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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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 157
1 - 5 December 2003


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Mugabe overshadows Commonwealth summit
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lessons from small arms programmes
AFRICA: Improved agricultural output key to cutting poverty
ANGOLA: Large-scale demining projects to start soon
SWAZILAND: Plight of orphans and vulnerable children highlighted
SOUTH AFRICA: Mixed response to AIDS door-to-door campaign
ZAMBIA: Culture of silence over gender violence
BOTSWANA: Govt pulls plug on radio call-in show
MOZAMBIQUE: Opposition boycott results

ZIMBABWE: Mugabe overshadows Commonwealth summit

While the issue of Zimbabwe's suspension dominated the opening of the
Commonwealth summit in Nigeria on Friday, President Robert Mugabe was
rallying his supporters in the southern town of Masvingo.

Commonwealth leaders on Friday set up a six-nation panel to meet on the
sidelines of the Abuja summit to discuss the contentious issue of
Zimbabwe's suspension, news reports said.

Summit host President Olusegun Obasanjo proposed that representatives from
Australia, Canada, India, Jamaica, Mozambique and South Africa meet
separately from the main summit to draw up a report on the issue. The team
would then report back to the leaders during their two-day weekend
retreat, said Agence France Presse (AFP).

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38264


ZANU says succession not on agenda of party meeting

Opening the ruling party's annual conference, Mugabe lashed out at the
Commonwealth, but the issue of his succession was not on the agenda. "he
issue of who will succeed President Mugabe, and how, cannot be a matter
for discussion at the conference. That will only arise at [next year's]
congress, where leaders, from the president of the party on downwards,
will be elected. If there are people who wish succession to dominate the
agenda, we are yet to find out how they will do it," ZANU-PF information
and publicity chief, Nathan Shamuyarira, told IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38222


IMF begins expulsion process as Mugabe slams corruption

IRIN reported on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
initiated procedures to expel Zimbabwe over the country's failure to meet
its obligations. Zimbabwe has been in continuous arrears since February
2001, and owed US $273 million by the end of November.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38231


Cholera outbreaks a serious threat

Cholera outbreaks have claimed the lives of about 40 people in Zimbabwe
and international NGO Save the Children UK (SCUK) has warned that if the
disease spreads to urban and former commercial farm areas it could be
disastrous.

Chris McIvor of SCUK told IRIN that the district of Binga, in Matabeleland
North province, first experienced a cholera outbreak about four weeks ago.
This was followed by an outbreak at Nyaminyami, in Mashonaland West
province. These districts in the western Zambezi Valley are two of the
least developed in Zimbabwe.

So far, 350 cases and 19 fatalities have been recorded in Binga, while
around 400 cases and about 20 deaths have been reported in Nyaminyami,
McIvor told IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38211


Foreign funds provides some good news for health sector

The Norwegian Agency for Development on Tuesday earmarked approximately US
$1.1 million for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe to purchase
and distribute essential medicines.

An acute shortage of foreign currency has crippled the health system, with
the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare unable to finance urgently needed
drugs to treat some of the most basic health conditions.

Many rural health facilities are at a standstill. Fuel shortages, combined
with a shortage of qualified staff, have left the public health system
unable to meet the growing health needs of the population. And as the
rainy season begins, the potential outbreak of malaria and water-borne
diseases such as cholera, if left unchecked, could have lethal
repercussions, especially for young children who are most vulnerable to
these diseases, a UNICEF statement said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38223


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lessons from small arms programmes

IRIN reported on Thursday that programmes for destroying small arms in
South Africa and Lesotho could be adapted to fit the needs of other
countries throughout the continent.

A new report, "Destroying Surplus Weapons: An Assessment of Experience in
South Africa and Lesotho" - produced by the Institute for Security Studies
on behalf of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research - notes
that the experiences of South Africa and Lesotho "provide important
lessons for future efforts both within those countries and in others".

Co-author Noel Stott told IRIN the fact that "people are calling small
arms the new weapons of mass destruction" underlined the importance of
dealing with the proliferation of small firearms in Africa, "especially in
countries going through transition", such as Angola and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38240


UNICEF appeals for assistance for region's children

The humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa has been particularly hard on
young people, with aid agencies estimating that half of those in need in
the region are children, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has made fresh appeals for its programmes
in five Southern African countries where children are in desperate need of
assistance.

