USAfricaonline.com, first African-owned U.S.-based professional newspaper to be published on the internet, is listed among the world's hot sites by the international newspaper, USAToday. USAfrica has been cited by the New York Times as America's largest African-owned multimedia company. 8303 SW Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77074. Phone: 713-270-5500. Cell direct: 832-45-CHIDO (24436)

---

Special to USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
USAfricaonline.com and CLASS magazine and The Black Business Journal

South Africa to review land reform, foreign purchases

Fri Feb 3, 2006, CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday the government would regulate the conditions under which foreigners bought land in 2006 and review its willing-buyer, willing-seller policy on land reform.

Critics say the current approach has slowed attempts to redistribute white-owned land to the country's black majority, creating a powder-keg of resentment among the poor and landless.

The government has signalled before that it would look at both issues but without a time frame.

"The Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs will, during 2006: review the willing-buyer willing-seller policy...and regulate conditions under which foreigners buy land," Mbeki said in his annual state of the nation address, to applause from governing members of the ruling African National Congress.

"Land reform and land restitution are critical to the transformation of our society. Accordingly, the state will play a more central role in the land reform programme ensuring that the restitution programme is accelerated," he said. He said regulations for foreign land purchases would be done "in line with international norms and practices".

Farming groups said the devil would be in the details. "I don't know how they are going to review it so we must wait and see. Is it going to be a form of nationalisation? If so that would be bad," Bully Botma, chairman of producer body Grain SA, told Reuters.

APARTHEID LEGACY

Almost 12 years after the end of apartheid rule most of South Africa's arable land remains in the hands of the white minority, while fears have grown that a surge in foreign interest in South African property is pushing prices out of reach for many locals.

Foreign land ownership could also prove an obstacle to redistribution as wealthy non-residents sometimes buy large tracts that might have been used for the reform programme.

And if the government moved to more strident measures such as confiscation, it might find it politically awkward to do so against foreign land owners when it is also trying to attract outside investment.

Legislative amendments already enable it to confiscate without a court order if talks reach an impasse under the approach to land claimed by communities or individuals dispossessed under apartheid-era laws.

But it has made few moves in this area to date.

The government aims to transfer 30 percent of commercial farmland to blacks by 2014, but so far less than four percent has been turned over. The government has long insisted that land reform will be carried out in a legal and orderly manner, in a bid to soothe investor fears about the prospect of widescale Zimbabwe-style land seizures. On a continent that suffers frequent food shortages, farmers and other groups have said also that the process must be done in a way that does not threaten crop production in regional breadbasket South Africa.

The opposition was quick to criticise the government's stance. "The slow pace of land reform in South Africa is not the fault of the willing buyer, willing seller principle, but rather a direct result of the government's inability to make the necessary funds available for this process," the opposition Democratic Alliance said in a statement. By Gordon Bell

