"); NewWindow.document.close(); return false; } // end hiding from old browsers -->

Tuesday 21 February 2006


Search

Regions

IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 256 for 5 - 11 November 2005

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

CONTENTS:

ZAMBIA: Hungry villagers forced to compete with wild animals for food
ANGOLA: Freedom tastes sweeter this time round
ZIMBABWE: Concern over soldiers-turned-robbers
NAMIBIA: UN country office supports bid for "LDC-like" status
MALAWI: Political tension continues to shift focus from food crisis
SWAZILAND: New law says death to child rapists in fight against AIDS
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Adding sparkle to the region

ZAMBIA: Hungry villagers forced to compete with wild animals for food

Late into Zambia's long, dry season, the Victoria Falls are not at their most spectacular. Undeterred, busloads of tourists still stop here daily to view the torrent. Most are unaware that a scarcity of water in the surrounding area has driven many rural communities to the brink of starvation.

Poor rains early in the year saw the total failure of most crops in southern Zambia. Besides decimating the livelihoods of the area's predominantly subsistence farmers, the drought has resulted in a severe shortage of maize, the country's staple food. Maize prices have escalated to way beyond the means of most Zambians, the majority of whom live on less than a dollar a day.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

Millers call for action to boost maize supplies

Zambia is fast running out of maize and the Millers' Association of Zambia (MAZ) this week called for the extension of an import duty waiver to boost supplies of the country's staple food.

"We have about 90,000 mt of maize left, which is about two months' supply," MAZ deputy chair Peter Cottan told IRIN on Tuesday.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

Govt refuses to give in on constitution

The Zambian government has refused to give in to pressure for a constituent assembly to approve a new constitution ahead of next year's presidential polls.

Thousands of Zambians participated in a protest on Tuesday last week called by pressure group the Oasis Forum, braving soaring temperatures to hand petitions to MPs demanding that a bill be passed to create a constituent assembly.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

Opposition cries foul over voters' cards

Zambia's opposition has called for a halt to a just-begun voter registration campaign, arguing that alleged flaws in voters' cards could lead to rigging in next year's elections.

Anderson Mazoka, interim leader of an alliance of six opposition parties, has urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to correct the alleged anomalies before continuing with the scheduled 21-day registration exercise begun on 31 October.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

Media watchdog condemns editor's arrest

The Zambian chapter of watchdog body the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) condemned the arrest on Wednesday of a Zambian editor for allegedly criminally defaming President Levy Mwanawasa.

Police arrested Fred M'membe, managing director and editor-in-chief of The Post, Zambia's only privately owned daily newspaper, after he accused the country's president of "foolishness", among other invectives.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

ANGOLA: Freedom tastes sweeter this time round

As Angola prepared to mark 30 years of independence from Portugal on Friday, citizens of this war-damaged country are ready to embrace the occasion, but say the past three and a half years of peace are much more important.

The 14-year battle for independence from the Portuguese had just drawn to a close in 1975, when the country was plunged into a brutal civil war between the ruling MPLA and the rebel group, UNITA, which claimed almost a million lives before it ended in April 2002.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

IMF told to keep its money, but help needed with old debts

Oil-rich Angola is ready to enter into a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but it only wants help in restructuring its debt, not new loans, the country's finance minister said on Tuesday.

The reason years of talks between Angola and the fund had so far failed to yield a programme was because organisations such as the IMF "don't have an accumulated knowledge of Angolan economics and we need to build that before discussing policies," Jose Pedro de Morais said in an interview.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

ZIMBABWE: Concern over soldiers-turned-robbers

A recent spate of armed robberies by soldiers and security officers is an indication that all Zimbabweans are feeling the impact of the country's shrinking economy, analysts told IRIN.

Two soldiers in the southeastern town of Masvingo recently went on a robbery spree while in uniform, brandishing AK-47 rifles they had stolen from their battalion's armoury.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

Trade unionists remain behind bars

The top leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) were still in prison on Friday after being arrested earlier in the week ahead of an anti-poverty march in the capital, Harare.

ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo, secretary-general Wellington Chibebe and some 100 members were arrested on Tuesday as they were preparing to take part in what the police deemed an illegal demonstration to highlight growing unemployment and the rocketing cost of living.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

NAMIBIA: UN country office supports bid for "LDC-like" status

The UN office in Namibia has lent its weight to the country's plea for recognition as a Least Developed Country (LDC), in a bid to unlock additional foreign assistance.

"We are supporting the country's appeal to be given a LDC-like status, as the country's current annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is more than the required $800 to qualify as LDC," said Simon Nhongo, the UN's resident coordinator in Namibia.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

MALAWI: Political tension continues to shift focus from food crisis

The battle-lines drawn between Malawi's legislature and a president it is trying to impeach, is diverting much-needed attention from the country's food crisis, political analysts warned this week.

In the latest twist to the five-month-old political drama, three United Democratic Front (UDF) parliamentarians - all fierce critics of President Bingu wa Mutharika government - have been arested.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

SWAZILAND: New law says death to child rapists in fight against AIDS

In response to growing alarm over Swaziland's HIV infection rate, a draft law proposing the death penalty for child rape and the intentional transmission of the virus was released this week.

"Any person who is convicted of rape under this bill is liable to the death penalty if the victim is below the age of 14 years, or to the death penalty if HIV and AIDS are an aggravating factor, or to the death penalty where such person has parental power over the child," reads the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill of 2005.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Adding sparkle to the region

After a century of exporting raw diamonds to be cut and polished abroad, Southern Africa is finally taking steps to add value to its gemstones and boost local revenues.

This week, South Africa joined Namibia in approving legislation that seeks to increase the supply of diamonds to local gem cutters to help the domestic jewellery sector and create jobs.

Full report

[Top of the Page]

[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent SOUTHERN AFRICA reports:

Policy revised to shed light on urban refugee blind-spot, 17/Feb/06

IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

Too white to be black - the challenge of albinism, 16/Feb/06

Remittances - curse or blessing?, 16/Feb/06

Conflict, development and natural disasters fuel internal displacement, 14/Feb/06

Other recent reports:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Donors pledge support for humanitarian crisis, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 17/Feb/06

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 317 covering 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

[Back] [Home Page]

Click here to send any feedback, comments or questions you have about IRIN's Website or if you prefer you can send an Email to Webmaster

Copyright © IRIN 2006
The material contained on www.IRINnews.org comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.
All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer to the IRIN copyright page for conditions of use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.