Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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UN experts* today called on authorities in Mali to disclose the fate and whereabouts of journalist and activist El Bachir Thiam, who disappeared four months ago.

“Mali must immediately and unconditionally release El Bachir Thiam and other victims of enforced disappearance, and cease the crackdown on civil society actors, human rights defenders, and political opponents or those perceived as such,” the experts said.

El Bachir Thiam is a journalist for the MaliActu website and a member of several civil society organisations and political movements, including the political party Yelema – Le Changement, led by former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, the Collectif Sirako, and a youth movement calling for a return to constitutional order, for which he serves as spokesperson and communications officer.

Thiam was allegedly kidnapped on 8 May 2025, in front of several witnesses in Kati town, by a group of at least five hooded and unidentified men suspected of being Malian intelligence agents – more specifically from the the Agence Nationale de la Sécurité d’Etat (ANSE) – or elements of the Bamako gendarmerie du Camp I, who were traveling in a gray TOYOTA V8 4×4 vehicle with tinted windows and no license plate. His relatives and colleagues reportedly searched for him in vain in police stations and gendarmeries of Bamako and Kati. Since then, Thiam’s fate and whereabouts have remained unknown.

“As time goes by, Thiam’s condition risks deteriorating further and will take a profound toll on his physical and psychological health,” the experts said.

On 17 July 2025, Thiam Mariam Dagnon, wife of El Bachir Thiam, filed a complaint for kidnapping and disappearance with the Public Prosecutor of the Kati Court of First Instance. Thiam’s alleged kidnapping and enforced disappearance took place in the context of peaceful protest movements initiated in early May 2025 by several political movements and parties, as well as civil society actors and organisations, following the adoption of draconian laws further restricting civic space by Malian transitional authorities in April 2025.

“State authorities who detain individuals and refuse to acknowledge that they are in custody or disclose their fate or whereabouts, place them outside the protection of the law and commit the crime of enforced disappearance of persons – as defined in Mali’s Penal Code. Such acts constitute an enforced disappearance regardless of the duration of the detention or concealment,” the experts said.

“The enforced disappearance of El Bachir Thiam and others is a blatant violation of Mali’s international legal obligations.”

The experts stressed that Malian authorities are allegedly making increased use of enforced disappearance as a weapon to instill fear and silence civil society actors, human rights defenders, political opponents or those perceived as such.

“These actions have a pattern. The frequency of the practice, its organised nature and the methods used indicate a systematic character,” they said.

“ANSE is acting with an apparent sense of impunity and entitlement,” the experts said. They noted that, according to Malian legislation, ANSE is placed under the direct authority of the President of the Republic and its agents may not be prosecuted in the performance of their duties, unless they have committed a serious offence through negligence or flagrant violation of procedures (articles 8 and 9 of the 1 October 2021 Ordinnance creating the ANSE), but they do not face any robust oversight or scrutiny. “By virtue of functioning directly under the President of the Republic, ANSE’s actions raise questions of criminal accountability under Malian and international law.”

“Thiam’s case reflects the persistent and escalating pattern of human rights violations against members of opposition political parties, civil society organisations, journalists and human rights defenders in Mali,” the experts said, recalling that several mandate holders had expressed similar concerns in 2021, 2024 as well as in February, April and August 2025.

They noted that the situation has continued to further deteriorate, as illustrated by the signature or adoption of several draconian laws, including a presidential decree on 13 May which dissolved all political parties and “organisations of a political nature” in Mali.

The experts have written to the Government of Mali and will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Source: APO

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The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation welcomes the apparent collaboration between the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Department of Cooperative Governance in providing support to struggling municipalities but raised concerns that the tangible impact is negligible. The alignment of interventions was a resolution made at the Water Indaba.

The committee today held an interaction with both departments and the South African Local Government Association on municipal support initiatives. “While the alignment of efforts and standards is critical to effectively drive implementation, solutions should be systematic and overarching. The continued channelling of resources without a complete systematic overhaul and strengthening of municipalities to deliver services will be futile,” said Mr Leon Basson, the Chairperson of the committee. The committee remains of the view that interventions remain piecemeal and do not address the root causes of the challenges faced by water services authorities.

The reality is that South African municipalities are not well capacitated to manage and implement water and sanitation infrastructure projects. While the committee welcomed the intention to convert direct grants to indirect grants aimed at improving spending and delivery of projects, the overarching challenge of the lack of capacity and governance challenges at the local government level make the interventions superficial, especially in the context that these municipalities will have to operate and maintain the infrastructure in the long run.

The committee has also called for the sharing of good practice between municipalities and avoiding a silo mentality, guided by the desire to ensure quality service delivery. “It is concerning that 105 municipalities out of 144 water services authorities (WSAs), amounting to 73% of all WSAs, are underperforming in the delivery of their mandates. This has a direct socio-economic impact and undermines the drive for inclusive economic growth and improving access to quality water,” Mr Basson emphasised.

While the committee welcomed the information that the department will soon table the Water Services Amendment Bill and the National Water Bill in Parliament following the approval granted by Cabinet, it also highlighted that while the legislation might assist in providing a legal framework, the need to strengthen water service authorities remains urgent.

