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SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 172 for 27 March - 2 April 2004 - OCHA IRIN

Monday 19 July 2004


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IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 172 for 27 March - 2 April 2004

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

ANGOLA: Drastic cuts in rations as WFP faces pipeline breaks
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Heavy rains in Angola flood Zambia and Botswana
NAMIBIA: Rescue workers start evacuation in Caprivi
SOUTH AFRICA: Slow start of ARV rollout
SWAZILAND: Textile industry under threat over AGOA rule
ZAMBIA: DRC refugees could go back by this weekend, officials say
ZIMBABWE: IMF calls for talks on economic crisis
LESOTHO: Food security situation "alarming" - report
MADAGASCAR: WFP praises SA assistance
MOZAMBIQUE: Humanitarian agencies battle drought, poverty and HIV/AIDS

ANGOLA: Drastic cuts in rations as WFP faces pipeline breaks

The twin setbacks of insufficient funding and a government ban on genetically modified (GM) foods have put the World Food Programme's (WFP) live-saving operations in Angola at risk, forcing the agency to halve rations to beneficiaries in April and May.

WFP spokesman Richard Lee told IRIN on Friday its operations in Angola faced a "severe funding crisis, which has forced the agency to drastically reduce rations" to its beneficiaries. So far the agency has only received 24 percent, or US $35 million of the US $143 million appeal for Angola in 2004.

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Luanda withdraws from UN peacekeeping mission

The Angolan government announced this week that it will not participate in a UN peacekeeping mission to Cote d'Ivoire. A senior Angolan official told IRIN on Wednesday that the move followed claims that Luanda was too close to Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo.

Angola's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joao Bernardo de Miranda, announced on Tuesday that his government was going to decline a UN invitation to send peacekeepers, in what would have been Angola's first UN mission.

Angola's ambassador to South Africa, Isaac Maria dos Anjos, told IRIN that some members of the United Nations had "raised objections to the inclusion of the Angolan troops in the mission - they claimed we are too close to the Cote d'Ivoire government. They [the UN members] claimed that objections had been raised by the opposition in Cote d'Ivoire."

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Mushrooming small entrepreneurs

Hundreds of small entrepreneurs in Angola are signing up for schemes that lend money and provide advice to those wanting to start their own small business, IRIN reported on Monday.

One such entrepreneur is Isabel Samba Mario. Single-handedly raising five children, with the youngest just eight years old, this remarkable woman is managing to juggle the demands of both family and a flourishing small business.

Up before dawn to get supplies for her market stall, Samba Mario also runs a household, gets her children to school on time, and earns enough from selling kitchen pots to put a meal on the table when they get home.

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SOUTHERN AFRICA: Heavy rains in Angola flood Zambia and Botswana

Abnormal rainfall in Angola has inundated river systems and caused extensive flooding in neighbouring Zambia and northern Botswana, disaster officials told IRIN on Friday.

"More than 4,480 households have been affected as the Zambezi continues to rise," said Dominiciano Mulenga, the national coordinator of Zambia's Disaster Management Unit.

"As heavy rains continue to fall in Angola and in the Western province, we expect the Zambezi to flood Lake Kariba. We will eventually have to open the sluice gates, which will lead to further flooding downstream [in southern Zambia]," Mulenga explained

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Treatment programmes skewed in favour of urban males

IRIN reported on Tuesday that the shortfall in extending antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV positive people in Southern Africa is "enormous", with mostly educated, urban males benefiting from existing programmes.

Only one eligible person in 25,000 in the region was currently receiving treatment, according to a study conducted by the Regional Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa (Equinet) and Oxfam GB, focusing on equity in health sector responses to HIV/AIDS.

"Adult HIV prevalence in Southern Africa is estimated at 13.7 percent, with upper ranges of over 30 percent. This translates into approximately 15 million adults and children currently infected. Of these an estimated 700,000 to 1 million currently have AIDS. Such data indicates the significant burden of the disease in the region, and the scale of the response required," the report said.

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NAMIBIA: Rescue workers start evacuation in Caprivi

Namibian rescue workers began moving villagers to higher ground this week as the Zambezi burst its banks along the eastern border of the Caprivi strip, IRIN reported on Thursday.

"We have started evacuating people to drier areas," Timothy Shixungileni, acting director of the Emergency Management Unit told IRIN. Twenty households had been evacuated so far as the Zambezi rose past the seven-metre mark.

The flooding, which began last month, has affected some 40,000 people, according to the Namibia Red Cross Society.

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Govt predicts a bumper crop

IRIN reported on Tuesday that after a drought year in 2002/03, the Namibian government has predicted a bumper winter crop, the best in six seasons.

In its current report the Namibia Early Warning and Food Information System (NEWFIS) has predicted a total grain production of 155,000 tonnes for 2004/05.

