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BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA Chitungwiza Resident Trust (Chitrest) yesterday moved in to block Chitungwiza Council from executing random demolition of houses through their lawyers who demanded a report on the regularisation of the stands which they claimed had been done by the affected individuals. This was after a leaked memorandum dated January 12, 2021 announced that there were plans to demolish over 11 000 illegal structures in the dormitory town, subject to a court order. Chitungwiza Municipality has over the years threatened to demolish thousands of houses built on spaces reserved for clinics, churches, schools, cemeteries, recreational activities, roads and under high-voltage electricity pylons. Chitrest, through its lawyers Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Idirashe Chikomba yesterday wrote to council demanding a list of the stand numbers to be demolished instead of the demolitions being executed as a random exercise. The lawyers noted that council’s director of works acknowledged the need for council to obtain valid court orders authorising the demolitions. However, last year the council demolished houses without obtaining a court order. “In terms of section 74 of the Constitution, Chitungwiza Municipality is enjoined to obtain court orders authorising the demolition of all the houses specified in the Chitungwiza demolition report of 12 January 2020. “We note that the report which specifies areas to be demolished does not identify the individual stand numbers and properties targeted for demolitions. The demolition report merely makes globular identification of sites to be demolished without identifying the individual stand numbers or properties,” read the letter from Chitrest. “Our clients also advise us that several residents, whose houses are located in the various sites targeted for demolitions, were invited by the Chitungwiza Municipality to pay regularisation penalties and paid for the purchase of the properties.” The lawyers argued that the residents duly paid the regularisation penalties and the purchase prices in terms of the offer extended to them by council. “Should council proceed to demolish the houses in terms of a report of 12 January 2021, then residents, who paid regularisation penalties, risk their houses being unlawfully demolished as the identification of sites targeted for demolitions does not specify which individual property is being targeted for demolition,” they said. The lawyers added: “In any event, council cannot reprobate and approbate by requesting and receiving regularisation penalties and stand purchase price in one breadth and in another breadth move in to demolish the same properties in respect of which regularisation penalties were paid.” The lawyers said should the demolition report not be revised, they would institute legal proceedings for the same to be set aside. Follow Harriet on Twitter @harrietchikand1
The court enjoys global jurisdiction.
Investigators will now need the authorization of the court’s judges to open a probe. Bensouda appealed for support from Nigeria’s government.
She said the army has dismissed accusations against government troops after examining them.
Boko Haram strictly opposes formal education. In 2015, Nigeria enlisted the support of neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger to try and defeat the group.
While the joint operations made the group lose considerable territory, they have not been able to wipe it out.
The ICC has conducted investigations in several African countries. In Sudan, Libya and Ivory Coast, former leaders were indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity after the investigations.
Sporadic gunshots were heard in Lagos on Friday as security forces patrolled Nigeria's biggest city after days of unrest following the shooting of protesters that sparked condemnation at home and abroad.
President Muhammadu Buhari warned demonstrators in a televised address on Thursday not to \"undermine national security\" as he called for an end to widespread protests gripping Africa's most populous country.
The 78-year-old leader was speaking for the first time since the shooting in Lagos on Tuesday, although he did not directly address the incident.
He appealed to the youth to \"resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos\".
\"For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated,\" Buhari said.
- 'Please stay indoors' -
Nigeria, where many live in extreme poverty and where the median age is 18, is a tinderbox of economic and social grievances.
\"Police officers are currently patrolling major parts of the city to ensure the safety of residents. Please stay indoors,\" Lagos State Police Command said on Friday.
Protests against police abuse erupted on October 8 after a video of an officer allegedly killing a civilian went viral.
Despite the disbanding of the police unit accused of brutality, the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), protests spread and violence escalated.
Anger spread further after pictures and videos on social media showed security forces shooting on a peaceful crowd of around 1,000 protesters on Tuesday.
Amnesty International said 12 people were killed in the incident, with a total of 56 people dead in the unrest across the country.
- 'Rushing to judgement' -
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for an immediate investigation into violence by security forces, which has also triggered condemnation by the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and others.
Nigeria's president shrugged off the international concern.
\"We thank you and urge you all to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position or rushing to judgement and making hasty pronouncements,\" Buhari said.
The spreading of \"deliberate falsehood and misinformation, in particular through social media\" was, he said, \"a ploy to mislead the unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and disruptive behaviour.\"
After the president's speech, a key protest group told its followers to \"stay home\" but many made it clear that the movement would continue.
\"The past two weeks have been tough for many Nigerians, most specifically the last two days,\" the Feminist Coalition said in a statement.
\"We hereby encourage all young Nigerians to stay safe, stay home, and observe the mandated curfew in your state.\"
Others in the youth-led movement insist that the demonstrations will continue.
\"Everybody, get your PVC (electoral card) ready,\" tweeted Afrobeats star Davido.
\"This was just practice. We go again! Now we must deploy our unity and experienc
The media has a habit - a bad one, some argue - of 'both-sidesing' issues to appear unbiased and neutral. But that doesn't work in President Donald Trump's America, Yale professor Jason Stanley says. On 'Reliable Sources' Sunday, Stanley told CNN's Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter that Trump uses propaganda and messaging similar to fascist leaders in other countries and […]
Nairobi — Seven of the new coronavirus cases that were reported in Kenya on Thursday are on mourners who had traveled from Kibera slum in Nairobi, the Health Ministry said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the seven had obtained a permit illegally to attend a burial in Siaya, only to be found to be positive.
\"The Siaya story is a sad one because the departure point of that case is actually in Kibera, somebody in Kibera without the authority to authorize anybody to travel signed a document that allowed and was respected by police all the way from Kibera taking mourners for a funeral in Siaya,\" he said at a news conference on Thursday when he announced 80 new cases, raising the total in the country to 1,109.
