Anglican Church head Justin Welb resigned following a damning independent report detailing his church’s failure to act on a horrific case of abuse. 

An independent review led by social worker Keith Makin into how the Church of England handled allegations of severe abuse by the late John Smyth (1941-2018) revealed that the British lawyer and lay preacher abused 85 to 100 boys in Zimbabwe and South Africa for decades.

Continued.......The Iwerne Trust, a charity that organised summer youth camps, first published an abuse report in 1982. Smyth allegedly subjected boys at Winchester College, a boarding school in the UK, to sadistic beatings so severe the boys would bleed and suffer bruises for months. 

Senior church officials in the UK declined to inform authorities about Smyth, who moved to Zimbabwe in 1984. There, he set up Zambesi Ministries, a private charity organising elite summer camps for boys in the country's top schools. Smyth reportedly groomed the boys, joining them in nude showers and swims. Guide Nyachuru, 16, died in a swimming accident, for which authorities charged Smyth with culpable homicide. He then moved to South Africa in 2001 and was eventually ex-communicated in 2017, the year before he died. The Makin Review concludes that a criminal conviction would have befallen Smyth if the Anglican Church had promptly involved law enforcement.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Smyth may be gone, but the African men he abused must live with these wrenching experiences.

Sources:

https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/independent-learning-lessons-review-john-smyth-qc-november-2024.pdf

https://lawandreligionuk.com/2024/11/13/makin-review-summary-of-recommendations/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/obituaries/john-smyth-christian-camp-leader-accused-of-beatings-dies-at-77.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6lzeel2e8o

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62lr331lkzo

https://news.sky.com/story/who-was-john-smyth-the-barrister-at-the-centre-of-the-church-of-england-abuse-cover-up-13252818

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/justin-welby-church-of-england-abuse-john-smyth-b2646658.html

Cats and lions are related - though their last common ancestor existed over ten-million years ago. Long ago as that was, some cats still carry themselves like lions! People too can attain grandeur. But only if they’re open to new ways of doing things - so claims this week’s African idiom. Alas, not many cats or humans are…

A Ugandan court has detained two individuals at Kigo prison for allegedly insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni and the president's son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba on TikTok. The accused, 21-year-old David Ssengozi and 28-year-old Isaiah Ssekagiri, are due back in court today (18 November).

They are charged with hate speech and spreading malicious information against the first family and against musicians affiliated with the governing National Resistance Movement (NRM). The pair have strongly denied the charges. Prosecutors say they posted content on TikTok intended to "ridicule, degrade and demean" the first family.

Although it remains unclear which specific posts led to their arrests, a video shared in April on the TikTok account @luckychoice70 noscriptd My First Enemies criticised the first family using sexually explicit language.

Continued….. In July, 24-year-old Edward Awebwa was sentenced to six years in prison for insulting the president and the first family in a TikTok video. The court said that Awebwa had shared abusive content and had wrongly claimed that taxes would be hiked under President Museveni. He pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.

In 2022, award-winning Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija faced charges of ‘offensive communication’ after making derogatory comments about the president and his son on Twitter. He fled the country to Germany after spending a month in jail, where, he said, he had been tortured.

In a separate case, activist and writer Stella Nyanzi, currently in exile, was imprisoned for publishing a critical poem about President Museveni.

Rights groups have consistently condemned the Ugandan government for human-rights violations and a lack of freedom of expression.

SOURCES:

https://www.dw.com/en/ugandan-author-charged-for-criticizing-president-museveni-on-social-media/a-60388910

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/19/prison-irrepressible-stella-nyanzi-uganda-poet

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ylzx7155o

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2g6378125o

MALI, BURKINA, NIGER UNIFY COMMUNICATION CHARGES

During the 19th edition of Burkina Faso’s Digital Week event that brought together technology-sector leaders and government officials during 12-15 November, Alliance of Sahel States (AES) ministers announced plans to end cell phone roaming charges across the three member states—Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—which successfully ousted Western-aligned leaders before forming the AES confederation.

The ministers urged telecom operators to implement free roaming by 31 December and encouraged them to promote user awareness. Additionally, a Nigerien minister highlighted the need for a fibre-optic network to improve connectivity and Internet access across the region.

This initiative marks a significant step toward the AES’s goals of unity and economic integration, facilitating mobility and business operations between member states.

Continued……The move also supports regional cooperation, with potential long-term benefits like enhanced digital infrastructure and harmonised standards, ultimately strengthening regional and continental integration efforts.

Sources

https://burkina24.com/2024/11/17/clap-de-fin-sur-la-19e-edition-de-la-semaine-du-numerique-vers-leffectivite-du-free-roaming-entre-les-etats-membres-de-laes

https://burkina24.com/2024/11/12/semaine-du-numerique-au-burkina-faso-la-19e-edition-fait-un-clin-doeil-a-laes

https://www.cybastiontech.com/digital-week-2024-its-a-wrap

IMF LOANS: AN ADDICTION AFRICA CAN DO WITHOUT

In 2023, Tunisia boldly rejected the IMF's demands to eliminate subsidies on essential goods like fuel in exchange for a $2-billion bailout. In stark contrast, Kenya and Ghana capitulated to the IMF's insistence on harsh structural reforms, including privatisation and the removal of subsidies, which ignited deadly protests. Now, a year later, Tunisia (though not out of the woods economically yet) appears on the path to recovery, having effectively managed its economy without the interference of the IMF, while Kenya and Ghana find themselves on the brink, grappling with spiralling debt and a deepening cost-of-living crisis. The lesson is that African leaders should take inspiration from Tunis and steadfastly reject neocolonialism in all its forms, choosing instead to govern with integrity and self-reliance.

Continued…..SOURCES:

https://www.barrons.com/news/tunisia-s-saied-rejects-imf-diktats-f50ee157

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/7/why-are-kenyans-angry-with-the-imf

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisia-faces-rising-pressure-record-imf-delay-over-lack-reforms-2023-10-09/

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/11/12/new-world-bank-report-tunisia-s-economic-growth-and-prospects-for-its-tax-system