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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 07-09-2000

PART #4/4 - From SOUTH AFRICA to ZIMBABWE

* South Africa. Conference on racism followed by an ugly reminder — 31 August: South Africa’s minority whites refuse to admit their role in the racist, apartheid regime that ruled this country for nearly 50 years,a ruling party legislator told the conference. «Most white people say they are not responsible for apartheid, but the (apartheid-era) Nationalist Party was put into government by the white electorate since 1948 and returned to power since then with an even bigger majority until the late 1980s,» said Pallo Jordan, a Member of Parliament from the African National Congress. Jordan spoke on the second day of the conference. However, many white activists accused Jordan of unfairly dwelling on the past. Some delegates suggested boycotts against racist businesses and urged the gathering to address poverty and other economic issues directly related to racism. 1 September: South Africa ushers in far-reaching legislation to combat racism and reverse centuries of apartheid and colonial-era injustices. The controversial Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act is hailed by the Government as one of the most important bills since Nelson Mandela led the country to democracy in 1994. The Act ensures that no area of governance escapes the priorities of reconstruction and the move away from racial discrimination. 4 September: Stone-throwing crowds demand that police surrender to them a white farmer accused of dragging a black man to death behind his truck. Farmer Pieter Odendaal appeared briefly in a Sasolburg court on a charge of murder in connection with the killing of Mosoko Rampuru who was found dead on his farm late last month with a piece of wire attached to his ankle. The case was adjourned to 28 September. Outside the court, a crowd including local farm workers shouted at police, demanding that Odendaal be surrendered to them. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 September 2000)

* South Africa. Building the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere — They call it «Africa’s giant eye». It will see stars a billion times too faint for the naked aye — equivalent to a candle flame on the moon — and examine objects in space more than 10 billion light years away, recording events that occurred when the universe was only a tenth of its present age. On 1 September, South African politicians and scientists from around the world launched a five-year project to build the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) near the remote sheep farm of Sutherland in the arid Karoo region. SALT, a $30 million project funded by the South African government and US, UK and Polish universities and astronomical organisations, will be the largest telescope is the southern hemisphere, with mirrors 11 metres across, and will gather 20 times as much light as the largest telescope in Africa today. (Financial Times, UK, 2 September 2000)

* Soudan. Eglise incendiée — Le dimanche soir vers 21h., un incendie criminel a détruit l’église paroissiale d’Ed Daein, une localité du nord du Soudan, située entre El Obeid et Myala. L’incident eut lieu peu après la messe du soir, lorsque les fidèles s’étaient déjà éloignés, et les deux prêtres soudanais sur place n’ont pu éteindre les flammes. L’église d’El Daein avait déjà été la cible d’un attentat incendiaire le 20 août dernier. La paroisse est située dans l’un des centres de la tribu arabe qui fournit le plus grand nombre de soldats aux milices islamiques. (D’après Misna, Italie, 5 septembre 2000)

* Sudan. Anger at Khartoum ban — Human rights groups and workers groups in Sudan have strongly criticised a ban preventing women from working in public places in Khartoum where they are in direct contact with men. The Governor of Khartoum said the decree was intended to uphold the lofty status of women in line with Islamic law. But the General Union of Sudanese Women said it contravened the Constitution, which gave all citizens equality at wok without distinction (BBC News, 6 September 2000)

* Tanzania. Tanzania quits COMESAplain D — Tanzania has officially withdrawn from the regional economic grouping, COMESA, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. the government gave notice a year ago of its intention because of concern that changes in internal tariff arrangements would harm Tanzania. The remaining 20 members of COMESA plan to abolish the tariffs at the end of October to create a regional free trade areas. Tanzania believes that loss of the tariffs will hinder its industrial development. (BBC News, 2 September 2000)

* Tunisie. Cinéastes africains à Carthage — Les 18e Journées cinématographiques de Carthage auront lieu du 20 au 28 octobre dans la capitale tunisienne. Outre la projection des plus récentes productions africaines, “Carthage 2000" rendra hommage au réalisateur malien Cheick Omar Sissako, dont le tout dernier film, La Genèse, sera présenté au cours d’une soirée spéciale. Parmi les membres du jury, on notera la présence du musicien sénégalais Wasis Diop et de la célèbre comédienne ivoirienne Mariam Kaba. Présidé par le cinéaste tunisien Férid Boughedir, le traditionnel colloque international traitera des ”nouveaux rapports entre la télévision et le cinéma à l’heure du numérique", notamment pour les pays du Sud. (Jeune Afrique, France, 29/8-4/9 2000)

* Tunisia. To host the African nations Cup — Tunisia will host the African Nations Cup in 2004, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced. Tunisia polled nine of the 13 votes at a CAF executive committee meeting on 4 September. Zimbabwe won three votes and a joint bid from Zambia and Malawi got one. Voting was carried out after the three candidates made presentations to the committee. Tunisia will be hosting the finals for the third time, after 1965 and 1994. None of the other candidates have ever hosted the biennial continental championship. Tunisia had been favourite to win, having the best bid in terms of stadia, hotel facilities and infrastructure. (BBC News, 5 September 2000)

