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Sunday 25 December 2005 |
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IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 234 for 4 - 10 June 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]CONTENTS: ZIMBABWE: Growing disillusionment with opposition, analysts Bitter divisions in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a lack of visible leadership on the part of its civil society partners are to blame for the failure of the recent stayaway in Zimbabwe, political analysts said on Friday. The public largely ignored calls for a two-day work stoppage on Thursday and Friday by the 'Broad Alliance', a grouping of civil society groups and the MDC. Full report ZIMBABWE: War vets threaten action against forced eviction The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has warned that its members will fight the security forces if the crackdown dubbed 'Operation Restore Order' is extended to farms. Security Minister Didymus Mutasa reportedly said last week that the operation, which has led to the arrest of over 22,000 people and the displacement of several thousand, would proceed to the farms to deal with illegal settlers and owners of multiple farms. Full report ZIMBABWE: Mass action off to slow start A two-day stayaway called by the opposition and civil society groups in Zimbabwe had a slow start, according to reports from the capital, Harare, and the second city, Bulawayo. One person was arrested in Harare on Thursday for distributing fliers - part of the mass action campaign called by the Broad Alliance, which includes the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), an NGO, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and civil society groups. Full report ZIMBABWE: Security forces ready to "deal" with protests against evictions Earlier in the week, Zimbabwean government had placed its security forces on high alert in the event of the mass stayaway to protest against the forced eviction of informal settlers in and around the capital, Harare. A broad alliance, comprising the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU); the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a coalition of civil societies; the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change; and several other civic bodies had urged people to stay away from work on Thursday and Friday. Full report ZIMBABWE: Tension between farmers undermines productivity Five years after Zimbabwe's land redistribution programme began, tension still characterises relationships between white and black farmers. Although most of Zimbabwe's white commercial farmers were removed from their farms to make way for landless blacks during the government's fast-track land reform programme, a few have remained on their land. Full report BOTSWANA: Civic, human rights bodies slam academic's deportation Civic bodies and human rights groups in Botswana say the recent deportation of Australian-born academic Kenneth Good is a blot on the country's hard-won democracy. Last Tuesday state security agents escorted Good out of the country to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he caught a plane back to Australia, leaving behind his 17-year-old daughter. Full report BOTSWANA: Forum for improving labour relations proposed Labour experts in Botswana have called for the urgent establishment of a tripartite forum comprising government, the private sector and trade unionists to address falling productivity and worsening labour relations. In a paper presented to a labour relations workshop in the capital, Gaborone, researchers from the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) noted that national output was under threat because of frequent strike action, which it said was a result of the hostile relationship between government, employers and the labour movement. Full report BOTSWANA: Analysts urge government to diversify economy Financial analysts in Botswana have urged the government to pay more attention to declining agricultural production, noting that the current overreliance on diamonds could pose a threat to future economic growth. The Botswana Institute of Development and Policy Analysis (BIDPA) warned that the government's monopoly of the beef and ostrich industries was responsible for declining output, and commented that in recent years the state-run Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) had failed to meet its annual export quota to the lucrative European Union (EU) market. Full report SWAZILAND: New law allows ownership of businesses to be challenged A new law passed by parliament gives Swazis the power to challenge foreign ownership of small and medium businesses. "The policy gives the SME [Small and Medium Enterprise] unit director the power not to allow foreign investors to set up small businesses that could otherwise by run by local SMEs," Enterprise and Employment Minister Lutfo Dlamini noted. Full report SWAZILAND: Rising house prices cause concern Busa Tsabedze, 27, a junior executive with the Swaziland branch of a South African bank, and Moses Dube, 62, a retired factory foreman at the end of his career, have one thing in common: they cannot find an affordable house in an urban area. Frustrated by their inability, they have resorted to building their own homes on the edge of town, despite the risk that city