The countries UNICEF has targetted for urgent assistance are Angola,
Comoros, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38196


HIV/AIDS has shaped the crisis in the region

The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on Southern Africa has shaped the
current humanitarian crisis in the region, where more than 6 million
people will need food aid to survive the beginning of next year.

IRIN reported on Monday, World Aids Day, that the UN had warned that this
part of the world faced the triple threat of food insecurity, weakened
government capacity and the impact of HIV/AIDS.

Mark Sterling, UNAIDS intercountry team leader in the region, told IRIN
that "HIV tends to slip off the agenda in terms of public attention and
decision-making around food security". Yet food security and HIV/AIDS are
inextricably linked in this, the worst HIV/AIDS-affected area in the
world, according to the latest UNAIDS AIDS Epidemic Update.

A UN policy document says a "new kind of humanitarian crisis is emerging
in Southern Africa".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38174


AFRICA: Improved agricultural output key to cutting poverty

A three-day conference on sustainable agricultural growth in Africa this
week insisted that only if productivity is boosted can the welfare of both
rural households and the urban poor improve, IRIN reported on Thursday.

"Regrettably, past performance has proven inadequate. Africa remains the
only region of the developing world where per capita agricultural
production has fallen over the past 40 years ... African farmers,
governments, international partners and private sector must all do better
in the future," said a statement at the end of the International
Conference on Successes in African Agriculture: Building for the Future.

The conference, held from 1 to 3 December in the South African capital,
Pretoria, brought together high-level policymakers, senior researchers,
and representatives from farmer groups, the private sector, and
international development agencies, who noted that Africa's sluggish
aggregate performance masked a rich record of substantial agricultural
successes.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38236


ANGOLA: Large-scale demining projects to start soon

The widespread use of landmines in Angola's decades-long civil war remains
a major obstacle to the resumption of normal life after the conflict, IRIN
reported on Thusday.

As a result, the UN has launched its global Portfolio of Mine Action
Projects 2004, to give "a unique picture of the urgent requirements for
mine action activities in Angola and 35 other mine-affected countries".

"Landmines have disabled one in 415 Angolans and are a stark reminder that
war does not end when the guns fall silent," a UN statement said.

At a time of massive movement of populations – more than three million
Angolans have returned to their homes – landmines continue "to deny
returnees access to land for agriculture, safe water sources and damage
their immediate hopes for normalcy".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38238


Russian donation boosts relief efforts

Efforts to feed needy Angolans received a boost with the arrival of 1,880
mt of maize donated by the Russian government, the World Food Programme
(WFP) said on Wednesday.

"The donation will help alleviate the suffering of thousands of vulnerable
people in the country, at a time when the needs are high and food stocks
are limited," a WFP statement said. The maize is part of the first-ever
donation from the Russian Federation to WFP and is worth US $1 million.

According to the latest UN appeal for Angola, UN agencies and NGOs, in
close consultation with the government, aim to provide emergency
assistance to more than one million vulnerable people during 2004.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38213


UN launches US $263 million appeal

The United Nations on Monday asked for US $263 million to help Angola
rebuild in 2004, urging international donors not to ignore the country as
it tries to get back on its feet after three decades of war.

"This is a crucial moment for Angola to lay down the basis for its own
development for the future," Mario Ferrari, representative of the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Angola, said at the launch of the appeal.

"The wish of the world is that Angola stands alone but in the spirit of
cooperation it must be helped to stand on its own two feet," he added.

Donors and aid organisations said it was vital that the Angolan government
continue to do more to help its own people.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38180


SWAZILAND: Plight of orphans and vulnerable children highlighted

There's growing awareness among policymakers in Swaziland that a
burgeoning orphan population created by AIDS is fundamentally changing the
nature of their society, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

A National Draft Policy on Children, including orphans and vulnerable
children (OVC), is in the works and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in
Swaziland met with government representatives to assess the country's OVC
programmes.

Projections are that by 2010 there will be 110,000 orphaned children in a
population of roughly 900,000.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38218


Maize growers cry foul over food aid

On Tuesay IRIN reported that Swazi maize farmers were blaming WFP aid for
their inability to sell their produce, despite evidence that record high
maize prices, coupled with increased poverty, were undermining consumers'
ability to purchase the national staple food.

