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President Zuma takes delivery of new Airbus
07 February 2011
President Jacob Zuma will tomorrow, 08 February 2011, officially take delivery of the first of the six new South African Airways Airbus A330-200 long range jetliners, at the Cape Town International Airport.
Details are as follows:
Date: 08 February 2011
Venue: SAA Technical Hangar, Cape Town International Airport
Time: 11:00
Directions: From the N2, take the airport approach road. Then take the Borchards Quarry Road, keep right. The first turn-off at the robot is Michigan Road, take this, (in front of you, you will see the fuel farm), go right immediately and then immediately left again. Go left at the stop, the road turns right. At the bottom go right again, you are now in front of the hangar where the booms are. Enter the gate, park in the demarcated parking area on your right and report to the registration desk.
Media wishing to cover the event can RSVP with Nomfundo Mcetywa on 0725884548 or nomfundo@po.gov.za or Sarah Uys on 083 258 2029 or SarahUys@flysaa.com . Media will also be expected to present their press cards at the event.
Enquires: Zanele Mngadi on 082 330 1148 or Bongani Majola on 082 339 1993
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
============================================================
Another RwandAir Boeing arrives
By Business Times Correspondent
New routes: Dubai Mombasa and Kinshasa
KIGALI - RwandAir, on Friday, received its second Boeing 737-500 at a colourful ceremony held at the Kigali International Airport.
The two class configuration aircraft with 12 business class and 90 economy class seats, is the second to be acquired by the national carrier, on dry lease agreement from leading aircraft leaser, General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).
Its arrival marks the end of the initial stage of RwandAirs fleet acquisition.
I am pleased that we have successfully moved from previous wet lease arrangements to an owned and operated fleet, said Rene Janata, CEO RwandAir.
He further announced that with the current fleet size, plans were underway to launch scheduled flights to Kinshasa and Dubai via Mombasa, beginning October 2010.
The recent changes in our flight schedule were made to accommodate these new destinations we will be flying to and also create a network operation for better connectivity, Janata added.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega said: I am pleased the national carrier will be connecting Rwanda to the second port city of East Africa and also the Middle East.
He further expressed the Governments desire to build a viable airline, which is commercially profitable.
RwandAir currently operates three flights to the port city of Dar es Salaam and will fly to Dubai via Mombasa, four times a week.
The airline serves all East African community capital cities with daily flights and it flies to Johannesburg five times a week. The airline currently has a fleet of two Boeing 737-500 aircrafts, two Bombardier CRJs and a Dash 8 aircraft. The company is also awaiting two other Boeing 737-800 aircrafts to join the fleet in 2011.
The carrier is aggressively growing its fleet to cater for its network expansion plans that will see it fly to more regional and intercontinental destinations.
=====================================================
Egypt's uprising galvanized
Cairo sees largest protest yet as hundreds of thousands demand that Mubarak go now
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Listen to the Article - Powered by
Egyptians staged one of their biggest protests yet Tuesday demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down now, their wrath undiminished by the vice presidents announcement of a plan to transfer power.
Protesters, many moved by a Google executives tearful account on television of his 12-day detention by security forces, completely filled Tahrir Square, which can hold a quarter of a million people, for the third time since the demonstrations began on Jan. 25.
Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Tuesday the creation of two committees, one to propose long-sought constitutional amendments and the other to monitor the implementation of all proposed reforms. Amendments will include presidential term limits and relaxing eligibility rules for who can run. The two committees will start working immediately, he said.
Protesters dismissed Suleimans promises, accusing the government of playing for time, and swore they would not give up until the current half revolution was complete.
Google executive Wael Ghonim joined the massive crowd in Tahrir Square for the first time and declared: We will not abandon our demand and that is the departure of the regime.
Even state employees joined the crowd, including about 5,000 university professors and teachers who were blocked days ago by security forces.
A group of over 1,000 protesters broke away from the square and marched on Parliament, several blocks away, chanting, Illegitimate, illegitimate, and demanding it be dissolved.
Ghonim spoke softly and briefly to the huge crowd from a stage and began by offering his condolences to the families of those killed.
