by seeking additional debt relief from a wider group of creditors,” it said.







Private sector participation in debt relief has become a hotly debated issue ahead of a decision by the G20 on whether to extend debt payment holidays beyond 2020.



While the World Bank has pushed for private creditors to shoulder some of the burden of debt relief, investors as well as some governments have argued this would endanger their access to international capital markets.



Asked about the prospect of compulsory private creditor involvement on Friday, Angola&#8217;s Secretary of State for Budget and Investment Aia-Eza Silva told Reuters: &#8220;Our main focus now is to deal with the main creditors, our big (bilateral) creditors, and this is where we are putting our emphasis now.&#8221; Meanwhile a 5% plunge in oil prices has added to the pressure on Angola&#8217;s dollar bonds&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/XS1318576086USD">XS1318576086=TE</a>, which dropped more than 4 cents in the dollar to trade at just over 86 cents, their lowest level since mid-July according to Tradeweb data.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHINESE DEBT</h2>



Angola owes more than $20 billion to a number of Chinese entities, including $14.5 billion to the China Development Bank (CDB) [CHDB.UL], and nearly $5 billion to the Export-Import Bank of China (EximBank)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/2544.HK">2544.HK</a>. It has also borrowed from China&#8217;s largest lender, ICBC.



While the IMF declined to name the creditors involved in the debt reprofiling deals, two private analysts following the negotiations said two of them were the CDB and EximBank.







Luanda struck a deal with one of its largest creditors, identified by the analysts as the CDB, in June, the IMF said. That agreement grants a three-year deferral of principal payments on three loans, with the largest one to be repaid over seven years thereafter.



An agreement with a second large creditor, identified by the analysts as EximBank, is being worked out with a similar reprofiling of principal payments, the IMF said in the report.



“The authorities have secured concrete and credible financing assurances from these creditors,” it said.



Meanwhile, discussions with a third creditor were ongoing, according to the report.



The Fund estimated that Angola’s debt-to-GDP ratio would steadily decline from just over 120% predicted for the end of the year to 37.8% by the end of 2030.

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Angola negotiates $6.2 billion debt relief from creditors: IMF

<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="624" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-1110x624.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-381808" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-1110x624.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-696x392.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Cape_Town_Stadium_Aerial_View.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Aerial view of Cape Town Stadium taken from Signal Hill.</figcaption></figure>



President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation at 19:00 CAT today, Wednesday, 16 September 2020, on developments in South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The President announced that South Africa will go into alert level 1 as of Sunday 20th September 2020.



&#8220;This move recognizes that levels of infection are relatively low and that there is sufficient capacity in our health system to manage the current need,&#8221; Ramaphosa said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">International travel</h2>



President Ramaohosa announced that South Africa will gradually ease restrictions on international travel as of the 1st of October 2020. Travelers to the country will be granted entry through one of three airports &#8211; OR Tambo, King Shaka International, and Capetown International. Travelers arriving into South Africa must have a negative COVID PCR test not older than 72 hours and will be required to install a contact tracing app.





&#8220;We will be allowing travel into and out of South Africa for business, leisure and other travel with effect from 1 October 2020,&#8221; Ramaphosa said.

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Breaking SA: Moves to alert level 1, International travel to re-start on October 1st

MAPUTO (Reuters) &#8211; The Mozambican army has condemned the apparent execution of a naked woman by men wearing military uniforms, shown in video footage, where she is beaten with a stick before being shot in the back as she tries to flee.



In the footage, circulated on Monday, the group refer to the woman as ‘al-Shabaab’ &#8211; a local term for an Islamist insurgent group that has been operating in the north of the country since 2017.



One of the uniformed men hits her in the head and body with a stick before others shoot and, they say in the video, kill her on the side of the road.



It was filmed in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, where soldiers are fighting an Islamist insurgency.



Reuters was able to verify the location of the video by comparing landmarks to those visible in satellite imagery taken in June 2020. These include three trees side-by side, posts in the ground, a path connected to the road and two white buildings, one with a blue roof.



The Mozambican army, engaged in a battle with insurgents in the province which is also home to gas projects being developed by oil majors such as Total, said it considered the images shocking and horrifying, and “above all condemnable”.



