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S. African Parliament Rushes to Ratify African Unity Act
The South African Parliament is working against time to ratify an act establishing the African Union ahead of a special summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) due to be held in Libya on March 1, the South African Press Association reported Wednesday.
Deputy director-general of the Foreign Affairs Department Welile Nhlapo Wednesday briefed members of parliament (MPs) about the Constitutive Act of African Unity at a hastily-arranged meeting of three parliamentary committees in Cape Town.
The act, which lays the foundation for the establishment of the African Union, has to be ratified by two-thirds of member states before it comes into effect. Under the act, the OAU and the African Union will co-exist for a year to allow a smooth transition before the OAU is replaced.
The committees, including the portfolio committees on trade and foreign affairs and the select committee on economic affairs, have until Friday to report back to the parliament.
But the foreign affairs committee said the MPs might seek an extension to consider the issue properly before tabling their report.
South African MPs are particularly concerned about the act's effect on sovereignty, and also take note of the opinion that provisions of the act may be used to justify the use of force, in contravention of international law and the charter of the United Nations.
More than a dozen of the 53-member OAU states have reportedly ratified the act, among them are Libya, Djibouti, Sudan, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Niger and Malawi.
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