Im not a hero but those who were martyred are the heroes, he said and then broke into a chant of Mubarak, leave, leave. When he finished, the crowd erupted in cheering, whistling and deafening applause.
Activists say Ghonim was behind a Facebook group that helped to inspire the wave of protests.
Ghonims tears have moved millions and turned around the views of those who supported [Mubarak] staying, website Masrawy.com wrote two hours after Ghonims interview on Egypts private Dream satellite channel. Over 20 hours that followed the interview, about 130,000 people joined a Facebook page titled, I delegate Wael Ghonim to speak in the name of Egypts revolutionaries.
Some in the massive crowd said they were turning out for the first time, moved by Ghonims interview or the photos of those killed in police crackdowns on the protests, which have been little seen on TV in Egypt.
The [Wael] interview showed a face of the truth which the state media tried to cover up for so long, said a retired army general, Essam Salem.
Fifi Shawqi, a 33-year-old upper-class housewife, said she came to the Tahrir protest for the first time, bringing her three daughters and her sister. I saw Wael yesterday [in the interview] and I cried. I felt like he is my son and all the youth here are my sons, she said.
Mubaraks regime offered more concessions to the protesters in hopes of appeasing them while keeping as firm a grip on power as it possibly can.
The committee considering constitutional and legislative changes will be led by the head of Egypts highest appellate court and composed of six senior judges and four constitutional experts, according to a statement issued later by the official news agency MENA. It will make its recommendations to Suleiman by the end of this month.
Suleiman said Mubarak welcomed this national dialogue, emphasizing that it puts our feet on the right path out of this ongoing crisis and underlining the need for a clear road map with a specific timetable that will take Egypt to the root of an orderly and peaceful transfer of power with respect for the constitutional legitimacy.
The state news agency said 34 political prisoners had been released, the first to be set free since Mubarak promised reforms. Mubarak also ordered a probe into last weeks clashes between the protesters and government supporters as well as mass detentions of human rights activists and journalists. The committee will refer its findings to the attorney-general, Suleiman said.
Suleiman also promised the harassment of protesters would end.
The president emphasized that Egypts youth deserve the appreciation of the nation and issued a directive to prevent them being pursued, harassed or having their right to freedom of expression taken away, he said.
The White House says Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Suleiman to reiterate the U.S. call for a transition in Egypt that is prompt, meaningful, peaceful and legitimate. Biden also urged that the transition produce immediate and irreversible progress responding to what the Egyptian people want.
Mubarak went on with official business Tuesday, receiving the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
The Brotherhood issued a statement calling the reforms proposed so far as partial and insisting that Mubarak must go to ease what it called the anger felt by Egyptians who face widespread poverty and government repression.
Tuesdays rally and another called for Friday are tests of the protesters ability to maintain pressure on Mubarak.
There were also demonstrations calling for the presidents ouster around the country with 18,000 people cramming into the main square of Egypts second largest city in Alexandria.
Some 3,000 service workers for the Suez Canal also demonstrated in Suez city, while 8,000 people chanted anti Mubarak slogans in the southern city of Assiut.
===================================================
Parliament is not as strong as seen on the surface
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 23:06 digg
By Mlagiri Kopoka
The Political Platform Correspondent
Mwanza. It was interesting to read a certain political analyst in one of the local Kiswahili weeklies calling for the presidents impeachment over the Dowans compensation saga.
Some days ago the Speaker of the National Assembly was quoted as saying a motion on the controversial Sh94 billion Tanesco to Dowans compensation ruled by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) could be tabled in Bunge.
This was after Kigoma South MP David Kafulilas notification of his intention to table a private motion seemed to be invalid due to the law forbidding the Parliament from discussing any business, which is subjected to court proceedings.
Makinda shade light by clarifying that for the ICC ruling to be legal in Tanzania, it had to be registered with the High court of Tanzania.
Thus Kafulilas case could go before the House. The NCCR-Mageuzi MP move came after the government had through Energy and Minerals minister William Ngereja announced that it would compensate Dowans for breach of contract.
The local Kiswahili weekly writers argument was that taking the Dowans or Richmond debate back to Parliament was a mockery of the very principle of the separation of power as provided for by the various parts of the Constitution, including Article 4 (2). In other words it is a ridicule of the checks and balances between the branches of the government.
