Category: Information Center

President Paul Kagame is in Kampala, Uganda where he is attending celebrations to mark Uganda’s 50th anniversary of Independence which began with the inauguration of the Bujagali Hydropower Plant in Jinja district.

Also present at the Independence celebrations include: Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe,President of Benin (who is the current African Union chairman), Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, the Ethiopian Prime minister, DRC’s Joseph Kabila.

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent has described Ugandans as warm and friendly people.

The Duke also observed, “There is no doubt Uganda has enormous potential for growth.”

Before noon, at least 39 babies were born on Tuesday, in three hospitals in Kampala as Ugandans celebrated fifty years of Uganda’s independence.

Many of the 12,000 miners sacked by Anglo American Platinum in South Africa were expected to gather to protest their dismissal and mourn a colleague killed in clashes with police.

Striking miners were to meet in a stadium in the northern town of Rustenburg, to discuss how to respond to the mass dismissal by the world’s largest platinum producer.

Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Marikana a union branch leader at a different mine was shot dead Friday evening, his union said.

“A branch secretary of the union at Western Platinum was shot and killed at his house in Marikana this (Friday) evening,” said National Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka in a statement.

Unions have come under fire as workers reject the traditional negotiation structures and accuse their guilds of conniving with mine managers.

Around 28,000 Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) workers have been on a wildcat strike for three weeks at the firm’s sprawling facilities in Rustenburg, which account for around a quarter of world platinum production.

Amplats on Friday said the miners failed to appear before disciplinary hearings “and have therefore been dismissed in their absence.”

It is the latest crisis to hit South Africa’s vital minerals sector, which has been crippled by a wave of violent disputes over miners’ pay since August.

The company said the strike had so far cost 700 million rand ($80 million, 60 million euros) in lost revenue.

“Despite the company’s repeated calls for employees to return to work, we have continued to experience attendance levels of less than 20 percent,” Amplats said in a statement.

Workers, some of whom received text messages from Amplats informing them of the news, reacted with a mixture of shock and defiance.

“If they fired us, no problem,” said Claudio, aged 37, from Mozambique. “We are going to market ourselves somewhere else.”

Others were more circumspect. “Now what is going to happen?” asked a worried 21-year-old miner from the eastern province of Mpumalanga, who had not gone to work because of the threat of violence from colleagues.

Uganda is making its last minute preparations for Golden Jubilee celebrations to be held next Tuesday, October 9.

Several visitors have begun flying into Uganda from different parts of the world ahead of the forthcoming Independence Day celebrations.

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent arrived in the country on the morning of Friday, October 5.

The Duke is a cousin to the Queen of England, Elizabeth the Second, who he will represent at the ceremony. Prince Edward was also born on October 9 in 1935.

Community Policing Committees (CPCs) in Muganza and Mugomba sectors in Gisagara District on October 4 started a one-week capacity building seminar aimed at improving enhanced collaboration with their administrative levels especially security organs.

The executive secretary of Southern Province Jane Izabiriza was also the guest of honour, alongside with the RPC in Southern Region,Chief Supt Emmanuel Mwesigye the Director of Community Policing, CIP Cecilia Umuhire and District authorities graced the event and visited CPCs activities which included seven houses built for genocide survivals and other helpless people .

Mwesigye explained diverse types of crimes, their actors, the areas of crimes and reminded participants of their responsibilities.

Among the responsibilities, he said that they should detect areas of crimes and criminals, report timely issues to the nearest security organs and leaders who have been offered mobile phones to facilitate them in communication and reporting.

Mwesigye called for an effective implementation of instructions received at each level of communication.

A senior officer of the M23 rebel movement, Lt. Col. Saddam Ringo Edimo, has made a U-turn back to the ranks of DRC forces FARDC.

Lt.Col. Saddam switched back to the national side Friday, October 5, military sources told local media.

Saddam returned with him ten men, weapons and ammunition. He was sent Friday to DRC capital, Kinshasa, military sources reported.

Lt.Col. Saddam was commander of the 6th sector of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) in Fizi-Baraka in South Kivu, before his defection in April.

Several other FARDC officers had defected during the same month. Early May, they created a military political movement, called “M23”.

The Supreme Court postponed a ruling in a suit filed by Victoire Ingabire, challenging one of the laws under which she is being prosecuted.

Sylvie Zainabu Kaitesi, Deputy Chief Justice and lead judge in a panel of nine judge said,“since the panel is incomplete, the court decision will be announced on October 18.”

Ingabire of FDU opposition Pressure group is charged with “financial support to a terrorist group, conspiring to create state insecurity and divisionism.”

Detained since since October 2010, Ingabire filed a suit in March this 2012 contesting the legality of Rwanda’s genocide ideology laws.

President of the Republic of The Gabon, Bongo Ondimba Visits Rwanda on October 5 2012.

The Visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in the areas of trade and commerce.

The First lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba has said that Genocide against ethnic Tutsi in 1994 would have been prevented before it occured.

Mrs. Bongo Ondimba made the remarks while at the Gisozi genocide memorial site in Kigali city.

The Gabon First lady was given an explanation detailing how the genocide was prepared and executed.

She was overwhelmed by the weapons and tools used to kill and shocked by the manner in which children and women were abused during the dark days.

Three people were critically injured in an accident involving a motorcycle (RC279 D) taxi and a passenger bus (RAB 580 H ).

The incident occured in the night of October 5, along the road near Nyarugenge prison towards Nyamirambo suburb.

The injured were quickly rushed to CHK hospital for immidiate medical attention.

First Lady, Jeanette Kagame, has officially opened the new public library, Rwanda Library Services.

She said it was one of the many libraries which will be built in the country as part of efforts to cultivate a reading culture among Rwandans.

“This library is much more than a building filled with shelves of books; it’s a gateway and window to the world.”

Mrs.Kagame added, “On the pages of the countless books are opportunities for our youth to create a limitless universe, one where they satisfy their curiosity and feed their imagination while developing personal values.”