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 143
16 - 22 August 2003


CONTENTS:

ANGOLA: Glitches in resettlement of ex-UNITA soldiers
ZIMBABWE: Housing backlog grows in tandem with economic crisis
COMOROS: Draft agreement resolves impasse
BOTSWANA: AIDS vaccine volunteers need protection, says rights group
LESOTHO: Humanitarian situation worsens as drought lingers
MOZAMBIQUE-SOUTH AFRICA: Strategic partnership to be consolidated at summit
SOUTH AFRICA: Special Report on AIDS treatment programme
SOUTHERN AFRICA: SADC summit to tackle AIDS, trade and food security
SWAZILAND: Women dominate small-business sector


ANGOLA: Glitches in resettlement of ex-UNITA soldiers

UNITA on Thursday called on the government to step up its assistance to
ex-soldiers following reports that former combatants in the central
province of Huambo had not received their salaries for the past two
months.

News reports said the government had also suspended the distribution of
resettlement kits to ex-soldiers because they had failed to produce the
necessary demobilisation cards.

"The reason some of the soldiers do not have any papers now is because the
government in some areas rushed to close the quartering areas. The
soldiers and their families, who were last to leave the quartering areas,
did not receive any documentation. This has created a problem, and will
continue to do so, because identity documents are needed wherever you go
in Angola," UNITA secretary for foreign affairs, Alcides Sakala, told
IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36098

US supports upgrade of judicial system

The United States hopes that its support of the modernisation of Angola's
judicial system will not only result in better services for citizens and
visitors to the Southern African country but also promote commercial
relations between the countries.

The US and Angola signed a Protocol of Cooperation for the Modernisation
of the Angolan Judicial System in Luanda on Monday.

US Ambassador to Angola Christopher W. Dell said that for the US "this
cooperation has the ultimate goal of improving not only relations at the
governmental level ... but, more importantly, of facilitating the
development of commercial relations".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36092


Challenge of providing aid and protection

The acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator told IRIN on Tuesday that providing
protection and basic services for the majority of returning internally
displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Angola remains a struggle.

Mario Ferrari said the UN, government and other humanitarian actors in the
country were "absolutely aware that conditions of life are bad, not only
for those who return but also for those who stayed [in their home areas]".

One of the factors hampering the humanitarian response in Angola was
having "to coordinate the intervention of several bodies and several
actors".

"Just to talk about the state bodies - the Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Social Affairs - each one
is independent, so it's important that in the field they find an efficient
way of coordinating themselves. There is awareness that coordination was
problematic in some areas," Ferrari added.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36074

Lubbers to assess repatriation programme

The UNHCR spokesman in the capital, Luanda, told IRIN on Tuesday that more
than 15,000 Angolan refugees had so far been assisted to return home, and
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers would be "looking
at where things stand, and where things should go from here".

Two corridors have been established in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) to transport returnees home to M'banza Congo in the northern Angolan
province of Zaire, and the town of Luau in the far east of the country.
>From western Zambia, refugees are returning to Cazombo in the eastern
province of Moxico, and to Caiundo in the southern province of Kuando
Kubango from Namibia.

Over the next two years, UNHCR anticipates that it will assist in the
return of 220,000 Angolan refugees. According to government figures, since
the end of the civil war in 2002, some 130,000 refugees have returned home
under their own steam.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36073

Returnees need protection as well as assistance - HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Angolan authorities and the
United Nations to do more to assist millions of Angolans returning home
after three decades of civil war, saying that failure to do so could
threaten peace and undermine hopes of development.

HRW said despite recent legislation for regulating the resettlement
process - the Norms for the Resettlement of Internally Displaced
Populations - the government had in some cases "induced" or "forced" many
IDPs to return to their areas of origin.

Another serious concern was the lack of adequate security for female IDPs.
Women often shared living quarters with former combatants, "many of whom
are known for committing violent acts against women and children in the
past". This raised serious human rights questions, the advocacy group
said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36046


ZIMBABWE: Housing backlog grows in tandem with economic crisis

Zimbabwe's housing shortage and economic crisis has robbed many urban
Zimbabweans of the dream of ever owning their own home.

Housing minister Ignatius Chombo has admitted that the government is
failing to match demand, citing among other things, a lack of resources.
The ministry says the national housing backlog was 1.5 million units in
December 2002, and the city council of Harare, the capital, has a waiting
list of 300,000.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36127

Think-tanks finds talks key to peaceful change

In a special report on the Zimbabwean crisis, the United States Institute
of Peace said the best means of ensuring a peaceful political transition
was a combination of increased international and domestic pressure on the
government.

The Washington-based institute said although the idea of a national
government of unity fell out of favour following the breakdown of talks
between the government and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) in April 2002, a poll conducted last year showed that the majority
of Zimbabweans were in favour of this option as a way out of the political
impasse.

This scenario could include joint parliamentary and presidential
elections, as well as various constitutional amendments curtailing the
powers of an executive presidency and changing electoral laws.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36123

Govt directive could hamper relief efforts

Aid groups in Zimbabwe were awaiting clarification of a directive issued
by the government that would see the distribution of international food
aid shift from relief agencies to local government and village
authorities.

According to the local Daily News the directive reads in part: "The
beneficiaries of the NGOs food distribution programme will be selected
from the ward/village assembly and neighbourhood committee registers."