A spokesperson for NEWFIS said the last "normal season" had produced 135,000 mt of grain. "This season's production is expected to be eight percent higher than the normal production realised in 1999/2000".

Last season Namibia produced only 73,200 tonnes of grain.

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Red Cross allocates funds for flood-hit Caprivi

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated almost US $74,000 for relief efforts in the flood-hit areas of Caprivi in northeastern Namibia, IRIN reported on Tuesday.

Razia Essack-Kauaria, secretary-general of the Namibia Red Cross Society, told IRIN that "this year's floods have already affected more people [than last year's floods]". "Kabbe and Katima constituencies, located in the low-lying areas along the Zambezi, which flows along the eastern border of Namibia's Caprivi strip, have been submerged."

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SOUTH AFRICA: Slow start of ARV rollout

On Thursday IRIN reported on the first day of an anti-AIDS drugs rollout in South Africa's Gauteng province.

Dr Blackburn was one of eight doctors, a team of pharmacists, nurses, and dieticians on duty at the new antiretroviral treatment (ART) clinic at Johannesburg Hospital on Thursday, awaiting the expected flood of patients seeking treatment for HIV/AIDS.

Although not the rush anticipated, the ART clinic saw 35 patients and put five on antiretrovirals (ARV) over the course of the day as the government's long-awaited programme to provide free ARVs through the public health system began, albeit initially as a pilot scheme.

To qualify for ART, a patient must have a CD4 count (which measures the strength of the immune system) of 200 or below and be committed to following the regimen strictly.

Five hospitals - Johannesburg Hospital, Chris Hani-Baragwanath, Helen Joseph, Coronation and Kalafong - will provide the drugs to people living with HIV/AIDS in Gauteng, South Africa's economic heartland.

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Army to investigate officer's death

On Wednesday IRIN noted that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has launched an investigation into the shooting of a senior officer in the country's peacekeeping contingent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the official news service, BuaNews.

An unknown gunman shot and killed Colonel Siyalala Apheus Mothapo late on Monday outside the Adikivu base in Bukavu, northeastern DRC.

Colonel Kwena Mangope of the SANDF said the circumstances surrounding the death of the officer were still unclear, but an investigation was underway. The UN is also investigating his death.

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All eyes on volatile province

Reports of two deaths from politically motivated violence in South Africa's volatile KwaZulu-Natal province were not an indication that next month's elections would be marred by widespread conflict, analyst Paul Graham told IRIN on Monday.

Graham, executive director of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), said while it would be "foolhardy to say that ... some individuals are not going to get injured, the nature of the state has changed, so that you are unlikely to get the kind of unrestrained violence that was present during the 1980s and 1990s".

The province has been a hotbed of political violence for years, as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) - traditionally strong in KwaZulu-Natal due to its ethnic Zulu bias - battled for control.

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Good rainfalls boost maize supply and reduce prices

Good rains and predictions of a better harvest have led to a considerable drop in the price of maize on South African markets, IRIN reported on Monday.

Earlier this year, drought and forecasts of poor maize production had led the government to declare seven of the country's nine provinces disaster areas.

The South African Chamber of Milling's executive director, Jannie de Villiers, told IRIN: "We have had very good rainfalls since February - the situation has much improved."

Both yellow and white maize dropped from between R1,300 (US $204) and R1,400 ($219.7) a tonne earlier in the year, to a current price range of R1,040 ($163.2) to R1,122 ($176.04) a tonne.

According to these figures, South Africa is set to have a supply of more than 9 million mt of maize at its disposal, against a total demand of a little more than 8 million mt.

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SWAZILAND: Textile industry under threat over AGOA rule

Swaziland's flourishing textile industry is experiencing a crisis, caused by delays in US legislation that would extend a deadline in the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), and enable Swazi exports to continue entering the market duty-free, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

"Already, about one thousand garments workers out of 28,000 employed nationally have lost their jobs because of the uncertainty over AGOA. Each worker supports 10 dependants," said Sipho Mamba, Secretary-General of the Swaziland Manufacturing and Allied Workers Union.

According to the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment, a quarter of the population is either directly or indirectly dependent on factories that export under AGOA.

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Campaign to help AIDS-hit education system

Also on Wednesday, IRIN reported that Swaziland is establishing a local branch of the UN-supported Global Campaign for Education in an effort to improve the kingdom's schools and curriculum.

"Our goal is to provide free and quality education to all Swazis - to all children, of course - but also to Swazi women, to correct a historical imbalance," Evart Dlamini, acting administrator for the campaign, told IRIN.

The Global Campaign for Education has the backing of the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and is comprised of teachers' unions and education-oriented NGOs in participating countries. Dlamini is an official of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers, which is spearheading the national campaign in partnership with the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), the Swaziland Council of Churches, and the Swaziland branch of Women and Law in Southern Africa.

