U N I T E D N A T I O N S=20 Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs=20 Integrated Regional Information Network for Southern Africa
Tel: +27 11 880 4633=20 Fax: +27 11 880 1421=20 e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za
SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 45 covering the period 6-12 November 1999
ZIMBABWE: Public health system hit by nurses strike ZIMBABWE: Trade unions warn government ZIMBABWE: Americans freed ZIMBABWE: Government dismisses human rights criticism ANGOLA: Amnesty International criticises media crackdown ANGOLA: New mine laying ANGOLA: Army surrounds rebel enclave ANGOLA: New mines laid near Malanje ANGOLA: State media criticise France ANGOLA: Defence cooperation with Zimbabwe=20 ZAMBIA: Doubts over strategic copper mine sale ZAMBIA: Kaunda's son laid to rest MALAWI: Court backs opposition election application MALAWI: Donors pledge on HIV/AIDS=20 MOZAMBIQUE: New national landmine survey NAMIBIA: Warning on election violence NAMIBIA-ANGOLA: Refugees flee to Namibia, Zambia COMMONWEALTH: Heads of government gather in South Africa
ZIMBABWE: Public health system hit by nurses strike
Nurses employed in Zimbabwe's public health sector went on strike over better pay and working conditions this week throwing the service into fresh disarray a week after the country's junior doctors ended a similar six-week action.
Sources in the Zimbabwe capital, Harare, told IRIN about half the country's registered public health nurses had started the action on Monday mainly at rural clinics. They said hospitals in the major urban centres, however, wer= e still functioning because city nurses were still undecided about the action= =2E
Sources said the strike arose out of a deadlock last week between the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) and the government over the nurses' grading system according to which salaries are set. With inflation running at 70 percent, salaries, wages and allowances in Zimbabwe's health sector for the year 2000 have only been allocated a 14 percent increase.=20
Earlier, rights activists and health officials told IRIN they were concerne= d that a strike by nurses could be even more damaging than the six-week strik= e by doctors. Zimbabwe has some 800 public health doctors and 9,000 nurses, whom they said, formed the backbone of the health service in a country wher= e rural people, who form 70 percent of the 12 million population, do not have recourse to other medical treatment.=20
ZIMBABWE: Trade unions warn government
In a separate labour development this week, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) appealed to the government to drop a proposed AIDS tax or fac= e the prospect of a potentially crippling nationwide strike.
Isidore Zindoga, the ZCTU's acting secretary-general, told IRIN a 3 percent AIDS levy announced by Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa in his budget for the year 2000 would "hit workers on low salaries hard" because it would be in addition to the average low-income 15 percent taxation they already pay on monthly salaries often as low as the equivalent of US $100.
"We are consulting with our branches around the country on what action should be taken if the response from Mr Murerwa is negative. In our letter we pointed out that this levy was imposed without consultation, and we suggested alternatives such as a health insurance scheme or the reduction o= f the defence budget," Zindoga said.
Other labour sources in Zimbabwe told IRIN the ZCTU's 400,000-plus members, were expected to overwhelmingly endorse collective job action to force the authorities to back down on the so-called AIDS levy.
"It is unfair to impose another tax on workers who are facing poverty, and daily having to deal with the consequences of very high inflation, now running at 70 percent, and very low incomes. If they turn us down, to be very frank about it, there will be a problem," Zindoga said.=20
According to official figures, about 1,200 people are dying weekly in Zimbabwe of HIV/AIDS-related causes. The number of people getting infected is calculated at 2,000 per week. Zimbabwe, which has a population of 12 million, currently has approximately 300,000 so-called AIDS orphans.=20
ZIMBABWE: Americans freed
Three American missionaries serving sentences on weapons charges were freed at the weekend. The men were arrested in March at Harare's international airport and accused of possessing 39 guns and other weapons. During their trial, they admitted to carrying weapons which they said were for recreatio= n and self-defence.=20
The three men have written a report documenting alleged human rights abuses by the Zimbabwean authorities, and plan to give the report to international human rights groups. Amnesty International has already protested the beatings and electric shock torture described earlier by the three men.=20
ZIMBABWE: Government dismisses human rights criticism
The Zimbabwean government this week described a report criticising its huma= n rights record as "utter rubbish."=20
Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge told the official 'Herald' newspaper: "This i= s ridiculous and utter rubbish. The report was prepared by young toddlers trying to come to grips with important international relations."
