The visit to Zimbabwe of Archbishop Rowan Williams, head of the Anglican Church worldwide, makes the front page of this morning's Harare Herald.

Speaking at a Mass in the City Sports Centre yesterday, Williams said Europe should honour its colonial debt to Africa. He said the West had assumed dominance over blacks through greed, colonialism and imperialism.

Members of the independent Anglican Province of Zimbabwe, led by Archbishop Nolbert Kunonga demonstrated outside the Anglican Cathedral in Harare against the presence of the worldwide leader of the Anglican Communion. They are critical of Dr Williams' stance on homosexuality, which they consider too positive.

The southern African papers also report that Zambian President Michael Sata will not be attending the forthcoming Comesa Heads of State summit in Malawi, accusing that country's President, Bingu wa Mutharika of failing to apologise for deporting him in 2007.

Comesa is the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa. The meeting would have been President Sata's maiden international assignment following his election two weeks ago.

The Zambian leader was arrested in 2007 when he flew to Blantrye to hold talks with Malawian former president Bakili Muluzi. Sata was detained and declared a prohibited immigrant.

He was driven across the country to the border in Chipata.

Malawi did not state reasons for the deportation. President Sata on Saturday rejected his invitation to attend the Comesa summit to be held in Blantyre on October 14 and 15.

In South Africa, Julius Malema may have put off his disciplinary hearing before the ANC, but he has found himself some tough new enemies, according to The Sowetan.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress last week postponed a disciplinary hearing of the youth leader. The hearing was due to resume on Thursday but was pushed forward to October 15 because Malema was ill.

Malema was taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms in his hometown Polokwane on Wednesday after complaining of being sick at a public lecture the night before.

He faces the charge of bringing the ANC into disrepute following his call for regime change in neighbouring Botswana, which he said had a "puppet government" that was "in full cooperation with imperialists."

Now, according to The Sowetan, the uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association in KwaZulu-Natal has warned Malema to be "very careful" when interfering in the province.

The MKMVA said the recent disbandment of the provincial executive committee of the ANCYL was an "attack" on President Jacob Zuma.

MKMVA provincial chairman Themba Mavundla said as former soldiers they would not sit back and allow Malema to attack Zuma. They claim that the provincial executive was sacked because they had expressed support for President Zuma.

"Malema must know that this is an exceptional province with an incomparably violent political history. He should be careful when dealing with it."

On its sports pages, The Sowetan reports that South Africa sent stalwarts of their ‘golden generation’ into retirement on Sunday after their grip on the Webb Ellis trophy faltered with a 11-9 loss to Australia that saw them bundled out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals.

The loss signalled the end of the international careers of captain John Smit and coach Peter de Villiers, while vice-captain Victor Matfield also suggested he had ended his test career. It is doubtful whether lock Bakkies Botha, who was sent home last week with an Achilles’ injury, will play internationally again.

And the sad faces of Smit and de Villiers dominate the front page of this morning's Johannesburg Star. The headline reads "The pictures that say it all".

The Daily Nation in Nairobi reprts that more than 500 US residents with a blood connection to Kenya gathered in Washington at the weekend in the first conference to focus on the diaspora's relationship with the homeland.

US President Barack Obama was among those invited, but he did not attend.

Kenya's US Ambassador Elkanah Odembo said organisers had invited Obama, whose father was Kenyan, to attend the event.

The White House replied that the president's schedule did not allow for such an appearance.

Although President Obama has made scant mention of Kenya since taking office, he does pay close attention to what is happening in the country, Ambassador Odembo said. Recent calls from the White House followed the pipeline explosion in a Nairobi slum and the death of Wangari Maathai, according to the diplomat.

Kenyan Chief Justice, Willy Mutunga, originally named as conference keynote speaker, was another absentee due to unexplained but unavoidable circumstances.
 

Source: RFI