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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Fax: +27 11 880 1421
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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 217
5 - 11 February 2005


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Compensation payments to reward ex-detainees launched ahead
   of elections
SOUTH AFRICA: Lindela deportation centre is "for those who do not have
   money"
ZAMBIA: HIPC targets have been met, IMF team
SWAZILAND: Joint effort to bring clean water to rural areas
SEYCHELLES: Economic challenges may erode development gains
NAMIBIA: Policy aims to assist OVC
MALAWI: Parliament next battleground for Mutharika
ANGOLA: Further cuts in food rations to the vulnerable looming
BOTSWANA: Bracing for a poor harvest and drought conditions


ZIMBABWE: Compensation payments to reward ex-detainees launched ahead of
elections

The Zimbabwean government's decision to award large compensatory
payments this month to former detainees from the liberation war could
have long-term repercussions, economists told IRIN.

The minister of public service, labour and social welfare, Paul
Mangwana, announced last week that former detainees held by the colonial
government for more than six months from 1959 will receive a one-off
payment and educational and health benefits.

The official Herald newspaper reported that at least 6,000 ex-political
prisoners, detainees and restrictees "are now set to be rewarded for
their contribution to the liberation struggle".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45478


WOZA gearing for another Valentine's Day protest

The activist organisation, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), will return
to the streets of the capital, Harare, on St Valentine's Day next week
to demand democratic and violence-free elections in March.

Under the theme, "The power of love can conquer the love of power", the
women will hand out red roses and cards to symbolise their anti-violence
message.

Since its formation in 2003, WOZA has taken to the streets every St
Valentine's Day to protest against violence in the country.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45441


Spy case a sign of historical tensions with Pretoria

The espionage case in which three Zimbabweans were jailed this week for
selling state secrets to South Africa has underlined a historical
tension between the two neighbours, according to analysts.

The three informants, convicted of breaching Zimbabwe's Official Secrets
Act, were this week sentenced to between five and six years in prison by
a regional magistrate in the capital, Harare.

Zimbabwe's ambassador-designate to Mozambique, Godfrey Dzvairo, was
slapped with an effective six years behind bars, while ZANU-PF director
for external affairs Itai Marchi and former Metropolitan Bank company
secretary Tendai Matambanadzo were each jailed for five years. Philip
Chiyangwa, a ZANU-PF legislator and President Robert Mugabe's nephew, is
awaiting trial on similar charges.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45474


ZIMBABWE: Church school gives street kids a shot at education

Fortune Hakata dreams of becoming a pilot. Each morning, like any other
14-year-old, he leaves home for school; at the end of the day he makes
his way home - to a street corner in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

Together with 53 others, Fortune attends the Presbyterian Children's
Club, which offers six years of primary schooling to street kids between
the ages of 6 and 14. Each year, with the assistance of sponsors, it
facilitates the entry of 18 children into the normal school system. The
total number of street kids in Harare is estimated at 5,000.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45521


SOUTH AFRICA: Lindela deportation centre is "for those who do not have
money"

The three-metre high security fence around the sprawling complex is
almost as intimidating to new arrivals as the dogs and the armed
security guards, who yell orders to form a proper queue at the
admissions table.

This is Lindela, South Africa's deportation centre for illegal
immigrants. Located in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, Lindela houses
both males and females arrested in regular sweeps by the South African
Police Services (SAPS).

Last week an IRIN journalist, wrongly arrested by the police in
Johannesburg, was a temporary inmate of the notorious facility.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45495


Fewer guns around after cops clamp down

South Africa's efforts to clamp down on the use of illegal firearms has
started to pay off as authorities record a drop in the number of
reported violent crimes, a new study has found.

With more than two million legal gun owners, the volume of registered
firearms - close to four million - gave the country among the highest
rankings for gun ownership per capita. Of concern, however, was that
South Africa was also one of the world's leaders for the number of
weapons lost or stolen - recognised as an important source of illegal
firearms.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45471


ZAMBIA: HIPC targets have been met, IMF team

Zambia is set to reach the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
debt-relief completion point, according to an International Monetary
Fund (IMF) statement.

The country has an external debt of US $6.5 billion, of which $3.8
billion will be written off once the HIPC completion point is achieved.

An IMF staff mission to Zambia commented that "IMF and World Bank staff
have reviewed progress made in meeting the steps required for reaching
the completion point under the HIPC initiative. Information received
indicates that all triggers relating to poverty reduction and social
sectors have been met".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45518


UK's Marshall Plan brings debt relief, more aid

Zambia is to benefit from Britain's new 'Marshall Plan' for Africa
through a new debt-relief and aid package totalling =A3190 million (US
$352.4 million).

The United Kingdom's secretary of state for international development,
Hilary Benn, announced the package while visiting Zambia on Tuesday.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) said in a
statement that "Benn pledged to cancel all of Zambia's remaining
bilateral debt to the UK, once the country reaches completion of the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries' (HIPC) initiative by demonstrating
progress in tackling poverty".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45468


Govt, farmers meet to renegotiate regulations

Zambian farmers are negotiating with the government on its decision to
continue taxing key agricultural inputs, officials told IRIN.

Under new regulations announced in the 2005 budget, the authorities
slapped Value Added Tax (VAT) of 17.5 percent on agricultural and animal
products like milk, fish and export vegetables. It also disallowed
farmers earning less than US $45,000 a year from reclaiming VAT refunds.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45427


SWAZILAND: Joint effort to bring clean water to rural areas

Swazi authorities and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have teamed up to
improve the accessibility of safe drinking water to rural dwellers.

