ANC faces losses in vote that could reshape South African politics
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Sunday, July 31, 2016
ANC faces losses in vote that could reshape South African politics
By Joe Brock PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) - A metal sculpture overlooks the ocean on South Africa's southern coast, showing Nelson Mandela with his fist triumphantly thrust into the air and a sweeping line of diverse figures waiting to vote. The monument in Port Elizabeth, capital of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, commemorates the jubilant day in 1994 when South Africa held its first multi-racial elections, overwhelmingly voting the African National Congress (ANC) and Mandela into power. At local elections this week the atmosphere is expected to be far more subdued, with ANC supporters increasingly frustrated at a lack of jobs and basic services as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession, and disenchanted at perceived corruption in the ruling party. Opinion polls suggest the vote on Wednesday could herald a sea change in South African society and politics. The ANC could lose major cities it has held virtually unchallenged since the end of white-minority rule 22 years ago. Such an historic reversal could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 general election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. With a quarter of South Africa's potential workforce unemployed and the jobless rate among black people aged 20-24 at almost half, millions of voters say their lives have barely improved since the ANC won power in 1994. Many supporters are switching allegiances to the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. This kind of defection - an unthinkable prospect in years gone by - is now being considered across the country, even in symbolic heartlands like Nelson Mandela Bay.
Congolese rally to demand Kabila step down
KINSHASA Tens of thousands of Congolese demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans and waving opposition flags rallied in the capital on Sunday to demand President Joseph Kabila step down when his mandate ends in December.
Kabila, 45, who has been in power since his father was assassinated in 2001, is under pressure at home and from increasingly exasperated world powers to step aside and call an election to choose a successor.
The vote is due on Nov. 27 but Kabila's government has said logistical problems are likely to delay it and has not set a new date. The electoral commission started enrolling voters on Sunday, but has said the process would take more than a year.
Some Kabila supporters want a referendum scrapping term limits so he can run again, as many African leaders have already done, and opponents accuse him of trying to cling to power.
"If the electoral commission does not convene the electorate, that will be high treason," revered opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, 83, told Sunday's rally during a half-hour speech, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
Among the crowd, one protester waved a white cross with the words: "Adieu Kabila, RIP."
Tshisekedi, who returned to Congo last week after spending two years in Europe for unspecified medical treatment, was runner-up to Kabila in a 2011 election that observers said was marred by fraud.
Tshisekedi formed Congo's first organized opposition platform under long-time autocrat Mobutu Sese Seko in 1982 and his homecoming has energized an opposition that failed to mobilize more than a few thousand supporters in a series of protests over the last two years.
CONFLICT FEARS
Past opposition rallies have turned violent and authorities have arrested dozens of Kabila critics since last year, but Sunday's protest near parliament was peaceful. Riot police remained several blocks away.
Foreign donors fear political tensions could easily lead to armed conflict -- Congo's mix of ethnic strife and foreign interference driven by competition over its fabulous mineral wealth has bloodied it for two decades.
Despite growing discontent with the government, the opposition faces long odds. Kabila has used his dominance of state institutions to undercut rivals and he retains powerful allies.
Tens of thousands of Kabila supporters joined a demonstration calling for Kabila to stay on in Kinshasa on Friday, two days after Tshisekedi's return.
Another prominent opposition figure -- former provincial governor and millionaire businessman Moise Katumbi -- told Reuters on Sunday that aviation authorities had refused his plane authorization to land. A government spokesman denied that.
Katumbi left Congo in May and was sentenced the following month in absentia to three years in prison for real estate fraud, charges he denies.
At 51, Katumbi is seen by some opposition parties as a more credible candidate than Tshisekedi due to his youth and wealth.
(Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Helen Popper)
HIV cases rise in 74 countries in last decade By Meera Senthilingam, for CNN Updated 5:14 PM ET, Tue July 19, 2016
Story highlights
- The rate of HIV infections rose in 74 countries from 2005 to 2015
- The greatest increases in infections were seen in Pakistan, Panama, Qatar and Afghanistan
- The global number declined by an average of .7% per year in that time
Durban (CNN)Over the past decade, the rate of new HIV infections has increased in 74 countries, according to a new study presented Tuesday at the 21st International AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa.
While the total number of new infections declined globally from 2005 to 2015, certain countries saw a rise in numbers of people becoming infected, calling for better targeting of prevention programs in order to end AIDS by 2030.
The greatest increases in infections were seen in Pakistan, Panama, Qatar and Afghanistan, respectively, but countries across four continents were highlighted, including Russia and Mexico.
"We must slow down the risk of new infections," said Haidong Wang, assistant professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who led the study.
The rate at which infections have declined globally over the decade were also raised as a concern, as new infections with HIV fell by an average 0.7% per year between 2005 and 2015, compared to a much more significant decline of 2.7% per year from 1997 to 2005, according to the study. "This is a stark contrast," said Wang.
The study is based on findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study and explored the numbers of new infections, people living with HIV, deaths from HIV infection and people accessing treatment in 195 countries and territories from 2005 to 2015.
More than 75% of new infections recorded in 2015 across the 195 countries included in the study were in sub-Saharan Africa, with South Asia coming second with 8.5% of infections.
