South Africa leader on tour of East Africa By IVAN OKUDA in Kampala South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is in Uganda on a state visit that is expected to bolster the “new” partnership with host President Yoweri Museveni. The Kampala meeting is expected to help the two principals to highlight issues of peace and security on the continent. President Zuma is also expected to visit Tanzania to hold similar talks with President Jakaya Kikwete. While political watchers cited the need for South Africa to take leadership as Africa’s “big brother”, especially in the fight against terrorism, the official Kampala version indicated that the visit was within the context of consolidating the African agenda through the enhancement of bilateral political, economic and social relations. Across the border, the security situation in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo remains fluid. Speaking to Daily Monitor Sunday, the presidential press secretary, Mr Tamale Mirundi, was guarded on the details of the meeting and asked for time to consult. The reunification “I am not a protocol person so I don’t know why he is coming to Uganda,” he said, adding that Uganda and South Africa were friendly countries and that “it is normal for South Africa to work with us”. President Zuma’s visit has opened the floodgates of speculation, with some analysts pointing to the crisis in the Congo and South Sudan, both of which Uganda has been actively involved in, and others speculating that the future of Uganda’s oil could be high on the agenda. Former Director General of External Security Organisation David Pulkol said: “It could be the South Sudan question because clouds are gathering and momentum is building for a flare of war again. Could it be that South Africa wants to partner with Uganda to resolve the Sudan crisis?” Tanzania, which subscribes to the South Africa Development Community (SADC), he said, was already deeply engaged in the reunification of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), sharply divided between President Salva Kiir and his ex-Vice, Riek Machar parting ways rather unceremoniously, causing a blood bath. Several peacemaking efforts championed by the African Union are yet to bear fruit. Uganda already has a peace keeping mission in South Sudan, largely seen as working for and with the Kiir led government.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 13:31:28 +0000
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