Weekly Round-Up - IRINSA-282: 12-May-06
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
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e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za
SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 282
6 - 12 May 2006
CONTENTS:
ANGOLA: Cholera epidemic claims more lives
ZIMBABWE: Rising child malnutrition signals impact of poverty/AIDS
SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma rape acquittal hands ruling party a hot potato
ZAMBIA: Labour issues warning ahead of elections
MALAWI: Arrest of journalists bad news for govt critics
ANGOLA: Cholera epidemic claims more lives
Angola's cholera epidemic continues to worsen with the number of deaths
countrywide topping 1,000, according to figures released by the World
Health Organisation (WHO). The UN health agency reported a total of
1,145 deaths in 10 of the country's 18 provinces, all of which have been
affected, and 30,011 cumulative cases. In one 24-hour period last week,
792 new cases and 24 deaths were reported, said WHO. Last month's heavy
rains, overcrowding and appalling sanitation in informal settlements
have helped the waterborne disease spread quickly.
Full report:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53216
ZIMBABWE: Rising child malnutrition signals impact of poverty/AIDS
As inflation in Zimbabwe surged past the 1,000 percent mark this week,
the number of children suffering from severe malnutrition has increased
in suburbs around the capital, Harare, according to aid workers. But in
a country with one of the worst prevalence rates in the world they do
not rule out that the rising number of malnourished children could be
linked to HIV/AIDS. New Hope Zimbabwe, a local NGO providing community
assistance, said it recorded 50 cases of severe malnutrition every week
in Epworth, one of the capital's poorest suburbs.
People continue to be squeezed by steeply rising prices for everyday
essentials and shortages of medication, including antiretroviral drugs
that help keep AIDS at bay, but life is tougher for those affected by
Operation Murambastvina ['Drive out Filth']. A year after the
government's campaign to purge informal settlements, thousands of
affected people are struggling to make ends meet in a deteriorating
economy.
See reports:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53280
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53274
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53243
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53219
SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma rape acquittal hands ruling party a hot potato
As South Africa's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, was acquitted of
rape this week, it raised questions again about the succession battle
within the ruling African National Congress (ANC), and the crisis of
sexual violence in a country with an incidence of reported rape that is
among the highest in the world. Zuma's supporters, who have alleged that
he was the victim of a political conspiracy to destroy his career and
prevent him from succeeding President Thabo Mbeki, who ends his second
and final term in office in 2009, were triumphant. On the other hand,
gender activists felt that the judgment added to a climate where women
feel that the criminal justice system is ineffective in protecting them
from sexual violence.
Full report:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53217
ZAMBIA: Labour issues warning ahead of elections
As general elections approach, Zambian labour unions have threatened to
unseat the ruling party for failing to pay back workers who "sacrificed"
benefits to help the country qualify for debt cancellation. Zambia's
coffers are US$150 million richer after its debts were slashed by rich
countries in reward for sticking to economic reforms under the IMF and
World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Trade
unionists have argued that while government employees allowed a wage
freeze for more than two years to enable Zambia to reach the HIPC
completion point, which led to the debt cancellation, the ruling party's
promises that workers' service conditions would improve were just lip
service.
Full report:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53300
MALAWI: Arrest of journalists bad news for govt critics
The arrest of three journalists this week on criminal libel charges has
been viewed by some commentators as yet another sign of the Malawi
government's willingness to crack down on dissent. Robert Jamieson,
owner of The Chronicle newspaper, its editor, Dickson Kashoti, and
reporter Arnold Mlelemba were arrested on 8 May for allegedly defaming
Malawi's Attorney General, Ralph Kasambara. The three were released on
bail on Tuesday.
The arrest of Jamieson, who heads the Southern African Editors Forum,
follows the detention of Vice-President Cassim Chilumpha on treason
charges for an alleged plot to assassinate President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Several political analysts have dismissed the government's allegations
as part of a simmering power struggle between Mutharika, and former
president Bakili Muluzi and his opposition United Democratic Front, to
which Chilumpha belongs.
Full report:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53279
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