“The FDS (Defence and Security Forces) reiterate that they do not agree with any barbaric act that substantiates the violation of human rights,” it said in a statement, calling for an investigation into the video’s authenticity.



It did not specifically deny that government troops were responsible.Slideshow&nbsp;( 2 images )



After an escalation in the insurgency, which saw the capture of the port town of Mocimboa da Praia in August, and the security forces’ response, reports and videos of beatings or other army abuses have become increasingly common.



Amnesty International said most of the men, who shot the woman 36 times, were wearing full Mozambique army uniform.



It cited a local military source as saying they killed her because she had cast a spell on the army, and refused to show them the insurgents’ hideout.



Last week, the rights group said it had verified videos showing attempted beheadings, torture, the dismemberment of alleged opposition fighters and possible extrajudicial executions.



The government dismissed the allegations, saying insurgents regularly impersonated soldiers.



Zenaida Machado, researcher for Human Rights Watch, called for an investigation and said such acts, if committed by soldiers, sowed distrust in the population and strengthened the insurgents.



Frightened people should not run from insurgents only to find themselves in danger from those supposed to keep them safe, she said.

Mozambique records first COVID-19 death

Mozambique army condemns ‘horrifying’ shooting of naked woman at hands of fighters

<h3 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#002f6c">KEY POINTS</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Despite losing around 5% to the rand over the past three months, the U.S. dollar is still up by more than 16.5% against Africa’s most liquid currency since the turn of the year. As of Wednesday afternoon, the rand was changing hands at around 16.3285 to the dollar.</li></ul>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand.jpg" alt="Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images" class="wp-image-381748" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand-696x391.jpg 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images
</figcaption></figure>



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=ZAR=">South African rand</a>&nbsp;will see a significant appreciation against the U.S. dollar by the end of the year, as much of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/19/study-brazil-india-and-south-africa-face-toughest-recovery-among-g20.html">macroeconomic risk facing the country</a>&nbsp;is already priced in, according to Absa CIB Head of Currency Strategy Mike Keenan.



The currency plummeted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/15/south-africa-extends-lockdown-but-offers-roadmap-for-reopening.html">late March as the coronavirus began</a>&nbsp;to spread throughout the world, sending riskier markets into an historic tailspin. Despite losing around 5% to the rand over the past three months, the U.S. dollar is still up by more than 16.5% against Africa’s most liquid currency since the turn of the year. As of Wednesday afternoon, the rand was changing hands at around 16.3285 to the dollar.



Compounding the impact of the crisis on the rand, beyond the natural expectations of a fall in emerging market currencies in a global economic downturn, were a host of pre-existing macroeconomic factors. Already blighted by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/23/south-africa-unleashes-largest-ever-spending-plan-to-tackle-coronavirus.html">low growth and rising debt</a>, Moody’s in March&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/south-africa-looks-to-structural-reform-last-investment-grade-credit-rating-falls.html">downgraded the country’s last investment-grade sovereign credit rating</a>&nbsp;to “junk.”



Keenan suggested that it was this “perfect storm” of factors that drove the currency up to 19.35 to the dollar in March.



“We believe a lot of that risk is now priced into the currency and even though things like low growth and the fiscal situation are not going to turn around overnight, I think the global environment is becoming increasingly more supportive of the rand,” he said, highlighting dollar weakness and a recovery for commodity prices as reinforcement for the export-driven currency.



“Added to that, we think the SARB (South African Reserve Bank) is close to the end of its cutting cycle, so we think the rand goes to 15.75 by the end of the year because all of the bad news is priced in, and we think we are in the recovery phase,” he added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Devil in the data detail</h2>



South African GDP (gross domestic product) contracted by an annualized 51% in the second quarter, with the beginnings of a rebound anticipated in the third quarter as lockdown measures continue to ease. Keenan anticipates that some sectors, such as tourism and hospitality, will take longer to return to pre-Covid levels, while others such as property have shown signs of pent-up demand coming through in light of lockdowns being lifted.



“There is going to be winners and losers from this and it is going to be critical in the third quarter numbers to see how the various components play out,” he said.