"My view, based on our surveys, is that we have declining water access
in Swaziland. Systems put in place when the economy was good are not
maintained," Dr Alan Brody, UNICEF country representative for Swaziland,
told IRIN.

Despite its availability, access to water remained limited - about half
the one million people in Swaziland currently have access to clean
water.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45492


SEYCHELLES: Economic challenges may erode development gains

The relatively small economy of the Seychelles depends almost entirely
on two main industries - fishery and tourism. The recent tsunami
affected both these critical sectors and highlighted growing concern
over the country's long-term economic stability.

Although this Indian Ocean archipelago off the east coast of Africa lies
more than 7,000 km from the epicentre of the undersea earthquake that
triggered the tidal waves on 26 December 2004, it suffered severe
flooding and widespread damage to roads, fishing infrastructure and
tourism facilities.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45426


NAMIBIA: Policy aims to assist OVC

Namibia launched a national policy to address the needs of the country's
150,000 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on Thursday.

The policy was developed with the support of the UN Children's Fund
(UNICEF).

"Up to now, Namibia did not have national guidelines for dealing with
OVC. This policy will harmonise the actions of government, NGOs,
faith-based organisations and communities," commented minister of women
affairs and child welfare, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. She said her ministry
had recently established an OVC database.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45493


Textile industry faces multiple challenges

Namibia's fledgling textile industry is finding it difficult to balance
workers' rights and environmental concerns with the realities of a
global economy, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

At its main plant in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, Malaysian textile
giant Ramatex employs some 6,000 people, and a further 2,000 at its two
adjacent subsidiary factories, Tai Wah Textiles and Rhino Garments.

Ramatex has recently been troubled by allegations of poor labour
practices: protest marches over low wages, alleged forced overtime and
unfair dismissals, as well as less leave time than is stipulated by
Namibian labour law, have made headlines in the country. The textile
sector now also faces increased competition from Asian giants like China
and India.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45451


MALAWI: Parliament next battleground for Mutharika

Malawi's 193-seat parliament is likely to be the next battleground in
the ongoing power struggle between President Bingu wa Mutharika and his
former party, the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by his predecessor
Bakili Muluzi.

Mutharika's resignation from the UDF means that "we have a situation
where we do not have a government in parliament. Mutharika will have to
work hard to recruit MPs from the opposition to support him," said
political analyst Boniface Dulani.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45472


Mutharika resigns from party, reshuffles cabinet

Mutharika announced his resignation from the UDF on Saturday, at a
meeting organised by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the capital,
Lilongwe, and hinted that he would form a new political party.

Mutharika's ongoing campaign against corruption had drawn criticism from
within the UDF, causing a rift between the president and his
predecessor, Muluzi, who remains head of the UDF. Mutharika was
handpicked by Muluzi to run for the presidency on the UDF ticket in
general elections in May 2004.

Political analyst Boniface Dulani told IRIN that despite resigning from
the erstwhile ruling party, Mutharika's position as state president
should be unaffected.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45430


Initial crop production figures allay fears

Crop production figures could be "slightly better" than last year, but
prolonged dry spells in parts of Malawi's southern and central regions
have caused come concern, according to a Famine Early Warning Systems
Network (FEWS NET) official.

In the first round of crop estimates released recently by the Ministry
of Agriculture, Irrigation and Food Security, the total maize production
was estimated at 1.72 million mt, "a drop of just about 1 percent from
last year's total maize production of 1.73 million mt".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45519


ANGOLA: Further cuts in food rations to the vulnerable looming

The World Food Programme (WFP) requires urgent funding in order to avoid
further cuts to its aid programme in Angola, the agency's country
director Rick Corsino told IRIN.

He was commenting on a serious shortfall in the agency's Protracted
Relief and Recovery operation, which still needs around US $40 million
during 2005 to facilitate the return and resettlement of displaced
Angolan populations.

Without more food or funding contributions, "we will have to start
reducing rations even further, by late next month or beginning of
April", Corsino said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45450


BOTSWANA: Bracing for a poor harvest and drought conditions

Botswana is bracing itself for a poor harvest after the ministry of
agriculture estimated that only three percent of cultivable land has
been ploughed this rainy season.

The overall hectarage ploughed by mid-January was reckoned at 12,450 ha
out of the national baseline area of 325,000 ha.

"Usually about 150,000 ha, which is about half the total of the
hectarage ploughed when the country has received good early rains,
should have been ploughed and planted by this time of the season," chief
crop production officer, Peter Montshiwa Montshiwa, told IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45448


Bukakhwe San surviving in a changing world

The Gudigwa project, an eco-tourism camp run by the Bukakhwe San in the
Okavango Delta in Botswana's northwest portrays a community's attempts
to adjust to changing times.

While the San elsewhere in the country are locked in a court battle with
the government over allegations of forced relocation from their
ancestral home in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the Bukakhwe
community is attempting to enlist the help of the tourist industry to
preserve its traditions before they vanish.

The project aims not only to generate funds for the development of the
700-strong Bukakhwe San, but also to reduce pressure on the Okavango
Delta wildlife by providing an alternative source of income for the
community.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45428


IRIN-SA
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Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
2005


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