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 221
5 - 11 March 2005


CONTENTS:

AFRICA: Report highlights plight of African children
ANGOLA: New report alleges blood still stains diamonds
NAMIBIA: "Democracy has won," says opposition
SOUTH AFRICA: Women with guns to their heads
ZIMBABWE: Development corridor stillborn
BOTSWANA: Anti-AIDS drugs for armed forces
MADAGASCAR: Food shortages feared after floods
SWAZILAND: Poverty and AIDS biggest challenges
ZAMBIA: Lead poisoning concern in mining town


AFRICA: Report highlights plight of African children

At least one in six children in sub-Saharan Africa die before the age of 
five, compared to one in 140 in developed countries, according to a new 
report.

Most of these children succumbed to preventable or treatable diseases, 
such as malaria and pneumonia, said the report, 'One in Two: Children 
Are The Key To Africa's Future' by the international NGO, Save the 
Children. The agency attributed the deaths to the failure to deliver 
sustainable development in Africa over the last 20 years, and to "put 
children at the centre of policy" in the continent.

"African children experience routine violation of their basic human 
rights. Tens of million don't get adequate healthcare or education - 
many none at all. Millions more are victims of conflict, violence and 
abuse," the researchers noted.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46075


ANGOLA: New report alleges blood still stains diamonds

Angola's diamond industry is beset by murders, beatings, arbitrary 
detentions and other human rights violations, alleges a new report, and 
the international community should boycott these gems.

'Angola's Deadly Diamonds', produced by human rights activists who 
recorded the abuses in the diamond-rich provinces of Lunda Norte and 
Lunda Sul throughout 2004, said such violations against both Angolans 
and foreigners had become the norm.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46053


Refugees not yet ready to return to Cabinda

Refugee leaders who fled Angola's oil-rich enclave of Cabinda during the 
long-running separatist conflict recently went home for a "go and see" 
visit, organised by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), IRIN reported on 
Tuesday.

The aim of their trip was to assess whether conditions were suitable for 
returning. "But, after a three-day trip, visiting three municipalities, 
leaders said they would be reluctant to come home unless conditions 
improved," UNHCR said in a statement.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45999


NAMIBIA: "Democracy has won," says opposition as court orders vote 
recount

Two Namibian opposition parties won a court ruling on Thursday ordering 
a recount of the ballots from last year's election.

Judge President Petrus Damaseb said the recount should start within five 
days of the judgement, with the results announced on 20 March - one day 
before Namibia's new government is to be sworn in.

The ruling SWAPO party won a landslide victory on 21 November 2004 
election, but the opposition alleged the voters' roll was inflated, and 
the unusually high turnout of around 85 percent was "questionable". The 
discovery of 22 abandoned ballot papers, some of them half burnt, all 
cast in favour of opposition parties, was also seized on as evidence of 
irregularities.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46049


Lack of data and resources affects OVC interventions

Namibia lacks sufficient data and resources to provide adequate support 
to 130,000 orphans, many of them affected by AIDS, according a new 
report.

The country required a centralised comprehensive food security and 
vulnerability information system, according to Rene Verduijn, a 
consultant hired by the World Food Programme (WFP) to conduct an 
assessment of interventions with a food component targeting orphans and 
vulnerable children (OVC).

Namibia is expected to have 200,000 AIDS orphans by 2021. Half the 
current 130,000 orphans are living in the central northern regions, 
while the rest are found in the northeastern areas of Kavango and 
Caprivi, and in and around the capital, Windhoek.

More details
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45955


SOUTH AFRICA: Women with guns to their heads

In South Africa a woman is shot dead by a current or former partner 
every 18 hours, according to a new report from the Stop Violence Against 
Women campaign and the Control Arms campaign.

The report, 'The Impact of Guns on Women's Lives', compiled by Amnesty 
International, the development agency Oxfam, and the global 
International Action Network on Small Arms, said women were paying an 
increasingly heavy price for the unregulated multibillion-dollar trade 
in small arms.

