African Media Coverage
December 2009
Featured articles
Malawi- Nyasa Times
Rights campaigners says Malawi should legalise same-sex marriage
29 December 2009
Five private practice lawyers were on Tuesday reportedly working to defend a gay couple arrested for conducting a first public same-sex wedding ceremony on Saturday while human rights campaigners called for a repeal of the laws that prohibits homosexuality.
Tionge Chimbalanga, the bride and Steven Monjeza, the bridegroom (pictured by The Nation) have been charged with “public indecency”, according to police spokesman for southern region, Davie Chingwalu.
They face up to 14 years in prison if convicted.
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Botswana- Mmegi Online
Open letter to Minister of Labour and Home Affairs
13 December 2009
From our open letter to the Minister in Charge of Refugees here in Botswana published in your newspaper early these year on fundamental international protection issues, we are glad to register our appreciation on the substantive issue of granting the 1975 Angolan refugees Citizenship and effectively the issuing of Omang to them.
Some are fully enjoying their citizenship and even employed in Government institutions. We have to appreciate the improved accessibility of field officers since the departure of some field officers on the ground. However, as the year ends, some issues remain unresolved, namely:
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Malawi- Nyasa Times
Malopa implicated in ‘illegal’ application of citizenship for foreigners
9 December 2009
Two weeks after the Minister of Labour, Yunus Mussa was embroiled in an immigration scam involving a Pakistani and a United Arab Emirates citizen wishing to unprocedurally obtain visas to visit Malawi, Nyasa Times gathers that another top public official was recently involved in the illegal application of citizenship for foreigners.
Bright Malopa, acting director general at state-owned Television Malawi (TVM) wrote the Principal Secretary in the ministry of home affairs to submit papers of two Rwandan nationals seeking assistance “in obtaining a residence permit and citizenship in Malawi.”
In the letter obtained by Nyasa Times, Ref. No. BM/DG/MinHomAff/11/09, dated 9th November, 2009 and entitled “Request for residence permit and citizenship”, Malopa writes that Television Malawi was on October 21, 2009 visited by Mr. Michael Mugiraneza and Ms. Yvonne Nyirantashyo who are both of Rwandan nationality but in the country on refugee status.
Read the article here.