The Parliament by the powers given to it in Article 63 has already passed its verdict on the Richmond/Dowans saga. This is a job that was done by a 9th Parliament meeting. It also gave directives to the executive to take steps in persecuting all those involved in illegal activities in the issues.
Thus the writer recommended that instead of taking back the issue to where it had been debated and deliberated before, the Parliament should embark on impeachment of the President for failure to execute his duties.
According to the Constitution the impeachment of the President is possible under Article 46 (A) (10). It would be interesting to see how the Parliament in its current setting would handle such a proceeding to arrive at such a consensus. However, with many short falls facing the process, it will be virtually impossible for a successful impeachment to go though.
Under the same Constitution, the President has a lot of maneuvering space with the power provided for in Articles 35, 36, and 37; making impeachment a nonstarter.
Moreover, the President, according to Article 62, is part of the Parliament and has powers to dissolve the Parliament by simply invoking Article 90 (d) that states if the National Assembly declines to pass a motion, which is of fundamental importance to government policies and the President considers that the way out is not to appoint another minister, but to call for a General Election.
The other part is the National Assembly. By using the Kiswahili word Bunge there is a tendency of many pundits to overlook the fact that the President is an important fragment of the Parliament (Article 62). There has been a lot of false hope that Bunge can actually be independent and hold the executive to account.
The Richmond/Dowans saga is an obvious indication of how powerless the Bunge is. MPs can issue directives using the freedom granted to the House under Article 100, as is the case with the Mwakyembe Commission.
At the end of the day, words alone dont break bones. It is the presidency that has the final word.
One can write a whole book on the elusive nature of the principles of separation of powers in the Constitution. Clearly, those who think Bunge under the current Constitution can be anything more than a rubber stamp of the executive must be day dreaming.
The excitement to have a first female Speaker and her promises of not being a dictator notwithstanding, as long as Article 62 of the Constitution stands, Bunge is toothless. It will neither bite nor impeach.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
07 February 2011
President Jacob Zuma will tomorrow, 08 February 2011, officially take delivery of the first of the six new South African Airways Airbus A330-200 long range jetliners, at the Cape Town International Airport.
Details are as follows:
Date: 08 February 2011
Venue: SAA Technical Hangar, Cape Town International Airport
Time: 11:00
Directions: From the N2, take the airport approach road. Then take the Borchards Quarry Road, keep right. The first turn-off at the robot is Michigan Road, take this, (in front of you, you will see the fuel farm), go right immediately and then immediately left again. Go left at the stop, the road turns right. At the bottom go right again, you are now in front of the hangar where the booms are. Enter the gate, park in the demarcated parking area on your right and report to the registration desk.
Media wishing to cover the event can RSVP with Nomfundo Mcetywa on 0725884548 or nomfundo@po.gov.za or Sarah Uys on 083 258 2029 or SarahUys@flysaa.com . Media will also be expected to present their press cards at the event.
Enquires: Zanele Mngadi on 082 330 1148 or Bongani Majola on 082 339 1993
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
============================================================
Another RwandAir Boeing arrives
By Business Times Correspondent
Rwandair board chairman, John Mirenge (L) and Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega (C), check out one of the planes acquired under the GECAS deal (Photo / F. Goodman)
New routes: Dubai Mombasa and Kinshasa
KIGALI - RwandAir, on Friday, received its second Boeing 737-500 at a colourful ceremony held at the Kigali International Airport.
The two class configuration aircraft with 12 business class and 90 economy class seats, is the second to be acquired by the national carrier, on dry lease agreement from leading aircraft leaser, General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).
Its arrival marks the end of the initial stage of RwandAirs fleet acquisition.
I am pleased that we have successfully moved from previous wet lease arrangements to an owned and operated fleet, said Rene Janata, CEO RwandAir.
He further announced that with the current fleet size, plans were underway to launch scheduled flights to Kinshasa and Dubai via Mombasa, beginning October 2010.
The recent changes in our flight schedule were made to accommodate these new destinations we will be flying to and also create a network operation for better connectivity, Janata added.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega said: I am pleased the national carrier will be connecting Rwanda to the second port city of East Africa and also the Middle East.
