U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Southern Africa

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Fax: +27 11 880 1421
e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za


SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 43
27 October - 02 November 2001


CONTENTS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Troops depart for Burundi
MOZAMBIQUE: Donors pledge US $722 million
ZIMBABWE: Commonwealth calls upon Mugabe to honour Abuja
ANGOLA: Progress at Kimberley Process meeting
ANGOLA: Curfew could trap Angolan refugees - UNHCR
MALAWI: Danish ambassador summoned home
ZAMBIA: Education policy punishes poor

SOUTH AFRICA: Troops depart for Burundi

South African troops deployed in Burundi this week to protect politicians
participating in the country's multiparty transitional government faced a
very "delicate mission", analysts told IRIN.

Speaking from Burundi, independent analyst Jan Van Eck said the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers were going into a "very
unhappy environment" but should be "okay" if they kept their mandate
limited. "The troops will be okay if they perform the task of going in
there and serve as a protection force. If they stick to this then they are
unlikely to encounter any problems. The difficulties could arise if they
are forced, through circumstances, to deviate from the mandate," Van Eck
said. "The problem could come if the troops are forced in any way to
engage in some kind of fighting and the last thing everybody needs is for
South Africa to become embroiled in some kind of conflict on foreign
soil."

Van Eck said that sending a foreign force to Burundi had always been a
controversial subject. "The biggest problem confronting them is that they
are in many respects not wanted. Sending in a foreign force has always
been a very controversial issue and Burundians will be watching the South
Africans very carefully," he said. "Most Burundian would have been more
open to an international police force rather than a foreign army.
Burundians are very protective of their independence and their
sovereignty."

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12587&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=BURUNDI-SOUTH_AFRICA


Burundi effort to cost South African tax payers

Meanwhile, in a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala,
President Thabo Mbeki said that the troop deployment would cost an
estimated US $1.5 billion (about US $150 million). Mbeki did not indicate
how much had been donated, or what costs, if any, the South African
taxpayer would have to foot.

MOZAMBIQUE: Donors pledge US $722 million

In Mozambique this week, international donors pledged more than US $700
million in support of Mozambique's poverty reduction programme. A World
Bank press release said 80 percent of the pledges were in the form of
grants. "These contributions are in addition to the debt service relief
granted to Mozambique under the original and the enhanced HIPC (Highly
Indebted Poor Countries) frameworks," the bank said.

The donor support came during the 13th Consultative Group (CG) meeting of
the government and its international development partners in Maputo on 25
and 26 October. The statement said donors "recognised" the government's
"continued commitment" to implementing economic reforms. "Despite severe
setbacks caused by floods in the previous two years, Mozambique has shown
a remarkable capacity to recover," said the statement. "Although GDP
(gross domestic product) fell to 2 percent in 2000, it is expected to
rebound to almost 15 percent in 2001 and to remain about 10 percent in
2002."

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12616&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MOZAMBIQUE

Poor still struggling to access basic services

A new survey released this week showed that the majority of Mozambicans
were still struggling to access basic services such as clean drinking
water and primary health care. The survey done by the National Statistics
Institute (INE) said that only 37 percent of the population had access to
piped water or to a protected well, with the rest of the population
getting its water from sources that were easily contaminated - mainly
rivers, lakes and unprotected wells. It said that over 50 percent of the
population had no access to a clean latrine. The majority of the
population (57.5 percent) have no latrines in their homes. Just 9.7
percent use modern flush toilets or improved pit latrines, said the
survey.

As for health services, 56.7 percent of the population had to walk for an
hour or more to reach a health unit while only 10.9 percent of the sample
used the health services in the past year, and of these 47.9 percent said
they were dissatisfied with the service they received.

Meanwhile, a cholera outbreak in the central Zambezia province has killed
at least 27 people and is threatening to spread to other parts of the
country, a senior health ministry official told journalists. Avertino
Barreto, deputy national director for health, said more than 1,400 cholera
cases had been detected since the outbreak in Zambezia about one month
ago. Barreto said that while the situation appeared to be "stabilising",
32 new cases were reported last week around Maputo. He said the government
had asked the international community for aid, including 80 hospital
tents.