South Africa is named in the report, along with countries in the 
American continent and Europe, all battling to stem a mounting tide of 
handguns. There are an estimated 650 million small arms in the world 
today, nearly 60 percent of which are in the hands of private 
individuals, most of them men, said the report.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45997


Human Rights Commission slams San rights violations

An enquiry into human rights violations among South Africa's tiny 
Khomani San population has painted a bleak picture of a community 
suffering neglect and mistreatment at the hands of local authorities, 
IRIN reported on Monday.

The findings are the result a yearlong investigation by the Human Rights 
Commission (HRC), after receiving complaints of alleged police 
misconduct from the community.

In January 2004 community members implicated two police officers in the 
killing of a Bushman master tracker, Optel Rooi, who was widely regarded 
as the leading trainer of young Khomani in traditional knowledge of the 
bush and tracking skills. A subsequent investigation by a team of 
television reporters revealed that in the last five years, five key 
Khomani San community members had died violently in murders the police 
have failed to solve.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45953


Rural education needs more resources, study

Despite 10 years of democracy, the great majority of children in South 
Africa's rural poor communities are educationally disadvantaged, 
according to a recent report.

"Worse still is the fact that this will have long-term effects on their 
opportunities for development, their capabilities and their lives. 
Moreover, the communities in which they live will continue to suffer the 
debilitating effects of poverty and inequality for as long as these 
problems remain," said the study, 'Emerging Voices: A Report on 
Education in South African Rural Communities'.

A survey in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces found 
that poverty and unemployment were "starkly present in the everyday 
realities" of people living in rural areas. Unemployment in the Eastern 
Cape stood at 54.6 percent, and at 49 percent in KwaZulu-Natal and 
Limpopo.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45950


Sensitising programme delivers positive results

A groundbreaking programme aimed at preparing children to cope with the 
impact of HIV/AIDS will soon be implemented in four of South Africa's 
nine provinces.

The Valley Trust, an NGO running a number of HIV/AIDS and 
poverty-related projects in the east-coast province of KwaZulu-Natal, 
realised that children would not disclose their concerns about AIDS 
unless they felt they were in a safe environment.

As a result, the organisation developed an initiative to train teachers 
to be more sensitive to the emotional needs of pupils, especially those 
affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46072


ZIMBABWE: Development corridor stillborn

A planned inter-country trade expansion corridor between South Africa 
and Zimbabwe has failed to take off due to a lack of investor confidence 
in Zimbabwe, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

In 2000 the two countries signed an agreement on the Trans-Limpopo 
Spatial Development Initiative (TSLDI), with the objective of 
establishing a commercial corridor between South Africa's Limpopo 
province and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Among its major components, the 
initiative would pave the way for increased agri-businesses, eco-tourism 
and infrastructure development programmes.

However, Zimbabwean business executives who spoke to IRIN said the 
project had effectively collapsed, as potential South African and 
international partners were unwilling to go into joint ventures with 
Zimbabweans because of the economic problems and political instability 
in the country. Investors considered it a high-risk investment 
destination and, apart from co-operation and exchange visits between 
twinned towns, there had been no progress.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46025


Access to state media allegedly skewed

In the run-up to Zimbabwe's legislative elections, access to public 
media remains skewed in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF, according to media 
watchdogs.

Media freedom lobby group Reporters sans Frontieres (Paris) alleged in a 
statement, "... the coverage that Zimbabwe's state media are giving the 
main opposition party during the campaign for parliamentary elections on 
31 March is clearly unfair".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46022


Elusive pro-democracy activists leave their mark

An underground group of anti-government activists, Zvakwana-Sokwanele - 
"Enough!" in Zimbabwe's two main languages, Shona and Ndebele - do not 
operate out of offices with a nameplate on the door. Their only regular 
presence is a website in cyberspace, or the graffiti-splashed billboards 
and road signs exhorting people - in the words of Bob Marley - to "Get 
up, stand up".

Zvakwana-Sokwanele, formed after President Robert Mugabe's raw-knuckle 
2002 presidential election victory, say their aim is to "achieve 
democracy" through non-violence. The government, on the other hand, has 
dismissed them as a "western front", bent on destabilising the country.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45960


BOTSWANA: Anti-AIDS drugs for armed forces

Botswana has started providing antiretroviral drugs to soldiers in an 
effort to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on its armed forces.