authorities could demolish the structures, which do not have approved plans or other municipal permits. Full report SWAZILAND: Vending to survive With two-thirds of Swazis living in chronic poverty, and unemployment beyond 40 percent, Swaziland may seem an unlikely destination for economic refugees, but 17-year-old Samito is emphatic that his future was bleaker in Mozambique. Samito is one of several hundred unlicensed vendors in Swaziland's central commercial town of Manzini. Full report MADAGASCAR: Economy continues to grow Despite two major cyclones last year, Madagascar's economy has continued to grow on the strength of its tourism industry and exports, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report. However, inflation remained high, fuelled by a rise in the prices of petroleum products and rice, said the IMF's sixth review of economic performance in terms of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Full report MADAGASCAR: Tapia forests and water supply projects get World Bank funding Projects to conserve Madagascar's tapia forests and revive its wild silkworms have both won funding in the World Bank's 2005 Development Marketplace Competition. Ny Tanintsika ('our land'), a Malagasy NGO working in land management and community development issues, is to receive about US $110,000 to reforest the Tapia woods, which cover roughly 50,000 ha in the Amoron'i Mania region of southeastern Madagascar. Tapia trees (Uapaca bojeri) are known locally for their edible fruit and as the habitat of the wild Malagasy silkworm. Full report MOZAMBIQUE: Government appeals for aid as food crisis looms The government of Mozambique has appealed for food aid for around 550,000 people after a prolonged dry spell caused widespread crop failures in the south and central parts of the country. The World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed on Tuesday that it has been "officially" requested to assist Mozambicans in the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo, Manica, Sofala, Zambezia and Tete. Full report MOZAMBIQUE: Better tax collection to boost revenue A better tax collection system could lead to beefed-up revenues for Mozambique this year, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report. The fiscus is also expected to get a boost when the tax benefits for some large projects expire, said the IMF in its first review of Mozambique's economic performance in terms of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Full report ANGOLA: Marburg: 'worst is over', say health officials The world's deadliest outbreak of the Marburg virus seems to have peaked and the worst is over, according to international medical NGOs, the United Nations and the Angolan health department. "There are still a few cases, but nothing compared to the peak of the emergency," said Pierre-Francois Pirlot, the UN Resident Representative in Angola. Full report ANGOLA: Limited progress in improving health delivery Angola has made "limited progress" in improving the country's health network since the devastating 27-year civil war ended three years ago, according to a new report by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Progress in implementing new health sector projects funded by UN agencies and other donors has been affected by poor capacity, noted the report on a case study by researcher Suzanne Fustukian of DFID's Health Systems Resource Centre. Full report SOUTHERN AFRICA: Region not expected to benefit from new US/UK food aid funding Although the United States and the United Kingdom have announced substantial funding for food aid programmes in the Horn of Africa, appeals for assistance in Southern Africa remain largely underfunded. A US press statement noted that on 7 June President George Bush announced an additional $674.4 million in emergency aid funding for Africa this year, while British Prime Minister Tony Blair simultaneously increased emergency aid to Africa to a total of $300 million. Full report MALAWI: Drought, HIV/AIDS weak economy undermine food security The impacts of drought, HIV/AIDS and a weak economy have combined to undermine already vulnerable households in Malawi's rural areas. James Morris, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, highlighted this 'triple threat' on a recent visit to the region that included a stop in Malawi, where he called for a renewed international response to the crisis. Full report ZAMBIA: Moves to stem the medical skills exodus A critical shortage of medical staff in Zambia is compromising the quality of public healthcare as doctors and nurses leave the country in search of more lucrative employment. Zambia has about 10,000 registered nurses for a population of around 10 million, according to statistics released by the health ministry in 2004. Full report SOUTH AFRICA: Legacy of apartheid haunts vocational training The legacy of apartheid has continued to haunt the progress of providing skills in South Africa, according to a new Human Sciences Research Council report on 'Vocational Education and Training in Southern Africa'. "Access to structured education and training is far greater for urban than rural populations. Too little of the [new educational] system reflects the needs and interests of the most disadvantaged members of South African society." Full report [ENDS]
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