Dhlakama re-elected President of RENAMO

On the political front, Afonso Dhlakama was on Thursday re-elected
president of Mozambique's main opposition party, the former rebel movement
RENAMO, at the end of a party congress held in the northern city of
Nampula.  The congress also chose Joaquim Vaz, a former Renamo
representative in Portugal, as the party's new general secretary. In his
closing speech, Dhlakama called on the delegates to get ready for the
municipal elections scheduled for 2003 and the general elections of 2004.
"RENAMO must become a winning party", he said.

On Thursday, outside the hall where the congress was taking place, at
least five people were injured, two of them seriously, when they were
attacked by bodyguards loyal to Dhlakama. The attack occurred when a group
of former RENAMO guerrilla fighters attempted to mount a peaceful
demonstration outside the congress. They carried placards with the slogans
"the interests of the former fighters have been ignored", and "Dhlakama's
meeting isn't a congress, it's a meeting of friends".

ZIMBABWE: Commonwealth calls upon Mugabe to honour Abuja

Commonwealth ministers on Saturday 27 October called on President Robert
Mugabe's government to fully implement an agreement to end Zimbabwe's
deepening land crisis. In a communique issued after three days of talks
and visits to assess Zimbabwe's adherence to the Abuja agreement - a plan
to end violent seizures of white-owned farms - the ministerial team also
urged cooperation with farmers and dialogue on other issues confronting
the southern African nation.

"It (the ministerial committee) called upon the government of Zimbabwe to
speed up, in particular, the delisting of farms which do not meet the set
criteria and also implement the entire process in accordance with the laws
and the constitution of Zimbabwe," the communique said.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, who was part of the team led
by Nigerian Foreign Minister Sule Lamido, said the foreign ministers had
managed to come up with a compromise document despite initial
disagreements on several issues. "There was a lot of disagreements on a
number of facts on the land crisis in Zimbabwe but there is no alternative
other than to take this process forward," McKinnon said.

Mugabe's government agreed seven weeks ago in the Nigerian capital to end
20 months of farm invasions by black settlers in return for pledges of
financial help from former colonial power Britain for a fair and orderly
land reform programme. On Friday, the Canadian representative to the
mission said the ministers thought Mugabe's government had done little to
honour commitments made in Abuja. Sanctions by some nations could be a
possibility, David Kilgour, Canada's secretary of state for Latin America
and Africa, told reporters.

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12563&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE


Government rejects EU sanctions threat

Following the Commonwealth visit that served to bring Zimbabwe back into
the international limelight, Mugabe's government came under renewed
international pressure this week. The European Union (EU) warned on Monday
that Mugabe's ZANU-PF party must stop intimidating political opponents and
allow European monitors in to observe next year's presidential election.
But Emmerson Mnangagwa of ZANU-PF and the speaker of parliament, told the
BBC that apart from isolated incidents the country was peaceful, with no
violence or farm invasions for a long time.

Mnangagwa said it was not acceptable for any country or organisation to
set its own terms for coming to observe the election.  EU ministers say
Mugabe has failed to honour a promise he made last month to end the
violent occupation of white-owned farms.

Ministers meeting in Luxembourg decided to invoke special powers paving
the way to sanctions. Zimbabwe will be sent a formal letter demanding that
they hold talks with Europe within 15 days. The European Union then has 60
days to decide what action - including possible sanctions - to take.
European ministers said the time had come to act over Mr Mugabe's refusal
to let European monitors observe the elections. "We've moved from a benign
position with Zimbabwe to one of active engagement," said UK Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw. The ministers are using powers under the Cotonou
agreement, which covers relations between the EU and African countries.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) welcomed the EU's
decision to get tough. "Speaking on behalf of the opposition, I am
delighted that the international community at long last are taking the
gloves off. They have been dilatory in the last two years in handling the
problem," MDC financial secretary Eddie Cross told IRIN. Cross reaffirmed
that MDC did not support blanket sanctions and called for what he called
"targeted sanctions" against government leaders. The rhetoric on good
governance and the rule of law needs to be given the requisite support, he
added.

