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 159
13 - 19 December 2003


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: MDC ready to discuss dialogue with Mugabe
ANGOLA: ECHO funds refugee return
MADAGASCAR: Trial of ex-PM must be fair, Amnesty International
COMOROS: Mbeki to mediate in dispute
SWAZILAND: Opposition rethinks boycott strategy
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South African maize too expensive for WFP
BOTSWANA-NAMIBIA: Controversy over deportation of Caprivians

ZIMBABWE: MDC ready to discuss dialogue with Mugabe

There should be no preconditions for talks with Zimbabwe's ruling party,
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said. As the MDC
prepares to hold its annual conference this weekend, secretary-general
Welshman Ncube spoke to IRIN about moves to resolve the country's
political crisis.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38521

Mbeki meets Mugabe

IRIN reported on Thursday that Mbeki met Mugabe to discuss the country's
political and economic crisis.

John Stremlau, head of the Department of International Affairs at the
University of Witwatersrand told IRIN that Mbeki would be keen to use the
visit to "assert and signal South Africa's concern for an orderly
transition in Zimbabwe, with maximum participation of Zimbabweans
themselves".

Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth this month after the organisation
reaffirmed its suspension over the conduct of presidential elections in
2002, and continuing concerns over issues of governance.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38498

Farmers decry lack of inputs, equipment losses

Also on Thursday, IRIN reported that the ongoing lack of agricultural
inputs and a new law that allows the government to "compulsorily acquire"
farm equipment have been slammed by Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers Union
(CFU).

According to the newly gazetted Statutory Instrument, the government can
identify, value and "compulsorily acquire" any farm equipment or material,
not currently being used for agricultural purposes, on any agricultural
land.

The union said the government should also have liberalised the importation
of agricultural inputs before the season began, instead of debating the
issue in parliament in mid-December.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38503

Agriculture badly affected by HIV/AIDS

Zimbabwe's struggling agricultural sector, already hard hit by drought,
shortages of inputs and the fast-track land reform programme, has also
been badly affected by HIV/AIDS, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

In its latest report the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) noted that
"productivity has been severely affected in the agricultural sector as a
direct result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country".

Research indicates a 43 percent HIV/AIDS prevalence rate on farms,
compared to a national infection level of 24.6 percent, with the highest
number of HIV-positive people in the 15 to 23 age range - "the core of the
agricultural labour force".

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38474

Greener pastures create passport to corruption

Zimbabweans trying to leave the country in search of economic
opportunities are having to deal with government officials whom they
allege are turning their plight into profit, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

Zimbabweans wishing to seek a better life outside their country have to
contend with corrupt officials in order to get passports.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38443

Crackdown on forex smuggling

On Monday IRIN reported on the government's crackdown on foreign currency
traders smugglers.

For currency traders and smugglers business is flourishing. Zimbabwe's
official exchange rate bears no relation to the street value of the local
currency, which has been steadily eroded by the country's economic crisis.

In a statement last week, the police said 24-hour roadblocks, manned
jointly by the police and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), would be
set up along the main highways from the South African and Botswana borders
in a crackdown on currency smuggling.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38431


ANGOLA: ECHO funds refugee return

IRIN reported on Friday that European Commission is to provide the UN
refugee agency UNHCR with US $1.78 million to assist with the repatriation
of more than 13,000 Angolan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC).

The contribution by ECHO, the humanitarian assistance arm of the
Commission, covers the registration of Angolan refugees in Bas Congo
province wishing to return home, along with the delivery of mine awareness
training prior to their departure, a UNHCR statement said.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38519

Six killed in mine blast
 
Six CARE International workers were killed when a landmine exploded under
their vehicle, the development and relief organisation said on Thursday.

The blast, caused by an anti-tank mine, happened last Friday on the main
road through the town of Chipeta in Angola's central Bie province, CARE's
Country Director Douglas Steinberg told IRIN.

The dead, all Angolans, were travelling in a trailer attached to a tractor
and worked for one of the organisation's agricultural training programmes.
Three were killed instantly, the others died later in hospital.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38494


Dos Santos at the helm

Long-standing president Jose Eduardo dos Santos is once again firmly
established at the helm of Angola's ruling MPLA after he was elected
without opposition to the party's presidency, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

The congress, which ended last week, voted in Dos Santos by acclamation,
paving the way for him to run again in national elections he has said will
not be held before 2005.

Meanwhile, the main opposition party, UNITA, has voiced its concern over
the fairness of the upcoming national elections presided over by the
government.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38470

US lifts travel ban on UNITA

UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva on Monday welcomed an official announcement
by the United States that lifts a five-year travel ban on members of the
former rebel group.

The US travel restrictions were imposed in 1997 after the rebel group
failed to comply with a peace deal. However, since the end of the civil
war in 2002, the US has backed the lifting of sanctions against UNITA. The
UN lifted its arms and oil embargo, introduced in 1993, in December 2002.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38430


MADAGASCAR: Trial of ex-PM must be fair, Amnesty International

Rights group Amnesty International (AI) has voiced concern over the soon
to be held trial of Madagascar's ex-prime minister Tantely Andrianaivo,
IRIN reported on Thursday.

AI said it was concerned that a legal principle, equality of arms, may not
be respected. The principle's requirements include the right to adequate
time and facilities to prepare a defence, including disclosure by the
prosecution of material information. This was essential to a fair hearing,
the rights group noted.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38499

Former president sentenced to five years in prison

The authorities in Madagascar remained tight-lipped on Wednesday over
whether the government would seek to extradite Didier Ratsiraka from
France after a court had sentenced the former president to five years in
prison for his role in last year's political crisis.

