“We have a full alert at the port of entry to make sure that those products will not come in. We’ve intensified post-market surveillance throughout the Easter period, we will be going around to check if any has been brought in at all. We will make sure that we collect them all, in what we call a full recall. We will go round all the supermarkets to make sure that there is none,” Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Delese Mimi Darko, told Citi News.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JpEoUyri5Q0kCPLe5bw774do0mtGLzDf”]In the last few weeks since Rwanda’s caution on food imports from South Africa, the FDA has warned Ghanaians against purchasing possibly listeriosis infected processed meat products by Enterprise Foods.

The Authority also announced that it would destroy the meat products from Enterprise Foods in Polokwane, South Africa.

The outbreak of listeriosis has been going on since the start of 2017. According to the World Health Organisation, 978 laboratory-confirmed listeriosis cases have been reported in South Africa between January 1, 2017, and March 14, 2018. 42% of the cases have been neonates who were infected during pregnancy or delivery.

In January, Rwanda warned Ghana to ban the importation of some food products from South Africa to avert the outbreak of listeriosis. Before the warning, Rwanda had already placed a ban on some food products from South Africa.

After the warning, the Ghana’s Ministry of Health assured Ghanaians that it had beefed up surveillance in the country to forestall the outbreak and spread of the disease.

About Listeriosis

Listeriosis is food poisoning that is caused by eating foods contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. In pregnant women, the infection can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, serious infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

It mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems.

According to the WHO, the outbreak in South Africa is the largest that has been detected worldwide. Due to the potentially long incubation period (one to three weeks and up to 70 days), further cases are expected before the impact of the recall of the affected food products is observed.

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By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the FDA, the producers are confirmed by South African authorities as the people responsible for the outbreak of Listeriosis, a bacteria causing disease in South Africa.

[contextly_sidebar id=”W9qgaPIcbkrG5RTVwNusolTYyq6k9pC9″]A statement signed by Mrs Delese A. A. Darko, the acting. Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, said it has intensified its post market surveillance activities nationwide and any ready-to- eat (RTE) processed meat products from Enterprise Foods in Polokwane, South Africa found would be detained and destroyed.

It added that “in addition, vigilance at the various ports of entry has also been intensified, as no imports should be made from this company. Any products from Enterprise Foods in Polokwane, South Africa (a subsidiary of the Tiger Brands Company) will be detained and the necessary regulatory actions taken.”

The statement read: “Following news on the outbreak of Listeriosis in South Africa, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has intensified market surveillance and monitoring at the ports of entry for meat products from South Africa. The FDA has been in constant communication with the International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) which shares food safety alerts.”

“Update from INFOSAN indicated that investigations conducted by the South African Authorities on the outbreak revealed that the affected RTE products are now subject to recall.”

The FDA said since Ghana is a known export country for Enterprise Foods, the INFOSAN has warned that there is a possibility of some of the recalled products having been exported to Ghana.

According to the FDA, Listeria monocytogenes is typically a food-borne organism, which causes the illness called listeriosis and can grow and reproduce inside the host cell. Listeria is a bacterium that is naturally found in the environment and is capable of surviving with or without oxygen.

“It therefore has the ability to survive and grow at temperatures as low as 0°C thereby allowing multiplication at refrigeration temperatures.

“It commonly occurs in soil, water, vegetation and in the faeces of some animals. Listeria monocytogenes has been associated with foods such as raw milk, pasteurized fluid milk, cheeses, ice cream, raw vegetables, fermented raw-meat sausages, raw and cooked poultry, raw meats (of all types), and raw and smoked fish. This fact, coupled with variable incubation period can range from 6 hours to 70 days.”

“The prevention of listeriosis is similar to guidance used to help prevent other foodborne illnesses. This includes practicing safe food handling and following the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food (1. Keep clean. 2. Separate raw and cooked Food. 3. Cook and reheat thoroughly. 4. Keep food at safe temperatures. 5. Use safe water and raw materials.)”

