It’s now up to President Pierre Nkurunziza to approve this.

President Pierre Nkurunziza hasn’t confirmed his attendance at the African Union summit in Sandton next weekend.

Last time he left home, an abortive coup was mounted against him.

He missed a subsequent summit discussing the crisis in Burundi caused by his determination unconstitutionally to extend his term in power.

He did however accede to his neighbours urging him to delay elections.

Briefing reporters ahead of the AU summit, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashebane would not urge Nkurunziza to abide by his country’s constitution and avoid contesting the upcoming election.

The post Burundi’s electoral commission suggests new date for elections appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

South Africa’s sending an advance team of disaster management personnel to Lagos following the deaths of 67 of its nationals in the rubble of a church that collapsed in the Nigerian commercial capital.

Pretoria’s foreign affairs chief says an inter-departmental team has been put together to coordinate all government activities relating to the calamity.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashebane was speaking nearly a day after President Jacob Zuma announced the deaths of 67 compatriots in the Lagos building collapse.

Significantly, her statement doesn’t mention cooperation by the Synagogue Church of All Nations headed by TB Joshua or the Nigerian government.

Officials in both her department and the presidency say the Nigerian authorities are being less than forthcoming.

At least five South African tour groups were in the building when it collapsed last Friday.

Nkoana Mashebane says her government’s  treating the matter with the utmost urgency.

It understands fully the pain and anguish of affected families.

The South African High Commission in the capital, Abuja, has seconded staff to Lagos to provide assistance to the Consul-General.

She’s provided a hotline for families and friends of possible victims.

Two South African rescue charities skilled at working international disasters say they’re waiting for the green light from Nigeria to send teams to Lagos.

The post SA sends disaster management team to Nigeria after church collapse appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

By all accounts neither the church nor the Nigerian authorities have been forthcoming.

Both the presidency and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation have remarked on what difficulty they are having getting useful information from their Nigerian counterparts.

There hasn’t been any on-the-record expression of disappointment let alone anger from Pretoria…

….Because the officials are at full stretch trying to get information to the families of the dead and injured and to get those victims repatriated.

But that’s not to say there won’t be a demarche later.

The post Nigeria not forthcoming on SA dead in Lagos church collapse appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Foreign affairs chief Maite Nkoana Mashebane says the report from South Africa will show full implementation of the decisions taken at the Durban summit last year by leaders from the five-power grouping of leading emerging markets.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashebane says BRICS are no longer the fastest growing economies on the planet but the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa remains a key player in reforming global governance.

As outgoing president, South Africa has a proud record.

(take in BRICS clip here)

Agenda at the Brazil summit will dominated by leaders deciding on the venue and the presidency of the new BRICS Development Bank.

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