The report by the Labour Party-linked Foreign Policy Centre in London, said the time had come for the Commonwealth to take a stronger stance on issues of good governance. It said the organisation needed to "go deeper on democracy" and work with governments to promote good practice. It proposed the appointment of a Commonwealth good governance commissioner to act as a "catalyst for a democratic Commonwealth."
ANGOLA: Amnesty International criticises media crackdown
As an Angolan journalist, Rafael Marques, remained in detention for the third week running, Amnesty International warned this week that freedom of expression in Angola was being stifled with the government using legal procedures to "arrest, question and intimidate journalists, apparently with the intention of silencing criticism."
A spokesman from the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) told IRIN that Marques had still not been charged and that there was no indication on the part of the authorities as to what his fate may be after his bail application was refused. A writer for the newspaper 'Folha 8', Marques is coordinator of the Angolan chapter of the Open Society Initiative in Southern Africa.
In its latest report, 'Angola: Freedom of expression under threat', Amnesty International said: "The right to freedom of information is essential to enable Angolans to know what is really happening in their country and allow them to contribute to the resolution of the crisis in a meaningful way."
Since January this year, 20 journalists working with independent publications had been detained and questioned about reports which the government saw as defamatory and or slandering the state. Amnesty called on the Angolan government to "take immediate and urgent steps" to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and to protec= t the integrity and security of journalists and media workers.=20
ANGOLA: New mine laying
Humanitarian organisations said this week they were concerned that new mine= s were being laid near the eastern city of Luena.
A total of 24 incidents were reported in the last two months within a 60 km perimeter around Luena, capital of Moxico Province. Access roads are being re-mined by "unknown groups of people", according to a UN report.=20
October's toll of mine blasts was the worst so far this year with 29 people killed or wounded in 18 incidents. According to aid workers in Luena, most of the explosions occurred within a 25 km perimeter of the city. The majority of the victims were civilians.
They reported that a man was recently captured by the police in Luena smuggling anti-personnel mines into the city. The aid workers said there wa= s speculation among residents that the UNITA rebel movement was paying people to lay new mines.=20
ANGOLA: Army surrounds rebel enclave
In the rest of the province, the government army (FAA) has reportedly surrounded the UNITA rebel enclave of Cazombo on the Zambian border, the last municipality not in government hands.=20
However, road movement in the area remained restricted to the FAA only, and from Luena does not extend beyond Lucusse 110 km to the southeast, and Luacano 220 km to the east.
ANGOLA: New mines laid near Malanje
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported fresh mine incidents near the city of Malanje, some 350 km east of the captial, Luanda. On 2 November a WFP lorry hit an anti-tank mine close to the city. On 21 October another WFP-contracted lorry detonated an anti-personnel mine in the same area.=20
"These incidents reinforce the need for WFP to evaluate the security situation carefully before increasing the volume of road transport in the Central North Region," the agency said.
ANGOLA: State media criticise France
Angola's state media this week accused France of supporting the UNITA rebel movement. State television criticised what it called the "growing presence of Savimbi supporters in Paris, which is a contravention of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations on UNITA."=20
A French government official denied the allegations saying Paris was fully compliant with UN sanctions against the rebels.
ANGOLA: Defence cooperation with Zimbabwe=20
Zimbabwe's defence minister, Moven Mahachi, visited Angola for three days this week to discuss military cooperation between the two countries and the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mahachi and his Angolan counterparts denied news reports alleging that Zimbabwe had sent troops to help government forces against UNITA. Mahachi also said the two countries had no intention of withdrawing their intervention forces from the DRC.
