African press review 21 March 2014

We begin in South Africa where the press continues its reactions to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report about the squandering of 1.3 million euros on so-called security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu Natal Province.

 It was a "License to loot", according to Mail and Guardian which ran 12 damning questions, and reports a "yes from Mandonsela – that she found concrete evidence of excesses in the exercise of state power and control over state resources".

Mail and Guardian underlines that she documented improper behaviour, ethical violations, procedural failings, poor administration, improper benefits, excessive expenditure and political interference.

"Unlawful and improper" is how Cape Times summarises the public protector’s report on President Zuma’s Nkandla, highlighting the ANC’s ruling out of any plans to apologise for the scam.

City Press argues that while Thuli Madonsela doesn’t fear for her safety, investigators do have concerns. The Johannesburg Star also noted that her Nkandla report is turning into a constitutional crisis with the ruling ANC party calling for her to step down while the opposition Democratic Alliance called for the impeachment of President Zuma for flagrant abuse of public money.

The Sowetan takes up the reaction of the South African Communist party (SACP) in a statement that the public protector does not report to the media, but to Parliament, and therefore her media-driven strategy is seriously flawed and shows a complete misunderstanding of the office of the public protector.

South Africa stands on a precipice of its own making over Nkandla, writes Business Day referring to the Nkandla scandal as a new tragedy for President Zuma. For the paper, Zuma has built a career on victimhood. He would have us believe he is the ultimate target of political prejudice and bias - the king of victims - and he wears the crown with pride. What the country needs, according to the paper is not just grand plans devised by government to prolong people’s sense of hope; but also the return of credibility to leadership.

In Nigeria, the press is amazed by President Goodluck Jonathan’s remarks in Namibia on Thursday that his administration had hitherto been treating terrorism with kid gloves.

Punch claims that Jonathan speaking during bilateral talks with President Hifikepunye Pohamba in Windhoek vowed that his government will use overwhelming force now to stamp out the Islamic sect that has been killing thousands of citizens in attacks on villages, military and police facilities, worship houses and drinking joints across north eastern Nigeria.

The Coordinator of Counter-terrorism in the Office of the National Security Adviser, General Zaki Yaki Bello, explains to This Day why the government opted for soft power up till now to fight Boko Haram. According to the army chief, “a whole societal approach” was a viable option considering the dimension of the scourge of terrorism to people’s daily lives.

It will be fire for fire now, warns Vanguard in its interpretation of President Jonathan’s message to Boko Haram.

The Nation highlights a motion by senators Thursday as they rose in unison to seek a sustainable solution to the insecurity in some parts of the country. According to the paper, the upper chamber, which devoted its entire plenary to debating a motion on “recent attacks and killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and other parts of Central Nigeria”, resolved that steps should be taken to address urgently the insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.

The Nation claims that the lawmakers are afraid that the growing insurgency in parts of the country may be a signal that Nigeria is on the verge of disintegration.