* Uganda. Constitution now amended — On 31 August, Parliament overwhelmingly voted to amend the Constitution, validating the Referendum (Political Systems) of 2000 and other laws enacted since October 1996. A total of 224 MPs voted in favour of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill of 2000 tabled on 29 August by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mayanja Nkangi. Only one unidentified MP voted against the Bill which amended Articles 88, 89, 90, 97 and 257. Deputy Speaker Edward Ssekandi barred Omara Atubo (Otuke) from presenting a certified copy of Constitutional petition number 2, challenging the Referendum (Political Systems) Act of 2000. He also stopped any comment on the case, which is pending in the Constitutional Court. Parliament at first suspended Rule 73, which provides for voting by secret ballot. The motion to suspend the Rule, which was not debated, was moved by Mike Mukula (Soroti Municipality) and passed with 182 votes against 18. Six MPs including Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu abstained. Rule 73 provides for a secret ballot when the House is voting on a Bill seeking to amend the Constitution or election and removal of a person holding a Constitutional office. Under the amendments, Parliament will determine its method of voting. It will also not be required to have a quorum of 93 members to transact business. A quorum will only be necessary at the time of voting. Parliament, presided over by Ssekandi, unanimously passed an amendment moved by Ben Mutyaba (Makindye East) seeking to bar courts from inquiring into the proceedings of the House and compelling the Speaker, members and staff to give evidence as was the case in the recent petition against the Referendum and Other Provisions Act of 2000. Article 257 was amended to provide that «no Act passed or purported to have been passed by Parliament at any time after the commencement of this Constitution shall be taken to be invalid by reason of the fact that the Bill for the Act was not discussed and recommendations made on it to Parliament by a standing committee.» The Referendum Act is one such Act that was never scrutinised by a standing committee. The Article was further amended to validate laws and resolutions, passed by the House using voice-voting that the Constitutional Court had also declared unconstitutional. (The New Vision, Uganda, 1 September 2000)

* Zambia. Chiluba gets jittery with Catholic Church — It is interesting reading that amid the growing criticism by the Catholic Church in Zambia against the government, on the deplorable and deteriorating social crisis in the nation, President Frederick Chiluba is concerned that the Church is out to «pray him out of power». President Chiluba appears to find pleasure and comfort in his declaration that Zambia is a Christian nation. While the Church in Zambia has taken his «political creed» as a mere joke, President Chiluba means every word of what he says, considering how often he has repeated the same message at important church gatherings. This has been Chiluba’s «gospel» since his return from a marathon tour of the Holy Land in 1998 where he claimed he had been anointed as a strong Christian incapable of being «prayed out of power» by church leaders. Amid mounting pressure from the Catholic Church in Zambia through its numerous Pastoral Letters, criticising the high level of poverty and the total collapse of the education and health sectors, Chiluba echoed the same warning at the National Pastors Conference (NPC) in Lusaka, when he said: «You cannot pray me out of power because you will get your knees bruised. Pray for the prosperity of government instead of praying for my downfall. Your Churches should be praying for our country — don’t pray for destabilisation». The President was addressing about 300 participants from different denominations from all over Zambia who had gathered for a week from 15-19 August, to examine the alarming state of the nation. The NPC is the brainchild of the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC), the Christian Council of Zambia (CCZ) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and is sponsored by World Vision. The theme of the conference was: «Seeking the face of Christ in crises.» (Moses Chitendwe, ANB-BIA, Zambia, 1 September 2000)

* Zambie. Violences sur des étudiantes — Des policiers ont violé 5 jeunes femmes au cours de la répression d’une manifestation étudiante la semaine dernière, a dénoncé le 5 septembre l’Interafrican Network for Human Rights and Development dans la capitale zambienne. Le 30 août, les universitaires de Lusaka s’étaient mobilisés pour protester contre les frais trop élevés. L’intervention de la police avait entraîné une série de bagarres. Au moins 30 jeunes avaient fini à l’hôpital, dont une manifestante dans un état critique. (Misna, Italie, 6 septembre 2000)