The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) medical corps, which is coordinating 
the ARV programme, is to distribute the anti-AIDS drugs at three sites: 
Thebephatswa Air Base, 90 km west of the capital, Gaborone; a barracks 
in Francistown, the country's second city; and at Sir Seretse Khama 
barracks in the capital.

The programme, described as "a key watershed in safeguarding the 
security of the nation", is expected to target an estimated 5,000 
infected soldiers and their dependents.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46054


Row over location of second university

On Thursday IRIN reported on the controversy surrounding a decision to 
build a Pula 500 million (US $114 million) university near the home area 
of Botswana's vice-president.

Education Minister Jacob Nkate told parliament recently that the 
nation's second university would be built either in Serowe, 
Vice-President Ian Khama's home village, or Palapye. The two locations 
are 30 km apart in central Botswana.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46050


US $ 35 million boost for anti-AIDS efforts

Botswana's anti-AIDS efforts are to receive an injection of US $35 
million from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The funds, to be channelled through the Botswana and USA partnership 
(BOTUSA), will be used to provide critical technical and financial 
support for HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, 
antiretroviral treatment, palliative care and support for people living 
with HIV/AIDS, said Gregory Kelebonye, BOTUSA's communication officer.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46019


Economic co-operation key to growth - IMF

Continued mistrust among island governments in the Comoros is hampering 
economic growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted in a report 
released this week.

An IMF mission visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in November 2004 to 
assess a request for a 12-month staff monitored programme (SMP) to put 
the country's public finances back on a sound footing.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45995


MADAGASCAR: Food shortages feared after floods

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) stood ready to assist thousands of 
homeless families on Wednesday, after heavy flooding killed four people 
and damaged rice crops across Madagascar.

The most affected areas were the western Mahajanga province and 
Amparafaravola and Ambatondrazaka regions in the eastern Toamasina 
province.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46024


SWAZILAND: Poverty and AIDS biggest challenges - finance minister

Finance Minister Majozi Sithole on Wednesday painted a bleak picture of 
Swaziland's economy, made worse by an on-going humanitarian crisis, when 
he presented this year's budget to parliament.

New spending on humanitarian measures was extremely limited, Sithole 
warned, because the record R6 billion (US $1 billion) budget contained 
an historically high deficit. GDP growth was expected to fall to 1.75 
percent this year, about half of what was achieved two years ago.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46028


Women challenging their traditional status as minors

Amid growing concern over increased incidents of gender-based violence, 
the Swazi government on Tuesday pledged its ongoing commitment to 
protecting women.

"The nation has strong traditional, cultural and ethical morals that 
respect women in society - incest, rape, violence and other acts of 
disrespect against women do not respect our values and traditions as 
Swazis," Prime Minister Themba Dlamini said in statement marking 
International Women's Day.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45998


Textile industry asks govt for bailout

Swaziland's floundering textile industry will need around US $9 million 
to pull itself out of its job-shedding crisis.

The Swaziland Exporters Association said uncertainty over continued 
trade benefits from the United States was only one of the reasons for a 
drop in Swazi exports.

The textile industry exporters want government to institute a national 
business policy, as well as a subsidy of R160 ($27) a month for each 
worker, or R53 million ($9 million) this year, and reduced utility 
rates.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45954


ZAMBIA: Lead poisoning concern in mining town

A Zambian community faces serious health risks as a result of lead and 
zinc mining activities in their area, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

In its heyday, Kabwe boasted one of the largest and richest lead mines 
in Africa, but it had few pollution controls. Since the closure of the 
mine in 1994, the town in Central province, about 150 km north of the 
capital, Lusaka, has endured not only economic hardship but also the 
risk of lead poisoning.

Kabwe's vegetation, soil and waterways are heavily contaminated with the 
highly poisonous metal. Environmentalists say the most polluted area is 
the sprawling Katondo township, which has sprouted in the shadow of the 
defunct mine. Health workers say up to 90,000 children could be at risk 
of lead poisoning.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46000


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 895-1900
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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