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

Tel: +27 11 880 4633
Fax: +27 11 880 1421
e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za


SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 58
09 - 15 February 2002


CONTENTS

ZIMBABWE: Crunch time
MADAGASCAR: End of the crisis in sight
ANGOLA: Humanitarian situation "shocking"
SOUTH AFRICA-SUDAN: Pretoria investigating mercenary links
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Logistical problems hamper food aid
MALAWI: Malnutrition deepens
MOZAMBIQUE: Food security update
ZAMBIA-ANGOLA: Major immunisation drive planned
ZAMBIA: Focus on education reforms
BOTSWANA: Government rejects criticism of "Bushmen" removals

ZIMBABWE: Crunch time

At the end of a week of brinkmanship between the Zimbabwean government and
the European Union, Harare accredited 30 EU election observers but
withdrew the visa for the head of the mission, Swedish diplomat Pierre
Schori.

"I think that the most likely thing is that he will be expelled, that the
observers leave the country and that sanctions will be imposed," Swedish
Foreign Minister Anna Lindh told reporters. "But I think it's important
that we don't take decisions like this without discussing it with all
sides in Zimbabwe."

Schori arrived in Harare at the weekend on a tourist visa, but was denied
accreditation to lead the mission to observe the 9-10 March presidential
election because he was from one of the six European countries blacklisted
by the government.

Observers from Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Denmark and
Sweden have been barred from observing the poll on the grounds of their
alleged bias. However, a total of 52 people have been accredited since
Monday, the official Herald newspaper said.

More reports on the EU mission:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20688

Meanwhile the police said they are investigating video footage, shot in
Canada in December, purporting to show the main opposition candidate,
Morgan Tsvangirai, discussing a plot to "eliminate" President Robert
Mugabe, Reuters reported.

In a statement on Thursday, Tsvangirai suggested that he had been set up
by a government-run conspiracy: "We reiterate that we have never taken
part in any conspiracy to assassinate president Mugabe and have no desire
to do so. We believe in the electoral process and the change of
governments through the ballot box."

The party leader confirmed that the MDC was approached by Dickens and
Madison, a Montreal-based political consultancy, to help build its image
abroad. But Tsvangirai said he had walked out of his fourth meeting with
the firm when one of its representatives, Ari Ben-Menashe, raised the
question of assassinating Mugabe. The MDC statement alleged that
Ben-Menashe was working with Zimbabwe's Minister of National Security
Nicholas Goche. In remarks broadcast on state radio on Friday, Goche said
that Tsvangirai must help the police with their inquiries.

Zimbabwe's presidential election is being conducted against a background
of political violence that could impact on the authenticity of the
results. For more details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=21168

This week, the UNDP released the results of a study into the government's
land reform process, concluding that the current "fast track" approach was
not "sustainable".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20929


MADAGASCAR: End of the crisis in sight

The week in Madagascar was marked by intensive mediation efforts by the
Organisation of African Unity Secretary-General, Amara Essy, and UN
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, that
resulted in an agreement that could see an end to a dispute regarding the
results of December's presidential election.

Ratsiraka has faced calls to step down in favour of presidential rival
Marc Ravalomanana, who insists that rigging robbed him of outright victory
in the December election. Ravalomanana's supporters have virtually shut
down the country's capital Antananarivo for the last three weeks, costing
Madagascar between $8-14 million a day, according to the International
Monetary Fund.

However, a deal brokered by Fall and Essy has resulted in Ratsiraka and
Ravalomanana agreeing to set up a joint commission, with equal
representation from both camps. The commission is to interrogate the
December elections and make recommendations for the postponed run-off
election which was to take place on 24 February.

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Antananarivo,
Adama Guindo, told IRIN on Thursday that the government of President
Didier Ratsiraka is to request assistance from the UN, European Union, OAU
as well as from France and Japan.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20927


ANGOLA: Humanitarian situation "shocking"

Calling on the international community to "remember Angola", UN
Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator Kenzo Oshima told the UN Security Council on Wednesday 13
December that the country's protracted conflict had led to levels of
suffering that were "truly shocking".

In an update on the humanitarian situation, Oshima said the Angolan civil
war had created one of the largest displaced populations in the world.
Since 1999, the total number had doubled from two million to over four
million, which means that "almost one-third of the country's entire 12
million population is displaced".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20918

Meanwhile, the head of the Irish development agency GOAL on Wednesday
condemned what he called a "scorched earth" policy by the Angolan military
in the east of the country, aimed at driving people out of the bush and
into the government-held city of Luena.

John O'Shea told IRIN from Dublin that people were being forced from their
homes in Angola's eastern province of Moxico, "and piled into a town that
cannot cope with their numbers." He called on the Irish government to
raise the issue as soon as possible with the UN Security Council.