“We are going to have to really scrutinize the detail of the data rather than just the headline figure, to see what sectors are coming back and which sectors are still under a lot of pressure, and then taking it a step further to see how much these various sectors employ.”



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106468131-1585649490275gettyimages-1207457483.jpeg?v=1585649638&amp;w=678&amp;h=381" alt="PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 16: Finance minister, Tito Mboweni briefs the media on the details of government interventions in various sectors of the departmental portfolios on COVID-19 at DIRCO Media Centre."/><figcaption>PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA &#8211; MARCH 16: Finance minister, Tito Mboweni briefs the media on the details of government interventions in various sectors of the departmental portfolios on COVID-19 at DIRCO Media Centre.Phill Magakoe/Gallo Images via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>







Unemployment remained high in South Africa even before the pandemic, and Keenan suggested that signs of a recovery in mass employment sectors such as manufacturing and mining would be key.



However, these sectors also face struggles predating Covid-19, with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni seeking to overcome opposition within the ruling ANC on much touted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/south-africa-looks-to-structural-reform-last-investment-grade-credit-rating-falls.html">reform of state-owned enterprises</a>, and the government embroiled in a legal battle with trade unions over public sector wage freezes in order to secure more fiscal space.

Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images

South Africa’s currency will rally into year-end with risks already priced in, strategist says

MAPUTO (Reuters) &#8211; Mozambique on Thursday denied accusations by rights group Amnesty International that soldiers had committed atrocities, saying the acts were carried out by Islamist insurgents impersonating troops.



Militants with links to Islamic State have stepped up attacks in Mozambique this year, alarming governments across southern Africa.



Amnesty said on Wednesday it had seen videos showing soldiers in the uniforms of the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces and the Mozambique Rapid Intervention Police committing atrocities against alleged fighters in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado.



“The videos and pictures show the attempted beheading, torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners; the dismemberment of alleged opposition fighters; possible extrajudicial executions; and the transport and discarding of a large number of corpses into apparent mass graves,” Amnesty said.



Mozambique’s defence ministry on Thursday dismissed the report, saying militants regularly impersonated soldiers.



“One of the tactics used by terrorists in their macabre incursions against the population is to pretend to be elements of the FDS (Defense and Security Forces) in a veiled attempt to confuse national and international public opinion,” said ministry spokesman Colonel Omar Nala Saranga.



“The Defense and Security Forces reiterate that they do not agree with any form of torture, beheading attempts, mistreatment or illegal acts,” he added in a statement.



Militant attacks began in Cabo Delgado in 2017, and have rapidly gathered pace this year with insurgents seizing key towns for brief periods and hitting military and other key targets.



The violence has alarmed energy majors exploring huge natural gas deposits there.

Mozambique denies accusations of abuses in insurgency-hit province

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe’s biggest nurses union said on Wednesday it was encouraging its members to end a pay strike which started in June and which forced major hospitals to turn away patients at a time the country is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.



Inflation is running above 800%, reviving memories of the hardships of more than a decade ago when hyperinflation wiped out savings and pensions.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-375030" width="683" height="934" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg 748w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-219x300.jpg 219w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-584x800.jpg 584w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-696x953.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15.jpg 790w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption>President Emerson Mnangagwa</figcaption></figure>



The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA), which has more than 16,000 members, called for the strike to force President Emmerson Mnanagwa’s government to pay U.S. dollar salaries, but authorities say they are unable to do so.



The strike by nurses and senior doctors has crippled public hospitals, with non-emergency patients turned away and some babies stillborn due to lack of adequate medical care.



ZINA president Enoch Dongo said nurses wanted to give Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who was in August appointed health minister, a chance to resolve the dispute.



“When you have a crisis sometimes you need to give people a chance to resolve it. After sometime we will review this decision,” Dongo told Reuters.



“So we are telling our members to report for work but only if they have transport money and if there is PPE in hospitals.”



Dongo said the lowest paid nurse earned 6,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($73) in salary and allowances monthly. The state statistical agency says an average family of five needs at least 15,573 Zimbabwe dollars to be not considered poor.



