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SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 36 covering the period 4 September - 10 September 1999
ZIMBABWE: New political party to be launched
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and civic groups will on Saturday launch the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as a political party which aims to challenge the ruling ZANU-PF of Robert Mugabe in next year's parliamentary elections.
The 'Zimbabwe Independent' said the ZCTU's general secretary Morgan Tsvangirai, its president Gibson Sibanda, and deputy president Nicholas Mudzengerere are tipped to form the nucleus of the new party's interim executive. Other members expected to lead the new party are said to be constitutional lawyer Welshman Ncube, law lecturer Lovemore Madhuku, human rights lawyer David Coltart, Catholic church worker Mike Auret, college lecturer Fidelis Mhashu and two unnamed former students of University of Zimbabwe.
Donors emulate IMF credit facility
Taking a cue from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which released US $193 million in aid to Zimbabwe last month, other donors have earmarked at least another US $141.25 to help reform a battered economy.
The African Development Bank (ADB) announced on Monday it would give Zimbabwe US $140 million to support Zimprest, the country's economic reform programme launched by President Robert Mugabe last year.
According to news reports, the British government's Department for International Development (DFID) will also contribute about US $1.25 million for the establishment of a privatisation agency to speed up the government's divestiture and privatisation efforts. The reports quoted the DFID as saying the agency will be based in the president's office.
The privatisation programme, said the reports, would cover Air Zimbabwe, Zisco Steel, the National Railways of Zimbabwe, the Cold Storage Company and the Forestry Commission and timetables for their privatisation were expected to be submitted to an IMF delegation that is currently visiting the country. The government has reportedly committed itself to accelerate privatisation to reduce the budget deficit over a three-year period. World Bank to ease debt burden
The World Bank is also expected to release about US $200 million in financial support to help Zimbabwe deal with its economic problems. The World Bank resident representative in Zimbabwe, Thomas Allen, was quoted on Monday as saying that a plan to ease Zimbabwe's debt burden will be presented to the World Bank board next week.
John Makumbe, a political analyst, told IRIN on Monday that the flurry of aid into the country will be crucial in improving the economic situation. "These reform programmes, if implemented, have the possibility of turning around an economy that is on the verge of collapse," Makumbe said. He added: "Although political conditions are beginning to change, it remains to be seen three to six months down the line whether the government will still pursue the envisaged changes."
The IMF suspended balance-of-payment support to Zimbabwe last August citing a range of governance issues.
ANGOLA: Journalist detained in crackdown
An Angolan journalist was questioned by police this week and independent 'Radio Eclesia' was forced to suspend broadcasting a news service from the Catholic Church in Portugal in the government's latest media crackdown.
Gilberto Neto was detained on Friday for 12 hours and returned on Monday for further questioning, a journalist at his newspaper 'Folha 8' told IRIN. Neto was summoned by police because of the newspaper's coverage of the arrest of 10 journalists last month for broadcasting an interview with UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, news reports said.
And, in what media sources in Luanda described as "more pressure on the political media", the minister of communications on Wednesday told the church-owned station 'Radio Eclesia' that a daily news programme from Lisbon could no longer be aired.
MISA condemns harassment
Meanwhile, in an alert on the government's clampdown on the independent media, the rights watchdog the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said that at least eight journalists were interrogated by the authorities between 19 August and 6 September to "discourage commentary and reporting on the civil war."
According to MISA, independent journalists working in war-affected areas have been particularly affected: "Several journalists in the provincial capitals of Malange in the north and Bie in the central highlands told MISA-Angola that they feared for their lives after the authorities resorted to legal actions to arrest local correspondents of national and independent media and labelling them enemies of the state."
IMF approval
The head of an IMF mission to Angola said in a newspaper interview published on Thursday the country could qualify for IMF assistance as early as February next year, Reuters reported.
"We are thinking that we are on a good path to initiate a monetary programme from sometime after January 2000," Brazilian Paulo Neuhaus told state-owned 'Jornal de Angola'. Angola is seeking a structural adjustment facility which would allow it to reschedule some of its US $12 billion in external debt, among other benefits.
ZAMBIA: Mines privatisation poser for government
The pullout from a purchase deal for Zambia's copper mines last month by one of the major bidders has left the government searching frantically for a survival plan for the beleaguered Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM).
Codelco, a Chilean copper parastatal, announced its withdrawal from the deal to jointly acquire the ZCCM together with South African-based Anglo American, arguing that the purchase did not meet its investment criteria. The decision has thrown into disarray Zambia's hope of privatising its debt-riddled copper mines.
An economic analyst told IRIN on Tuesday that one option open to the Zambian government was to let Anglo American manage the mines under contract. "However, the government will have to mobilise resources to keep the mines running," the analyst said, adding that it costs the Zambian governmment about US $2 million per month to keep them open. "The government cannot allow ZCCM, which generates 90 percent of Zambia's foreign exchange, to close down," said the analyst.