Ratsiraka, who fled the country at the height of the political upheaval,
did not appear in court at Monday's hearing.

"At the moment we are not in a position to state if we are going to
request Ratsiraka's extradition or not, but some people would like to see
him return, only so that he can answer all of the charges levelled at him.
This sentence shows people that the government is committed to justice,
and that justice applies to everyone, irrespective of their position,"
presidential spokesman, Raymond Ramandimbilahatra, told IRIN.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38475

On the road to recovery

Aggressive attempts by Madagascar to curb corruption and kick-start
economic development have begun to bear fruit after a political crisis in
2002 threatened to undo many of the economic gains made in recent years,
IRIN reported on Monday.

According to official figures, the Indian Ocean island's economy this year
grew at an unprecedented 9.6 percent, outperforming expectations. The
commercial and industrial sectors were the main sources of growth.

"The rebound has happened far sooner that we had predicted. Before the
crisis we had experienced a steady five percent growth rate, but within a
year the country has reached that mark and even moved beyond that. It was
thought that it would take at least two to three years before we saw a
return to any economic growth," independent financial expert, Pepe
Andrianomanana, told IRIN.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38429


COMOROS: Mbeki to mediate in dispute

South African President Thabo Mbeki is to lead an African Union (AU)
delegation to Comoros on Saturday to help break a deadlock between
political leaders in the Indian Ocean archipelago, IRIN reported on
Thursday.

The AU appointed South Africa to head a contact group including
Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania and Mozambique to help resolve the dispute
between Union President Azaly Assoumani and the leaders of the three
islands - Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli - over their respective
constitutional powers, which has prevented parliamentary elections from
being held.

"The visit is part of efforts by the AU to help the Comoran people find a
speedy resolution to their current political challenges," a South African
foreign ministry statement said.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38491


SWAZILAND: Opposition rethinks boycott strategy

Swaziland's banned political parties and pro-democracy groups are
conceding they may have harmed their cause by boycotting recent
parliamentary elections, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

"If you are in the wilderness, you need all opportunities to be heard. All
platforms, even government bodies, must be utilised," said Ntombi Nkosi,
president of the women's league of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress
(NNLC).

Nkosi was an unsuccessful candidate for Member of Parliament in the
October elections.

However, the president of the NNLC, Obed Dlamini, was elected. "I will be
speaking for myself and my constituency, but what I will be saying is the
NNLC agenda," Dlamini said recently.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38478

Donor, investment funds dwindle over 'rule of law'

On Tuesday IRIN reported that Swaziland's non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), which in many instances spearhead social welfare efforts in the
country, said the kingdom's unflattering international reputation is an
obstacle to fundraising.

"The volume of donor funding, upon which NGOs were heavily dependent, has
dwindled substantially due to problems experienced with the 'rule of law'
crisis in the country," said Dumisani Mnisi, chairperson of the
Coordinating Assembly of Non-governmental organisations.

The CEO of a Manzini-based NGO, who spoke to IRIN on condition of
anonymity, said: "There is a similarity between the drop in foreign direct
investment experienced this past year by the business community, and the
greater challenge to bring donor funds to the kingdom."

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38448


SOUTHERN AFRICA: South African maize too expensive for WFP

Increasing maize prices in South Africa, partly due to drought and
currency fluctuations, have forced the WFP to look to foreign markets to
procure food aid for its emergency operation in Southern Africa, IRIN
reported on Thursday.

"It's unfortunate that South Africa may be heading into drought at a time
when Southern Africa has a huge need for food," Mike Sackett, WFP Southern
Africa Regional Director, said in a statement.

White maize prices in South Africa have increased by 32 percent since 1
December, rising from R927 (about US $142) for 1 mt to R1,225 (about US
$188).

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38497

Govt asked to do more to ease refugees' plight


IRIN reported on Tuesday that the lack of job opportunities, access to
education, and proper identification documents are among the key problems
facing refugees in South Africa, according to a new report.

The "National Refugee Baseline Survey", launched last week by the office
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Japan
International Cooperation Agency, said asylum seekers and refugees
required assistance in three priority areas: employment opportunities,
identity documentation and access to education for their children, while
food, shelter and housing were raised as other problem areas requiring
urgent attention.

Fedde Jan Groot of UNHCR in South Africa pointed out that "the survey also
shows refugees being refused emergency health care; refugees finding the
doors of primary schools closed to their children; refugees not being able
to find appropriate employment because they don't have ID papers. We were
intrigued by the fact that refugees seemed to be surviving, in spite of
the many problems which continued to make the lives of many miserable and
undignified."

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38449


BOTSWANA-NAMIBIA: Controversy over deportation of Caprivians

The Botswana government has denied claims by a Namibian human rights NGO
that a group of Caprivian "refugees" were "abducted" from Botswana to face
high treason charges in Namibia, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

Presidential press secretary Jeff Ramsay told IRIN that the group of eight
Caprivians were "de facto illegal aliens" and had been lawfully deported
to Namibia on 13 December. The Caprivi region is an arid strip of
territory in northeastern Namibia bordering Angola, Botswana and Zambia.

Ramsay said the eight had previously been granted asylum, but had returned
to Namibia in 1999, thereby losing their refugee status. They were
detained as illegal immigrants when they tried to cross back into
Botswana.

Director of Namibia's National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Phil ya
Nangoloh, rejected the Botswana government's position that the detainees
had forfeited a right to refugee status. "It doesn't matter how many times
they fled if they had a reasonable fear that they could not avail
themselves of adequate security in Namibia," he told IRIN.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38447


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

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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003


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