In the wake of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini threatening to take his people and his land and secede from the rest of South Africa, it appears that another king already did it … yesterday.

Most of South Africa failed to notice the momentous occasion when King Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III seceded “the Cape” from the rest of the country on Monday morning.

In a video of the king addressing the issue, he called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to accord the Khoi-San kingship the same respect given the Zulu king. “Humble pie tastes bad on dry toast,” the king told the president.

Below is the king’s official message about his new country, which is full of several tongue-in-cheek comments and jokes.

The Cape is now The Sovereign State of Good Hope, here is the official message from the King The flag went up at 11h00 on today, 16 July 2018. According to King Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III the Cape seceded from South Africa and is now an independent state.How will Government respond?See the attached video.The Sovereign State of Good Hope is the formation of a new sovereign nation state being the result of a legitimate and lawful process of secession by the traditional hereditary tribal leader of the Khoisan Nation, Gaob (which loosely translates to King in English) Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III.This territory includes most of what is currently known as the Cape province of South Africa, and extends to the northern border of the Cape and ends at the Fish River on the eastern frontier.* Please note that Willie Jordaan Attorneys does not condone, propagate or promote the contents, actions or ideas expressed in this news posting or any comments made thereon. We further confirm that the post is a NEWS post of what happened today in the Cape. It is posted with this sole purpose. It is factual yes, whether it is legit we cannot confirm as we are in no way affiliated with what happened today, or USAF, or The Sovereign State of Good Hope, or King Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III. Please do not crucify us for bringing you up to speed with what is happening in South Africa! Posted by Willie Jordaan Attorneys/Prokureurs on Monday, 16 July 2018

According to statements by the Khoi-San king and his supporters, the Sovereign State of Good Hope is now the formation of a new sovereign nation state “being the result of a legitimate and lawful process of secession by the traditional hereditary tribal leader of the Khoisan Nation, Gaob (which loosely translates to King in English) Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III”.

The new state’s territory apparently covers most of the Western Cape and extends to the northern border of the Cape, ending at the Fish River on the eastern frontier.

Parliament in Cape Town was served with an eviction notice to vacate the property by Friday. The Sovereign State of Good Hope (SSGH) also symbolically took down the South African flag and hoisted their own flag in Cape Town at 11am on Monday.

In the eviction notice given to Cabinet, and addressed to the president, the king wrote:

“This is to officially inform you of the decision of the King and the KhoiSan people to secede from South Africa.

“You were given notice of our secession as well as our declaration based on the principle of self-determination and independence to establish the Sovereign State of Good Hope.

“This letter is to draw your attention to the fact that you have been duly notified of our secession and declaration of independence, and since you have not seen fit to reply, it is an established principle of international law that your non-response may well imply that you not only have been notified but that you have agreed to the terms of our terms of our secession.

“We write to remind you that our secession is based on the fundamentals of International Law and these include:

“1. The Principle Of Self-Determination and

“2. The recognised Principles of International Law that a State may qualify for International Recognition when it meets the criteria of a permanent population-defined territory and organised level of governance and the capacity to manage its foreign relations.

The king said the template of how the Baltic states were granted their independence from the former Soviet Union was instructive for how he had now declared his state’s independence.

“Our situation is really no different to this and modern practices clearly affirm this.

“This letter notifies you that we are now asserting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Sovereign State of Good Hope.”

The notice went on to demand that all government officials would have to “leave our territory within five days” unless they obtained permission from the king’s officers.

They could be registered as “aliens” if they successfully provided documentation “for the circumstances under which they want to extend their stay in the Sovereign State of Good Hope”.

“This would be approved by our authorities on the basis that they are valid reasons in the law for them to remain for a longer period. Other citizens of the Republic of South Africa who remain in the Sovereign State of Good Hope must register within 48 hours that they are aliens. They must then regularise their alien status with our own immigration department to determine the circumstances under which their stay can be extended or the circumstances under which they should be leaving immediately.

“We write to inform you that our foreign relations with the Republic of South Africa are meant to be peaceful and constructive and that we will work with you and collaborate with you in all ways that will advance the policies, purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

“We expect that you will respect the Charter as well, and that you will respect the foundations of peace and common understanding and goodwill and fellowship between nation states and the explicit principles upon which the International system is found.”

The king signed the notice and stamped it as being from the “Royal House of the KhoiSan”.

Khoi-San groups in particularly the Western and Northern Cape have long complained that they are not given proper recognition.

On Africa Day this year, EFF leader Julius Malema threw his weight behind the idea that the Khoi-San are the “original South Africans”.

He said the Khoi and San people were the original inhabitants in South Africa and that no one else was from South Africa.

“We came from the north and the Khoi and the San people were in southern Africa. The Khoi and the San welcomed us here and we settled here,” Malema said.