O'Shea's concerns were shared by other humanitarian workers in Angola
contacted by IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20883


SOUTH AFRICA-SUDAN: Pretoria investigating mercenary links

The South African government is investigating the alleged mercenary
activities of it's citizens in strife-torn Sudan. It has also banned a
state-owned petroleum company from seeking oil concessions in the east
African country, IRIN learnt this week.

An official in the South African department of foreign affairs told IRIN
on Tuesday 12 December that the National Conventional Arms Controlling
Committee (NCACC), chaired by South African Minister of Education Kader
Asmal, had launched a formal investigation into the alleged activities of
former Executive Outcomes mercenaries, operating as NFD, in Sudan.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said: "The matter is under
official investigation, it's quite concerning to us. Although South Africa
is not at the moment involved in peace talks we will assume the
chairmanship of the OAU [Organisation of African Unity] in June and we
will become involved. Our president [Thabo Mbeki] has said on several
occasions that we must get that [the Sudanese conflict] resolved."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20689


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Logistical problems hamper food aid

South Africa has increasingly become the bread basket of the region, but
transporting much needed food aid to hungry Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe is
proving a difficult task.

The reliance of neighbouring countries - and aid agencies - on South
Africa for the urgent supply of food has placed a tremendous burden on
South Africa's state-owned railway operator, Spoornet. Mike Asefovitz,
Spoornet's communications officer, told IRIN that the capacity of the
company was being stretched by the demand.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20917


MALAWI: Malnutrition deepens

Malnutrition is making it difficult for Malawi's doctors to successfully
treat patients, IRIN has learnt. The director of one of Malawi's main
hospitals told IRIN that many discharged patients are being re-admitted
after suffering a relapse, of whatever illness, because they have no food
at home.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=21169

Meanwhile, the Malawi government has defended it's human rights record
ahead of a public inquiry into political and religous discrimination,
violence, and related intolerance.

The inquiry, launched on Tuesday, 12 February, is part of a National Peace
Building and Conflict Prevention Programme of the Malawian Human Rights
Commission (HRC). The Malawian government meanwhile has said it hopes that
the exercise will consolidate the country's relatively new democracy, a
spokesman told IRIN on Monday 11 February.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20543


MOZAMBIQUE: Food security update

The agricultural sector in Mozambique could grow by 10 percent in the
2001/2002 because of good rains in December last year, USAID's Famine
Early Warning System (FEWS) said in its latest update this week. "December
rainfall benefited crop vegetative development in the southern and central
regions of Mozambique and planting activities in the northern regions,"
FEWS said.

But a SAPA news report said on Wednesday said that 26,000 people in the
central Sofala province were "at risk of going hungry" because of
irregular rainfall. However, a spokesman for the UN's World Food Programme
(WFP) told IRIN that the problems experienced in the area were "largely
cyclical".

"The districts that the news report is referring to face the same kinds of
problems each year, particularly as the harvest season approaches which
normally begins about mid-March," Inyene Udoyen said. "A joint government,
NGO, United Nations assessment in January to the province found that the
situation was actually not as bad as usual."


ZAMBIA-ANGOLA: Major immunisation drive planned

A major immunisation drive is planned in western Zambia and eastern Angola
in response to new polio cases among young Angolan refugees, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF said in a joint statement this week.

"The challenge will be to reach every child in order to contain the virus,
including areas that we have not been able to access in the past," said Dr
Stella Goings, UNICEF Representative for Zambia. "But in our efforts to
reach these unprotected children, we must ensure the safety of the health
workers and the volunteers."

The statement said that the immunisation campaign was expected to begin in
early March targeting all children under five. It added that two joint
WHO/UNICEF missions one to Angola and one to Zambia would be joining the
respective health ministries to determine if the virus had spread and to
help plan the vaccination campaigns.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20540


ZAMBIA: Focus on education reforms

In Zambia this week, IRIN looked at reforms in the education sector and
the high drop-out rates. An Oxfam report released recently blames the high
school drop-out rates on inadequate government funding to the education
sector, deplorable conditions that teachers work under, and the inability
of poor households to consistently pay school fees.

Not surprisingly, the high drop-out figures have reinforced calls for an
overhaul of the education sector - and for the reintroduction of free
education in government schools.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20550


BOTSWANA: Government rejects criticism of "Bushmen" removals

The government of Botsawana has insisted that relocating a nomadic tribe
from the large Central Kalahari Game Reserve is essential in order for
them to have access to state services such as healthcare.

The relocation of the Basarwa, a tribe of "Bushmen" nomads that had lived
within the reserve for years, has come under fire from human rights NGOs,
both locally and internationally. However, Clifford Maribe, information
officer with the Botswana ministry of foreign affairs told IRIN that the
relocation of the tribe did not amount to forced removal, even though
essential services to the community in the reserve had been cut.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=21175


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