Chiwenga has said the government would soon table a pay offer for the health sector and stop paying medical bills for cabinet ministers and senior officials who seek treatment abroad to save on scarce foreign exchange.



Zimbabweans are growing impatient with Mnangagwa, who promised to revive the economy when he took over from Robert Mugabe after a coup in 2017. Mnangagwa says the economy is being sabotaged the opposition and some Western countries.

Zimbabwe tightens coronavirus lockdown in capital Harare as cases hit 203

Zimbabwe nurses end three-month strike over pay

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; The former first-daughter of Angola Irene Neto has denied any wrongdoing by her husband, a top figure in the oil industry who is the focus of a Swiss money-laundering probe and subject to one of the largest personal asset freezes in Swiss history.



Prosecutors say Carlos Manuel de São Vicente’s monopoly over insurance and re-insurance for state oil giant Sonangol from 2000 to 2016 culminated in huge bank transfers into accounts in his own name, his companies, wife and family members, according to court documents seen by Reuters.



The Geneva-based law firm representing De São Vicente has told Reuters he refutes the charges and had always acted according to the law.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/aghostino-neto.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-380835" width="450" height="575"/><figcaption>Agostinho Neto</figcaption></figure>



His wife, Neto, reinforced that denial in a statement to Reuters via the political foundation she heads.



Neto is the daughter of the Angola’s first president from 1975 to 1979, Agostinho Neto, and was herself a former deputy minister from Angola’s ruling MPLA party. She is not accused of any wrongdoing as part of the probe.







“Any allegation of a possible link between her late father’s position and her husband’s activities is defamatory,” the statement said.



“Mrs. Neto stresses that her husband at all times and in any circumstances conducted his business according to the law and has no doubt that justice will prove so.”



Angola is seeking to tackle a legacy of alleged corruption which has dogged the nation as it seeks to attract foreign investment into its struggling economy.

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Ex-first daughter of Angola Neto says no wrongdoing by husband in Swiss corruption probe

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa is ready to help insurgency-hit Mozambique with support from its intelligence services or military, but its neighbour would first need to request that help, South Africa’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.



Insurgents with links to Islamic State have stepped up attacks in Mozambique this year, alarming energy majors developing huge natural gas deposits there and governments elsewhere in southern Africa.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-1110x624.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-362159" width="728" height="410" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-1110x624.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-696x392.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs-747x420.jpg 747w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1571595826001_6138968958001_6138971439001-vs.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption>#LWS2020KZN: Naledi Pandor on the importance to female empowerment in the workplace</figcaption></figure>



South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a parliamentary committee that southern African regional body SADC had asked Mozambique to provide a roadmap on the assistance it might need, which would then be deliberated upon before a course of action was chosen.



“If it is more intelligence support, if it is the South African navy patrolling the coast, if it is assistance from our defence force, we as South Africa stand ready, but we must have that indication from the government of Mozambique,” Pandor said.



“Mozambique is a sovereign country, if it needs assistance from any of us it would ask for it. &#8230; But should South Africa be jumping into Mozambique without any request from the country, without any indication as to where it needs help? I’m not sure that we can do that,” she added.



Attacks began in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado in 2017 but have gathered pace this year, with insurgents seizing key towns for brief periods and increasingly hitting military or strategic targets.



“The emergence of conflict in Mozambique is a worrying reversal of the peace that has characterised SADC for many years,” Pandor said. “Mozambique has been engaging with our various countries, and we are all looking at how we might assist them.”

South Africa ready to help insurgency-hit Mozambique, if asked

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe’s wildlife agency said on Wednesday it had discovered more elephant carcasses near a major game park, bringing the number of dead animals suspected to have been killed by a bacterial infection to 22, double the initial figure.



The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has already ruled out poaching and cyanide poisoning for the death of elephants in Pandamasuwe Forest in western Zimbabwe, between the largest wildlife sanctuary Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls.



Zimparks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the latest elephant carcasses were found on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most of the animals were young, with the oldest being 18 years.



The elephants, which had their tusks intact, had died in similar circumstances to those first discovered last week.



“We suspect it is the same causes as the first group and we are also looking at taking samples to other independent laboratories so that we can broaden our investigations,” said Farawo.



