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 169
6 - 12 March 2004


CONTENTS:

SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Suspected mercenaries awaiting charges
MADAGASCAR: Relief arrives as cyclone Gafilo departs
ZIMBABWE: Urban food insecurity rising - new assessment
MOZAMBIQUE: Thousands stranded after river bursts its banks
SWAZILAND: Speaker of parliament asked to resign
NAMIBIA: UN agencies launch emergency appeal
LESOTHO: Anti-AIDS programme working with the youth
BOTSWANA: Gaps remain in AIDS knowledge
ANGOLA: MPLA outlines goals to achieve before elections


SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Suspected mercenaries awaiting charges

This week the Zimbabwean authorities detained a Boeing 727 carrying 64
alleged mercenaries, reportedly en route to Equatorial Guinea to take part
in an alleged coup to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The suspected mercenaries could be charged for attempting to acquire
firearms illegally in the country, the acting attorney-general, the acting
attorney-general, Bharat Patel, told IRIN on Thursday.

Among the charges the men could face are the violation of the Firearms
Act, the Civil Aviation Act and the Immigration Act. Patel said he was not
sure when the alleged mercenaries were likely to appear in court - the
police were still acquiring statements from them.

More
details


Pretoria confirms link between plane and coup plot

South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma confirmed on
Wednesday that there was a link between the plane held by Zimbabwean
authorities and an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.

"Indeed there was a link between the plane and Equatorial Guinea,"
Dlamini-Zuma was quoted as saying by the South African news agency (SAPA).

South African authorities have confirmed that though the 67 men were of
various nationalities, they were all holding South African passports.


MADAGASCAR: Relief arrives as cyclone Gafilo departs

Some 50 people were killed and thousands left without shelter after
tropical cyclone Gafilo swept through Madagascar on Sunday.

Gafilo made landfall near the city of Antalaha, in the northeastern part
of the island, crossed northern Madagascar and on 8 March entered the
Mozambique Channel, where it gained strength.

A day later, the cyclone returned and hit the southwest of Madagascar.

The latest death toll following the heavy downpour and high winds stood at
50 on Friday.

On Thursday authorities confirmed that all but two passengers on a ferry
that went missing on Monday, a day after Gafilo first hit, had drowned.

The 92 passengers and 21 crew members on the "Samson" were travelling from
the Comoran island of Anjouan to Madagascar's second port of Mahajanga
when the cyclone struck.


ZIMBABWE: Urban food insecurity rising - new assessment

Nearly 2.5 million urban Zimbabweans are food-insecure, according to a
recent urban food security assessment, an increase of 1.4 million people
above an estimate made in April 2003.

The report by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC)
after their first nationwide urban survey, revealed that about 72 percent
of the urban population were below the poverty line, a figure that had
nearly doubled since 1995.

The assessment was conducted in September and October 2003, in
collaboration with the Southern Africa Development Community.


New gender policy no good without enforcement

Women's rights activists in Zimbabwe have given a guarded welcome to a
National Gender Policy, launched this week to coincide with the UN's
International Women's Day.

They welcomed the policy guidelines, released on Monday, which aim to
create equal opportunities in all spheres of Zimbabwean life, but warned
that the real test would be in the implementation.


Ambitious plans to roll out ARVs

Zimbabwe plans to roll out antiretroviral (ARV) treatment this month at
five pilot centres across the country, and expects to have 260,000 of an
estimated 520,000 HIV-positive people on the programme by the end of next
year.

Given the country's current health crisis the task appears formidable, but
health officials are optimistic, despite overwhelming obstacles,
particularly the acute shortage of foreign currency.

The ministry of health said the government's rollout programme would
benefit from the experience gained by local NGOs, faith-based
organisations and the private sector, all of whom have already implemented
drug distribution, albeit to a limited number of people. The World Health
Organisation (WHO) is also providing technical support and has encouraged
the development of tools for delivering the ARVs.


Fresh TV show gives youth voice and advise

"Who's Next?" is the provocative title of an award-winning TV talk show
aimed at promoting safer sex and sexual health among Zimbabwe's urban
youth. It stands out from the field of anaemic talk shows as a bold and
refreshing approach to get young people discussing the issues.

"'Who's Next?' basically centres around issues that affect young people
generally and personally, including peer pressure, counselling, HIV and
the issue of communication between parents and young people," explained
Priscilla Mujuru, programme officer for Adolescent Reproductive Health at
UNAIDS, which funds the show through the National AIDS Council.


MOZAMBIQUE: Thousands stranded after river bursts its banks

Mozambican authorities this week were attempting to assist thousands of
families left stranded by flood waters after the Pungue river in the
central province of Sofala burst its banks last week.