He regretted that Kenyans were taking lightly the coronavirus situation in the country that continues to register double-digit figures.
Kenya is implementing a dusk to dawn curfew, and a cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh estate in Nairobi and Old Town area of Mombasa.
By DAVID SHARP Associated Press/ BNC Contributor PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon beat two other Democrats on Tuesday for the right to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in a race that's critical to the battle for control of the Senate. Gideon, who's raised a staggering $23 million in her Senate bid, turned back challenges by activist Betsy Sweet and attorney Bre Kidman. Gideon is poised to further increase her haul: Her victory entitles her to $3.7 million from a crowdsourced fund for Collins' challenger that was established during the Senate fight over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme […]
The post Democrat Gideon wins primary, will face GOP Sen Collins appeared first on Black News Channel.
[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- General Berhanu Jula, Deputy Chief of Staff & Military Operations Division Head of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), said the army will be \"forced to take actions against anyone who claims to violate the constitution.\"
School systems in Detroit, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and suburban Minneapolis are giving up on in-person classes, and some governors are reimposing restrictions on bars and restaurants or getting more serious about masks, as the coast-to-coast resurgence of the coronavirus sends deaths, hospitalizations and new infections soaring. The crisis deepened at hospitals, with the situation so bad […]
The post Virus surge: Schools abandon classes, states retreat appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
Don’t let the COVID-19 Grinch steal the Christmas joy of children in state care. That’s the plea made by Rosalee Gage-Grey, chief executive officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), who urged charities and individuals to...
Kristal Hansley is an entrepreneur and an advocate for the use of solar power to help working families reduce the cost of electricity. She got involved in the solar power industry when the state of Maryland and others passed laws designed to increase the use of solar power while deregulating the market to give consumers...
The post Meet Kristal Hansley, the woman behind the first Black female-owned solar company appeared first on Face2Face Africa.
By DAVID CRARY and ELANA SCHOR Associated Press As vice president in 2012, Joe Biden endeared himself to many LGBTQ Americans by endorsing same-sex marriage even before his boss, President Barack Obama. Now, as president-elect, Biden is making sweeping promises to LGBTQ activists, proposing to carry out virtually every major proposal on their wish lists. Among them: Lifting the Trump administration's near-total ban on military service for transgender people, barring federal contractors from anti-LGBTQ job discrimination, and creating high-level LGBTQ-rights positions at the State Department, the National Security Council and other federal agencies. In many cases the measures would reverse […]
The post Biden plans swift moves to protect and advance LGBTQ rights appeared first on Black News Channel.
The country's oil production fell to 1.67 million barrels a day in the third quarter of 2020, the lowest since 2016.
Carla K. Johnson | AP Medical Writer Addressing racial disparities in the U.S. coronavirus crisis cannot be an afterthought, a top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic response said Tuesday. That means when testing and vaccination programs are designed and implemented, for example, they must consider fairness and equity along with efficiency […]
The post Biden Adviser Says Race Central to Virus Fight appeared first on Black Voice News.
The School Nutrition Programme will continue running during the school break and children can access meals from their nearest school, the department has said.
By TAMARA LUSH and EMILY SCHMALL, Associated Press
Arizona’s Republican governor shut down bars, movie theaters, gyms and water parks Monday and leaders in several states ordered residents to wear masks in public in a dramatic course reversal amid an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases nationwide.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that he’s postponing the restarting of indoor dining because people have not been wearing face masks or complying with recommendations for social distancing.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she will issue an executive order mandating the use of masks in stores and shops, restaurants, and in any situation where social distancing of 6 feet (2 meters) cannot be maintained, including outside.
In Texas, a group of bar owners sued on Monday to try to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order closing their businesses.
One of Cuomo’s Republican counterparts, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, on a conference call with Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House coronavirus task force, also asked Pence and Trump to issue a national call to wear masks.
As the two-time Grammy Award-winning choral ensemble, The Washington Chorus [TWC], prepares to observe its 60th anniversary this fall, the 2020-2021 season brings further reason for music lovers to celebrate.
Washington, D.C. — As the House introduces The Heroes Act to provide much-needed federal resources to our nation, the CBC worked closely with leadership to develop legislation that responded to the urgent needs of Black America, who have been hit the hardest by coronavirus.
The proposal includes policies to safeguard social safety net benefits, keep Black businesses afloat, support students and educational institutions, address health care inequities, strengthen infrastructure in the Black community, protect Black farmers, keep people in their homes, ensure incarcerated individuals are protected and much more.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in America, the Congressional Black Caucus has led the way in calling for legislation to support Black communities through this pandemic.
On March 20th, the CBC submitted an initial 11-page proposal to House and Senate leadership with recommendations on legislation needed to support Black America.
Through the collective efforts of CBC Members, the CARES Act included legislation from the CBC proposal including: an increased amount of direct payment assistance for people struggling to make ends meet, from $600 in the original bill introduced by Senate Republicans to $1200 in the final bipartisan agreement; an additional $500 child tax credit per child; a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions; and $447 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), among other priorities included.
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices shot up an unexpected 0.6% in July, biggest gain since October 2018, as energy prices moved sharply higher. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the jump last month in its producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — followed a 0.2% drop in June and a 0.4% uptick in May. The increase last month was about twice what economists had expected. Wholesale energy prices shot up 5.3% in July, including a 10.1% surge in gasoline prices. Food prices slid 0.5%. Excluding the volatile food […]
The post US producer prices up 0.6% in July, biggest jump since 2018 appeared first on Black News Channel.