NGOs voice concerns over voter registration

As the election draws nearer, civic groups expressed some of their
concerns over the government-run voter registration process this week. A
visit to Zimbabwe's main NGO website shows how seriously civic
organisations are taking the current voter registration drive. "Seize the
moment, vote, or wait another 5 years to be heard again!" screams a large
flashing message on the 'Kubatana' site.

Although NGOs are encouraging every Zimbabwean to register for next year's
presidential poll, there's concern that the government-run process lacks
transparency and could be the opening shot in attempts to influence the
outcome of the crucial poll.

"This is not an open and free process, we're not happy that the
compilation of the voters' roll is going ahead without any genuine public
input," Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
told IRIN on Wednesday. His comments came after another attack on NGOs by
President Mugabe at the weekend. Speaking in the southern city of
Masvingo, he said that they were sponsors of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).

"There have been lots of irregularities, including attempts to prevent
under-25s from registering and instructions to village chiefs to provide
lists of our supporters," Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC told IRIN.
An MDC press release said that "the allocation of voter registration teams
and the length of time given to each allocation (an average of two days)
are completely inadequate".

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12612&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa


UN assessment team arrives

A United Nations team that is to assess Zimbabwe's land crisis has begun
arriving in Harare, an official from the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) told IRIN on Thursday. A specialist in land information management
arrived at the weekend from FAO headquarters in Rome and is providing
technical help to the ministry of lands, said Victoria Sekitoleko, FAO's
Regional Representative for Southern and Eastern Africa.

The specialist is part of a United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
assessment mission due in Harare next week. It will be headed by Abdoulie
Janneh, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional
Bureau for Africa. The mission will assess total progress made under the
Abuja agreement.

Meanwhile, a joint report by the USAID-backed Famine Early Warning System
(FEWS) and the state agricultural department made public on Wednesday
predicted worsening food shortages. The report marks a departure in
government's attitude to the nation's food situation - it had previously
allegedly sought to play down evidence of shortages as the presidential
poll to be held early next year approaches.

The report said as many as 30 percent of the population in some districts
in central, western, southern and arid northern Zimbabwe suffered food
shortages during October. It noted that the nation's stocks of grain, the
staple food, stood at about 200,355 mt in mid-October, the lowest level in
two years, or 63 percent lower than at the same time last year.

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12648&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa


Makoni presents election budget

Public spending in Zimbabwe will double next year and taxes will be cut in
what economists described as an electioneering budget presented on
Thursday 2 November. Less than four months before Zimbabwe goes to the
polls to elect a president, Simba Makoni, finance minister, shrugged off
concerns over deepening recession, a depreciating currency and escalating
inflation to announce a 108 percent increase in public spending and the
equivalent of US $400 million in tax cuts.

Economists described the budget as a holding operation designed to see the
country through until the presidential elections scheduled for March. "But
most voters will soon see that they will probably be no better off" said
Harare-based economist John Robertson told IRIN. He added that Makoni had
failed to address the real cause of the nation's economic ills.

The budget included US $36 million for compensation to farmers for the
4,800 farms listed for compulsory acquisition. A paltry sum, economists
said, given that the average value of each farm listed is about US $1
million.

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12655&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE


Legacy of rural political violence

As Zimbabwe heads towards another election that is shaping up to be no
less violent than the parliamentary poll of 2000, a special IRIN reports
examines the legacy of that violence in rural parts of the country that
bore the brunt of the unrest. IRIN spoke to villagers still traumatised by
their experiences and looks at the state of police investigations into
some of the killings.

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12650&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa


ANGOLA: Progress at Kimberley Process meeting

The week ended somewhat positively in Angola, with the world's major
diamond producing and trading countries reporting progress in drafting an
international certification scheme for rough diamonds.

Representatives of the countries which form part of the Kimberley Process
met for three days in the capital, Luanda, in what was scheduled to be the
second-last such meeting before the proposals are taken to the UN General
Assembly in December for ratification. "We have moved from examining the
forest to examining the trees, and then the branches and leaves,"
conference chairman Abbey Chikane remarked.

In a communiqué issued after the meeting ended on Thursday, the countries
said there had been agreement on a range of controls which member states
would apply within their own countries to provide a firm basis for the
eventual certification scheme that would control traffic in "blood
diamonds" between the states. The countries also agreed on detailed
provisions on co-operation and transparency within their diamond
industries.