"Local maize millers are now at one-third of normal milling capacity as a
result of a sharp reduction in maize meal sales, a factor which may be
attributed to the increase in the volume of food aid in the form of maize
and rice that the country is presently receiving from foreign donors. The
Swazi maize industry is on the verge of collapsing," said W.H. Meyer,
chairman of the Maize Marketing Advisory Committee, in full-page adverts
in Swazi newspapers.

The statement reported the recommendation of maize growers that until
local stocks have been depleted, the government should no longer issue
import permits to food aid organisations seeking to bring maize or rice
into Swaziland.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38194


Resisting condom use as AIDS deaths soar

Resistance to condom use in Swaziland has proved a perplexing failure for
the government and health NGOs, IRIN reported on Monday.

The result is apparent in new statistics on the epidemic, released last
week by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The report proved
depressing reading - "the epidemic has assumed devastating proportions",
it said. "National HIV prevalence in Swaziland has matched that found in
Botswana, almost 39 percent. Just a decade earlier, it stood at 4
percent".

"We failed to learn the lesson of recent history that condoms are
unpopular. We should have stressed education, abstinence and faithfulness
to your partner from the start," Thabsile Dlamini, secretary of the
Swaziland Nurses Association, told IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38177


SOUTH AFRICA: Mixed response to AIDS door-to-door campaign

On Monday IRIN focussed on the Gauteng government's door-to-door anti-AIDS
campaign, where campaigners found themselves confronting myth, stigma and
ignorance around HIV/AIDS in the poor township of Alexandra.

Alex, as the locals call it, is located in close proximity to the posh
northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

"In Alex as a whole, there is still a lot of stigma. People think this
campaign is a waste of time and we are just having a nice time. They see a
young guy like me and think I'm just fooling around. They don't realise
that all of us are directly affected - positive or not positive," noted
Akanye Fungeni.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38175


ZAMBIA: Culture of silence over gender violence

About 80 percent of Zambian wives find it acceptable to be beaten by their
husbands "as a form of chastisement", according to the latest Zambia
Demographic Health Survey.

IRIN reported on Monday that out of 5,029 women interviewed in the
national survey, 79 percent said they should be beaten if they went out
without their husband's permission. Sixty-one percent said a beating was
acceptable if they denied their husbands sex, while 45 percent said a
beating was in order if they cooked 'bad' food.

Compounding the abuse was the culture of silence around domestic violence.
"This is an aberration - and women are making an abnormality normal," said
National AIDS Council director of programmes, Dr Alex Simwanza.

"Zambian wives are living in a sorry state. As far as they are concerned,
they can be beaten for almost anything. This is a frightening phenomenon,"
he noted.

Simwanza said most women surveyed did not believe they had sexual or
reproductive rights.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38176


BOTSWANA: Govt pulls plug on radio call-in show

The Botswana government has defended its decision to axe the phone-in
section of the popular radio show Masa-a-sele (Morning has broken), amid
concerns it was taken off the air because it allowed callers to voice
criticism of the authorities, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

"Abusive language has been used in the mornings - this is in the mornings
when parents are driving their kids to school, and our culture does not
allow for this type of thing. We felt that a public broadcaster could not
be involved in this type of thing," said Minister of Communications,
Science and Technology, Boyce Sebetela, on 21 November.

However, according to a senior government official, who asked not to be
named: "The main thing being raised is that callers were using abusive
language but, honestly speaking, I do not recall abusive language being
used. Those who may have used such language would have been taken to task
by anchors for the programme, so the minister's response simply does not
wash."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38207


MOZAMBIQUE: Opposition boycott results

Mozambique's ruling party, Frelimo, has won most municipalities in the
local elections held earlier this month, according to results announced by
the National Elections Commission (CNE).

The CNE stated on Thursday that Frelimo had an absolute majority in 29 of
the 34 municipal assemblies, while Frelimo candidates became mayors in 28
municipalities, the official Mozambique Information Agency (AIM) reported.

The opposition Renamo won mayoral seats in five municipalities - Beira,
Nacala, Angoche, Mozambique Island and Marromeu.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38259


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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