"Many of the families in the surrounding areas are dependent on the river
for farming and, therefore, live in areas which are close to the river -
so it is very serious when water levels rise to such a high degree. In
recent years, when the river burst its banks fields were flooded and
houses destroyed. But we have yet to make a proper assessment to judge the
damage," a spokesman for Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster
Management (INGC), Rogerio Manguele, told IRIN on Wednesday.


Schools provide safe space to talk about sex

IRIN this week took a closer look at attempts to create HIV/AIDS awareness
among adolscents in Mozambican schools.

Twenty-six-year-old Lucia stands confidently in front of a class of about
30 children aged between 12 and 18, asking them a series of direct
questions about sexual practices, sexually transmitted diseases and
HIV/AIDS.

Lucia (not her real name) belongs to Kindlimuka (meaning "wake up" in
Ronga, a local language), a non-profit association of people living with
HIV/AIDS or supporting those who have the disease. Lucia is HIV-positive.

She has participated in training to give lessons to pupils aged 13 to 18
in a UNICEF-supported project, which began five years ago. The trainers,
all from Kindlimuka, teach in 21 schools in the capital, Maputo, and the
neighbouring city of Matola.


SWAZILAND: Speaker of parliament asked to resign

King Mswati III of Swaziland used his powers as sub-Saharan Africa's last
absolute monarch to force the resignation late on Wednesday of the speaker
of parliament.

"I was called to the royal residence, and formally told that the king had
instructed that I should resign," dismissed speaker Marwick Khumalo told
parliamentarians at a special session.

"The deputy speaker will take over and parliament will adjourn
indefinitely until we are told what will happen next," he added.

The palace gave no reasons for Mswati's objection to Khumalo, who was
elected speaker by MPs in November. It is usually left to cabinet
ministers appointed by Mswati to explain royal fiats, but none were
available for comment.


Green hills mask harvest failure

The hills of Swaziland's eastern Lubombo district, made lush by a month of
good rains, have never looked more picturesque. But with this year's
harvest already compromised by earlier drought conditions, more residents
than ever are dependant on food aid.

"This year we have received rains since January. The people who planted at
the new year may see harvests if the rains continue - we hope so. But most
fields are not planted, or were planted at the start of summer, when there
were no rains and the crops died young," said Malunge Dlamini, a food aid
monitor for the World Food Programme.


Human rights under challenge, says US

With no politically motivated killings or incarcerations in 2003,
Swaziland is a haven of stability in a troubled continent, say defenders
of the country's absolute monarchy. But a report released this week by the
US State Department has criticised the country's human rights record,
alleging the government "continued to commit serious abuses".

"Citizens were not able to change their government peacefully. Police used
excessive force on some occasions, and there were reports that police
tortured and beat some suspects," the US government's Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labour said in its annual country report.

When contacted by IRIN, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would
withhold comment on the report until it officially received a copy from
the US government.


NAMIBIA: UN agencies launch emergency appeal

The United Nations will need US $5.8 million to help over 600,000 Namibian
orphans, vulnerable children and women suffering the combined effects of
erratic weather, severe poverty and a worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic, its
agencies revealed this week.

On Wednesday the World Food Programme (WFP) and UN's Children's Fund
(UNICEF) launched an emergency appeal, noting that "tens of thousands of
children and their families will face severe difficulties in the coming
months, unless international assistance is forthcoming".


13 Caprivi accused file another application

Thirteen Namibian men accused of treason for their alleged role in a rebel
attack in the Caprivi region filed yet another application, this time at
the High Court in the capital, Windhoek, this week, asking for their
release.

The 13 were part of a group of 120 arrested for taking part in
secessionist violence led by the Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA), which
attacked Katimo Mulilo, the largest town in the northeastern Caprivi
region, in August 1999.

The accused, including John Samboma, the alleged commander of the CLA,
were released at the end of February following an order by Judge Elton
Hoff at the High Court in Grootfontein, 500 km north of Windhoek.


LESOTHO: Anti-AIDS programme working with the youth

Mamokete Lemphane is used to being driven out of homes, insulted and
abused - all in the cause of fighting HIV/AIDS in the northeastern
Mokhotlong district of Lesotho.

"When I used to visit houses in the villages and start talking about
HIV/AIDS, people often pushed me out of their homes and abused me. Now I
know better - I start by talking about general good health tips," a
giggling Lemphane explained.

The 22-year-old is a member of the Mokhotlong Youth Network, which seeks
to spread awareness of the disease among villagers.


HIV/AIDS testing facilities still to be set up

Lesotho launched universal HIV/AIDS testing for its citizens at the
weekend, but the first three dedicated testing centres will only be
operational by the end of April

Motloheloa Phooko, the minister of health and social welfare, told IRIN
that in the meantime eight Prevention of mother-to-child transmission
(PMTCT) clinics were being used to provide testing services. The PMTCT
centres are located in four of the country's 10 districts.