WFP's regional spokesman Richard Huggins told IRIN: "WFP can confirm that
it has received this document, and we are seeking clarification with the
relevant authorities as to the implications of the new policy directive."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36097

Cash crisis worsens

The effects of the cash shortage crisis in Zimbabwe are being felt in all
spheres of society and everyone from ordinary citizens to the security
services and parliamentarians has voiced their disquiet over the
situation.

The cash squeeze has seen productivity drop, as many workers now spend a
large part of their time in winding queues outside banks and building
societies, hoping to withdraw money.

Over the weekend, Mugabe used his presidential powers to enact the
"Promotion of Banking Transactions, Statutory Instrument 171 of 2003",
which makes it an offence to hoard money. News reports said four unnamed
people became the first victims of the government's new ban on "hoarding
cash" when they were arrested on Monday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36086


COMOROS: Draft agreement resolves impasse

A Comoran diplomat confirmed on Tuesday that talks in South Africa between
African Union (AU) representatives and the archipelago's leaders at the
weekend ended with a draft agreement which could mean an end to months of
political deadlock.

Under the provisions of the draft document, the Union will maintain
control over the country's army, but the police will be administered by
local presidents.

Another key compromise, Salim said, was the decision to set up a
provisional customs council to facilitate the fair distribution of revenue
among the three islands. Tax collection has been the main bone of
contention between the Union government and those of the islands.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36069


BOTSWANA: AIDS vaccine volunteers need protection, says rights group

The Botswana human rights group, Ditshwanelo, this week criticised the
government for not passing legislation to protect individuals taking part
in HIV/AIDS vaccine trials.

Ditshwanelo is part of a Community Advisory Board set up under an AIDS
research partnership between the Botswana government and Harvard
University to ensure that the trials respect human rights, dignity and the
safety of the participants. But according to Ditshwanelo director, Alice
Mogwe, there is very little legal protection for people participating in
the Botswana vaccine programme.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36072

LESOTHO: Humanitarian situation worsens as drought lingers

Prolonged drought has worsened the humanitarian situation in Lesotho, the
World Food Programme (WFP) told IRIN on Monday.

WFP Country Representative Techeste Zergaber said the situation in the
tiny mountain kingdom was deteriorating "after five months of drought". In
its latest situation report WFP noted that "there was no significant
precipitation in the country between 11 May and 9 August.

As a result, winter crops such as wheat, peas and vegetables have largely
failed, and spring cultivation is more difficult in dry conditions and is
likely to be delayed".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36042


MOZAMBIQUE-SOUTH AFRICA: Strategic partnership to be consolidated at
summit

On Thursday IRIN reported on an upcoming bilateral meeting between South
Africa and Mozambique which is set to consolidate diplomatic and economic
relations between the two southern African countries.

The agenda for the upcoming summit will focus on: cooperation on labour
and migratory matters; transport and communications issues, including the
Maputo Airport Concession and rehabilitation of the Sena railway; energy
issues such as the natural gas pipeline project of South African company,
Sasol, in Mozambique, and the Northern Mozambique Power Development
Initiative.

John Stremlau, head of the department of international affairs at South
Africa's University of the Witwatersrand, told IRIN the bilateral meeting
was "a good example of what the New Partnership for Africa's Development
[NEPAD] is all about".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36120


SOUTH AFRICA: Special Report on AIDS treatment programme

The long-awaited announcement this month by the South African government
that it would introduce a publicly funded national HIV/AIDS treatment plan
was greeted with much celebration.

With an estimated five million HIV-positive people, South Africa's
treatment programme will be the world's largest. But while activists have
lobbied long and hard for the rollout of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS
initiative, health care professionals warn that significant challenges
remain over its implementation.

On Monday IRIN reported on the implications of the rollout programme.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36063


SOUTHERN AFRICA: SADC summit to tackle AIDS, trade and food security

HIV/AIDS, trade-distorting subsidies and regional food security will
feature high on the agenda of the upcoming meetings of the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) in the Tanzanian commercial capital,
Dar es Salaam, SADC Executive Secretary Dr Prega Ramsamy said on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists on the imminent Council of Ministers meeting, and the
subsequent summit from 25 to 26 August, Ramsamy said these issues had to
be tackled by the region, with or without the support of the rest of the
world.

When asked about Zimbabwe, Ramsamy played down suggestions that the
regional body might make a statement on the country's political and
economic crisis, saying the issue was being discussed by the Organ on
Politics, Defence and Security, but SADC's position had not changed.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36071


SWAZILAND: Women dominate small-business sector

Swazi women own nearly three-quarters of the country's small businesses,
according to a study by the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment. The
figure flies in the face of conventional wisdom that Swazi women, because
of their legal status as minors, are economically disenfranchised.

On Thursday IRIN reported on women's involvement in the small-business
sector.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36128

Regional leaders meet with Mswati

On Monday IRIN reported on a meeting between Mozambican President Joachim
Chissano and King Mswati III to reportedly discuss the country's deepening
political tensions.

Chissano was accompanied by the former president of Botswana, Ketumile
Masire, and former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda.

Palace officials would not divulge the nature of the talks, but the Times
of Swaziland reported on Monday that the African leaders discussed the
draft constitution Mswati had said he would ratify by October, as well as
governance issues and an ongoing rule of law crisis in the kingdom, in
which the entire Appeal Court bench resigned when the government refused
to accept their judgement that the king could not rule by decree.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36049

Stigma and silence threaten AIDS workers' efforts

Discouraged AIDS activists reported this week that they are not only
failing to overcome the social stigma attached to people who are
HIV-positive, but are losing ground in their efforts to encourage condom
use.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=36146


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

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