The lack of planning and consequences within municipalities is also a point of serious concern for the committee. “What the blue drop and green drop reports have highlighted is the lack of planning at the municipal level and subsequent consequence management in implementing corrective measurement plans in response to the reports,” Mr Basson said.

The committee has emphasised the need for comprehensive implementation of all resolutions made at the Water Indaba to ensure a wide-ranging intervention on the water value chain. “While this alignment is a start, the full and comprehensive implementation of all recommendations might have the necessary ripple effect to resolve challenges within the system,” Mr Basson noted.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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The urgent need to save the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) from financial mismanagement, governance instability and a lack of consequence management has never been clearer than it is today.

This was the message from the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Economic Development and Trade, Ms Sonja Boshoff, following a briefing to the committee by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) on Tuesday.

During the briefing, the committee heard that the UIF distributed over R800 million in Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funding, yet over R200 million remained unaccounted for, with the AG unable to verify some of the companies that received these payments.

Ms Boshoff expressed deep concern about the lack of proper controls, monitoring and reporting within the UIF.

“This is deeply unfortunate, considering the critical role this entity plays in supporting unemployed and vulnerable South Africans. These systemic failures have persisted for far too long. Work on improving UIF systems cannot continue indefinitely without results. At some point, this entity must reach stability and fully deliver on the mandate for which it was created,” she said.

She added that these inefficiencies threaten to compromise Parliament’s oversight role, especially when it would appear as if misleading information is being tabled before the committee.

“When conflicting reports are presented to us, it not only undermines the work of Parliament but erodes public trust in the UIF,” Ms Boshoff said.

The committee received a separate presentation from the UIF on its annual performance plan. However, there were significant discrepancies between the UIF’s report and the AG’s findings.

Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya acknowledged during the meeting that there was “a lot of money at the UIF”, and lamented the absence of modernised ICT systems, while warning of what he described as “a mafia” operating inside the UIF. He emphasised that the UIF remained a noble cause for workers, but stressed the need for urgent reform.

In response, Ms Boshoff urged the UIF to prepare a report aligned with the AG’s findings, highlighting and addressing the discrepancies. “Independent auditors must be appointed to produce accurate and verifiable financial statements on TERS payments,” she said.

“It is regrettable that we must call for external consultants to do work that government officials should be capable of performing themselves. However, the seriousness of these financial irregularities leaves us with no choice.”

Ms Boshoff gave the UIF two weeks to prepare and submit a comprehensive report comparing the AG’s findings with the UIF’s internal assessments. This report must also outline whether the Department of Employment and Labour will implement the Auditor-General’s recommendations.

She further called on the UIF to “play open cards” with the committee and the public: “The UIF must be fully transparent about the extent of these problems. The committee needs accurate information to perform its oversight role and to ensure that workers’ funds are properly safeguarded.”

The committee also demanded clarity on officials implicated in financial misconduct, including details of the actions taken against them to date. “This is not just about systems and processes; it is about accountability. Those who are responsible for the mismanagement of workers’ money must face real consequences,” Ms Boshoff concluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) today urged the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to play a stronger role in strengthening accountability and consequences for proven wrongdoing, especially in how municipal councillors conduct themselves.

The committee received a briefing from SALGA on its annual report for the 2024/25 financial year on Tuesday. Members noted SALGA’s performance, as well as the 98% performance success rate in the relevant financial year but questioned the real impact of this in municipalities. Some members expressed concern over persistent governance challenges, capacity constraints and inadequate service delivery in many municipalities. This, members believe, undermines the effectiveness and stability of local government.

The Chairperson of the committee, Dr Zweli Mkhize, reflected on recent oversight visits to the Free State, North West and Gauteng, where the committee observed many challenges of service delivery and weak oversight. He called for collaboration on how SALGA can better support municipalities to deliver quality services to communities.

The committee highlighted the potential influence SALGA can have on audit outcomes and investigations into irregularities. One of the concerns raised was that there is a gap between SALGA’s training and advisory work and ultimately enforcing the code of conduct for councillors. While members acknowledged the value of SALGA’s training, guidance and support to municipalities, they lamented the lack of mechanisms to sanction councillors and municipal leaders who violate the code. They stressed that without meaningful enforcement by SALGA, efforts to effect accountability and consequences, as well as anti-corruption efforts in municipalities, may have a limited impact.

The leadership of SALGA noted the committee’s concern and explained that legislation currently restricts SALGA’s ability to impose sanctions directly on councillors or municipal managers. They told members that municipalities are legally recognised as independent entities under the Constitution, and that SALGA’s role as an organised local government association is confined to advocacy, capacity-building and support. This means enforcement is primarily the domain of the relevant political parties and municipal councils.

The Chairperson, however, urged SALGA to do more and find ways, through legislative amendments or its own internal processes, to build a culture of ethical behaviour among councillors and senior municipal officials. The leadership of SALGA is committed to raising this matter as part of the review of the White Paper on Local Government currently underway, to clarify its role and authority in matters concerning the conduct of councillors.

Members stressed the collective responsibility of all local government stakeholders to work towards building a capable, effective and efficient local government sphere that meets the needs of communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.