The South African government is yet to officially respond to the Khoi-San.

However, it seems more than likely that the king and the Sovereign State of Good Hope are aware that they are unlikely to be recognised as a new country by Friday, and that Monday’s declaration was possibly more in aid of drawing attention to their overall cause. </s> More than a generation ago, brave Namibian men and women risked life and limb in an armed struggle against foreign oppressors who denied the basic rights of the majority. The white minorities then enjoyed unfettered rights and the black majority endured great hardship.

On March 21, 1990 there was jubilation throughout the country. The masses of town and countryside were celebrating the birth of Namibia’s nationhood, independence and freedom.

The reasons for celebration were countless. Namibia was celebrating the heroics of its military and diplomatic forces, who offered fierce resistance to foreign oppression.

 They were celebrating the bravery of those whose blood watered our freedom – the heroes and heroines who died fighting to liberate their motherland.

They were celebrating the formation of a new democratic government. They were celebrating national reconciliation which Sam Nujoma – sworn in as president that day – declared.

They were celebrating the beautiful African story of how a nation can move from segregation to integration.

Celebrating our independence should never be seen from a parochial perspective of its supposed pomp and fanfare. Spending moderately to celebrate the day we unshackled ourselves from the chains of oppression does not warrant the hullaballoo witnessed in the country in recent weeks.

Simply put, you cannot make an omelette without breaking some eggs. Independence Day is not a day for excessive spending, but it is neither a day to bow our heads in self-pity.

March 21 is historical, not only in Namibia, but Africa too.

 In 1963, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed with the objective of working towards the greater unity of the African continent, while at the same time ensuring that the remaining colonies on the African continent are assisted to achieve their freedom and independence.

Thus, the Pan-African dream gave birth to African liberation with the last country to attain independence from foreign rule in Africa being South Africa in 1994.

 How then can we possibly lock ourselves in our homes on the instigation of people who clearly have personal scores to settle and are on a mission to humiliate the leaders of our country?

True, we have to go beyond ‘flag independence’ and start with practical solutions to the problems facing our country, but this doesn’t mean scrapping Independence Day celebrations off our calendar.

If anything, it is in fact in difficult times like these that we need to celebrate in unity our nationhood, reflect on the journey, on our victories and sacrifces, and inspire ourselves to regain our stardom.

Every generation – and we have many in Namibia – has to devote time to understanding how things got to where they are.

Festivities are not the most important aspect of Independence Day, as seems to be the perception of those who called for the boycotting of this year’s event at Rundu in the Kavango East Region.

Young people nevertheless turned up in vast numbers, because they were hungry not for food but for the messages and guidance of their leaders.

This enthusiasm was evident when young people had to be ordered off the rooftops of houses near the Rundu Stadium, as they sought to capture a glimpse of the proceedings. </s> Posted on 1 April 2018 - 01:55pm Last updated on 1 April 2018 - 02:13pm

GABORONE: Botswana prepared to inaugurate Mokgweetsi Masisi as president on Sunday in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth handover of power in one of Africa's most stable countries.

Ian Khama, the son of Botswana's first post-independence leader, officially stepped down as president on Saturday after serving the constitutional maximum of 10 years in office.

His vice president, Masisi, will take over a county widely seen as a success story -- benefitting from good governance and lucrative income from its diamond, beef and tourism sectors.

It is rated as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International but has recently struggled with rising unemployment and tensions over the uneven sharing of its vast diamond wealth.

Khama finished a national farewell tour this week, bidding a months-long goodbye to the country's population of 2.2 million.

The government published photographs of Masisi attending Saturday's dress rehearsal for the inauguration.

The televised event will be held at parliament buildings in the capital Gaborone, in front of an audience of 1,200 people, with proceedings beginning at 6:00 am.

Masisi, 55, is a close ally of Khama and a veteran of the ruling Democratic Party (BDP).

He is a US-educated former teacher, UNICEF employee and education minister, whose father was also a cabinet minister.

Khama earned a record for straight talking, often criticising leaders including US President Donald Trump and -- unlike many in the region -- neighbouring Zimbabwe's then-president Robert Mugabe as well as Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila.

"Internationally, he positioned himself as a moral leader," Matteo Vidiri, a BMI Research analyst, told AFP.

"(But) a slowing economy and increasing public discontent have damaged the narrative of Botswana's 'special character', of a country being able to escape the 'resource curse'."

Khama, 65, led the BDP to landslide victories in two elections, although the party won less than 50% of the vote for the first time in 2014.

Four opposition parties have said they could unite for the 2019 election to try to unseat the ruling party, which has held power since independence in 1966.

