Africa Up Close

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today’s In the News post are Zimbabwe’s election, Ethiopia, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, women’s public leadership in Africa, and Nelson Mandela’s health

Influencing Policy is  ‘Not a Numbers Game’: More Women in Africa enter Public Office, but Still Wield Little Power
“If you want to be influential in the political arena, you need to influence policy,” Betty Kaari Murungi, a social justice advocate, recently told a room filled with female entrepreneurs and corporate managers in Nairobi, Kenya. A lawyer by profession, Ms. Murungi is the director of Urgent-Action Fund Africa, a feminist human rights advocacy group, as well as former vice-chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Kenya, and has worked on gender justice issues in Africa. Ms. Murungi sat in the audience of the She Helps Empower summit, convened in June in Nairobi to provide an opportunity for women to share their leadership advices on how to expand businesses and careers.
To read more visit the African Renewal site here

MDC’s Time Has Finally Come, Tsvangirai Tells Supporters
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has the scars to show for his attempts to become Zimbabwe’s president, told tens of thousands of supporters at his final rally in Harare on Monday that their time had come. Mr Tsvangirai warned the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that it had to stand up to any moves by President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party to rig Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary polls. “If the ZEC is not up to it, they should resign in the public interest. With a reported 6.4-million names, the voters’ register, was not publicly available on Monday.
To read more please visit the Business Day site here

L’état de Santé de Nelson Mandela “Continue de s’améliorer”, selon la Présidence Sud-Africaine
L’état de santé de Nelson Mandela « continue de s’améliorer », a indiqué la présidence sud-africaine dans un communiqué publié le 30 juillet.  Le héros de la lutte anti-apartheid reste néanmoins « dans un état critique mais  stable », précise le document.
Arguant le secret médical, la présidence sud-africaine avait strictement  refusé de commenter, le 28 juillet, des informations selon lesquelles Madiba  aurait subi une légère intervention vendredi « pour débloquer le tube de dialyse », à sa septième semaine d’hospitalisation. Une opération « bénigne », selon  CBS.
To read more please visit the Jeune Afrique site here

Zille set to head DA’s fight to retain Western Cape
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille is likely to be the party’s candidate for Western Cape premier during the 2014 elections. Ms Zille has indicated that she is keen to serve another term as Western Cape premier after taking the reins in 2009. DA Western Cape leader Ivan Meyer said on Tuesday that he would back Ms Zille for the position and he did not foresee anyone in the party challenging her. Many experts have predicted that the DA will retain the Western Cape during the 2014 election, with the African National Congress (ANC) in the province struggling to get its house in order.
To read more please visit the Business Day site here

Zimbabwe’s elections explained
On Wednesday July 31, Zimbabwe will hold national elections to elect a new government. President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will face off in the contest for the third consecutive time after encounters in the 2002 and 2008 elections.  But as things stand, there are other stakeholders who will be watching the outcome of the election contest from the periphery. Voters, Zimbabweans living in the diaspora, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the rest of the world will have their eyes on Zimbabwe to see if Mugabe will succeed in his bid for another five year-term office, his seventh consecutive term since independence in 1980.
To read more please visit the Mail and Guardian site here

AU Peace and Security Council extends Mbeki’s Sudan mandate
African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) ministers on Monday extended the mandate of a high-level panel on Sudan and South Sudan, headed by South Africa’s former president Thabo Mbeki. The AU high-level implementation panel’s mandate was extended until January. Its remit remains the same. Mr Mbeki presented what was supposed to be the panel’s “final” report, surveying its work from October 2009, when it was established, to now. But the recent change in relations between the two Sudans meant the panel’s mandate had to be prolonged.
To read more please visit the Business Day site here

EU envoy Catherine Ashton meets ousted Egypt leader Mohamed Mursi
Mursi has been held incommunicado since the military removed him from power on July 3. Egypt’s authorities say he is being investigated for charges including murder, stemming from a 2011 jailbreak when he escaped detention during protests against former autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Ashton, Europe’s top diplomat, has been shuttling between Egypt’s rulers and the Muslim Brotherhood to try to pull the country back from more bloodshed as one of the only outsiders that is accepted by both sides as a potential mediator.
To read more please visit the Standard Digital site here

Ethiopia:  Consultative Meeting On Ethiopia’s National AGOA Response Strategy Held
The Ministry of Trade and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) held a consultative meeting on Ethiopia’s National AGOA Response Strategy in mid July (July 16-17) at the UN Conference Center. The meeting was attended by relevant stakeholders from the private sector, the government and the donor community to provide input for the National AGOA Response Strategy. Close to 200 participants, commercial diplomats, members of civil society and donors participated.
To read more plase visit AllAfrica site here