He further expressed the Governments desire to build a viable airline, which is commercially profitable.
RwandAir currently operates three flights to the port city of Dar es Salaam and will fly to Dubai via Mombasa, four times a week.
The airline serves all East African community capital cities with daily flights and it flies to Johannesburg five times a week. The airline currently has a fleet of two Boeing 737-500 aircrafts, two Bombardier CRJs and a Dash 8 aircraft. The company is also awaiting two other Boeing 737-800 aircrafts to join the fleet in 2011.
The carrier is aggressively growing its fleet to cater for its network expansion plans that will see it fly to more regional and intercontinental destinations.
=====================================================
Egypt's uprising galvanized
Cairo sees largest protest yet as hundreds of thousands demand that Mubarak go now
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Listen to the Article - Powered by 
Egyptians staged one of their biggest protests yet Tuesday demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down now, their wrath undiminished by the vice presidents announcement of a plan to transfer power.
Protesters, many moved by a Google executives tearful account on television of his 12-day detention by security forces, completely filled Tahrir Square, which can hold a quarter of a million people, for the third time since the demonstrations began on Jan. 25.
Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Tuesday the creation of two committees, one to propose long-sought constitutional amendments and the other to monitor the implementation of all proposed reforms. Amendments will include presidential term limits and relaxing eligibility rules for who can run. The two committees will start working immediately, he said.
Protesters dismissed Suleimans promises, accusing the government of playing for time, and swore they would not give up until the current half revolution was complete.
Google executive Wael Ghonim joined the massive crowd in Tahrir Square for the first time and declared: We will not abandon our demand and that is the departure of the regime.
Even state employees joined the crowd, including about 5,000 university professors and teachers who were blocked days ago by security forces.
A group of over 1,000 protesters broke away from the square and marched on Parliament, several blocks away, chanting, Illegitimate, illegitimate, and demanding it be dissolved.
Ghonim spoke softly and briefly to the huge crowd from a stage and began by offering his condolences to the families of those killed.
Im not a hero but those who were martyred are the heroes, he said and then broke into a chant of Mubarak, leave, leave. When he finished, the crowd erupted in cheering, whistling and deafening applause.
Activists say Ghonim was behind a Facebook group that helped to inspire the wave of protests.
Ghonims tears have moved millions and turned around the views of those who supported [Mubarak] staying, website Masrawy.com wrote two hours after Ghonims interview on Egypts private Dream satellite channel. Over 20 hours that followed the interview, about 130,000 people joined a Facebook page titled, I delegate Wael Ghonim to speak in the name of Egypts revolutionaries.
Some in the massive crowd said they were turning out for the first time, moved by Ghonims interview or the photos of those killed in police crackdowns on the protests, which have been little seen on TV in Egypt.
The [Wael] interview showed a face of the truth which the state media tried to cover up for so long, said a retired army general, Essam Salem.
Fifi Shawqi, a 33-year-old upper-class housewife, said she came to the Tahrir protest for the first time, bringing her three daughters and her sister. I saw Wael yesterday [in the interview] and I cried. I felt like he is my son and all the youth here are my sons, she said.
Mubaraks regime offered more concessions to the protesters in hopes of appeasing them while keeping as firm a grip on power as it possibly can.
The committee considering constitutional and legislative changes will be led by the head of Egypts highest appellate court and composed of six senior judges and four constitutional experts, according to a statement issued later by the official news agency MENA. It will make its recommendations to Suleiman by the end of this month.
Suleiman said Mubarak welcomed this national dialogue, emphasizing that it puts our feet on the right path out of this ongoing crisis and underlining the need for a clear road map with a specific timetable that will take Egypt to the root of an orderly and peaceful transfer of power with respect for the constitutional legitimacy.
The state news agency said 34 political prisoners had been released, the first to be set free since Mubarak promised reforms. Mubarak also ordered a probe into last weeks clashes between the protesters and government supporters as well as mass detentions of human rights activists and journalists. The committee will refer its findings to the attorney-general, Suleiman said.
Suleiman also promised the harassment of protesters would end.
