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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 267 for 21-27 January 2006

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

CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Dutch urged to act on jamming of Radio Netherlands
MOZAMBIQUE: Communities urged to leave flood prone areas as Zambezi rises
MADAGASCAR: Authorities on alert as tropical storm heads toward island
NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB
MALAWI: Fancy footwork at the political crossroads
SOUTH AFRICA: Property boom in former black townships

ZIMBABWE: Dutch urged to act on jamming of Radio Netherlands

The Dutch government has been urged to take action on the alleged jamming by the Zimbabwe authorities of Radio Netherlands broadcasts to the country.

Thijs Berman, a Dutch member of the European parliament, told IRIN on Thursday that the Zimbabwean government was using jamming equipment to block Voice of the People (VOP) programmes produced in Zimbabwe and broadcast into the country by Radio Netherlands via its relay station in Madagascar.

The government this week moved to muzzle the independent news production company VOP, whose entire board of trustees were arrested and charged with broadcasting without a licence, reportedly as a result of pressure from the National Joint Operational Command, which includes the country's Central Intelligence Organisation.

Full report

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Reserve Bank governor delivers sermon on reform

Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono used his quarterly monetary policy statement to rebuke parallel market traders in fuel and other essential goods, but delivered little by way of concrete steps to reverse the country's ongoing economic meltdown, says an economist.

A recurring theme in Gono's statement was the need to curtail corruption in both the public and private sectors. But economist Dennis Nikisi said it was pointless to rail against corruption without addressing the environment in which corrupt practices flourished.

Full report

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More children abused as situation worsens

The worsening humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe was making children more vulnerable to abuse, according to child rights NGOs.

"For instance, because of the hike in schools fees many children are visiting schools [trying to negotiate payment] - it makes them more vulnerable at the hands of teachers who exploit them," said Witness Chikoko, acting director of the African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect.

Full report

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Transport problems may limit ability to address food deficit

Zimbabwe's precarious food security situation could improve if imports continue to close the gap between national production and consumption requirements, but transport bottlenecks may prevent many communities from accessing staple commodities, IRIN reported on Monday.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) noted in its latest report that the government had made considerable progress in procuring maize from outside the country to address the food deficit.

Full report

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MOZAMBIQUE: Communities urged to leave flood prone areas as Zambezi rises

Mozambique remains on alert after weekend flooding affected 12,000 people, while government and aid agencies are stepping up disaster preparedness and response programmes.

Water levels in the Zambezi River Basin were still precariously high, said Rita Almeida of the national disaster agency (INGC). "It's not flooding now, but the level is very high and we have asked people to leave [dangerous] areas," she told IRIN on Monday.

Full report

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Emergency preparations in full swing as rivers rise

Mozambique's disaster contingency plans could be put to the test as continued heavy rains threaten serious flooding in the central regions of the country.

The water level in Mozambique's largest river, the Zambezi, is precariously high in Marromeu district in the central Sofala province. On Thursday the National Water Board (DNA) said it had reached 5.54 metres - more than a metre above the flood alert level of 4.75 metres.

Full report

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MADAGASCAR: Authorities on alert as tropical storm heads toward island

A tropical storm threatens Madagascar's southeast coast but officials believe the Indian Ocean island is better prepared for the cyclone season this year.

The country has suffered badly in recent years. In 2000, cyclones Eline, Gloria and Hudah killed more than 1,000 people and affected over a million; in 2004, Gafilo killed over 200, leaving another 300,000 homeless and devastating a significant portion of the country's infrastructure and agricultural land.

Tropical storm 'Boloetse', currently some 300 km off the southeast coast, is predicted to hit the world's fourth largest island this weekend. Jacky Roland Randimbiarison, executive secretary of Madagascar's National Emergency Council (CNS), told IRIN that "although we're still monitoring it carefully, it no longer appears to pose a major threat".

Full report

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Under-resourced aid agencies struggle to raise nutrition levels

Despite efforts by relief agencies to stabilise alarming malnutrition levels in southeastern Madagascar, the nutritional situation remains fragile.

"The nutrition problem was being dealt with by the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and cooperating partners, but there are still critical challenges that need to be addressed," WFP programme coordinator Soava Rakotaorisoa told IRIN on Monday.

Full report

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NAMIBIA: Poor access to treatment hampers fight against TB

Despite its status as a middle-income country, Namibia has a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), a poverty-related disease.

Poor geographical access to health services has hampered the treatment rate of TB, the country's second biggest killer, said Alfons Babie, an official at the recently created directorate for special diseases in the health ministry. Instead of the international target of 85 percent stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the TB treatment rate in Namibia is only 64 percent.

Full report

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MALAWI: Fancy footwork at the political crossroads

The collapse of an impeachment bid against Malawi's president Bingu wa Mutharika has set off a flurry of resignations by opposition parliamentarians distancing themselves from the parties that had sponsored it.

Maxwell Milanzi, the United Democratic Front (UDF) MP who introduced the motion in parliament last year, not only withdrew the bid but has also quit his party to become an independent. At least seven MPs have recently either resigned from the UDF or the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, with five of them announcing their intention of joining Mutharika's fledgling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Full report

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SOUTH AFRICA: Property boom in former black townships

More money in the pockets of middle- to low-income earners has created a property boom in South Africa's former black townships, according to a new survey.

The 2005 Residential Property Barometer shows more property sales in townships like Soweto and Daveyton in Gauteng province, compared to the former white suburbs in the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The barometer is based on a survey of the perceptions and expectations of 100 real estate professionals operating in new development markets in Gauteng townships, conducted by the First National Bank (FNB).

Full report

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[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

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