ZAMBIA: Doubts over strategic copper mine sale
The proposed sale of some of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) loss-making assets to the South African mining giant, Anglo American for US $90 million, was criticised by local analysts this week as a "give-away" by the government.
Under an agreement signed nearly three weeks ago, the South African-based conglomerate will pay US $30 million in cash to ZCCM to acquire the Konkola group of mines. These include the Konkola Deep Mine project, the Nchanga copper mines and the Nampundwe pyrite mine. The outstanding US $60 million will be paid out over three years.=20
IRIN has published a focus report giving details of a deal likely to have a major impact on the economy, and the job market in rural Zambia. It can be viewed on the Internet at http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/
ZAMBIA: Kaunda's son laid to rest
Wezi Kaunda, the son of the former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, was laid to rest in the Zambian capital Lusaka, a week after he was assassinated by gunmen who ambushed his car. =20 Wezi Kaunda was shot and killed last week in what police said was a car hijacking but which his family believes was a political assassination. Wezi= , 47, was forced out of his car and shot several times just outside his home in Lusaka last week. A bus driver and a gunman allegedly in his employ appeared in court this week on murder charges.
MALAWI: Court backs opposition election application
Malawi's Supreme court this week ruled in favour of an opposition demand to inspect voting materials in 15 of the country's 27 districts following the June general elections.
Simon Kambalame, a spokesman for Malawi Electoral Commission told IRIN: "Th= e court ordered the commission to produce voting materials to the opposition coalition's lawyers within 21 days from the date of the ruling and that the opposition must inspect these within 21 days following their access thereto." These inspections, according to the court, would be conducted at the disputed centres, added Kambalame.
The opposition coalition grouping the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) launched an appeal to the Supreme court in July after the Lilongwe High court dismissed their application to annul the results of the 12 June elections. The coalition argued that the elections had rigged by the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) of President Bakili Muluzi by, among others, printing extra ballot papers in Malawi in addition to those printed in Britain.
An African diplomat in the capital, Lilongwe, said the inspection could lea= d to irregularities being uncovered. "There are claims that many ballot boxes were not properly sealed, which have fuelled suspicions that these might have been stuffed with fraudulent votes," the diplomat said, adding that this could open the proverbial "can of worms".
The diplomat added that the coalition appears to be using this case as a forerunner to challenge the validity of Muluzi's second term in office. "Th= e opposition coalition seems intent on ensuring that Muluzi's government is weakened and that it fails to effectively govern the poverty-stricken country."
MALAWI: Donors pledge on HIV/AIDS=20
International donors say they will support Malawi's new strategy to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Talks between donors and the government are expected to begin next month to discuss funding mechanisms for the strategy which was launched in October. "We and other donors look forward to participating in this round table discussion and providing whatever support to ensure that the government mobilises the resources it needs to implement the strategy," said World Ban= k Representative in Malawi, Barbara Kafka. "This is an excellent strategy and we are pleased with the level of political commitment shown so far because HIV/AIDS is a major development challenge to this country."
A recent HIV/AIDS assessment study by the Malawi government and the World Bank indicated that at least 25 percent of the urban workforce will die fro= m the epidemic within the next 10 years. According to the study, the hardest hit sectors include health and education where the annual personnel death rate is now 3 percent, six times higher than the predicted 0.5 percent.=20
MOZAMBIQUE: New national landmine survey
A national landmine survey being undertaken by the Canadian International Demining Centre (CIDC) is to begin in Mozambique next January in an initiative to improve the effectiveness of de-mining programmes in the country.
According to official government figures, an estimated 500,000 landmines were planted during the post-independence civil war. Funding is to be provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). A spokesman for the CIDC in Maputo told IRIN this week that "the survey had the general objective of gathering, analysing and disseminating information on the general location of known and suspected mine areas throughout Mozambique, and assessing their socio-economic impact on affected populations and development activities and policies."