Why Bush should focus on dangers facing Nigeria's return to democracy and Obasanjo's slipperyslide. By Chido Nwangwu INSIGHT: Destruction of property and human massacres are always traumatic events in a community, saddening and enraging, but the organizers of the beauty contest, as well as the participants, must understand that they are totally free of guilt. The guilty are the storm troopers of intolerance, the manipulators of feeble-minded but murderous hordes of fanaticism. By Prof. Wole Soyinka INSIGHT Why Martin Luther King's legacy and vision are relevant into 21st century. By Chido Nwangwu     USAfricaonline LITERATURE Why Chinua Achebe, the Eagle on the Iroko, is Africa's writer of the century. Achebe, scholar, social conscience, cultural historian and globally-acclaimed writer, has been a significant and binding source for an engaging understanding of African pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history and realities. I believe that such insight has made him a favorite of African-Americans, and other scholars and regular folks in search of a better, realistic understanding of Africa, at least, from Achebe's utilization of his rich and dynamic Igbo ancestry, in south eastern Nigeria. I share the same ancestry, and he's one of my mentors. By Chido Nwangwu. Click here for commentary Chinua Achebe returns "home" from U.S., to love and adulation of community.Achebe on oral tradition, juxtapositioning of language and linguistic colonialism. World-famous Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe has said that Africans should not be overly concerned if the long-established tradition of oral storytelling dies out. Achebe, once described by Nelson Mandela as "the writer in whose presence prison walls fell down," told the BBC that he agreed that the art was dying out - but insisted it could be revived "if we decide that the oral story is absolutely necessary." "Oral storytelling was important when I was writing - it may not be important when the next generation is writing," he said. Achebe, who is very critical of colonialism and its aftermath in Africa, explained that he himself writes in English because he is a victim of linguistic colonialism. But he added that he felt it was important not to "lose sight of the need for our mother tongue." "I hope I have shown it is possible to show respect to English and Igbo together. Chinua Achebe added that "The situation may well develop in the future, in which the different languages of Africa will begin to reassert themselves," he added. "I have made provision for that myself, by writing certain kinds of material in Igbo. For instance, I will insist my poetry is translated back into Igbo while I'm still around." See related resources/text/references: Why Chinua Achebe, the Eagle on the Iroko, is Africa's writer of the century. By Chido Nwangwu AchebeBooks.com: On the books, life and work of our Literary ...Achebe, the eagle on the iroko, our pathfinder, social conscience of millions... Exclusive USAfricaonline.com tribute: Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a standard of artistic excellence, and more. We met in person at the first conference on Commonwealth Literature, organized by Professor An Jeffares at Leeds University in 1964. We met again in Lagos, later, the same year. We met again at the Canadian Association of Commonwealth Literature conference in Toronto in 1973. By Douglas Killam Chinua Achebe: A Literary Diaspora Toasts One of Its Own. By Somini Sengupta POLICY A trial of two cities and struggle for justice. By Jack E. White, an essay by Time magazine columnist for USAfricaonline.com COMMUNITY INTEREST Johnnie Cochran will soon learn that defending Abacha's loot is not as simple as the O.J Simpson case. By Chido Nwangwu A Lott of Racism? Implications of Obasanjo's late wake up to the challenges of Sharia in Nigeria. By Ken Okorie Osama bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's stability. By Chido Nwangwu What has Africa to do with September 11 terror? By Chido Nwangwu Reflections on September 11. By Jonathan Elendu And the Rocks Cried Out (For Safiyatu). By Effenus Henderson DEMOCRACY'S WARRIOR Out of Africa. …The cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on his crusade against public corruption and press censorship in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By John Suval. Pope John Paul, Abacha and Nigeria's Christians DIPLOMACY Walter Carrington: An African-American diplomat puts principles above self for Nigeria. USAfricaonline.com Founder Chido Nwangwu with the U.S. former Ambassador Carrington (right) at the U.S. embassy in Lagos during a courtesy visit. HISTORICAL INSIGHT Biafra-Nigeria war and history get fresh, critical look from a survivor. By Alverna Johnson and Vivian Okeke.   