At a farewell event in his home village last week, Khama was showered with gifts including a 4x4 truck, 143 cows, hundreds of chickens, more than 415,000 pula (RM 167,715.35 ) and a fully-equipped luxury caravan. — AFP </s> Image copyright KZN EMS/ Arrive Alive Image caption Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant was planning to attend the Good Friday service at the church

At least 13 people have died and many were injured when a wall collapsed in South Africa at the start of a Good Friday service at a Pentecostal church.

Emergency services said that 29 people were rushed to hospital after the collapse in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Local officials have blamed the tragedy on heavy rainfall in the area around eMpangeni on Thursday night.

Most of the victims were reportedly women sleeping in the church.

An 11-year-old girl is thought to be among them.

The wall at the front of the Pentecostal Holiness Church collapsed at the start of what had been planned as a weekend-long service to commemorate the Christian festival of Easter.

On Friday, a special prayer service was held in a large tent in front of the church, reports the eNCA TV station.

The Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the mayor of Zululand municipality, said the community was devastated and they would be praying for those affected by the tragedy.

"Christians [from] all denominations - we are here in solidarity. We are here to pray with the church, to pray with the families and to offer our support that God may really heal their wounds."

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the church last year and some of the congregants reportedly asked for his support to build a new church.

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant is a member of the church and was planning to attend the Good Friday service there.

She visited the scene and said: "Even at this difficult time, we still need to trust in God."

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Local official Lennox Mabaso told SABC news that the church "a solid structure".

"It is an act of nature. It is an act of God. Not even a president could have been able to save this particular situation," he said.

"It was a heavy storm that affected this area." </s> Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III, changes the name of the kingdom from Swaziland to eSwatini (the land of the Swazis) at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of its 50th independence anniversary.

King Mswati III changed the county's name during the country's 50th anniversary of independence. (Credit: Reuters)

At first glance eSwatini reads like the name of a Silicon Valley start-up company. But rather than an overnight success story, eSwatini is the name Africa's King Mswati III will change Swaziland's to overnight.

The King announced he was officially renaming Swaziland to the Kingdom of eSwatini at Golden Jubilee independence celebrations which corresponded with his 50th birthday on Thursday.

Swaziland was known as the Kingdom of eSwatini prior to being colonised by the British.

The announcement will create quite a job for the country's bureaucrats who will have to amend more than 200 references to Swaziland in the country's constitution, as well as change the country's currency — which bears the name of the Central Bank of Swaziland along with images of the King.

Internet domain names and number plates will have to be changed, as well as athlete uniforms such as those worn by the country's athletes at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

King Mswati III — who married his 15th wife, and beauty pageant contestant, Sindiswa Dlamini in 2013 — referred to the "Kingdom of eSwatini" several times in recent years including in an address to the UN General Assembly in 2017 and at the African Union, as well as other international conferences.

The King revealed the name change at the large independence celebration in the second city of Manzini, 40km east of the capital Mbabane.

The impoverished southern African nation — a member of the Commonwealth — gained independence from Britain in 1968.

He said the name Swaziland had caused confusion.

"Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland," the King said.

The King, who wore a red and black military uniform and rode in an open car into the stadium, said he wanted his country to have a name people could identify with.

Most of the King's subjects eke out a living in agriculture, often cultivating sugar.

There is widespread poverty in a country with the world's highest HIV/AIDS rate.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attended the event while on a visit to a country which is one of the few to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan rather than Beijing.

It is Ms Tsai's first trip to Africa since assuming the presidency in 2016. </s> Prime minister Mosisili expected ask king to call election as parliament votes in favour of replacing him with a rival.

Lesotho's prime minister has lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, deepening the political uncertainty in the mountain kingdom ahead of a snap election likely within three months.

The vote on Wednesday against Pakalitha Mosisili, head of a coalition government, came two years after his Democratic Congress (DC) ousted former prime minister Thomas Thabane's All Basotho Congress (ABC) by uniting with smaller parties.

Now it is Thabane's ABC that leads a coalition of opposition parties, including the Alliance of Democrats (AD) party, a group that split from DC last year, in an effort to remove Mosisili.

Members of parliament voted in favour of replacing Mosisili with AD's Monyane Moleleki.

"The vote of no confidence motion to urge His Majesty King Letsie III to appoint Honourable Monyane Moleleki as the next prime minister has been carried," Speaker Ntlhoi Motsamai told MPs after the vote.

READ MORE: Lesotho farmlands dry up as drought worsens

Mosisili now has three days to either resign in favour of Moleleki or advise the king to call elections, which would be held within three months.

But Fako Likoti, Mosisili's political adviser, said the premier would not step aside.

 

"He will continue to be the prime minister until we go for elections," Likoti told People's Choice FM radio.

Lesotho's last two elections have not produced a winner with a clear majority.

Completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is one of the world's poorest countries and its economy is heavily dependent on its neighbour, to where it exports water and hydroelectric power.