The statement said: “Additionally, persons in high risk groups should avoid consuming ready to eat meat products such as sausages, hams, patés and meat spreads.”

The FDA urged the public to read and carefully follow the shelf life period and storage temperatures indicated on the product label to ensure that products are not from Enterprise Foods, Polokwane, South Africa (a subsidiary of the Tiger Brands Company).

It urged the public to give information to the FDA on the following numbers and social media platforms; “0800151000 (Toll free on Vodafone and Airtel only), 0299802932 or 0299802933 (Hotline), 4015 (SMS short code), 0206973065 (Call and WhatsApp), Facebook (Food and Drugs Authority-GH), and Twitter (@ GH_FDA)”

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Source: GNA

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Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said he was exploring giving South Africa’s white farmers access to fast-track visas on humanitarian grounds.

The suggestion was made amid calls to transfer land ownership from white to black farmers in South Africa, and fears over the number of farm killings.

But South Africa says it is ridiculous.

Government spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya told the BBC there was no reason for any country in the world to suspect a section of the South African population was in danger from its democratically elected leaders.

“There’s no need for anyone to be scared or to fear anything,” he said. “The land redistribution programme will be done according to the law. We want to say to our friends across the world that there’s no need to panic.”

He concluded: “We remain a united nation here in South Africa – both black and white.”

Mr Dutton had earlier told reporters in Australia South Africa’s white farmers needed help “from a civilised country like ours”.

“If you look at the footage and read the stories, you hear the accounts, it’s a horrific circumstance they face,” he said.

Mr Dutton added: “We want people who want to come here, abide by our laws, integrate into our society, work hard, not lead a life on welfare. And I think these people deserve special attention and we’re certainly applying that special attention now.”

In response, South Africa’s foreign ministry said it regretted “the Australian government chose not to use the available diplomatic channels available for them to raise concerns or to seek clarification”.

Mr Dutton’s comments come nearly six months after Australia agreed to pay $70m (£39.5m) in compensation and damages to around 2,000 asylum seekers, who had alleged physical and psychological abuse at its detention centre on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.

Australia did not admit liability in the case but rights groups have repeatedly criticised the country for its human rights violations on offshore detention centres.

The issue of land ownership in South Africa has been an increasingly fraught topic: almost 75% of its farmland is still in white hands more than two decades after South Africa’s ruling ANC first took power from the white minority government.

White South Africans make up less than 10% of the overall population.

The land expropriation without compensation motion, which was brought forward by the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, seeks to change the constitution to allow for it.

The motion was backed by a majority of MPs in February but it is not clear when or if a vote will take place on the issue. A two-thirds majority is needed to change the country’s constitution.

Calls to transfer land from white to black owners have intensified since South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took office.

Australian media have been reporting the result was an increase in violence against white farmers. Activists in South Africa have long said white farmers are disproportionately killed.

However, the BBC found in November that there was no statistical proof that white farmers were more likely to be murdered than black farmers.

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Source: BBC

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Netcare 911 spokesman Nick Dollman said the service had responded to a call of a lioness attack in Hammanskraal town.

“Tragically, the victim had sustained severe injuries and she died at the scene,” Mr Dollman said.

It is unclear what led to the attack.

Mr Dollman said that bystanders had tried to revive the victim, identified as a 22-year-old woman, by initiating CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation].

He did not identity the private lodge where the attack happened but said it was just outside of the Dinokeng Nature Reserve in Hammanskraal town.

The reserve describes itself as the first free-roaming residential game reserve for the “big five” African animals next to an urbanised area.

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Source: BBC

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Those killed in the shoot-out are thought to be part of the armed gang that killed six in a raid on a police station in the country’s Eastern Cape province on Wednesday.

Ten suspects were also arrested at the church in Nyanga village, while others escaped, investigators said.

Police say the gang were cornered as they hid in the church.