'Biafra: History Without Mercy' - a preliminary note. By Chido Nwangwu ODUMEGWU EMEKA OJUKWU:"It was simply a choice between Biafra and enslavement! And, here's why we chose Biafra" Biafra: From Boys to Men. By Dr. M.O. Ene African Union: Old wine in new skin? Sharia, Sex and hypocrisy of Gendered Justice. By Chika Unigwe, columnist for USAfricaonline.com And the Rocks Cried Out (For Safiyatu). By Effenus Henderson NEWS INVESTIGATION: The Marc Rich Oil Deals in Nigeria Should Africa debates begin and end at The New York Times and The Washington Post? No AFRICA AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS Beyond U.S. electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic republic hold lessons for African politics. Arafat's duplicity, terrorism at the heart of Israeli-Palestinian crises. By Barry Rubin Will religious conflicts be the time-bomb for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule? Johnnie Cochran will soon learn that defending Abacha's loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case. By Chido Nwangwu Should Africa debates begin and end at The New York Times and The Washington Post? No Nelson Mandela, Tribute to the world's political superstar and Lion of Africa  Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's burden mounts with murder charges, trials Conflicting emotions, feeling of disappointment, timing of revelation that Rev. Jackson fathered a child with former aide lead to charges of "right-wing orchestration." Nigeria's Presidential Election: Is it just for the Highest Bidder? Nigeria at 40: punish financial thuggery, build domestic infrastructure Is Obasanjo really up to Nigeria's challenge and crises? By USAfricaonline.com contributing editor Ken Okorie. Commentary appears from NigeriaCentral.com Africa suffers the scourge of the virus. This life and pain of Kgomotso Mahlangu, a five-month-old AIDS patient (left) in a hospital in the Kalafong township near Pretoria, South Africa, on October 26, 1999, brings a certain, frightening reality to the sweeping and devastating destruction of human beings who form the core of any definition of a country's future, its national security, actual and potential economic development and internal markets. 22 million Africans HIV-infected, ill with AIDS while African leaders ignore disaster-in-waiting Wong is wrong on Blacks in Houston city jobs Why is 4-year old Onyedika carrying a placard against killings in Nigeria? How Nigeria's Islamic Sharia crises will affect the U.S. USAfrica INTERVIEW "Why African Catholics are concerned about crises, sex abuse issues in our church" - a frank chat with ICCO's Mike Umeorah Johnnie Cochran will soon learn that defending Abacha's loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case. By Chido Nwangwu The Economics of Elections in Nigeria HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY How far, how deep will Nigeria's human rights commission go? Rtd. Gen. Babangida trip as emissary for Nigeria's Obasanjo to Sudan raises curiosity, questions about what next in power play? COUNTERPOINT 'Why is Bill Maher spreading racist nonsense about HIV/AIDS and Africa on ABC? Hate groups' spin by Lamar Alexander benefits anti-Blacks, anti-Semites, and racists Annan, power and burden of the U.N The Civilianizing of African soldiers into Presidents At 39, Nigerians still face dishonest stereotypes such as Buckley's, and other self-inflicted wounds. JFK Jr.: Death of a Good Son 'Why is Bill Maher spreading racist nonsense about HIV/AIDS and Africa on ABC? National Summit on Africa, Congresswoman Jackson-Lee hold policy forum in Houston '100 Black Men are solutions-oriented' says Thomas Dortch, Jr., Richard Johnson and Nick Clayton II as they share perspectives with USAfrica's founder on the national organization. Community Service Awards bring African-American, American policy and business leaders together with African community at Texas Southern University 110 minutes with Hakeem Olajuwon Cheryl Mills' first class defense of Clinton and her detractors' game  Nigeria, Cry My Beloved Country USAfrica FORUM IN THE HOUSE OF MANDELA: A SILLY CRY FOR REPARATIONS By Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo BULLET Versus BALLOT The bloody stain of military coup, on Friday December 24, 1999, sullied the once unique history of democratic rule in the beautiful and historically democratic, French-speaking west African country of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) by General Robert Guei (inset). USAfricaonline report and commentary. COMMUNITY INTEREST Why the revisionist forces of racist oppression in South Africa should not be allowed to intimidate Ron and Charlayne Gault. TRANSITION General Tunde Idiagbon:  A nationalist, an iron-surgeon departs Abiola's sudden death and the ghost of things to come   Gen. Shehu Musa Yar'Adua's prison death, Nigeria and The Ghost of Things to come .....  Index of Founder's Notes (1) Index of Founder's Notes (2) Index of other Viewpoints USAfricaonline contributors and columnists on the issues

