SA to host Africa's parliament

Job creation is seen as a positive spin-off of hosting the parliament

South Africa will host the new pan-African parliament, leaders at the African Union summit have decided.

The decision was made after Egypt, the only other contender, withdrew.

"We are very happy to serve the continent in that way," South Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said from Addis Ababa.

Questions are already being raised in South Africa about the costs involved. Almost 200 MPs have already been sworn in from the 38 signatory countries.

Loosely modelled on the European Union parliament, the body, set up to debate continent-wide issues and to advise AU heads of state, is intended to be more robust than the Organisation of African Union body it succeeds.

'Groans'

According to the BBC's Victoria Phenethi in Johannesburg, South Africa's newspapers have given a mixed reaction.

Whilst some papers welcomed the decision, others say the privilege of hosting the pan-African parliament will not come cheaply to South Africans.

We will make it a successful parliament and we will not betray the trust placed in us Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma South Africa's foreign minister Profile: African Union

"No doubt there will be groans from taxpayers over footing a bill whose size has not yet been determined," says The Citizen.

It also comments that the honour of hosting the parliament comes with obligations to take the right moral decision and that South Africa will be seen as a showcase for Africa.

Enhancing South Africa's reputation and the prospect of more jobs are seen as some of the positive effects.

"There's a sense that even though the cost might be quite high, there will be spin-offs in terms of job-creation at the parliament," our correspondent said.

It is not yet known where the parliament will be based, although the capital, Pretoria, and Gallagher Estate, an area north of Johannesburg, have both been suggested in the press.

The AU summit, which ended on Thursday, failed to resolve how it will fund its operations, although the African Union Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare has ambitious plans.

Highlights from the three-day AU summit include:

• Agreement to send 300 AU troops to Darfur in Sudan to protect civilians and ceasefire monitors.
• Plans approved for Africa's development, but no agreement on how to raise $1.7bn to fulfil its vision.
• Nepad's Peer Review Mechanism makes progress as Angola, Lesotho, Malawi and Tanzania agree to sign up to it; while Rwanda and Mozambique volunteered to be first among the 22 countries to be reviewed, in a scheme that is hoped will attract investment.
• Mini-summit held to revive Ivory Coast's peace process.
• Report dropped criticising Zimbabwe's human rights record.
• South Africa chosen to host pan-African parliament.
• Nigeria's President Olusugun Obasanjo elected AU chairman.
• Confusion as outgoing chairman Mozambique's President Joaquim Chisano addressed the summit in Swahili, which does not have official status at the AU.

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We asked for your comments, the following reflect the balance of opinion we received:

The spirit of Pan Africanism is still alive and well in Africa. It doesn't matter where it is held, so long as it delivers. Originally held in Ghana, it has been held in Libya, Uganda and now South Africa. It is never a drain on resources. The dream of a United States of Africa is the dream that will one day come true.
Bingwa Bunge, Dodoma, Tanzania

Regardless of where the parliament takes place, if it's an African country, it doesn't matter. Any country should consider itself lucky to be the host - it is all in the pan African spirit.
Faizah Wanjiru, Nairobi, Kenya

Yes, I think South Africa is the ideal place for the African Parliament. A country that has seen 10 years of peace after its transition from Apartheid and is host to so many different cultures and races.
Dave, Newark, USA

I think South Africa will be tarnished by playing host to such a organisation that has already failed in its first two tests -agreeing how to fund itself and addressing the crisis in Zimbabwe. It looks like it is business as usual for the 'revamped' OAU dictators club.
Thom, London, UK

I don't know if it is a drain or a privilege, look at Belgium, it has gone form a minor EU nation, to the "Capital of Europe".
Andy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

There is no better country to host the parliament than South Africa. The country must assume its leading social, political and economic leadership role in Africa.
Osagie Ayanru, Charleston, WV, USA

I find the concept of an African parliament ridiculous. I can only think of two African nations, Kenya and South Africa, with plural and working democracies. The concept of democracy is therefore degraded and cheapened by such a PR stunt.
Edmund Hickey, London UK

How can the new African Parliament in South Africa be a drain on that country's resources? The continental body has its own budget and salaries of its MPs will be paid by their respective governments. When we attended the inaugural session of the Parliament in Ethiopia last March we footed our hotel bills and incidental expenses. Where does the drain of resources come from? Cyril AC Jengo, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Another monumental waste of time and money. When will Africa realise that economic development, corruption and AIDS are more important than another opportunity for 200 members of the priviledged elite to guzzle at the public trough?
Ferdie, Canada (ex-SA)