He said it would be a while before a final report on the causes of the deaths is ready.



Zimparks officials say the biggest threat to Zimbabwe’s elephant herd is overpopulation and that lower rainfall this year could again leave the animals facing starvation after at least 200 died in 2019 from a lack of water and food.



Zimbabwe is home to some 80,000 elephants, around a fifth of Africa’s total, conservationists estimate. Overall numbers have declined sharply in recent years, mostly due to a combination of poaching, illegal hunting and drought.



Earlier this year neighbouring Botswana was hit with hundreds of mysterious elephant deaths. A wildlife official in Botswana said in July preliminary tests pointed to a naturally occurring toxin as a probable cause.

African_Bush_Elephant

Zimbabwe finds more elephant carcasses, death toll at 22

By Kudzai Mutisi The government of Zimbabwe issued a statement on 31 August 2020 addressing several issues pertaining to the land reform program. The statement presented the government’s position on the compensation of indigenous (black) Zimbabweans who lost their land during the land reform program and the compensation of former farm owners whose land was covered by Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (BIPPAs).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Belarus-tractors-for-Zimbabwe.png" alt="" class="wp-image-379493" width="692" height="925" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Belarus-tractors-for-Zimbabwe.png 477w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Belarus-tractors-for-Zimbabwe-225x300.png 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 692px) 100vw, 692px" /><figcaption>Tractors from Belarus arrive in Zimbabwe as part of a training programme for farmers. </figcaption></figure>



ocals and foreigners seem confused by the government’s statement particularly the issue of returning land to certain former farm owners as compensation. Many have misconstrued this as the reversal of the land reform program by President Mnangagwa’s government. The compensation of former farm owners is covered in section 295 of the constitution of Zimbabwe. There are three categories of farm owners eligible for compensation in different forms. Section 295 (1) provides that indigenous Zimbabweans who lost their land must be compensated for the land and developments thereon. Section 295 (2) stipulates that those whose land was covered by BIPPAs and BITs are entitled to compensation for the land and developments thereon. Section 295 (3) compels the government to compensate those not covered in subsection 1 and 2 for improvements on the land and nothing else.



 In line with the constitution of Zimbabwe, President Mnangagwa’s government has put measures to provide compensation to all three categories of former farm owners. The recent statement provides options for the compensation of farmers under subsection 1 or 2 of section 295. In fact, these former farm owners were not included in the Global Compensation Deed signed recently. It is only these two categories of former farmer owners who have the option to get back their land or to be allocated alternative land elsewhere.



 The farmers that fall under section 295 (3) will be compensated only for improvements on their farms in accordance with the Global Compensation Deed recently signed by the government and former white farmers. These former white farmers owned more than 98 percent of the land expropriated by the government during the land reform program. They have no option of getting back that land. It is worth noting that the number of farms covered by BIPPAs and BITs are fewer than 37.



Some of the farmers in this category already received compensation for their land during the Mugabe era. According to the recent government statement, the compensation of these farmers will be governed by Statutory Instrument 62 of 2020. President Mnangagwa is not reversing the land reform program, he is simply implementing the country’s constitution. By committing to the full compensation of farmers covered by BIPPAs and BITs, the government of Zimbabwe is respecting and restoring property rights. Moreover, the new black farmers currently occupying the land covered by BIPPAs will not be left landless, they will be resettled elsewhere by the government. This is a positive move that should be applauded by locals and foreigners alike.



 The government’s statement also emphasised that illegal occupation of productive farms will not be tolerated anymore. In addition, the government will not downsize productive farms. This is a complete departure from the past where the government allowed the disruption of production on white owned farms.



 The criticism being levelled against President Mnangagwa’s government is driven by sheer ignorance of the country’s constitution and political propaganda. If anything, the recent moves by the government seek to correct the mistakes made during the land reform program and to bring sanity to the agricultural sector. There is no reversal of Zimbabwe’s land reform program. In fact, the government is effectively finalising the land reform program.

zimuuu

OPINION:There is no reversal of Zimbabwe’s land reform program

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Foreign white farmers settled in Zimbabwe whose land was seized under Robert Mugabe can apply to get it back and will be offered land elsewhere if restitution proves impractical, the government said on Monday.



