Weekly Round-Up - IRINSA-270: 17-Feb-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
Fax: +27 11 880 1421
e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za
SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 270
11 - 17 February 2006
CONTENTS:
ZIMBABWE: Govt settles IMF debt by printing money
MALAWI: First minister falls to anti-graft crusade
ANGOLA: Uncertainty increases over election date
MOZAMBIQUE: New bridge good, education system bad
SOUTH AFRICA: From landless to landowners - the benefits of land reform
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Too white to be black - the challenge of albinism
ZIMBABWE: Govt settles IMF debt by printing money
Zimbabwe managed to settle its overdue financial obligations to the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week, removing the threat of the
country's expulsion. Reserve bank governor Gideon Gono said the US $9
million payment was made by printing more money to buy foreign exchange,
an approach that analysts said would further stoke inflation, currently
at over 600 percent.
Protestors arrested
Four hundred women protesting over the cost of living were arrested in
Harare and Bulawayo. The Valentine's Day marches were organised by the
pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). The Consumer Council of
Zimbabwe said the monthly cost of living for a family of five had
rocketed to more than US $211 in January. The average salary of a public
servant is US $121.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51702]
Opposition politics bleak
While economic woes piled up for the government, Zimbabwe's main
opposition party appeared to move closer to disintegration. Leader
Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday lost an application to the Supreme Court to
hear his appeal for the nullification of the 2002 presidential election,
which Western and local election observers condemned as neither free nor
fair. With the Movement for Democratic Change split, smaller parties
have emerged weakening the opposition's challenge to President Robert
Mugabe.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51737]
MALAWI: First minister falls to anti-graft crusade
Former Malawi Education Minister Yusuf Mwawa was sentenced to five years
in jail for fraud and corruption. He became the first official convicted
since President Bingu wa Mutharika launched an anti-corruption campaign.
Meanwhile, Vice President Cassim Chilumpha said he hoped he could be
reconciled with Mutharika after the president failed in an attempt to
fire him. A high court nullified Chilumpha's sacking, and referred the
constitutional court for a ruling on whether Mutharika had the authority
to remove him from office without parliament's approval. Mutharika
defied the court's order to reinstate Chilumpha.
ANGOLA: Uncertainty increases over election date
In Angola uncertainty remains over the official election date, with the
opposition UNITA and some NGOs calling for a proper timetable from the
government. Angolans IRIN spoke to on the streets of Luanda appeared
resigned to the continued delay in holding the first poll for more than
a decade.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51752]
A mix-up in figures is delaying the distribution of food rations to
refugees returning to the central highlands province of Bie. A
discrepancy in the numbers provided by the United Nations Refugee
Agency, UNHCR, and the Angolan Ministry of Assistance and Social
Reintegration (MINARS), has meant the registration process has had to be
temporarily suspended pending an inquiry. [See
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51736 ]
MOZAMBIQUE: New bridge good, education system bad
Mozambique finally signed an agreement this week to build a vital bridge
across the Zambezi River to unite north and south and boost economic
development. The US $80 million project is expected to be completed by
2009. Currently the only way across the country's largest river is by
ferry.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51738]
While there were celebrations over the signing of the bridge contract,
education experts said there was nothing to cheer about over the dismal
state of schools in Mozambique. A new plan to ease the crisis has been
dogged by controversy.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51689]
SOUTH AFRICA: From landless to landowners - the benefits of land reform
Next month South Africa will begin expropriating land owned by some
white farmers, which sensationalist media reports have been quick to -
incorrectly - compare with neighbouring Zimbabwe. IRIN looked at the
issue of land reform, focussing on a farm successfully run by black
farmers, as an example of how redistribution can tackle poverty. [See
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51774 ]
Thousands of people turned up outside the Johannesburg High Court on
Monday to show their support for Jacob Zuma at the former South African
deputy president's rape trial, while the presiding judge stepped down
amid claims that he might be biased. Zuma's supporters heckled
supporters of the 31-year-old HIV/AIDS activist who had laid the charge.
[See http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51683]
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Too white to be black - the challenge of albinism
IRIN explored the discrimination faced by people living with albinism.
Apart from the physical toll of the genetic disorder - a high risk of
skin cancer in particular - members of the community are also often
regarded as "cursed" and struggle to be treated as equals. [See
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51755 ]
Remittances - curse or blessing?
Remittances from economic migrants living abroad are usually viewed as a
good thing. The World Bank's Global Economic Prospects 2006 report noted
that officially recorded money sent home worldwide exceeded $232 billion
in 2005. Of this, developing countries received $167 billion, more than
twice the level of development aid from all sources.
However, one analyst IRIN spoke to offered a note of caution.
Remittances should not be viewed as a substitute for economic
development by local government, as ultimately, development depends on
sound domestic economic policies. [See
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51758 ]
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