An Anglo American spokesperson confirmed to IRIN that a high-powered delegation from the Zambian government and ZCCM officials met company representatives in Johannesburg on Monday as part of what she called "ongoing discussions regarding the privatisation of ZCCM". She declined to comment on the nature of the discussions.
However, news reports said the Zambian delegation would meet Anglo American, a 27.3 percent shareholder in ZCCM, to consider, among other options, the possibility of unbundling the units and selling them off as separate entities. Another option being considered by the government, added the reports, was joint ventures with foreign and local firms that could save ZCCM from closure.
No economic growth - report
The Zambian economy has not experienced any growth so far this year and the government's four percent target is unlikely to be met, according to Barclays Bank's Quarterly Economic Review.
The report for the second quarter of the year, released on Monday, said the government was relying on the sale of mines, a good harvest and reduced tariffs for the manufacturing sector to meet its growth target. But mine sales have been further delayed, and late fertiliser supplies and bad weather have combined to produce an unexpectedly low harvest.
Ukraine government protests spy charges
Ukraine has asked for an official explanation from the Zambian government over the detention of nine of its nationals on charges of espionage, the BBC reported on Wednesday. According to the report, a protest note was handed to the Zambian ambassador in South Africa.
The Ukranians and a South African were crew members of a Ukrainian plane which was impounded in Zambia last month. BBC quoted Ukrainian television as saying that the plane in which the group was travelling was forced to land and the crew were accused of transporting weapons to the UNITA rebel movement in neighbouring Angola.
Armed gang threatens UNHCR staff
An armed gang is terrorising UNHCR staff members working in the Maheba refugee settlement in Zambia's Western province, a UNHCR official told IRIN on Thursday.
"A week ago an armed gang of about 12 attacked the UNHCR's office and killed a guard in the process," the official said, adding that in one month there have been two shooting incidents outside the offices, forcing staff members to flee the settlement to the nearby town of Solwezi.
The official said the majority of refugees at the settlement are from Angola. "Although we cannot confirm the identities of the gang, it appears as if they are people with access to guns who have managed to infiltrate the settlement posing as refugees," added the official.
NAMIBIA: Torture allegations probed
The Namibian police have begun investigations into allegations that members of the police force were involved in torturing suspected Caprivi secessionists, 'The Namibian' said on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, members from the Police Complaints and Discipline Unit were dispatched to the Caprivi area to investigate the accusations. Following a 2 August attack on the regional capital of Katima Mulilo by armed separatists, there were widespread media reports of torture by both the police and members of the army of suspects detained in security sweeps.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hage Geingob has avoided condemning the alleged human right abuses, 'The Namibian' reported on Wednesday. Speaking at the opening of parliament on Tuesday, Geingob referred to the "unfortunate excesses" by security forces but failed to denounce their actions.
The Namibian National Society for Human Rights expressed its "indignation" at the "wishy-washy" approach of the government to the Caprivi issue as expressed by Geingob. In a statement received by IRIN on Wednesday, the rights group said "there is no excuse for human rights abuses."
COMORO: Diplomatic intervention needed
An accord reached earlier this year aimed at ending secessionist agitation on the Comoro island archipelago is under threat following two days of political violence this week on the breakaway island of Anjouan.
"Right now the situation is very confused and fluid," a diplomatic source on the main island of Grand Comore told IRIN on Wednesday. "There's a political impasse, an outside initiative is needed. The OAU (Organisation of African Unity) needs to come back and restart negotiations."
An OAU-mediated agreement was reached in April in Madagascar, giving greater autonomy to the two smaller islands of Anjouan and Moheli, and introducing a three-year rotating presidency between the three islands within a federal structure.
But the process "has taken too long to move forward," the diplomat said.
The violence on Anjouan began on Sunday and involved heavy gunfire. It pitted government supporters who want to renegotiate the Madagascar agreement to create a union of independent islands, against those opposed to secession. The anti-separatists lost, and on Tuesday many of them fled to the French territory of Mayotte where they have reportedly been detained as illegal immigrants.
BOTSWANA: Aggressive anti-AIDS programme needed
A more aggressive hands-on campaign is needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Botswana, one of the worst hit countries in Africa, according to a mid-term review by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the government.
"The challenge right now is for Botswana to try to move from building a pretty high level of awareness to a programme that has more of an impact on people's lives," Macharia Kamau, UNDP's resident representative told IRIN on Tuesday. "In a sense, the last four to five years has not been as aggressive or successful as we, including the government, would like to see."