Govt moves to tackle AIDS pandemic

Lesotho's Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili at the weekend became one of
the first heads of state to publicly test for the HI virus as he kicked
off a free national HIV testing programme.

Mosisili, joined by other members of his cabinet, said that with his test
he hoped to stem the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.


Some light at the end of tunnel for retrenched miners

Nathan Sekhesa spent 27 years of his 47-year-existence in the mines of
South Africa. Retrenched in 2002 and still unemployed, he stays at home,
waiting for odd jobs. In the meantime, the maize, tomatoes, pumpkin and
the odd herb, grown in the kitchen garden under his mother Elizabeth's
watchful eye are feeding his family of five.

A decade ago the South African mines employed 120,000 Basotho - a third of
the country's male workforce. Last year the figure dropped to 55,000,
according to the recruitment agency, Teba Limited.


BOTSWANA: Gaps remain in AIDS knowledge

A survey of listeners to Botswana's popular HIV/AIDS radio drama,
"Makgabaneng", has revealed a lack of specific knowledge about the virus
in a country with the world's highest level of HIV infection.

Only 55 percent of respondents rejected the myths that mosquitoes can
spread HIV, sex with a virgin can cure AIDS, and healthy looking people
cannot have the virus.


Women urged to fight for equality

Although important steps have been taken by Botswana's government to
address gender inequalities, women still face many constraints entrenched
in the legal system.

"Women are still expected to stay at home and clean the house while the
man goes to work. The Marriage Act states that a woman becomes a minor
when she is married and there are no decisions which she can make without
the consent of her husband," Mmamosweu Vivian Gunda, coordinator of the
Women's NGO Coalition, told IRIN.

This week the United States Embassy in Gaborone honoured five pioneering
women, to coincide with Women's History Month in the United States and
International Women's Day on 8 March.


Culture under threat - Special Report on the San Bushmen (II)

With nimble fingers, Sobo Cgara digs around a plant and unearths a
calabash-shaped root full of water. Cgara, 24, is a San guide who shows
tourists his people's unique knowledge of the Kalahari at a
community-owned game farm near D'kar in Ghanzi district, in central-west
Botswana.

He is one of the few San youth with education, a job and a future. The
estimated 50,000 San in Botswana are "the poorest of the poor", says Alice
Mogwe, head of Ditshwanelo, the Centre for Human Rights.


ANGOLA: MPLA outlines goals to achieve before elections

Angola's ruling MPLA party has laid out 14 tasks it must complete before
the country can hold its first national elections since 1992 - a move
observers say makes a ballot before 2006 unlikely.

Approving a new constitution, passing a new electoral register law and
creating an electoral council would be possible by the second half of
2005, the MPLA's information secretary, Kwata Kanawa, told a press
conference on Thursday.

"That means there's no way there can be elections before 2006," said one
political observer.


Troops for peacekeeping in Cote d'Ivoire

Angolan troops are heading to Cote d'Ivoire in their first United Nations
peacekeeping mission the government announced on Thursday.

Angola's Foreign Minister, Joao Miranda, welcomed the UN's invitation to
be part of the 6,240 strong force in the West African country.

"To be part of the peacekeeping force is very important for Angola,
because it means that we are now playing an important role in the
international community. Our army has years of experience and we will use
this to assist wherever we can," Angolan ambassador to South Africa, Isaac
Maria dos Anjos, told IRIN.


Pro-democracy groups join forces for early polls

Angolan civil society and opposition parties joined forces on Tuesday to
prod the government into announcing an election date and encouraging
greater respect for democracy.

Around 30 groups launched the "Campaign for a Democratic Angola", which
aims to put pressure on the government of President Jose Eduardo dos
Santos, arguing that the status quo has done little to improve the lot of
Angola's 13 million people after almost two years of peace.


Wider cooperation in resettling refugees - UNHCR

For the first time in years, multiple opportunities exist throughout
Africa for the potential repatriation of up to 2 million refugees, and
millions more internally displaced people, a senior UN official said this
week.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, was upbeat at a
meeting in Geneva on Monday to discuss the prospects for repatriation in
several countries, including Angola, Sierra Leone, Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).


Heavy rains dash hopes of new farmers

Heavy rains have decimated vast chunks of maize and bean crops in Angola's
Huambo province, prolonging a reliance on food aid for many families.

A recent assessment by members of the humanitarian community and technical
experts from the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS), World Food Programme
(WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated that
flooding had ruined 60 percent of the central region's normal maize crop
and up to 75 percent of its bean harvest.


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International                  web: www.cidi.org
    Disaster Information             listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Southern Africa                  www.cidi.org/humanitarian/irin/safrica