The president emphasized that Egypts youth deserve the appreciation of the nation and issued a directive to prevent them being pursued, harassed or having their right to freedom of expression taken away, he said.
The White House says Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Suleiman to reiterate the U.S. call for a transition in Egypt that is prompt, meaningful, peaceful and legitimate. Biden also urged that the transition produce immediate and irreversible progress responding to what the Egyptian people want.
Mubarak went on with official business Tuesday, receiving the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
The Brotherhood issued a statement calling the reforms proposed so far as partial and insisting that Mubarak must go to ease what it called the anger felt by Egyptians who face widespread poverty and government repression.
Tuesdays rally and another called for Friday are tests of the protesters ability to maintain pressure on Mubarak.
There were also demonstrations calling for the presidents ouster around the country with 18,000 people cramming into the main square of Egypts second largest city in Alexandria.
Some 3,000 service workers for the Suez Canal also demonstrated in Suez city, while 8,000 people chanted anti Mubarak slogans in the southern city of Assiut.
===================================================
Parliament is not as strong as seen on the surface
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 23:06 digg
By Mlagiri Kopoka
The Political Platform Correspondent
Mwanza. It was interesting to read a certain political analyst in one of the local Kiswahili weeklies calling for the presidents impeachment over the Dowans compensation saga.
Some days ago the Speaker of the National Assembly was quoted as saying a motion on the controversial Sh94 billion Tanesco to Dowans compensation ruled by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) could be tabled in Bunge.
This was after Kigoma South MP David Kafulilas notification of his intention to table a private motion seemed to be invalid due to the law forbidding the Parliament from discussing any business, which is subjected to court proceedings.
Makinda shade light by clarifying that for the ICC ruling to be legal in Tanzania, it had to be registered with the High court of Tanzania.
Thus Kafulilas case could go before the House. The NCCR-Mageuzi MP move came after the government had through Energy and Minerals minister William Ngereja announced that it would compensate Dowans for breach of contract.
The local Kiswahili weekly writers argument was that taking the Dowans or Richmond debate back to Parliament was a mockery of the very principle of the separation of power as provided for by the various parts of the Constitution, including Article 4 (2). In other words it is a ridicule of the checks and balances between the branches of the government.
The Parliament by the powers given to it in Article 63 has already passed its verdict on the Richmond/Dowans saga. This is a job that was done by a 9th Parliament meeting. It also gave directives to the executive to take steps in persecuting all those involved in illegal activities in the issues.
Thus the writer recommended that instead of taking back the issue to where it had been debated and deliberated before, the Parliament should embark on impeachment of the President for failure to execute his duties.
According to the Constitution the impeachment of the President is possible under Article 46 (A) (10). It would be interesting to see how the Parliament in its current setting would handle such a proceeding to arrive at such a consensus. However, with many short falls facing the process, it will be virtually impossible for a successful impeachment to go though.
Under the same Constitution, the President has a lot of maneuvering space with the power provided for in Articles 35, 36, and 37; making impeachment a nonstarter.
Moreover, the President, according to Article 62, is part of the Parliament and has powers to dissolve the Parliament by simply invoking Article 90 (d) that states if the National Assembly declines to pass a motion, which is of fundamental importance to government policies and the President considers that the way out is not to appoint another minister, but to call for a General Election.
The other part is the National Assembly. By using the Kiswahili word Bunge there is a tendency of many pundits to overlook the fact that the President is an important fragment of the Parliament (Article 62). There has been a lot of false hope that Bunge can actually be independent and hold the executive to account.
The Richmond/Dowans saga is an obvious indication of how powerless the Bunge is. MPs can issue directives using the freedom granted to the House under Article 100, as is the case with the Mwakyembe Commission.
At the end of the day, words alone dont break bones. It is the presidency that has the final word.
One can write a whole book on the elusive nature of the principles of separation of powers in the Constitution. Clearly, those who think Bunge under the current Constitution can be anything more than a rubber stamp of the executive must be day dreaming.
The excitement to have a first female Speaker and her promises of not being a dictator notwithstanding, as long as Article 62 of the Constitution stands, Bunge is toothless. It will neither bite nor impeach.
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