According to UNAIDS figures, over one person in five between the ages of 15 and 49 is living with HIV or AIDS in Botswana. The number of children estimated to have HIV/AIDS has doubled between 1994 to 1997 to 7,300. Botswana has a population of just 1.5 million.
"Cases are rising and there is no plateau in sight. Individually, people are not changing their behaviour," Kamau said. The response is to "take an aggressive look at translating awareness into action, things like condoms easily accessible to all.
State of emergency lifted
President Festus Mogae of Botswana lifted a controversial state of emergency on Tuesday after he signed into law an amendment to the election legislation that would allow about 60,000 registered voters to be added to the voters roll, AFP reported on Monday.
Mogae declared a state of emergency last week so that he could recall parliament and have the voters added to the voters roll. The voters could not be included on the roll because Mogae had issued a writ announcing the 16 October election date, before the names had been published for inspection.
A spokesman for the Botswana Electoral Commission told IRIN on Monday that an estimated 450,000 people had registered for the elections out of about 800,000 eligible voters. "The situation is very normal and the elections will go ahead as planned on the date that the president announced," he said.
But Mogae's government has been strongly criticised by opposition parties for declaring a state of emergency. Lepetu Setshwaelo, presidential candidate for the Botswana Alliance Movement said: "This government is totally incompetent and this is the biggest scandal since our independence."
MOZAMBIQUE: Logistical problems hamper voter registration
Logistical problems are hampering Mozambique's voter registration, media reports said on Wednesday. According to the general director of the Electoral Administration and Technical Secretariat (STAE) Antonio Carrasco, vehicle shortages and communication problems were making the registration process difficult, especially in the more remote rural areas. The cut-off date for voter registration is 17 September, with the election date set for 3 December. Mozambique has an estimated 8.3 million potential voters.
Cashew workers threaten action
Mozambique's cashew nut workers have threatened to strike unless the government passes a bill to protect the cashew processing industry by banning the export of raw cashew nuts for a 10-year period.
The National Union of Cashew Workers claimed that the government's World Bank-imposed policy of exporting raw nuts to India for processing has cost 2,500 workers their jobs and a further 7,000 have had their contracts indefinitely suspended, media reports said. They added that all but one of the large processing plants has closed. The only surviving processing plant is reportedly the Mocita factory in the southern city of Xai-Xai, which is partly owned by South African-based Anglo American Corporation.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa prepares for a possible peace keeping role in the DRC
South African soldiers have begun training for a possible peacekeeping role in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). South African Defence Minister Patrick Lekota was quoted in news reports as saying that a group of about 230 soldiers were receiving training for a possible call-up by the United Nations. He said that the group was being trained "for various peacekeeping roles."
However, he added that deployment would depend on the United Nations and Organisation for African Unity (OAU). "Only when we are invited to contribute to a contingent to build the peacekeeping force can we do so. Therefore we can only know how much we are going to participate when a request is presented to us by the UN," he said.
Meanwhile in a statement sent to IRIN, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said South Africa had trained eight military officers for involvement in the first stage of the UN mission in the DRC, one of whom was chosen to be deployed in the UN office in Kampala. In addition the SANDF said that about 72 volunteers were selected to receive Military Observer Training which will be completed on Friday.
After the signing of the Lusaka Agreement by the DRC rebel leaders, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan recommended to the Security Council that the UN side of the implementation of the agreement be dealt with in three phases. Firstly the deployment of unarmed military liaison officers to the capital cities of the signatories and, if possible to the headquarters of the rebel groups. The second phase would be the deployment of up to 500 military observers inside the DRC and thirdly the deployment of a peacekeeping force.
AFRICA: AIDS overtakes malaria as prime killer
More than two-thirds of the estimated 33.4 million people in the world living with HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to latest figures by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS.
For the first time, AIDS this year outstripped malaria as the prime source of health-related death in Africa, AFP reported. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in eastern and southern Africa, AIDS is now claiming more lives than warfare, the continent's traditional scourge.
"AIDS has been around for only 20 years, but it is already killing more people than any other infectious disease," noted Peter Piot, UNAIDS' executive director, presenting the WHO's annual report on world health.
In Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, AIDS or HIV has hit a quarter of people aged between 15 and 49, and life expectancy has shrivelled from 70 to just 40-45 years.
Zimbabwe slams drug companies
Zimbabwe's Health Minister Timothy Stamps has slammed western pharmaceutical producers of AIDS suppressants over the sheer cost of drugs and patents rights claims.
In an interview with AFP, he criticised some US manufacturers of AIDS suppressants for blocking Brazil from exporting one product to other countries because of patent rights. Stamps said Brazil has been able to produce an equivalent of AZT (Zidovudine), which limits mother-to-child transmission, for a 100th of the current costs. "What is more important patent rights or patients' rights? It's a moral disgrace," Stamps said.
Johannesburg, 10 September 1999
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