He said the information gathered would be used by the Instituto Nacional de Desminagem (IND)as a step towards prioritising areas for de-mining and by other organisations for development-related planning.
The spokesman said that the CIDC hoped to complete the survey within a year during which 900 areas are to be surveyed. According to the 1999 Landmine Monitor Report, published by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), the most heavily mined regions were along the border with Zimbabwe, in the west of Manica Province= , in the central Zambezia and Tete provinces, and Southern Maputo and Inhambane provinces.
NAMIBIA: Warning on election violence
The Namibian Society for Human Rights (NSHR) this week sent President Sam Nujoma what it called an "early warning" to do all he can to prevent violence in the run-up to general elections at the end of the month.
In an open letter to the president, the society's executive director, Phil ya Nangoloh, said: "As the human rights monitoring and advocacy organisatio= n in this country, we are directing this message to Your Excellency to bring to your very urgent attention what appears to be a deliberate campaign of intimidation." He said it was a campaign aimed at denying parties other tha= n the ruling Southwest Africa Peoples organisation (SWAPO) access to the electorate, especially the country's four majority ethnic Ovambo districts.
The country's 700,000 voters go to the polls on 30 November and 1 December in two-day presidential and parliamentary election, during which SWAPO will face the challenge of a new political party, the Congress of Democrats (CoD), led by a former SWAPO dissident and ambassador to Britain, Ben Ulenga. Nujoma, 70, has led SWAPO since 1960, and became head of state when the nation won independence from South Africa in 1990. The party swept the last elections in 1994 which passed off without violence or intimidation.= =20
The society said it had reports and had witnessed instances where, shortly before a CoD rally starts, SWAPO supporters turn out in a vehicle or vehicles fitted with loudspeakers and attempt to drown out the speeches. "Needless to say, Mr President, this state of affairs is not only in complete conflict with the common law of this country, but also in conflict with the very Constitution of which Your Excellency is the prime custodian,= " the letter said. The society urged Nujoma to publicly denounce such intimidation and acts of violence.
NAMIBIA-ANGOLA: Refugees flee to Namibia, Zambia
The number of Angolan refugees fleeing into Namibia has more than doubled since the beginning of the year because of increased fighting between government forces and UNITA rebels, a UNHCR official told IRIN this week.
Mengeshe Kebede of UNHCR said the number of people accommdated at the Osire refugee camp, situated about 200 km north of the Namibian capital, Windhoek= , had doubled from 2,000 asylum seekers at the beginning of the year to some 4,000 by the end of September.
"The number of Angolans entering Namibia has been increasing steadily since June, and in October alone about 260 asylum seekers entered Namibia, while 100 more have already been registered since the beginning of November," Kebede said. He said should the fighting in the eastern parts of Angola intensify, it was possible that the Angolan refugee population at Osire might reach the 5,000 mark.
At the same time, UNHCR spokesman in Lusaka, Zambia, told IRIN that about 300 additional refugees, most of them Angolans, had entered Zambia over the last week. "There are about 40 refugees a day who enter the North Western Province of Zambia," Dominik Bartsch told IRIN.=20
The movement of Angolans into neighbouring countries follows the Angolan government's offensive against UNITA-held territories in the east and southern parts of the war-torn country.
COMMONWEALTH: Heads of government gather in South Africa
The three-day Commonwealth summit opened in the South African east coast city of Durban on Friday with an opening address by Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, in which he stressed two key goals of the organisation - its commitment to democracy and the eradication of poverty.=20
The summit is expected to consider the issues of debt relief for the world'= s poorest nations, developoment strategies, guarantees on freedom of speech and human rights, and the HIV/AIDS crisis, officials said.
The Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) Trust said it would lobby leader= s of Britain and its former colonies to give greater priority to research on developing a vaccine that would be affordable and suitable for developing countries. "The idea behind it is we encourage the heads of government in their communiqu=E9 to point out that HIV/AIDS is a state of emergency,'' CM= A director Marianne Haslegrave said.
Johannesburg, 12 November 1999 10:40 GMT
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