 

South Africa and the Southern African Development Community bloc have repeatedly called for peace and political reform in the country.

A constitutional monarchy, Lesotho was a British protectorate known as Basutoland before independence in 1966.

The country of two million people has been hit by several coups since the independence. </s> Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa will withdraw from the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports in Johannesburg said on Friday, sparking rapid criticism from rights bodies.

A document confirming the withdrawal plan, signed by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, was published by public broadcaster SABC's United Nations correspondent.

The "Instrument of Withdrawal" letter said South Africa "found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court".

The decision follows a dispute last year when South Africa allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit the country for an African Union summit, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the ICC.

South Africa said he had immunity as the head of a member state.

South Africa is a signatory of the ICC, which wants Bashir arrested for alleged war crimes related to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.

"South Africa's proposed withdrawal from the International Criminal Court shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored."

Earlier this month Burundi said it would withdraw from the court, and Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.

Some African governments say the ICC, which was established in 2002, has shown a post-colonial bias against the continent's leaders. </s> South Africa’s new president Cyril Ramaphosa visited North West province on Friday to try to quell protests over poor local services that have turned violent, after cutting short a trip to the Commonwealth summit being held in London.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said Ramaphosa would meet local officials from his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party at around 1000 GMT in a bid to defuse tensions.

“I am here to listen more than talk,” Cele told local television. “The president, together with the deputy president, will be having a meeting in the area to see what decisions need to be taken to make the situation better.”

Ramaphosa, who replaced Jacob Zuma as head of state in February, has staked his reputation on rooting out the corruption and mismanagement associated with Zuma’s nine scandal-plagued years in power.

Unrest erupted on Wednesday in and around the city of Mahikeng in the province, located around 300 km (200 miles) west of South Africa’s commercial hub Johannesburg.

South African media reported that cars were set alight, shops looted and roads blockaded by protesters calling for North West Premier Supra Mahumapeloa, a member of the ANC, to quit.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowds and made more than 20 arrests. One man died in a car chase between police and protesters, the Times Live news website cited a local police spokeswoman as saying.

“Service delivery protesters” seeking jobs, better housing, roads and hospitals frequently clash with police in South Africa, where weak economic growth has left more than one in four workers unemployed.

Ramaphosa cut short his visit to Britain on Thursday because of the demonstrations. Calling for calm, he ordered police to exercise maximum restraint and urged those with grievances not to resort to violence.

Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu told state broadcaster SABC on Friday from London that neighbouring Botswana’s decision to close some border points into North West province was a factor behind Ramaphosa’s decision to leave the summit early.

Both countries are members of the Commonwealth, a network of 53 mostly former territories of the British Empire.

The president, a trade union leader turned businessman, has a reputation as a painstaking negotiator after playing a key role in talks to end white minority rule more than 20 years ago. </s> Lesotho's prime minister lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, deepening the political uncertainty in the mountain kingdom ahead of an election likely within three months.

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, of the Democratic Congress (DC) party, has headed a coalition government since a snap election in 2015 that was called in an effort to end Lesotho's prolonged power struggles.

But the coalition has recently fragmented, and parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of replacing Mosisili with Monyane Moleleki, whose Alliance of Democrats party split from the DC last year.

Completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is one of the world's poorest countries and its economy is heavily dependent on its neighbour, to where it exports water and hydroelectric power.

South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc have repeatedly called for peace and political reform in the country.

"The vote of no confidence motion to urge His Majesty King Letsie III to appoint Honourable Monyane Moleleki as the next prime minister has been carried," Speaker Ntlhoi Motsamai told lawmakers after the vote.

Mosisili now has three days to either resign in favour of Moleleki or advise the king to call elections, which would be held within three months.

But Mosisili's political advisor Fako Likoti said the premier would not step aside.

"He will continue to be the prime minister until we go for elections," Likoti told People's Choice FM radio.

Mosisili, who was also prime minister from 1998 to 2012, acknowledged to his supporters last weekend that he had lost lawmakers' support and that he expected an election.

A failed coup attempt in 2014 prompted the prime minister at the time, Thomas Thabane of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), to flee to South Africa, saying he feared for his life.

In 2014, army chief Tlali Kamoli was accused of launching a coup against Thabane when soldiers attacked police headquarters, looted weapons and killed one officer.

And a senior general who was seen as close to Thabane was gunned down by soldiers in June 2015.

But Thabane returned with two other opposition leaders last month vowing to win back power, and was greeted by thousands of supporters at a rally in the capital, Maseru.

Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy, was a British protectorate known as Basutoland before independence in 1966.
King Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III declares independence from South Africa to form the "Sovereign State of Good Hope", encompassing the states of Northern Cape, Western Cape, and the western parts of Eastern Cape. The state raised their own flag after taking down the South African flag.