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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 243
6 - 12 August 2005


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Strong opposition to new education bill
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Annan appeals for urgent food aid
SWAZILAND: New measures to counter environmental degradation
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS to take heavy toll of health workers
ANGOLA: UNITA accuses govt of campaigning prior to elections
MALAWI: IMF approves more than $55 million for poverty programmes
BOTSWANA: Government wants to brief UN Special Rapporteur on Bushmen
MADAGASCAR: Govt battles malnutrition
NAMIBIA: Human rights situation improved, says report


ZIMBABWE: Strong opposition to new education bill

Stakeholders and trade unions in Zimbabwe's education sector say 
proposals in the new Education Amendment Bill will cause a decline in 
standards, and signal the end of private schools.

Representatives from the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), the 
Association of Trust Schools (ATS) and the Progressive Teachers Union of 
Zimbabwe (PTUZ) presented their submissions to parliament's portfolio 
committee for education, which held a public hearing on the proposed 
amendments on Thursday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48569


Constitutional amendment to restrict travel

The Zimbabwean government has dug in its heels over proposed 
constitutional amendments and challenged its critics to take their 
concerns to parliament.

Human rights activists and lawyers have slammed the controversial 
Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No.17 Bill of 2005, labelling it the 
latest in a long line of alterations to the constitution.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48571


UN prepares appeal to assist victims of 'cleanup' operations

The United Nations would like to launch an appeal to assist victims of 
the Zimbabwe government's controversial cleanup campaign as soon as 
possible.

UN Resident Coordinator Dr Agostinho Zacarias told IRIN "we are hoping 
to make the appeal this week, and we are discussing this with the 
government".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48491


New Bill will extend state control of education

Opposition parliamentarians and trade unionists in Zimbabwe are warning 
that a proposed Education Bill may be the first step in an attempt by 
the government to nationalise schools.

The recently introduced Education Act Amendment Bill, among other 
things, seeks to give the minister of education, sport and culture the 
power to determine school fees at private and state schools.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48515


Chissano appointed special AU envoy on Zimbabwe

African Union (AU) chairman Olusegun Obasanjo has appointed former 
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano as his "special representative" to 
Zimbabwe, according to official sources.

However, AU spokesman Adam Thiam was unable to provide details of 
Chissano's duties as a special envoy.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48525


Church aid to leave for Harare soon

Two trucks carrying 37 mt of food aid and another laden with blankets 
for Zimbabweans affected by the government's controversial cleanup 
campaign were expected to leave South Africa for Harare soon, according 
to a South African Council of Churches (SACC) spokesman.

"We have finally got the necessary documents saying that the maize in 
the truck has not been genetically modified - so we hope to get the 
necessary clearance certificate from the Zimbabwean authorities," said 
Rev Ron Steele on behalf of the SACC.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48550


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Annan appeals for urgent food aid

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed for urgent food aid to 
support more than 10 million vulnerable people in Southern Africa.

In a letter sent to at least 27 heads of states this week, Annan asked 
for 700,000 mt to 800,000 mt of food "to avert a catastrophe in a few 
months' time".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48570


Report more positive about agricultural development in Southern Africa

Trends in the long-term prospects for agricultural development in most 
of Southern Africa are positive, with the exception of Zimbabwe, a new 
report has predicted.

"Most of Southern Africa, particularly the republic of South Africa, has 
implemented the kind of macroeconomic reforms" that had enabled 
governments to spend more on agricultural reforms and research, said 
Mark Rosegrant, division director of environment and production 
technology at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) 
and lead author of the report.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48555


Peacekeeper training centre reopens

The reopening of a regional training centre in Zimbabwe means Southern 
African countries will soon be able to contribute troops to United 
Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions.

Zimbabwe officially handed over the administration of the centre to the 
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) at the weekend, placing it 
under the Directorate of Politics, Defence and Security.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48493


SWAZILAND: New measures to counter environmental degradation

Swazi authorities face a tough challenge as the government steps up 
efforts to arrest environmental degradation.

More than 80 percent of the people are engaged in subsistence 
agriculture, in a country faced with growing environmental concerns, 
including deforestation, loss of biodiversity and soil erosion.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48556


Traditional laws and customs to be codified

Women's rights groups in Swaziland have warned that moves to codify 
traditional laws and customs could undermine gender equality gains 
achieved in the recently promulgated constitution.

