African press review 31 March 2014

Egypt first this morning, and yesterday's announcement by the electoral commission in Cairo that the presidential elections will take place on 26 and 27 May.

The window for nominations for the presidency will open today and close on April 20.

Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen as the leading candidate. He submitted his resignation to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces last Wednesday and to cabinet . . . he also stepped down as Defence Minister . . . last Thursday.

Hamdeen Sabbahi, a former presidential hopeful who ran unsuccessfully in the 2012 elections, has announce that he will try again..

If there's no outright first-round winner, runoffs will take place on 16 and 17 June. Results will be declared on 26 June at the latest.

Also in this morning's Egypt Independent, a denial by the Palestinian militant organisation, Hamas, that three of its members arrested by Egyptian authorities yesterday were planning to assassinate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

A Hamas spokesman described the claim as an offence to Egypt, since it suggests that the army and security services are fragile and unable to preserve Egypt's security nor protect its borders.

He also added that such news is an offence to the Palestinian resistance.

The Cairo Criminal Court yesterday adjourned the retrial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six former top deputies over charges of killing protesters and financial corruption.

The retrial was postponed on Saturday when weather conditions prevented Mubarak's transfer to the court.

The court earlier decided to lift its live-broadcast ban, allowing Egyptian television to report from the trial chamber.

The defendants are charged with plotting to kill protesters during the 25 January, 2011 revolution, spreading chaos and causing a security vaccum. Mubarak, and his two sons are also being tried over financial corruption, abuse of power and selling Egyptian gas to Israel at low prices.

More than 800 people were killed in the protests that unseated Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule. Security officials across the republic have already been acquitted on similar charges.

South African financial paper BusinessDay reports that President Jacob Zuma will not attend this week’s European Union - Africa summit in Brussels.South Africa will be represented by International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

It was unclear if the decision was connected to complaints by Zimbabwean officials last week that the EU was being unfairly selective with African delegations after President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace, was refused a visa to Belgium.

The political and economic summit is to take place in the Belgian capital on Wednesday and Thursday. Zuma’s 11th hour decision not to participate has come as a surprise in European and African capitals.

Zuma’s absence could be explained by the fact that the summit coincides with the deadline which Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has given the president to respond to her report into the spending of public money on upgrades to his KwaZulu-Natal home in Nkandla.

BusinessDay also reports that companies providing services to platinum mines shut by the 10-week strike are facing bankruptcy.

Contract companies provide specialist mining, shaft-sinking, underground cleaning and other services to mines. On the platinum belt around Rustenburg and further north, mines have been idle since January 23, when the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) called a strike to back its wage demand.

The effects of the strike by about 70,000 workers at Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin mines has been felt by tens of thousands more people employed by contractors, some of whom have had their contracts terminated, while others have had their services suspended for the duration of the dispute.

The Standard in Kenya reports that the Kilifi County Assembly Legal Affairs Committee is now scrutinising a Bill seeking to ban mini-skirts and sagging trousers. The committee is making sure the proposed Mini Clothes Bill does not violate any provisions of the Constitution before returning it to the Speaker for approval.

The Bill, which proposes to promote virtue by outlawing so-called indecent clothing in Kilifi, has already generated heated debate with critics accusing its promoters of targeting women. However, those pushing the bill insist that the proposed law also targets indecently dressed men.

Kilifi, to the north of Mombasa, is one of the counties in Kenya's Coast Province.