A director of the UN human rights office known as OHCHA refers to South Africa’s heavy handed, highly militarized enforcement of the stay-at home directive.OHB

Briefing journalists, OHCHA’s director of field operations Georgette Gagnon says from South Africa to the Philippines, from Hungary to Jordan abuses in enforcing the lockdown appear to transgress basic key freedoms.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warns that emergency powers should not be used as a weapon to quash dissent, control the population or perpetuate time in power. 

Last week UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged governments to realize the coronavirus is the enemy, not the people.

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The statement from Pretoria calls on Morocco and the Saharawi liberation movement POLISARIO to observe the ceasefire called by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the pandemic.

The hard-hitting South African statement calls Western Sahara Africa’s last case of colonialism.

It points out that the International Court of Justice has ruled that Morocco is an illegal occupying force in the territory abandoned by Spain.

The South African position, says the statement, is driven by its opposition to the occupation, its determination to see decolonisation and its concern for human rights 

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He welcomes assurances from Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian that it is not China’s policy to discriminate against African nationals 

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In his capacity as chairman of the African Union, President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the head of the African Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat summoning the Chinese Ambassador in Addis Ababa to explain the reports and to express the continental body’s deep concern about this matter

He encourages African ambassadors in Beijing to engage the Chinese government to ensure there is no ill treatment of African and further ensure they are treated with dignity and respect

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Ramaphosa calls for international solidarity against COVID 19 and says Ghebreyesus has shown exceptional leadership from the earliest stages of the pandemic.

President Donald Trump is threatening to withhold US funding to what he calls the China-centric World Health Organisation.

He says the WHO, which warned about coronavirus six days after it was identified in China, called it wrong.

WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus urged an end to political point scoring over COVID 19.

His position is supported by AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Namibian President Hage Geingob.

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Their statement follows on the expression of support for WHO director general Tedros Ghebryesus by a range of African leaders.

The EFF rounds not only on President Donald Trump but also on British premier Boris Johnson for downplaying the significance of the COVID 19 pandemic.

It commends the WHO head Tedros Gebreyesus for issuing warning that helped contain the spread of the pandemic.

Calling for international cooperation the EFF says the enemy is not a foreign country or a people but a virus that will certainly kill us all.

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At their virtual meeting centre on Addis Abba, the ministers accepted that the immediate priority must be the health and humanitarian aspects of the battle.

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni was one of co-chairs of the second virtual meeting of his African peers on the COVID 19 pandemic.

The call for a $100-billion immediate assistance package grabs the headlines.

The ministers say debt relief from bilateral, multilateral and commercial partners could be coordinated with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union.

Since it will take the world economy between 24 and 36 months to recover from the lockdown to curb the pandemic, the debt relief to Africa should be spread over two to three years.

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They are all small, relatively remote and have tests rates either extremely low or not all.

South Africa continues to top the continental table of COVID 19 infections.

Its1462 cases recorded this morning are far and away ahead of second place Algeria which has 986 cases.

Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia follow that.

The African countries that have not recorded COVID19 cases are Comoros, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe, South Sudan  and Western Sahara.

All of these fall into the World Health Organisation’s remote category mentioned when it confirmed that the global infections exceed one million.

The total number of African deaths from COVID 19 is currently 290.

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He asks that the public understand their fear and apprehension at their ordeal a foreign country.

Martin Schäfer presages his remarks about the tourists by saying we are all together in the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic and must accept the official restrictions.

The German Ambassador’s spoken to top officials at the Departments of Tourism and of International Relations and Cooperation and has had every courtesy and assistance.

His job is now to ensure the well being and safe repatriation of the tourists and the 7 to 10 000 Germans stranded in South Africa. 

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Laurent Amar has tweeted this information to all potential contacts, saying he wants to break the chain of transmission.

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The French diplomatic mission has been closed as staff are teased for coronavirus.

Consul General Laurent Amar assures contacts on his twitter feed that he will come back stronger.

The Consulate like other European missions in Cape Town has been inundated with nationals taking advantage of the balmy late South African summer trying to find how they will be affected by draconian anti-COVID 19 measures taken by their governments.

They are generally being advised to head home without delay.

A 15-year-old pupil at l’Ecole Français du Cap – the French school in the Mother City – has tested positive with COVID19 after holidaying in France.

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The World Health Organization is looking to help Africa to prepare for and respond to the storm.

South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Algeria and Egypt are identified as the African countries with the highest risk importing COVID19.

As China insists its winning the battle to contain coronavirus, markets are reacting to the  spread of 77 000 cases to 30 countries.

Any complacency has been swept aside by the substantial increase of cases in Iran, South Korea and `italy

The Down Jones industrial index plunged more than1000 points – its biggest fall in two years.

The FTSE index suffered its worst fall in three years.

Shares in Apple, Disney and Nike all fell indicating how much is made in China and how important it is.

Airline stocks fell reflecting the mass cancellation  of travel to avoid the virus.

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