What has Africa to do with September 11 terror? Africans reported dead in terrorist attack at WTC September 11 terror and the ghost of things to come.... USAfricaonline.com INSIGHT: How Obasanjo's self-succession charade at his Ota Farm has turned Nigeria to an 'Animal Farm.' By Prof. Mobolaji Aluko Is Obasanjo ordained by God to rule Nigeria? And, other fallacies. By Prof. Sola Adeyeye Obasanjo was not sworn in merely to "mean well" for Nigeria. By Obi Nwakanma Obasanjo's 'prayers' and the Abacha path of staying in power. By Nkem Ekeopara Creative writing, publishing and the future of Nigerian Literature. By Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike APPRECIATION A young father writes his One year old son: "If only my heart had a voice...." Nigeria, a terrible beauty. By Chido Nwangwu Why Nigeria and Africa's leaders are leading us to nowhere. By Professor Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, contributing editor of USAfricaonline.com, author of the highly-acclaimed African Literature in Defence of History: An Essay on Chinua Achebe and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. Seriously, is your web site a Turkey, too? Get Solutions Anambra's rigged 2003 elections: Chris Uba's confession at WIC 2004 in Newark, USA. In a matter-of-fact manner, PDP's chieftain in Anambra Chris Uba stood up and astonished all that were present in Newark when he said, "We, the PDP, did not win the election (of 2003). I have gone to church to confess. The election had no document. I called the result before 12 midnight. I gave INEC the money and asked them to call the result." The revelation caused an uproar as well as some applause in the hall. "The person we took his thing is here," Uba said, pointing at Peter Obi (the APGA candidate) who was sitting among the audience, in the back row. USAfrica The Newspaper voted the "Best Community Newspaper" in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in the Best of Houston special as chosen by the editors and readers of the Houston Press, reflecting their poll and annual rankings. DEMOCRACY WATCH: Obasanjo raped Nigeria's constitution by suspending Plateau Assembly and Governor. Prof. By Prof. Ben Nwabueze, leading constitutional scholar in the Commonwealth for almost 45 years, former Nigerian federal minister and SAN. OIL in NIGERIA: Liquid Gold or Petro-Dollars Curse? Investigating Marc Rich and his deals with Nigeria's Oil Through an elaborate network of carrots and sticks and a willing army of Nigeria's soldiers and some civilians, controversial global dealer and billionaire Marc Rich, literally and practically, made deals and steals; yes, laughed his way to the banks from crude oil contracts, unpaid millions in oil royalties and false declarations of quantities of crude lifted and exported from Nigeria for almost 25 years. Worse, he lifted Nigeria's oil and shipped same to then embargoed apartheid regime in South Africa. Read Chido Nwangwu's NEWS INVESTIGATION REPORT for PetroGasWorks.com MEDIAWATCH Should Africa debates begin and end at The New York Times and The Washington Post? Nelson Mandela, Tribute to the world's political superstar and Lion of Africa   TRIBUTE Nnamdi Azikiwe: Statesman, Intellectual and Titan of African politics CONTINENTAL AGENDA Bush's position on Africa is "ill-advised." The position stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of Texas, George Bush where he said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his presidency has been questioned by USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was neither validated by the economic exchanges nor geo-strategic interests of our two continents." These views were stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of 'Inside Politics 2000.' Nwangwu, adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35 million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for Governor Bush's ill-advised position which removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be elected president. By Al Johnson ARTS The Life and Irreverent times of Afrobeat superstar, FELA     PANAFRICANIST Tanzania's founding president Julius Nyerere       ELECTIONS Gigolos on the Campaign Trail. By Prof. Walt Brasch Can Africa live a future without war? An Open Letter to Mandela. By Fubara David-West Sex, Women and (Hu)Woman Rights. By Chika Unigwe Abati's Revisionisms and Distortions of history. By Obi Nwakanma, USAfrica The Newspaper contributing editor and award-winning poet Reuben Abati's fallacies on Nigeria's history and secession. By Bayo Arowolaju How Abati, Adelaja and others fuel the campaign of hatred against Ndigbo. By Jonas Okwara "Obasanjo, secession and the secessionists": A response to Reuben Abati's Igbophobia. By Josh Arinze, USAfricaonline.com contributing editor. Abati and other anti-Igbo bigots in Nigeria. By Chuks Iloegbunam, USAfricaonline.com contributing editor and author of Ironsi DEMOCRACY DEBATE CNN International debate on Nigeria's democracy was livecast on February 19, 2002. It involved Nigeria's Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, Prof. Salih Booker and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. Transcripts are available on the CNN International site. WILL ARINZE BE THE FIRST POPE of RECENT AFRICAN ORIGIN? To our Brother Cardinal Arinze: May your pastoral lineage endure! The Democratic Party stood for nothing in 2002 election cycle. By Jonathan Elendu HEALTHWATCH EVA champions efforts to combat AIDS among Nigerian youth. By Jessica Rubin Pros and cons of the circumcision debate. By Ngozi Ezeji, RN TRIBUTE Prof. Chimere Ikoku: