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 267
21 - 27 January 2006


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Dutch urged to act on jamming of Radio Netherlands
MOZAMBIQUE: Communities urged to leave flood prone areas as Zambezi
   rises
MADAGASCAR: Under-resourced aid agencies struggle to raise nutrition
   levels
NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB
MALAWI: Fancy footwork at the political crossroads
SOUTH AFRICA: Property boom in former black townships


ZIMBABWE: Dutch urged to act on jamming of Radio Netherlands

The Dutch government has been urged to take action on the alleged 
jamming by the Zimbabwe authorities of Radio Netherlands broadcasts to 
the country.

Thijs Berman, a Dutch member of the European parliament, told IRIN on 
Thursday that the Zimbabwean government was using jamming equipment to 
block Voice of the People (VOP) programmes produced in Zimbabwe and 
broadcast into the country by Radio Netherlands via its relay station in 
Madagascar.

The government this week moved to muzzle the independent news production 
company VOP, whose entire board of trustees were arrested and charged 
with broadcasting without a licence, reportedly as a result of pressure 
from the National Joint Operational Command, which includes the 
country's Central Intelligence Organisation.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51366


Reserve Bank governor delivers sermon on reform

Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono used his quarterly monetary 
policy statement to rebuke parallel market traders in fuel and other 
essential goods, but delivered little by way of concrete steps to 
reverse the country's ongoing economic meltdown, says an economist.

A recurring theme in Gono's statement was the need to curtail corruption 
in both the public and private sectors. But economist Dennis Nikisi said 
it was pointless to rail against corruption without addressing the 
environment in which corrupt practices flourished.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51330


More children abused as situation worsens

The worsening humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe was making children 
more vulnerable to abuse, according to child rights NGOs.

"For instance, because of the hike in schools fees many children are 
visiting schools [trying to negotiate payment] - it makes them more 
vulnerable at the hands of teachers who exploit them," said Witness 
Chikoko, acting director of the African Network for the Prevention and 
Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51281


Transport problems may limit ability to address food deficit

Zimbabwe's precarious food security situation could improve if imports 
continue to close the gap between national production and consumption 
requirements, but transport bottlenecks may prevent many communities 
from accessing staple commodities, IRIN reported on Monday.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) noted in its latest 
report that the government had made considerable progress in procuring 
maize from outside the country to address the food deficit.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51276


MOZAMBIQUE: Communities urged to leave flood prone areas as Zambezi 
rises

Mozambique remains on alert after weekend flooding affected 12,000 
people, while government and aid agencies are stepping up disaster 
preparedness and response programmes.

Water levels in the Zambezi River Basin were still precariously high, 
said Rita Almeida of the national disaster agency (INGC). "It's not 
flooding now, but the level is very high and we have asked people to 
leave [dangerous] areas," she told IRIN on Monday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51311


MADAGASCAR: Authorities on alert as tropical storm heads toward island

A tropical storm threatens Madagascar's southeast coast but officials 
believe the Indian Ocean island is better prepared for the cyclone 
season this year.

The country has suffered badly in recent years. In 2000, cyclones Eline, 
Gloria and Hudah killed more than 1,000 people and affected over a 
million; in 2004, Gafilo killed over 200, leaving another 300,000 
homeless and devastating a significant portion of the country's 
infrastructure and agricultural land.

Tropical storm 'Boloetse', currently some 300 km off the southeast 
coast, is predicted to hit the world's fourth largest island this 
weekend. Jacky Roland Randimbiarison, executive secretary of 
Madagascar's National Emergency Council (CNS), told IRIN that "although 
we're still monitoring it carefully, it no longer appears to pose a 
major threat".

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51398


Under-resourced aid agencies struggle to raise nutrition levels

Despite efforts by relief agencies to stabilise alarming malnutrition 
levels in southeastern Madagascar, the nutritional situation remains 
fragile.

"The nutrition problem was being dealt with by the World Food Programme 
(WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and cooperating 
partners, but there are still critical challenges that need to be 
addressed," WFP programme coordinator Soava Rakotaorisoa told IRIN on 
Monday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51288


NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB

Despite its status as a middle-income country, Namibia has a high 
incidence of tuberculosis (TB), a poverty-related disease.

Poor geographical access to health services has hampered the treatment 
rate of TB, the country's second biggest killer, said Alfons Babie, an 
official at the recently created directorate for special diseases in the 
health ministry. Instead of the international target of 85 percent 
stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the TB treatment rate 
in Namibia is only 64 percent.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51331


MALAWI: Fancy footwork at the political crossroads

The collapse of an impeachment bid against Malawi's president Bingu wa 
Mutharika has set off a flurry of resignations by opposition 
parliamentarians distancing themselves from the parties that had 
sponsored it.

Maxwell Milanzi, the United Democratic Front (UDF) MP who introduced the 
motion in parliament last year, not only withdrew the bid but has also 
quit his party to become an independent. At least seven MPs have 
recently either resigned from the UDF or the main opposition Malawi 
Congress Party, with five of them announcing their intention of joining 
Mutharika's fledgling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51312


SOUTH AFRICA: Property boom in former black townships

More money in the pockets of middle- to low-income earners has created a 
property boom in South Africa's former black townships, according to a 
new survey.

The 2005 Residential Property Barometer shows more property sales in 
townships like Soweto and Daveyton in Gauteng province, compared to the 
former white suburbs in the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg and 
Pretoria. The barometer is based on a survey of the perceptions and 
expectations of 100 real estate professionals operating in new 
development markets in Gauteng townships, conducted by the First 
National Bank (FNB).

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51360


MOZAMBIQUE: Emergency preparations in full swing as rivers rise

Mozambique's disaster contingency plans could be put to the test as 
continued heavy rains threaten serious flooding in the central regions 
of the country.

The water level in Mozambique's largest river, the Zambezi, is 
precariously high in Marromeu district in the central Sofala province. 
On Thursday the National Water Board (DNA) said it had reached 5.54 
metres - more than a metre above the flood alert level of 4.75 metres.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51400


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