Last month, Zimbabwe agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to local white farmers whose land was forcibly taken by the government to resettle Black families, moving a step closer to resolving one the most divisive policies of the Robert Mugabe era.



Under Zimbabwean laws passed during a short period of opposition government but ignored by Mugabe, foreign white farmers protected by treaties between their governments and Zimbabwe should be compensated for both land and other assets.



In that regard, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka said in a joint statement that these farmers should apply for their land back.



That means, in some instances the government would “revoke the offer letters of resettled (Black) farmers currently occupying those pieces of land and offer them alternative land elsewhere,” the ministers said.



But removing the Black beneficiaries from the land could prove practically and politically difficult.



“Where the situation presently obtaining on the ground makes it impractical to restore land in this category to its former owners, government will offer the former farm owners alternative land elsewhere as restitution where such land is available,” the statement said.



The ministers said other white farmers whose land had been earmarked for acquisition by the government but were still on the properties, can apply to lease the land for 99 years, just like their Black counterparts.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="748" height="1024" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-375030" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg 748w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-219x300.jpg 219w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-584x800.jpg 584w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-768x1052.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-696x953.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-600x822.jpg 600w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15.jpg 790w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px" /></figure>



President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the land reform could not be reversed but paying of compensation was key to mending ties with the West.



The programme still divides public opinion in Zimbabwe, where the number of white farmers has dropped to just over 200 from 4,500 when land reforms began 20 years ago, according to the predominantly white commercial farmers union.



Opponents see the reforms as a partisan process that left the country struggling to feed itself, but its supporters say it has empowered landless Black people.

Zimbabwe says foreign white farmers can apply to get back seized land

LAGOS (Reuters) &#8211; Angola plans to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), an international effort to fight corruption in revenues from oil, gas and mineral extraction.



Tete Antonio, Angola’s minister of foreign affairs, announced the move on Twitter late on Friday and said Angola “has clearly demonstrated its commitment to promote the open and accountable management of its natural resources for the benefit of its people.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="910" height="609" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-375804" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil.jpg 910w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil-820x549.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil-696x466.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/oil-rig-industry-oil-600x402.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px" /></figure>



EITI, formed in 2003, has more than 50 implementing countries.



Angola’s President Joao Lourenco has embarked on an anti-corruption drive since taking power from Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who stepped down in 2017 after a near four-decade rule.



Earlier this month, a court in Luanda sentenced dos Santos’s son to five years in prison over a $500 million corruption case.



Africa’s second-largest oil exporter is also working to stem a steady decline in oil output due to a lack of investment.

Angola to join oil and extractives transparency group to fight corruption

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa has endured its worst power cuts on record this year, research by the country’s national science council showed on Friday.



The power cuts by ailing state utility Eskom are one of the biggest challenges facing President Cyril Ramaphosa as he tries to revive investor confidence in Africa’s most industrialised economy.



Analysis by South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) found that 1,498 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy had been shed so far in the first eight months of 2020, more than 1,352 GWh in the whole of last year and 1,325 GWh in 2015, the previous two worst years on record.



The CSIR estimates planned power cuts, known locally as load-shedding, cost the economy up to 120 billion rand ($7.2 billion) last year.



Eskom generates more than 90% of South Africa’s power but has struggled to meet demand for years because of faults at its coal-fired power stations. Some of these stations have not been properly maintained and two new ones have been hobbled by design flaws.



Ramaphosa has promised to break up Eskom to make it more efficient and has granted it a series of mammoth bailouts to stabilise its finances, but its problems have persisted.



Eskom last implemented planned power cuts last week.



The CSIR predicts load-shedding will continue for two to three years, depending on the actions the government takes to address the electricity shortfall.



($1 = 16.7032 rand)

Candle In The Dark Ali Light

South Africa sees worst power cuts on record in 2020, research shows

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Western diplomats in Zimbabwe expressed deep concern on Friday over a deteriorating political and economic crisis, and said the government should stop using the COVID-19 pandemic to curtail freedoms.