National police commissioner Khehla John Sitole told a crowd outside the church on Saturday that the police were determined to bring the alleged police attackers to justice.

“We made a decision that this is not going to happen in South Africa where the state will be undermined by criminals,” he said, according to African outlet News24.

Mr Sitole said police had confiscated firearms stolen in the police station raid and were still hunting other suspects that fled the church shoot-out.

A police spokesperson had earlier said the church grounds were home to at least 100 women and children, who were not caught up in the crossfire.

Dozens of police are killed each year in South Africa but Wednesday’s attack on a police station sparked national outrage.

The armed robbers that burst into the police station near Mthatha opened fire on officers on duty, killing three instantly.

An off-duty soldier was shot as the assailants fled, and the bodies of two other officers, taken hostage, were later found shot “execution style”, according to a government statement.

The authorities said that the motives for the police raid were unknown, but that the gang was believed to have robbed a cash machine shortly before the attack, and then stolen 10 firearms and a police van.

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Source: BBC

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Mr Ramaphosa, who was sworn in on Thursday, promised to “turn the tide of corruption”.

He also spoke of accelerating land redistribution and outlined plans to boost the economy and create jobs.

His predecessor, Jacob Zuma, stepped down on Wednesday after pressure from the governing ANC party. He faces numerous corruption allegations.

Mr Ramaphosa, a 65-year-old former businessman, dedicated much of his address to parliament to job creation. He said that the country faced “tough decisions” because of its stagnating economy and large national debt.

He highlighted youth unemployment and said he planned to create a million paid internships in the coming years.

“This is the year in which we will turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions,” he said.

“We are determined to build a society defined by decency and integrity, that does not tolerate the plunder of public resources, nor the theft by corporate criminals of the hard-earned savings of ordinary people.”

He drew applause when he thanked South Africans for their patience during the last turbulent week.

Opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said the president could have pledged “bolder action”, and complained, “I heard more of the same stuff”.

But Julius Malema, head of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, said he would give the new leader “the benefit of the doubt”.

Earlier in the week, the ANC (African National Congress) had told Mr Zuma to step down or face a vote of no-confidence in parliament on Thursday.

Mr Zuma, who had been in power since 2009, finally gave way in a resignation speech late on Wednesday.

The allegations of corruption he faces include claims that he allowed the wealthy Gupta family, to whom he has personal ties, to wield influence over government policy.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas have denied wrongdoing.

–

Source: BBC

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He said Ramaphosa’s election is “well-deserved” and “a vindication of the trust and confidence reposed in you by the Members of the Parliament of South Africa, and by your great party, the African National Congress (ANC).”

Akufo-Addo said he was hopeful of a close working relationship with Cyril Ramaphosa to “improve the living conditions of our two peoples, and advance their mutual interests, and the wider interests of the African peoples.”

Ramaphosa was elected president of South Africa on Thursday following the resignation of Jacob Zuma on Wednesday night.

Ramaphosa was in 2017 elected president of the ANC when pressure  mounted on Zuma to step down.

Read Akufo-Addo’s statement below:

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

The Ghanaian people and I congratulate you warmly on your election, by the South African Parliament, on Thursday, 15^th February, 2018, and your subsequent swearing-in as the new President of the Republic of South Africa.

It is well-deserved, and a vindication of the trust and confidence reposed in you by the Members of the Parliament of South Africa, and by your great party, the African National Congress (ANC).

Your predecessor, His Excellency Jacob Zuma, is also to be commended for his patriotism and statesmanship in resigning his high office, to satisfy the demands of the South African people. I wish him the very best in his future endeavours.

Hopefully, South Africa, under your leadership, will succeed in overcoming her recent challenges, and reinforce her position as a champion of progress and prosperity on the African continent. A strong, united, prospering South Africa is a great force for progress in Africa.