The need for more drugs
During a press conference, Wang used Pakistan as an example to highlight the importance of access to antiretroviral therapy. In Pakistan, less than 6% of people infected with HIV are receiving ART, according to the study.
Treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV by up to 96%, as levels of the virus in the body can become almost undetectable when antiretroviral drugs are taken consistently. "[We need to] meet the needs of those infected to access treatment," he said.
Some positive trends were seen in the study, including a decline in the number of deaths globally from AIDS. Numbers accessing treatment as a whole have also risen, rising from 6.4% among men in 2005 to more than 38% in 2015. The increase in treatment among women was even greater, with an almost 40% increase over the same time period.
But these numbers are still far from global targets.
UNAIDS hs set the 90:90:90 targets to end AIDS, which calls for 90% of people to know their HIV status, 90% of people infected to be on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment to have suppressed levels of the virus by 2020 -- just five years away. At the current rates of increase seen in the study, these targets will not be met.
"There's still an enormous burden of disease," said Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and founding director of UNAIDS. He stressed the urgency of the situation given today's population growth.
"Some countries in Africa have the highest population growth in the world," he said. "And here we have the largest cohort of sexually active adults and adolescents coming up."
Money to prevent infections
A theme throughout the conference has been the increased rates of HIV among adolescents, particularly adolescent girls, and the need to prioritize prevention measures such as condoms, male circumcision and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), where drugs are taken to prevent infection.
The importance of prevention was raised in the opening ceremony of the conference on Monday by UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé. "Today, I'm sounding the alarm on prevention," he said to the crowd of 18,000 doctors, scientists, AIDS activists, politicians, philanthropists, drug company representatives, people living with HIV and heads of state from around the world. "By 2020 all countries should reduce new infections by 75%."
Multiple presentations at the meeting have also highlighted growing disinterest in funding for HIV control efforts in recent years by international governments.
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"In some low-income countries in Africa, the needs for HIV prevention could be as high as half of all public expenditure on health. There's no way these countries can fund by their own means the fight against AIDS," Piot said.
With infections going up in some countries and funding going down, something needs to be done, experts said.
"Are we going to see the end of AIDS by 2030? Not likely, I think," said Tom Achoki, a clinical assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who was also involved in the study. "We need to work together to maintain this commitment."
Malawi arrests 'hyena' man who bragged about sex with children
Now Playing Living with HIV
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Story highlights
- Malawian man says he takes part in the ritual despite his HIV-positive status
- He was arrested after his confession sparked social media outrage
(CNN)A Malawian man who bragged about having sex with underage girls to initiate them into womanhood has been arrested, authorities say.
Eric Aniva sparked social media outrage last week when he told local and international media that families pay him to have sex with young girls to mark their passage from childhood into adulthood.
Parents hire him when the girls reach puberty as a form of ritual cleansing, he said.
One of many 'hyenas'
Aniva said men who get paid for such services are referred to as hyenas, adding that he's one of many in his community in southern Malawi.
In an interview published last week, he told the BBC that he makes between $4 to $7 for each encounter.
Malawian lawyer fights for girls 07:10
"Some girls are just 12 or 13 years old, but I prefer them older," he told the BBC.
"All these girls find pleasure in having me as their hyena. They actually are proud and tell other people that this man is a real man, he knows how to please a woman."
He said while he's HIV-positive, the families paying him are unaware of his status. The story added that for cultural reasons, "hyenas" don't use protection such as condoms.
President orders his arrest
Following the interview, Malawian President Peter Mutharika ordered his arrest and an investigation into others involved in the practice.
"At a time when we as a country are making notable strides toward emancipation of the girl child, it is disheartening that within our borders are men, women and whole communities who deliberately choose to abuse our girls in the name of culture," Mutharika said in a statement.
"To those who continue to or might harbor thoughts to practice cultural practices that disorient our girl child, I have a message for you: 'Stop now or you will be on the sorry side of the law.'"
Aniva, who lives in Nsanje District, is in his 40s. Police arrested him Tuesday.
CNN Map
NSANJE DISTRICT, MALAWI
Sexual initiations
Two years ago, human rights groups reported that various regions in southern Malawi teach sexually explicit content to their youth.
These communities also practice initiations that encourage premarital sex, according to Malawi Human Rights Commission.
Human rights groups found instances where "hyenas" engage in sexual intercourse with girls who are told the experience will determine whether they have really grown up.
In addition, girls as young as six have been sent to initiation camps to learn how to have sex, the rights commission reported.
Girls rights advocates have tried to persuade traditional authorities and chiefs -- who hold power in local government and are perceived as custodians of culture -- to do away with camps like these.
Grim statistics
Some African communities believe that having sex with virgins cures a man of HIV.
Malawi has one of the highest HIV rates in the world, with more than 10% of the population between ages 15 and 49 infected with HIV/AIDS, according to the World Health Organization.
The nation ranks 10th worldwide for the highest rate of child marriages, with half of its children married before age 18.
Malawi raised the legal marrying age from 15 to 18 last year, making child marriage illegal. The age of sexual consent in the southern African country is 16.
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