Civil society

Former white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe who had their land expropriated under the fast track land reform programme in the early 2000's have accepted government's offer of an interim payment of RTGS$53m (R238m at current exchange rates).

In 2000 Zimbabwe expropriated land from white commercial farmers without compensation and distributed it to landless black people and the connected elite, who now own multiple farms.
 

For 64-year-old Ben Gilpin, a white former commercial farmer in Zimbabwe, the country's fast track land reform programme – which started in 2000 and led to the displacement of approximately 3 500 white commercial farmers – has been nothing but traumatic.

In a matter of months, Gilpin lost some 25kgs due to stress
 

Canada strongly believes the greater participation by women in peacekeeping will pave the way for a more enduring peace.

On behalf of the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), will attend a meeting of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network in Windhoek, Namibia, on April 10 and 11, 2019.
 

On 1 April 2019, the Board of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) approved an institutional support grant of $4.8 million to the African Union (AU) to accelerate the momentum of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), which received its 22nd ratification on 2 April, bringing the agreement into force.

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa has been lowered to 2.3 percent for 2018, down from 2.5 percent in 2017.

That is according to the April 2019 issue of Africa’s Pulse, the World Bank’s bi-annual analysis of the state of African economies released on Monday.
 

South African security forces and health services on Tuesday sent material relief to its neighbours hit by the devastating cyclone that ravaged parts of southern Africa in March 2019.

The donations were specifically to Mozambique and Malawi with the relief mission consisting of the army, police and department of health flying to both countries with what was food and material relief.

The Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture is expected to continue on Thursday when head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) Robert McBride takes the stand.

Inquiry chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, postponed McBride's testimony on Monday because the commission's legal team failed to duly notify people McBride is likely to implicate in his testimony.