The relations between Ghana and South Africa are firmly rooted in the common struggle of our two peoples for the liberation of our continent from foreign control, and also in our shared commitment to the building of the new Africa on principles of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

I look forward to working closely with you to improve the living conditions of our two peoples, and advance their mutual interests, and the wider interests of the African peoples.

Warm congratulations, once again, to you Mr. President, and to the good people of South Africa. Best wishes to you, and to the continued success of South Africa.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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His recommended institutions are ones that have the capacity to deal with both the privileged and the under-privileged in order to get rid of all cankers we are struggling with.

Publicly forcing Jacob Zuma to resign as the President of South Africa is definitely not the right way of hunting out corruption effectively. This approach, I believe is rather encouraging others to aspire to be more corrupt since they will always have the option of resigning and going scot-free regardless of the financial losses they may have caused the state.

Elsewhere, people resign from their positions on the dictates of their conscience and subsequently apologize for wrongdoing. Notwithstanding their apologies, they are held before the law if they are found guilty of any of those. From his speech, it is clear that Zuma never resigned because of the heap of allegations against him. Rather, for the sake of peace in South Africa.

It is tempting to assume that kicking Zuma out of the presidency is worth it and South Africans must be okay. Yes, politically it is important for the ANC because getting him out will help clean the slate to enable them win the 2019 elections. For me, the longer-term damage of presidents resigning from office with impunity is in my view very much incalculable.

No good comes of Zuma’s resignation if there are no laws to deal with him as a private citizen now that he is out of office. Since there is no deterrent to prevent other presidents from following Zuma’s catastrophic example, knowing well that at the end he has gotten everything he wanted including the title, “His Excellency, Former President ………”

Cracking down on corruption without any clear intention to hold a resigned Zuma and subsequent presidents who misconduct themselves accountable could suggest that once elected president, one is immune from the law, despite the South African Constitution’s provision that “all are equal before the law”.

It is time African countries made laws that can bite hard at presidents who rape the coffers of their states and misconduct themselves. These laws must be accompanied by institutions that will implement them effectively and yield good results for the interest of the public.

I agree that presidents and their deputies must be accorded some privileges, but those privileges must not be inclusive of corruption. If they are involved in bribery and corruption, the option must not be the public forcing them to resign. Rather, they must be made to pay the monies they may have stolen to the nation with calculated interests.

This will certainly serve as a deterrent to others who aspire to occupy the seat of the presidency.

The euphoria among many on the heels of Zuma’s resignation is totally okay. But it is unfortunate to only rejoice over the present without raising our heads up to look at what is ahead. In countries like Brazil and the Republic of Korea, there are laws and effective institutions that hand down criminal inquiries and even prison sentences to deserving presidents and prime ministers who engage in bribery and corruption, abuse of power, coercion and disclosures of confidential information.

In South Korea for instance, aside the immediate past president who has been made to face the laws after her impeachment, two other former leaders, Chun Doo-hwan and his successor, Roh Tae-woo, were charged in the mid-1990s after they left office and it had been legally established that they improperly collected millions of dollars from businesses during their tenures.

Going forward, the South African public and the entire African populace must not only be loud in calling for presidents to resign but must also be insistent on the enactment of laws and the establishment of strong institutions that will deal with the likes of Zuma who are suspected of misconducts.

As a people, we Africans must learn lessons from countries like Brazil, South Korea and others that have systems in place to deal with top-hierarchies that engage in corrupt practices. Until then, the Zuma exit comes with no important lessons to other corrupt leaders in Africa.

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By: Ebenezer Azamati/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Author is a student of International Politics at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

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Mr. Zuma at a press conference on Thursday night, said his resignation takes immediate effect.

The 75-year-old has recently come under serious criticism by his party, the African National Congress (ANC).

His decision comes as a surprise to many as he had declared a few hours to that press conference in an SABC interview, that he will not yield to pressure to resign if he is not furnished with reasons for the resignation calls.