Remembering the legacy of a pan-Africanist, scientist and gentleman. By Prof. Chudi Uwazurike   Can Africa live a future without war? An Open Letter to Mandela. By Fubara David-West, USAfricaonline.com contributing editor COUNTERPOINT Tiger Woods is no Nelson Mandela! By Chido Nwangwu SPORTS: Tiger Woods makes more history with another golf Masters win. He shot 12-under-par 276 and a final round 71 at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club event and collected $1,008,000, on Sunday April 14, 2002. With it, the world's golf phenom added another green jacket to his array of championships and titles, placing him, in this instance, in the same respected Masters' league as Nicklaus (winner 1965 and 1966) and Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990). The three are the only men to win back-to-back Masters. At 26, Woods has since become the youngest golfer to win his seventh professional major championship. He was joined by his parents and his 22 year-old Swedish model girlfriend, Elin Nordegren. Impeachment process shows Nigerian democracy "is alive... being tested." Nigeria's president retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the impeachment process shows that "democracy is alive, is being tested, and being tried.... What they (the legislators) have tried to do in the democratic way, which is not easy, would probably have been done by taking arms or by -- with bullets. So, but with democracy, of course, some people feel that this is the way this should be, and then I have an opportunity to defend myself. There is discussion. There is dialogue. There is a decision. There is fairness." He made these comments when he appeared on Tuesday September 17, 2002 on CNN International to discuss the issues of impeachment facing him, the allegations of corruption, abuse of the constitution and deployment of soldiers ina civilian environment which led to the "massacre of civilians" in Odi (Bayelsa) and Zaki Biam (Benue). On the charges by international human rights organizations and Nigerian media that his government has been involved in actions which have led to the deaths of thousands of Nigerians, the retired General gave a surprising answer. He was asked that "as many as 10,000 people, it's being reported, have been killed in Nigeria (in) communal rivalries, and the number is believed to be increasing. And people are saying that although President Obasanjo has done a lot of good for Nigeria, you're accused of not -- accused of failing to halt that spiraling violence." Obasanjo: Let me say this to you, when you put the question of 10,000 -- 10,000 people dying in Nigeria, of course, for a population of over 120 million people...." But USAfricaonline.com Founder and recipient of the Journalism Excellence award (1997), Chido Nwangwu, who appeared on the same program as as a CNN International analyst (Africa) pointed out that "when (President Obasanjo) answered that in a country of 100 million that 10,000 people are said to have died, as if that was a small number, that in itself reflects a disconnect with the concerns of Nigerians. The second one is that when the risk is civil disagreement, the police are required to intervene in the country. And the deployment of the armed forces of Nigeria requires at least some consultation, however modest, with the parliament." Nwangwu, former member of the editorial board of Nigeria's Daily Times continued that "the third factor that is equally important to underscore is that the armed forces of Nigeria moved in for a punitive action rather than just containing a civil disagreement." He noted in USAfricaonline.com backgrounder "it was revealing and interesting interesting discussing Nigeria's issues with its leader - under the current circumstances of an increasingly out-of-schedule elections and the gathering storm of an impeachment process by a majority of the members of the National Assembly, predominantly by Obasanjo's party members." See rush transcript of the CNN International news program. Obasanjo facing corruption and ineptitude impeachment charges, again since the parliament, a few weeks ago, passed a motion carrying a majority of the members of Obasanjo's party, the PDP. RELIGION AND ETHNIC CONFLICT: Sharia-related killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967. By Chido Nwangwu It's wrong to stereotype Nigerians as Drug Dealers. By Chido Nwangwu Nigeria as a Nation of Vulcanizers Why Colin Powell brings gravitas, credibility and star power to Bush presidency. PUBLIC POLICY Private initiative, free market forces, and more democratization are keys to prosperity in Africa. The Civilianizing of African soldiers into Presidents Maduekwe, Nwachukwu clash over Obasanjo at World Igbo 2002 convention in Houston. USAfrica Special report DEMOCRACY DEBATE CNN International debate on Nigeria's democracy livecast on February 19, 2002. It involved Nigeria's Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, Prof. Salih Booker and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. Transcripts are available on the CNN International site. Steve Jobs and Apple represent the future of digital living. By Chido Nwangwu The coup in Cote d'Ivoire and its implications for democracy in Africa. By Chido Nwangwu (Related commentary) Coup in Cote d'Ivoire has been in the waiting. By Tom Kamara. Will the rash of Ethnic Violence disrupt Nigeria's effort at Democracy? Nigerian stabbed to death in his bathroom in Houston. EndGame in Kinshasa: U.S must boot Mobutu for own interest, future of Zaire and Africa PetroGasWorks Shell picks Leslie Mays as VP Global Diversity