One delegate told IRIN it was felt there was a need for careful monitoring
of production statistics to keep a check on anomalies that might indicate
that a country was exporting diamonds mined elsewhere. Addressing
journalists at the end of the meeting on Thursday, Angola's deputy
minister of mines, Antonio Sumbula, said the Luanda session had achieved
its objectives, and that the last details of the certification scheme
could be worked out at a meeting of government ministers later this month
in Gaborone, Botswana.

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12663&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ANGOLA


IDPs increase, UNITA commander is killed

Meanwhile, as President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said again this week that
Angolan forces were on the verge of wiping out UNITA rebels and capturing
their leader Jonas Savimbi - believed to be hiding in the central and
southeastern parts of the country - humanitarian agencies reported large
movements of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Statistics released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) in Angola this week indicated that more than 61,000 people
across 12 of Angola's 18 provinces were displaced during September,
bringing to about 384,000 the number of people displaced so far this year.
The September displacements were attributed to increasing military
activity and insecurity in the country's interior.

According to OCHA's monthly analysis, mortality rates among those fleeing
their homes in search of safety remained high during the month, but no
figures were provided. However, said OCHA, malaria, acute respiratory
infections and diarrhoeic diseases were the most common illnesses and
causes of death. Many of the deaths resulted from diseases which could
have been prevented and, according to OCHA, the situation has been
exacerbated by a lack of medical supplies and staff.

The increase in the number of IDPs coincided with an Angolan military
report that their offensive launched in Bie about two weeks ago had
resulted in the destruction of a strategically important UNITA base and
the death of the area's operational commander. Lusa reported that
according to a government military source, an offensive around the town of
Umpulo, about 180 km southeast of Kuito and about 650 km from the capital
Luanda, had led to the death of 26 UNITA soldiers, including a brigadier
identified only as "Cerqueira".

For the full story:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12615&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ANGOLA


ANGOLA: Curfew could trap Angolan refugees - UNHCR

On Monday 29 October, the UN refugee agency warned that Angolan refugees,
many fleeing intense fighting in the central and southeastern provinces,
could be prevented from seeking safety across the Namibian border because
of a curfew along the Kavango river. The Namibian government imposed a
dusk-to-dawn curfew along a 450 km stretch of the river-border with Angola
on 17 October, citing the risk of night incursions by Angolan rebel
movement UNITA. In terms of the curfew, no one can travel within 200 m of
the river bank between 18H00 and 06H00.

A report on UNHCR's website said the refugees crossing into Namibia mostly
tried to cross the border at night or at unofficial crossing points to
avoid Angolan government and UNITA patrols, making them particularly
vulnerable. When the curfew was imposed, the Namibian military said those
who violated the restrictions would be shot.

For the full story see:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12554&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ANGOLA


ZAMBIA-ANGOLA: Fighting moves north

The conflict is also impacting Zambia. Humanitarian sources told IRIN this
week that fighting in Angola along the border with Zambia had moved north,
as a new influx of refugees entered Zambia's Northwestern province. Some
235 Angolan refugees crossed into Zambezi district at the beginning of the
week, indicating that the Angolan government's offensive against UNITA is
expanding into neighbouring Moxico province, UNHCR officials said.

However, the flow of refugees has also continued into Zambia's Western
province further to the south. Philip Ramaga, the head of UNHCR's Mongu
office, told IRIN that in the past few days close to 1,000 Angolan
refugees had crossed the remote border. He said that, according to the
refugees, more were waiting on the other side.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 former UNITA combatants and their families have
been transferred from Nangweshi to Ukwimi, a special camp in eastern
Zambia, UNHCR announced on Friday. A further 300 are expected to follow
after they are also granted formal asylum. The former rebels had all
arrived in Nangweshi last year following the fall of UNITA's Jamba
stronghold.

According to UNHCR spokeswoman Delphine Marie, the Ukwimi transfer was
aimed at making Nangweshi "a purely civilian camp" and to avoid
allegations of UNITA recruitment. Ukwimi already holds around 1,200
ex-UNITA fighters, including senior commanders.

