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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 256
5 - 11 November 2005


CONTENTS:

ZAMBIA: Hungry villagers forced to compete with wild animals for food
ANGOLA: Freedom tastes sweeter this time round
ZIMBABWE: Concern over soldiers-turned-robbers
NAMIBIA: UN country office supports bid for "LDC-like" status
MALAWI: Political tension continues to shift focus from food crisis
SWAZILAND: New law says death to child rapists in fight against AIDS
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Adding sparkle to the region



ZAMBIA: Hungry villagers forced to compete with wild animals for food

Late into Zambia's long, dry season, the Victoria Falls are not at their 
most spectacular. Undeterred, busloads of tourists still stop here daily 
to view the torrent. Most are unaware that a scarcity of water in the 
surrounding area has driven many rural communities to the brink of 
starvation.

Poor rains early in the year saw the total failure of most crops in 
southern Zambia. Besides decimating the livelihoods of the area's 
predominantly subsistence farmers, the drought has resulted in a severe 
shortage of maize, the country's staple food. Maize prices have 
escalated to way beyond the means of most Zambians, the majority of whom 
live on less than a dollar a day.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49975


Millers call for action to boost maize supplies

Zambia is fast running out of maize and the Millers' Association of 
Zambia (MAZ) this week called for the extension of an import duty waiver 
to boost supplies of the country's staple food.

"We have about 90,000 mt of maize left, which is about two months' 
supply," MAZ deputy chair Peter Cottan told IRIN on Tuesday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49983


Govt refuses to give in on constitution

The Zambian government has refused to give in to pressure for a 
constituent assembly to approve a new constitution ahead of next year's 
presidential polls.

Thousands of Zambians participated in a protest on Tuesday last week 
called by pressure group the Oasis Forum, braving soaring temperatures 
to hand petitions to MPs demanding that a bill be passed to create a 
constituent assembly.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49958


Opposition cries foul over voters' cards

Zambia's opposition has called for a halt to a just-begun voter 
registration campaign, arguing that alleged flaws in voters' cards could 
lead to rigging in next year's elections.

Anderson Mazoka, interim leader of an alliance of six opposition 
parties, has urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to correct 
the alleged anomalies before continuing with the scheduled 21-day 
registration exercise begun on 31 October.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50009


Media watchdog condemns editor's arrest

The Zambian chapter of watchdog body the Media Institute of Southern 
Africa (MISA) condemned the arrest on Wednesday of a Zambian editor for 
allegedly criminally defaming President Levy Mwanawasa.

Police arrested Fred M'membe, managing director and editor-in-chief of 
The Post, Zambia's only privately owned daily newspaper, after he 
accused the country's president of "foolishness", among other 
invectives.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50006


ANGOLA: Freedom tastes sweeter this time round

As Angola prepared to mark 30 years of independence from Portugal on 
Friday, citizens of this war-damaged country are ready to embrace the 
occasion, but say the past three and a half years of peace are much more 
important.

The 14-year battle for independence from the Portuguese had just drawn 
to a close in 1975, when the country was plunged into a brutal civil war 
between the ruling MPLA and the rebel group, UNITA, which claimed almost 
a million lives before it ended in April 2002.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50032


IMF told to keep its money, but help needed with old debts

Oil-rich Angola is ready to enter into a programme with the 
International Monetary Fund (IMF), but it only wants help in 
restructuring its debt, not new loans, the country's finance minister 
said on Tuesday.

The reason years of talks between Angola and the fund had so far failed 
to yield a programme was because organisations such as the IMF "don't 
have an accumulated knowledge of Angolan economics and we need to build 
that before discussing policies," Jose Pedro de Morais said in an 
interview.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49986


ZIMBABWE: Concern over soldiers-turned-robbers

A recent spate of armed robberies by soldiers and security officers is 
an indication that all Zimbabweans are feeling the impact of the 
country's shrinking economy, analysts told IRIN.

Two soldiers in the southeastern town of Masvingo recently went on a 
robbery spree while in uniform, brandishing AK-47 rifles they had stolen 
from their battalion's armoury.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50014


Trade unionists remain behind bars

The top leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) were 
still in prison on Friday after being arrested earlier in the week ahead 
of an anti-poverty march in the capital, Harare.

ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo, secretary-general Wellington Chibebe 
and some 100 members were arrested on Tuesday as they were preparing to 
take part in what the police deemed an illegal demonstration to 
highlight growing unemployment and the rocketing cost of living.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50007


NAMIBIA: UN country office supports bid for "LDC-like" status

The UN office in Namibia has lent its weight to the country's plea for 
recognition as a Least Developed Country (LDC), in a bid to unlock 
additional foreign assistance.

"We are supporting the country's appeal to be given a LDC-like status, 
as the country's current annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita 
is more than the required $800 to qualify as LDC," said Simon Nhongo, 
the UN's resident coordinator in Namibia.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50033


MALAWI: Political tension continues to shift focus from food crisis

The battle-lines drawn between Malawi's legislature and a president it 
is trying to impeach, is diverting much-needed attention from the 
country's food crisis, political analysts warned this week.

In the latest twist to the five-month-old political drama, three United 
Democratic Front (UDF) parliamentarians - all fierce critics of 
President Bingu wa Mutharika government - have been arested.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49957


SWAZILAND: New law says death to child rapists in fight against AIDS

In response to growing alarm over Swaziland's HIV infection rate, a 
draft law proposing the death penalty for child rape and the intentional 
transmission of the virus was released this week.

"Any person who is convicted of rape under this bill is liable to the 
death penalty if the victim is below the age of 14 years, or to the 
death penalty if HIV and AIDS are an aggravating factor, or to the death 
penalty where such person has parental power over the child," reads the 
Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill of 2005.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50011


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Adding sparkle to the region

After a century of exporting raw diamonds to be cut and polished abroad, 
Southern Africa is finally taking steps to add value to its gemstones 
and boost local revenues.

This week, South Africa joined Namibia in approving legislation that 
seeks to increase the supply of diamonds to local gem cutters to help 
the domestic jewellery sector and create jobs.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49984


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


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