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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 17 February 2018

Zimbabwe’s leader Ethiopia declares state of emergency amid protests
has a clear road to
election, few rivals By ELIAS MESERET whom have since been sued by the Council of Min- said the emergency is be-
Associated Press released. It is the second isters and read on the state ing declared because the
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) state of emergency in two broadcaster, the Ethiopian protests have caused in-
By FARAI MUTSAKA — Ethiopian officials have years and comes a day Broadcasting Corpora- juries and deaths, massive
Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) declared a state of emer- after the prime minister re- tion, Friday evening. “It has displacement of citizens,
gency amid widespread signed.
been decided that a state the destruction of proper-
— As the body of Zimba- anti-government protests “The current situation in of emergency is needed to ties, attacks based on eth-
bwe’s main opposition that have persisted for the country has come protect the constitutional nic lines and threats against
leader awaits repatriation more than two years and in to a point where it can’t order of the country. The the constitutional order of
home for burial, his party which hundreds have been be handled with normal state of emergency is ef- the country. It did not state
already faces nasty power killed and several thousand peace protecting mecha- fective as of today.” how long the emergency
struggles to replace a man detained, the majority of nisms,” said a statement is-
praised by both allies and The Council of Ministers’ will be in effect.q
rivals for his tenacious fight
for democracy. South Africa:
That fractured opposition
gives President Emmerson Ramaphosa pledges to “turn tide” on corruption
Mnangagwa a virtually
clear road to winning the
first post-Robert Mugabe The new president said his
election in the months administration would con-
ahead. After the death centrate on creating jobs
of Morgan Tsvangirai on and attracting investment,
Wednesday in neighbor- while also possibly down-
ing South Africa after a sizing bloated government
battle with cancer, three departments and restruc-
deputies in his Movement turing state-owned enter-
for Democratic Change prises that are inefficient
party are vying to succeed and prone to corruption.
him. Tsvangirai had been “This is the year in which
the MDC-T’s only leader we will turn the tide on cor-
since its formation in 1999. ruption in our public institu-
A day after his death, thou- tions,” Ramaphosa said.
sands of mourning support- “The criminal justice institu-
ers gathered outside party tions have been taking ini-
headquarters while its lead- tiatives that will enable us
ers met to choose deputy to deal effectively with cor-
party president Nelson ruption.”
Chamisa, a charismatic South African authorities
40-year-old, as Tsvangirai’s want to arrest a key mem-
replacement “for the next ber of the Gupta business
12 months.” But complica- family accused of using its
tions emerged immediate- South Africa’s new President, Cyril Ramaphosa, left, arrives at parliament to deliver his State of links to Zuma to influence
ly as the other deputy pres- the Nation address in parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. There are Cabinet ministers and se-
high expectations for Ramaphosa to curb corruption that flourished under his predecessor Jacob
idents, Elias Mudzuri and Zuma who resigned earlier in the week. cure state contracts. The
Thokozani Khupe, as well as (AP Photo/Nasief Manie) suspect, Ajay Gupta, is
several other senior officials considered a fugitive af-
boycotted the meeting. By C. TORCHIA cause of the leadership cri- Democratic Alliance. ter failing to turn himself in,
After violence from party N. NTSHANGASE sis that fueled uncertainty “There is no major policy according to police. Eight
youth, they abandoned Associated Press and anxiety in the country reform, only some tinker- people, including a mem-
plans for their own paral- CAPE TOWN, South Africa of 57 million people. ing with the current poli- ber of the Gupta family,
lel meeting at Tsvangirai’s (AP) — South African Presi- “We should put behind us cies that have not brought have already been arrest-
home. The opposition par- dent Cyril Ramaphosa de- the era of diminishing trust change to the lives of our ed as part of an investiga-
ty once posed the sternest livered a message of opti- in public institutions and people. There were too tion into alleged corruption
challenge to former lead- mism and renewal Friday in weakened confidence in many conferences and involving the Guptas, who
er Mugabe and his ruling his first state of the nation our country’s public lead- summits announced, and deny any wrongdoing.
ZANU-PF party since the address, saying it’s time for ers,” said Ramaphosa, who not enough clear plans for The family is a flashpoint for
southern African nation’s South Africans to put dis- was Zuma’s deputy before fixing the problems.” national anger over “state
independence from white cord behind them and that becoming South Africa’s Ramaphosa, 65, faces the capture,” the term used by
minority rule in 1980. the country will “turn the fifth president since the hard task of rooting out South Africans to describe
But with Tsvangirai gone, his tide” on corruption in state end of white minority rule in corruption that flourished in an allegedly wide-ranging
party seems headed for an institutions this year. 1994. both state enterprises and effort to loot state enter-
uncertain future at a time Ramaphosa’s address “A new dawn is upon us,” the private sector under prises under Zuma.
when a chance to seize capped a dramatic week he said in a speech in Zuma, implicating figures in Ramaphosa said he sup-
power after Mugabe’s in which he was elected parliament that drew ap- the ruling African National ports the work of a judicial
departure approaches. by ruling party lawmakers plause but was criticized by Congress party that he commission that is about
Mugabe, who led Zimba- following the resignation of the opposition as short on now leads. In addition, he to investigate the phenom-
bwe for 37 years, made a predecessor Jacob Zuma, meaningful solutions. must tackle sluggish eco- enon, but one opposition
dramatic resignation in No- whose tenure was marked “Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan for nomic growth, high unem- leader said the new presi-
vember after the military by corruption scandals. South Africa is too much of ployment and economic dent would have to turn
moved in and inspired the Zuma was supposed to a continuation of the Zuma inequality that are among on his own political party if
ruling party to turn against give the speech last week, era,” said Mmusi Maimane, South Africa’s most deep- he is serious about fighting
him.q but it was postponed be- leader of the opposition rooted problems. graft.q