* Zambia. «Death penalty and the right to life» — On 2 September, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace held a one-day conference in Lusaka on the theme: «The Death Penalty and the Right to Life». About 200 prisoners are presently on death row in Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison in Kabwe, awaiting execution by hanging. Included are the 59 sentenced to death in 1999 for their participation in the 1997 coup attempt. The Conference was attended by Mr Vincent Malambo, the Legal Affairs Minister, who is a lawyer by profession. In his official opening address, he outlined the provisions of the law at both national and international levels regarding the death penalty. A lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Zambia, Leonard Kalinde, said: «We need to move the Supreme Court to declare the death penalty unconstitutional as it violates Article 15 of the Constitution which provides for freedom from torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment». (Moses Chitendwe, ANB-BIA, Zambia, 7 September 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Crise économique et financière — La crise économique, mais surtout le déficit public risquent de faire sauter le paiement des salaires des fonctionnaires à partir de septembre. Le ministre des Finances, Simba Makoni, et le secrétaire au Trésor, Charles Kuwaza, ont exprimé à plusieurs reprises leur préoccupation au président Mugabe, indique l’agence Misna le 31 août. Bien que des réductions des dépenses publiques soient prévues pour garantir les salaires de plus de 140.000 fonctionnaires, la situation est critique. C’est pourquoi M. Makoni a admis que son pays ne pouvait continuer à financer les dépenses militaires du contingent envoyé au Congo-RDC. Cette campagne aurait déjà coûté plus de 200 millions de dollars. Le président Mugabe n’a pourtant pas l’intention de retirer ses troupes, car il considère cette action d’importance stratégique sur le plan international. - Le 5 septembre, l’association des banquiers zimbabwéens a annoncé que le dollar zimbabwéen a été dévalué de 3%, un peu plus d’un mois après une importante dévaluation de 24%. Le nouveau taux est de 51,5 ZWD pour un dollar US. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 septembre 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Financial difficulties — 31 August: Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Simba Makoni, has admitted that his country cannot sustain the cost of its intervention in Congo RDC for very much longer. He says Zimbabwe had spent the equivalent of US $200 million since entering the war in 1998. The cost of the war was raised by the political opposition during the election campaign. The International Monetary Fund also cites war among its reasons for freezing balance of payment supports to Zimbabwe last year. One report quotes military officials as privately estimating the cost of the conflict to be closer to US $15 million a month. 1 September: The authorities announce a massive increase in the price of fuel — just over a month after the last price rise. Diesel fuel is up by 54%, and unleaded petrol by 40%. The state-run national oil company, Noczin, says the price rises are needed because of the recent devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar and escalating prices on the world oil market. 6 September: The Opposition Movement for Democratic Change has aid it plans to organise a mass protest against the rising cost of living. The announcement comes a day after angry commuters rioted in a suburb of Harare, to protest at dramatic price increased (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 September 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Réforme agraire — Le secrétaire général de l’Onu, M. Kofi Annan, soutiendra la redistribution des terres en cours au Zimbabwe à certaines conditions. C’est ce qui ressort de la rencontre à laquelle ont participé, le 5 septembre à New York, M. Annan et quatre présidents de l’Afrique australe (Malawi, Namibie, Afrique du Sud et Zimbabwe). Le soutien offert par M. Annan, même s’il est partiel, est le premier signe de reconnaissance envers la réforme agraire en dehors de la SADC. Mais pour qu’il confirme ce soutien, Harare devra rouvrir le dialogue avec la communauté internationale et se rapprocher des pays donateurs. Les Nations unies ont précisé que la redistribution des terres était urgente et qu’elle était une question intérieure de l’Etat souverain du Zimbabwe. (Misna, Italie, 6 septembre 2000)

* Zimbabwe. More farms targeted — 1 September: The Government identifies an additional 410 private farms, including land owned by Zimbabwe’s last white leader, Ian Smith, that it plans to confiscate and hand over to impoverished blacks. Pushing ahead with its program to seize 3,000 mostly white-owned properties, a new list of targeted farms brings to 1,952 the number identified for nationalisation under a hastened land redistribution program. The notice gives the land owners until 1 October to file any objections. The government is expected to identify another 200 more farms for confiscation. Deepening confusion over the land seizure program, the 1 September list includes the names of some black land owners and repeated names from earlier lists. 6-7 September: Zimbabwe’s white farmers are meeting for a crucial two-day annual congress, in what officials of their association, the Commercial Farmers’ Union, say will be dominated by discussions of their future in farming. The farmers decide to resume their legal battle against the land reforms. The leader of the CUF, Tim Henwood, said the new suit «will specifically challenge the power to take land from an individual without compensation». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 September 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Radio Netherlands seeks a licence — Radio Netherlands has been seeking a licence to set up a radio station for broadcasting on short-wave. Its application, submitted on 16 June, has been turned down, subject to appeal. The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications says he is afraid that this particular application is yet again a ploy by the western powers to extend their spheres of influence into Africa. Radio Netherlands wants to broadcast within Zimbabwe in 15 local languages. All broadcasting within Zimbabwe must be authorised from Harare. The Government operates three radio stations on shortwave and one on FM. It also operates TV1 and TV2 from Harare and has allowed two private TV stations — Joy TV and Munhumutapa TV in the capital. (Dumisani Khumalo, ANB-BIA, Zimbabwe, 1 September 2000)