Current Events Summary #1

Southern Africa News Wire

In the first weeks of September, Southern African nations took steps to improve trade and quality of life for their citizens. The nations of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have joined forces to promote job creation and tourism by proposing the creation of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Park, a $100 million project. Child migrants from Zimbabwe have been making their way across the border to South Africa in search of "work, food and schooling." Ennie Nelushi coordinator of The Children's Resource Center, takes care of "vulnerable children from both South Africa and Zimbabwe." Country's such as Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, part of the Southern African Development Community, take credit for producing 60 percent of the worlds diamonds. Representatives of these countries met in Angola and decided to form the African Diamond Producers Association to "increase their influence in the Global market for the gem." US company Olivine decreases production value "as part of that country's sanctions regime" against Zimbabwe and it's Dictator, Mugabe. In turn, Mugabe buys out Olivine as the first company acquired by Zimbabwe in response to the sanction regimes.
In Mozambique, President Armando Guebuza had a meeting with Brazil's President, Lula da Sila to discuss cooperation on immigration and job opportunities for both country's citizens. Angola, Namibia and South Africa joined forces to create "The Benguela Current Commission (BCC)" and concluded to share fishing waters in the Atlantic as well as contribute to the environmental problems and share fishing stock. Botswana is in command, for the deadline is by the end of December, of the Southern African Development Community team during the trade negotiations between the Europe Union and ACP countries on Economic Partnership Agreements in Brussels. However,there are only eight counties in the Southern Africa region - Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania , South Africa and Botswana itself, most of these countries being "classified as Least Developing Countries." South Africa's Rugby team has a whole line of merchandise as one of the favorite teams in the World Cup. However, The Congress of South African Trade Unions recalled and shunned these items after learning that they were produced as cheap textile imports from china.This is a problem due to the manufacturers recent agreement on having only "local made" products.