MALAWI: Danish ambassador summoned home

Making headlines in Malawi this week was the temporary return of Danish
ambassador Oral Bakdal to Copenhagen amid allegations that he made
derogatory remarks about President Bakili Muluzi.

A senior foreign affairs official in Copenhagen told IRIN that on 5
October, Malawi's Minister of Foreign and International Affairs, Lilian
Patel, summoned Bakdal to a meeting, where the allegations were raised.
The official would not comment on the allegations. However, the Daily
Times in Blantyre on Monday quoted a source as saying that the accusations
were made by a local employee at the Danish embassy who was demoted
because ill health prevented her from carrying out her normal duties.

Playing down the incident and denying reports that Bakdal was expelled
from Malawi, the Danish source admitted that Bakdal was in Copenhagen for
consultations, but said he was there only so that the incident could be
investigated. "We need him here to help us find out. This is unpleasant.
Denmark and Malawi have had quite a good relationship for a number of
years. We are puzzled and we are trying to find out what is behind all of
it," he said.

The source said the Danish government had discussed the allegations with
the Malawian authorities. "We deny this (the allegations) and in our
discussion with the Malawian authorities we pointed out there could be
persons in Malawi who could be interested in intimidating the ambassador
or damaging the traditionally good relations between Denmark and Malawi
... We told them we have a suspicion that people in Malawi who may be
involved in the misuse of Danish funds and who are trying to play the two
governments against each other could be responsible," he said.

For the full story see:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12591&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MALAWI


WFP extends feeding programme

In another development, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it was
extending its emergency feeding programme for families still suffering
from floods earlier this year for a further two months "in response to the
alarming food situation" in the country.

WFP adviser in Malawi, Ayoub Algaloudi, told IRIN that the programme which
was supposed to end in October would now wrap up at the end of December.
"An extension-in-time and a budget revision have been developed for two
months effective 1 November 2001. The operation plans to distribute 11,330
mt to 366,000 beneficiaries, representing 73,200 families," he said. "The
third distribution of EMOP [Emergency Operations Programme] is being
planned and will take place at the end of this month (October). A total of
1,821.05 mt will be distributed to 265,500 beneficiaries."

The third distribution was to be conducted some time ago, but according to
a humanitarian source, the deliveries were delayed because donors had not
responded to the appeal for food in time.

For the full story and more details on Malawi's food shortage, please see:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12568&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MALAWI

ZAMBIA: Education policy punishes poor

The importance of universal primary education as a means to poverty
alleviation and as a basic human right is a long- established development
mantra. But, in an age when African governments have been forced to
abandon free education for cost sharing, the continent is facing an
education crisis in which the poor are doubly disadvantaged, analysts say.

Zambia is one example where, short on resources to fund education from the
public purse, the government has turned to parents to help foot the bill.
The consequence, according to a study released last week in Lusaka by
Oxfam and the Jesuit Centre for Theoretical Reflections (JCTR), is that
poor households are being denied access to education.

"In a situation where the economy has not been growing but poverty has
been growing, this process of sharing the costs of education by both
government as well as households is bound to be increasingly difficult.
This in turn is bound to tell on primary school attendance and the quality
of learning on the part of pupils who do attend," the report said.

Although the government has abolished user fees, it no longer provides
essential supplies such as chalk and exercise books. Those costs are
absorbed by schools using general purpose funds and Parent Teacher
Association (PTA) levies. The study added that apart from PTA charges, a
large proportion of schooling costs for parents are absorbed by school
uniforms, stationary and payments to various school "funds" - all
basically compulsory items. According to the data, private households pay
double the expenditure of government on education.

However, an education specialist working with the government told IRIN via
e-mail: "The report from Oxfam/JCTR is nothing new here as the
cost-sharing policy and its impact is well documented already. The problem
is that before Zambia declares free and compulsory education overnight
like Uganda and Malawi did, it wants to have a better picture of the
resources that it needs to allocate to basic education to eradicate the
fees barrier." He added that as part of a ministry of education/donor
funded programme called Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme
(BESSIP), a sector-wide Strategic Plan was being developed.

For the full story: http://www.irinnews.org/updates/AIDSnewreport.htm


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