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ZAMBIA: DRC refugees could go back by this weekend, officials say

More than 1,000 Congolese refugees sent fleeing into northern Zambia earlier this month by renewed fighting near the border could return home by this weekend, Zambian officials told IRIN on Wednesday.

"According to our reports, these Congolese citizens - about 1,038 - fled following threats from the Mayi-Mayi [rebels] that they would blow up their villages by 30 March, and there were skirmishes in the villages bordering Lake Maweru [between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Zambia]," said Zambia's Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Kennedy Sakeni.

Citing reports received on Wednesday, he said, "we have had no reports of any skirmishes on the DRC side, so we expect the fleeing Congolese to go back by this weekend."

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ZIMBABWE: IMF calls for talks on economic crisis

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged that tripartite talks on Zimbabwe's economic challenges be restarted by government, unions and business "in a concerted and comprehensive way", IRIN reported on Thursday

An IMF staff team visited Harare from 17 to 31 March and held discussions with the authorities on the economic situation and the government's macroeconomic policies. They also met with unions, civil society, NGOs, political parties and the diplomatic community.

"Zimbabwe's economy has experienced a sharp deterioration in the last five years. Real GDP has declined by about 30 percent, and is still contracting. Inflation doubled in each of the last three years to reach 600 percent at the end of 2003. This has had dire social consequences: unemployment is high and rising, poverty has doubled since 1995, school enrolment declined to 65 percent in 2003, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic remains largely unchecked," the IMF said.

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Ruling party wins crucial by-election

IRIN reported on Monday that the ruling ZANU-PF reclaimed the Zengeza constituency in Chitungwiza, 35 km southeast of Zimbabwe's capital Harare, in a weekend by-election marred by violence that left one person dead and several wounded.

ZANU-PF won 8,442 votes while the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) scooped 6,704. The result is significant, as the ruling party was defeated in all major urban settlements in the 2000 parliamentary poll.

However, MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said violence and intimidation affected the outcome of the ballot. "The results of the Zengeza by-election do not surprise us in view of the gross intimidation, violence and the callous murder of our member," he said.

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LESOTHO: Food security situation "alarming" - report

The food security situation in Lesotho is "alarming", with low crop production causing a sharp increase in prices, IRIN reported on Wednesday.

In its bi-monthly report, RIACSO noted that the latest Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee (LVAC) survey had found that "as a result of low production, food prices have gone up between 20 and 50 percent, with the highest price increases recorded in remote areas".

The LVAC carried out a livelihood vulnerability monitoring exercise between 3 and 11 March.

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MADAGASCAR: WFP praises SA assistance

WFP has praised the efforts of the South African relief team in cyclone ravaged Madagascar, IRIN reported on Thursday.

"Tens of thousands of people affected by a devastating cyclone in Madagascar have received vital food aid rations, thanks to the successful cooperation between a South African relief team and the WFP," said a statement from the aid agency.

The South African government despatched four helicopters and a cargo plane to Madagascar, soon after Cyclone Gafilo struck in mid-March, to help in the overall relief effort, including distributing WFP food aid.

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MOZAMBIQUE: Humanitarian agencies battle drought, poverty and HIV/AIDS

On Thursday IRIN focused on the plight of poor families struggling with the impact of HIV/AIDS and food shortages.

HIV/AIDS has reached 13.6 percent of Mozambicans aged between 15 and 49 years and, combined with existing poverty, has pushed many families over the edge. These families represent the extent of the humanitarian challenge in the country.

Assisting people living with HIV/AIDS requires a rethink of traditional aid programmes, because they not only need food but also a consistently nutritious diet to prolong their lives.

"Everyone understands that nutrition is vital for people living with HIV/AIDS - how to make it work is not easy," says Tom Shortley, World Food Programme (WFP) emergency coordinator. "The biggest challenge is to link this provision of nutritious food with programmes run by the ministries and other organisations, such as NGOs who are assisting people with HIV/AIDS, without overburdening them with too many more activities.

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[ENDS]

Other recent SOUTHERN AFRICA reports:

IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 187 for 10-16 July 2004, 16/Jul/04

AIDS has "crippled" at least six countries in the region, 15/Jul/04

Commission to manage Zambezi's water resources, 14/Jul/04

Households burdened by an increasing number of AIDS orphans, 13/Jul/04

IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 186 for 3 - 9 July, 9/Jul/04

Other recent reports:

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 187 for 10-16 July 2004, 16/Jul/04

HORN OF AFRICA: IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 202 for 10 - 16 July 2004, 16/Jul/04

ZAMBIA: Gap between wages and household needs, 16/Jul/04

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly 233 covering 10-16 July 2004, 16/Jul/04

GREAT LAKES: IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 235 for 10 - 16 July 2004, 16/Jul/04

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