Zimbabwe is suffering inflation over 800%, which has revived memories of the hyperinflation more than a decade ago during Robert Mugabe’s rule. Nurses are on strike and a series of arrests of political opponents have raised the alarm about a crackdown on dissent.



Heads of mission from the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Norway and Poland said in a statement that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s initial promises of uniting the country and reforming the economy when he came to power had given hope of a break with Mugabe’s rule — then proceeded to list ways in which it seems not to have.



“The heads of mission express deep concern with the current political, economic, social and health crisis that Zimbabweans are facing today,” the diplomats said.



It is relatively rare for diplomatic missions to club together and publicly criticise their host country.



A government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mnangagwa accuses the West of sponsoring the opposition to destabilise his government.



African leaders often bristle at criticism from the West, which they say can be selective &#8211; vilifying some and keeping silent on others when it suits their strategic interests.



“COVID-19 must not be used as an excuse to restrict citizens fundamental freedoms,” the statement said.



The diplomats urged “the government to address corruption and the illicit extraction of Zimbabwe’s wealth for personal gain, which continue to undermine Zimbabwe’s development.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="748" height="1024" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-375030" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-748x1024.jpg 748w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-219x300.jpg 219w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-584x800.jpg 584w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-768x1052.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-696x953.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15-600x822.jpg 600w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Emmerson_Mnangagwa_2019-01-15.jpg 790w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px" /></figure>



It has been two years since Mnangagwa won a disputed election. As economic conditions worsen, critics say his government is reverting to the authoritarian tactics used by his predecessor.



“The government also has a responsibility to investigate and prosecute those responsible for violating human rights,” the diplomats said.



Activists say the government is abducting, torturing and arresting critics, including a freelance journalist and opposition politician who have spent more than a month in detention over anti-government protests.



The government denies the charges.

Southern Africa

Zambia chamber of mines says double taxation hurting investment

Red locusts destroy 500 hectares Nambian grazing land, minister says

South African hit ‘Jerusalema’ inspires people worldwide to shake off COVID-19 blues

Angola negotiates $6.2 billion debt relief from creditors: IMF

Breaking SA: Moves to alert level 1, International travel to re-start on October 1st

Mozambique army condemns ‘horrifying’ shooting of naked woman at hands of fighters

South Africa’s currency will rally into year-end with risks already priced in, strategist says

Mozambique denies accusations of abuses in insurgency-hit province

Zimbabwe nurses end three-month strike over pay

Ex-first daughter of Angola Neto says no wrongdoing by husband in Swiss corruption probe

South Africa ready to help insurgency-hit Mozambique, if asked

Zimbabwe finds more elephant carcasses, death toll at 22

OPINION:There is no reversal of Zimbabwe’s land reform program

Zimbabwe says foreign white farmers can apply to get back seized land

Angola to join oil and extractives transparency group to fight corruption

South Africa sees worst power cuts on record in 2020, research shows

Western diplomats express deep concern over Zimbabwe crisis

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Southern Africa

Zambia chamber of mines says double taxation hurting investment

Red locusts destroy 500 hectares Nambian grazing land, minister says

South African hit ‘Jerusalema’ inspires people worldwide to shake off COVID-19 blues

Angola negotiates $6.2 billion debt relief from creditors: IMF

Breaking SA: Moves to alert level 1, International travel to re-start on October 1st

Mozambique army condemns ‘horrifying’ shooting of naked woman at hands of fighters

South Africa’s currency will rally into year-end with risks already priced in, strategist says

Mozambique denies accusations of abuses in insurgency-hit province

Zimbabwe nurses end three-month strike over pay

Ex-first daughter of Angola Neto says no wrongdoing by husband in Swiss corruption probe

South Africa ready to help insurgency-hit Mozambique, if asked

Zimbabwe finds more elephant carcasses, death toll at 22

OPINION:There is no reversal of Zimbabwe’s land reform program

Zimbabwe says foreign white farmers can apply to get back seized land

Angola to join oil and extractives transparency group to fight corruption

South Africa sees worst power cuts on record in 2020, research shows

Western diplomats express deep concern over Zimbabwe crisis

News Tips

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