“I indicated to the top six [of the ANC] that what they have raised is not the first time. They have raised it in the NEC itself twice and nobody has ever been able to tell me what the issue is. The NEC themselves said that I must resign‚ and I find that very strange that I should do so because this is not the first time that they’ve said this‚” Zuma told the SABC’s Mzwandile Mbeje.

“It’s not a new matter. I need to be furnished with what is it that I have done and unfortunately nobody has been able to tell me what is it that I’ve done. There are processes in the ANC that need to be followed if I have been doing something wrong‚” he said.

But addressing the news conference later, Jacob Zuma said although he does not agree with the decision of the party, he will resign as a disciplined member.

“I resign as president of the republic with immediate effect….even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organisation … I have always been a disciplined member of the organisation,” Zuma said.

“I’ve served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that they trusted me with their highest office in the land, but when I accepted the deployment, I understood and undertook to subject myself to the supreme law of the land, the Constitution,” he said.

Jacob Zuma’s 9-year term as president has seen him survive seven votes of no confidence following various allegations of corruption and consequently, suggestions by some leaders of his party that his conducts were negatively affecting the party’s image could spell doom for it in subsequent elections.

But in his address, Zuma stressed that “I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment. They are the lawful mechanisms for the people of this beautiful country to remove their president.”

Concluding his address, Zuma promised to continue to serve the country and the ANC.

“As I leave, I will continue to serve the people of South Africa as well as the ANC,” he said.

The ANC parliamentary caucus had agreed to support a motion for a vote of no confidence against Zuma on Thursday, after he initially refused to resign – despite being recalled by the ANC’s national executive committee on Tuesday.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The decision to “recall” him “urgently” followed marathon talks of the ANC’s top leadership body.

Mr Zuma, 75, agreed to step down, but only in the next three to six months, the official added.

Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, has been dogged by corruption allegations.

But he has resisted increasing pressure to quit since December, when Cyril Ramaphosa replaced him as leader of the ANC.

Ace Magashule, the ANC’s secretary-general, told reporters the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided the removal should be “treated with urgency”.

“It is obvious we want Comrade Ramaphosa to come in as the president of South Africa,” he added.

Despite Mr Magashule telling reporters “the decision is now final”, he revealed Mr Zuma told him that he “did not believe the NEC has the right” to make such a ruling.

He said the president was expected to respond to the NEC’s decision on Wednesday, although they had given him no deadline.

What has Mr Zuma done wrong?

Mr Zuma’s presidency has been overshadowed by allegations of corruption which he has always vehemently denied.

In 2016, South Africa’s highest court ruled that Mr Zuma had violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money spent on his private home.

Last year the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that he must face 18 counts of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money-laundering relating to a 1999 arms deal.

More recently, Mr Zuma’s links to the wealthy India-born Gupta family, who are alleged to have influenced the government, have caused his popularity to plummet.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations.

How likely is Mr Zuma to quit?

Correspondents say it will be very difficult for him to resist a formal request to resign but he would not be legally obliged to do so and could technically carry on as president despite losing the faith of his party.

However, he would then be expected to face a confidence vote in parliament. This has been scheduled for 22 February, but it could be held earlier.

Mr Zuma has survived other such votes but he is not expected to pull it off again. A confidence vote would be considered a humiliating process for him and the party.

South African media are calling President Zuma’s seemingly inevitable exit “Zexit”.

His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, resigned in 2008, also after a power struggle with his deputy.

The deputy in question was Jacob Zuma, who took over the presidency the following year.

Why is this happening now?

The ANC was badly rattled by its performance at the 2016 local elections when it won its lowest share of the vote since coming to power under the late Nelson Mandela in 1994.

It wants to project a fresh image for next year’s general election. Having served two terms in office (South African presidents are elected by parliament), Mr Zuma cannot legally return to power in any case.

On Monday, opposition parties called for an early election.

“Anyone from the ANC that wants to lead this country, must get their mandate from the people of South Africa,” Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters.

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Source: BBC

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