"We welcome the writing down of Swazi customs to avoid confusion, [but] 
we feel that if these become codes they will take precedence over gains 
made by women in the constitution in the field of equal rights," a 
source at the Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) 
told IRIN.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48496


SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS to take heavy toll of health workers

The cost of health services in South Africa will increase sharply in the 
next few years as a result of HIV/AIDS, researchers have found.

By 2007, large numbers of HIV-positive South Africans would start 
falling ill from AIDS-related diseases, placing a heavy burden on the 
country's public healthcare sector, according to the Health Economics 
and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) of the University of 
KwaZulu-Natal.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48510


ANGOLA: UNITA accuses govt of campaigning prior to elections

Angola's main opposition party, UNITA, has accused the government of 
riding roughshod over electoral laws as the first post-war election 
approaches.

"The government is using its position of power to campaign, even though 
the campaign period has not officially started," said UNITA legal 
representative David Horacio. He confirmed on Wednesday that the party 
had asked the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of 
government preparations for the national poll.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48539


Crime rises as wealth gap widens

It's been more than a week since Raul Canha was forced from his car at 
gunpoint, but his hands still tremble as he recounts his ordeal in a 
quivering voice.

Canha, 26, was driving home in the Angolan capital, Luanda, at around 8 
pm when he was surrounded by four youngsters - two with rifles slung 
over their shoulders and a third armed with a small pistol. They dragged 
him out of the car, jumped in and drove off. Although the vehicle was 
later recovered, it was stripped of its stereo, and his cash and 
identity documents were gone.

Canha's frightening experience is no longer out of the ordinary in the 
crowded capital. Observers say such incidents highlight the growing 
frustration with the widening gap between the haves and have-nots.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48513


MALAWI: IMF approves more than $55 million for poverty programmes

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved another three-year 
flow of funds to Malawi after improved economic performance.

Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) the IMF board on 
Friday gave the nod to about US $55.9 million to support the 
government's economic reform and poverty alleviation programmes. The 
PRGF is the IMF's concessional loan facility for low-income countries.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48492


Govt threatens to evict informal settlers

Malawian authorities have ordered residents of informal settlements in 
the capital city, Lilongwe, to vacate their homes by 18 August.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Surveys George 
Mkondiwa said in a statement that failure "to comply with the notice [to 
vacate illegally occupied land] will result in government being 
compelled to deal with the offenders in accordance with the laws of 
Malawi".

Over the years rental prices have increased in the city, and those who 
could not afford formal housing occupied undeveloped land in and around 
the capital.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48549


BOTSWANA: Government wants to brief UN Special Rapporteur on Bushmen

The government of Botswana says it has "no problem" with the UN Special 
Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People visiting the country for a 
briefing on the San Bushmen, who are contesting their relocation from 
the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).

The San Bushmen were relocated to the New Xade and Kaudwane settlements 
outside the reserve after the government drew up controversial plans to 
set aside the CKGR for wildlife and tourism development. San rights 
groups have claimed the Bushmen were forcibly removed from their 
ancestral land to make way for diamond explorations in the CKGR.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48537


MADAGASCAR: Govt battles malnutrition

Almost a month ago, an emaciated Christian Rakotoniania and her 
two-year-old daughter were admitted to the government-run Intensive 
Nutritional and Rehabilitation Centre (CRENI) in the Malagasy capital, 
Antananarivo.

She has not only benefited from balanced meals provided three times a 
day, but also picked up tips on how to feed her family on a budget of 
less than one US dollar a day. Both Rakotoniania and her husband are 
unemployed.

"That is the tragedy of the situation - it is a vicious cycle - we send 
healthy mothers and children back into poverty where they barely manage 
to eat one proper meal a day," commented Dr Julia Rasoaharimalala, who 
heads the centre. "At times we are tempted to keep the mothers here 
longer so they can get stronger. However, we often have to send them 
back earlier because they have children to look after at home".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48506


NAMIBIA: Human rights situation improved, says report

The civil and political rights of citizens "improved remarkably" in the 
past twelve months, but economic, environmental and social rights 
deteriorated, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said in its 
annual report.

"There were less incidents of civil and political rights violations. 
Incidents of hate expression, name-calling ... also decreased 
exponentially towards the end of 2004," the report commented. Similarly, 
discrimination and the abuse of fundamental freedoms were also lower.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48553


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


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