Andrew Stegmann

East Africa: Regional MPs Unhappy With Visa Take Up

Arusha — East African lawmakers are not happy at the slow implementation of the Single Tourist Visa, saying it has made little progress in boosting the tourism industry in the region as envisioned.

Nusura Tiperu (Uganda) said the region has vast tourist attractions which have not been fully exploited under the Single Tourist Visa plan. “There needs to be more information and data available on tourism to ensure visitors benefit from the tourist facilities,” she said.

The East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) currently is in session here, wants the implementation of the EAC One Single Tourist Visa fast-tracked.

Adam Kimbisa (Tanzania) said there is a need to ensure inter-connectivity and infrastructure are in place to support systems of the Single Tourist Visa.

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Andrew Stegmann

Tanzania: No Foreigner Can Own Land in Tanzania, Except for Investment Only

Tanzania’s Land Act No. 4 of 1999 explicitly states that no foreigner can own land in the country.

According to the former executive director of HakiArdhi, Yefred Myenzi, the Act spells out how land can be used, including leasehold.

“In Tanzania we have land laws categorised as customary and statutory laws, with the later having overriding powers in case there are problems with the former. Users of land are given rights of occupancy for periods of 33, 66 and 99 years, depending on the use,” said Mr Myenzi, adding, “Our system is similar to that of Uganda with the only difference being that in Uganda there is land that falls under the Buganda kingdom and it is recognised in the country’s constitution. However, Kenya’s system is completely different because it is freehold.”

He further said that in Tanzania, once the government leases land, the lessor isn’t allowed to sub-lease.

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Andrew Stegmann

Ethiopian Protesters Target Foreign-Owned Farms As Unrest Spreads

Ethiopian protesters stormed a Dutch-owned flower farm on Monday in Bahir Day city, Amhara region in North-West Ethiopia and caused damage estimated at about $7.8 million, in what authorities have linked to the deadly Oromo clashes.

Bloomberg reported that a “large group” of people invaded Esmeralda Farms Inc’s property on August 29 and torched part of it.

The farm is one of a series of foreign-owned plantations run by Israelis, Italians, Belgians and Indians that have fallen victim to the latest spate of violence since members of the Oromo and Amhara communities started protests in November.

Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara region, experienced the deadliest clashes early last month when at least 30 people were killed in a single incident after government security forces clashed with protesters, BBC reported.

Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 500 people have been killed since the protests began.

The protests have galvanized two of the largest ethnic groups the horn of Africa.

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Andrew Stegmann

Why patronage and state capture spell trouble for South Africa

If patronage politicians win the battle within the ruling ANC and complete the capture of the state, SA will slip from stagnation into the abyss, writes Co-Pierre Georg, senior lecturer at UCT’s African Institute for Financial Markets and Risk Management.

South Africa has caught the world’s attention with an epic battle between two powerful factions within the governing African National Congress (ANC) which has spilt into government. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has aptly described this as a government that wages “war with itself”.

On the one side there is the largely rural based faction of patronage politicians around President Jacob Zuma. The other side is less well defined, but it can be safely assumed that the beleaguered finance minister Pravin Gordhan is among them. What makes this battle different from the usual political quarrels is the viciousness with which the patronage politicians are fighting to get the upper hand.

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