President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented to the National Veld and Forest Fire Amendment Bill, the Agricultural Product Standards Amendment Bill, 2023 and the Correctional Services Amendment Act.

National Veldfire Act

The amended National Veld and Forest Fire Act, 1998, will amongst other key provisions;  

Provide for the facilitation of the formation of fire protection associations by a municipality and a traditional council; 
Compel a municipality, state-owned enterprise, public entity or other organ of state which owns land to join the fire protection associations; 
Extend the powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest to peace officers and traditional leaders; 
Amend the title of the Act to the National Veldfire Act.

The Agricultural Product Standards Amendment Act, 2023

The amended Act, will amongst other provisions, empower the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to designate a person, an entity, undertaking, body, institution, association or board, who or which, as the case may be, has particular knowledge of the product concerned, or particular knowledge of the relevant management control systems, with no direct or indirect personal or financial interest, as an assignee to inspect the commodity for quality control and audit management control system. 

The Correctional Services Amendment Act

The amended Act complies with the 2020 Sonke judgement of the Constitutional Court, in providing for an adequate level of independence of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS).

The amendments include changes to section 30(7) to provide for an inmate that is subjected to solitary confinement, to be informed of their right to appeal. 

The amended section further provides that the Head of the Correctional or Remand Detention Facility must, upon request provide all relevant information relating to an appeal to the Inspecting Judge within 24 hours of receiving such information. 

The amended act further provides for;

The appointment of the Chief Executive Officer of the JICS by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services instead of the National Commissioner of Correctional Services. 
The expenses incurred by the Judicial Inspectorate will be covered from budgets appropriated by Parliament. These costs were previously covered from the Department of Justice and Correctional Services budget. 
Mandatory reporting obligations by the Department to the Inspecting Judge.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

A delegation the United States Congress visited Mauritius March 26-27 to assess the implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  

The visit underscored the United States’ commitment to deepening the economic cooperation between our two countries and to support Mauritius’ continued utilization of AGOA benefits. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Mauritius&Seychelles.

The U.S. Embassy condemns the utter lack of transparency and due process in the March 30 arrest of former Juba mayor Kalisto Ladu by security personnel in South Sudan. His detention is yet another example of the South Sudanese transitional government’s failure to open civic and political space for its citizens. 

We call on transitional government authorities to respect the rule of law and provide a public accounting of Mr. Ladu’s detention.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in South Sudan.

Responding to a decision by Uganda’s Constitutional Court to only revoke parts of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (AHA), a law which prompted rising attacks against LGBTI people, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:

“We are dismayed that the Court has turned its back on its responsibility to fully uphold Uganda’s Constitution which protects the human rights of all people, including rights to equality and non-discrimination, protection of personal liberty, protection from cruel or degrading treatment, and privacy.” igere ChagutahAmnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

“It is shocking that an opportunity was missed to revoke a law that undermines the rights of LGBTI persons in Uganda, their allies, human rights defenders and activists by criminalizing consensual same-sex acts, ‘promotion’ of homosexuality with all its vagueness as an offence and contemplates the death penalty for the offence of ‘aggravated homosexuality’.

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the African Commission’s Resolution 275 on the protection against violence and human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity, the Government of Uganda must repeal the entire Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 and ensure accountability for the attacks against LGBTI people.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.