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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 17-05-2001

PART #4/4 - From SOUTH AFRICA to ZIMBABWE

* South Africa. Ramaphosa warning on black economic advancement — Cyril Ramaphosa, chairman of South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment Commission, gave a clear signal to business on 10 May that the slow advancement of blacks within the economy would lead to «corrective legislative measures. The majority of our population remains excluded from the economy and significant interventions are required to alter the course of this exclusion,» he said at a conference on black empowerment. The transfer of economic wealth from white to black people and their involvement in the management of business are seen as critical for the longer term political stability of the country. Mr Ramaphosa, a prominent businessman and a leader of the ruling African National Congress who many expect to make a return to the political stage, believes that stark economic inequalities are retarding South Africa’s ability to attract investment and economic growth. Last year, black empowerment had its worst year since 1996. The number of black owned companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange fell from a peak of 43 to 26 and market capitalization dwindled to 4.8 per cent of the exchange. New investments by black companies fell to R2.5bn last year compared to R20bn in 1998. Analysts have blamed the reverse in progress on poor market conditions that left financiers carrying debt for over-borrowed black investors. «Certain things need to be done by government. But we are also saying that the private sector can do certain things.» Mr Ramaphosa has proposed that, under a Black Empowerment Act, the private sector would be required to draw up sectoral empowerment charters, outlining strategies to foster black participation. The commission has also set targets for black share ownership and procurement from black businesses to solve what it describes as a crisis precipitated by apartheid. (Financial Times, UK, 11 May 2001)

* Afrique du Sud. Une députée contre le sida — “Le VIH n’est pas seulement au dehors, il est ici avec nous”. Le 10 mai, Ruth Bengu, députée de l’ANC, a ému l’Assemblée sud-africaine en racontant la séropositivité de sa fille, au cours d’un débat sur la pauvreté et le sida; mais elle a surtout marqué un tournant dans la reconnaissance de la maladie par la classe dirigeante, en appelant ses collègues à ne pas politiser ni dépersonnaliser le problème. C’est la première fois qu’un parlementaire admet à l’Assemblée la séropositivité d’un proche. Cette intervention a été saluée par tous ceux qui appellent à briser le silence dans le pays. (Libération, France, 12 mai 2001)

* South Africa. «Race trial» — 14 May: Nine white South Africans are expected to appear in court on charges of murdering a black teenager nearly two months ago. A bail hearing last month had to be adjourned when the court was overrun by angry black crowds. It is alleged that the victim, Tshepo Matloga, was shot and killed as he trespassed on land owned by one of the defendants. The nine suspects, all Afrikaan members of a local rugby club in the northern town of Pietersberg, are accused of beating Mr Matloga to death and dumping his body. The case has exposed the country’s lingering racial tension, raising the question of how much South Africa has actually changed since the abolition of apartheid. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 14 May 2001)

* South Africa. S.Africa rejects damning IISS report — On 16 May, South Africa Wednesday rejected a report by a leading think tank that slammed what it said was President Thabo Mbeki’s timid response to Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Mbeki’s office said in a terse statement that the report «perpetuates the mythical linking of the role and fortunes of South Africa to those countries that have decided to move away from democracy.» The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its annual Strategic Survey that «prospects for effective regional leadership in southern Africa were hindered over the past year.» It said the primary problems were Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s coercive grab of white-owned farm land and Mbeki’s «reticence in responding to Mugabe’s policies and his shaky stewardship of South Africa itself.» Mbeki has been widely criticized for his «quiet» approach to Zimbabwe, where the rule of law has all but collapsed as self-styled veterans of the country’s war of liberation have taken their fight from farms to factories, occupying farmland and forcing businesses to rehire fired workers. The country is in the grip of a chronic shortage of hard currency and fuel and its woes were cited by analysts as a major factor behind the depreciation of South Africa’s rand last year. «As long as Mugabe remains in power, there is little chance that Zimbabwe will extricate itself from economic and political disarray,» the report said. It linked Mbeki’s Zimbabwe diplomacy to domestic politics, saying it «obliquely reflects Mbeki’s inclination to curry favours with his predominantly black constituency.» (CNN, USA, 16 May 2001)

* Soudan. Opposants arrêtés — Six opposants, accusés d’espionnage et d’avoir fomenté un soulèvement avec l’aide des Etats-Unis, ont été arrêtés le 11 mai. Ils avaient été libérés deux semaines plus tôt au terme d’une première incarcération en décembre 2000, lors d’une réunion avec un diplomate américain, qui a été expulsé. Ils sont membres de la “direction intérieure” de l’Alliance nationale démocratique (coalition de l’opposition nordiste et de la rébellion sudiste). Ils risquent la peine de mort s’ils sont reconnus coupables. (Le Monde, France, 13 mai 2001)

* Soudan. Menace de crise humanitaire — Près de trois millions de Soudanais ont besoin d’assistance humanitaire internationale du fait d’une combinaison de deux mauvaises récoltes successives et de la poursuite de la guerre dans le sud du pays, a indiqué la FAO dans un communiqué publié le 14 mai. - Le 15 mai, l’ambassade italienne à Khartoum a annoncé que l’Italie a dégagé près de 3,4 millions de dollars pour l’assistance humanitaire au Soudan en 2001. $1,53 millions serviront au financement des projets de l’Unicef dans le domaine de la nutrition, $480.000 à l’initiative de la FAO sur la sécurité alimentaire et le volet agricole, et le reste ira respectivement au PAM pour l’aide alimentaire d’urgence, et au Fonds des Nations unies pour les activités en matière de population pour les personnes déplacées et les réfugiés. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 15 mai 2001)

* Tanzania. «Tanzania is not helping Burundi» — The major cause of the conflict in Burundi «rotates around the lack of democracy and equitable participation by all, in matters of state, including political, economic and social developments» and has nothing to do with the presence of Burundian refugees in Tanzania. This was part of Tanzania’s rejoinder to recent allegations by Burundi’s President Pierre Buyoya, that Tanzania was fuelling the civil conflict in that country by allowing rebels of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) «to use their territory to launch attacks on Burundi». Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation says this is not the first time Burundi has made such claims. Because of this, Tanzania is duty bound to reiterate that «the state of war inside Burundi, including Bujumbura rural areas, is squarely the responsibility of the government of Burundi. Tanzania does not train, harbour or allow rebels to use its territory to launch attacks against Burundi». (The East African, Kenya, 7-13 May 2001)

* Tchad. Présidentielles le 20 mai — Le premier tour de l’élection présidentielle tchadienne est prévu le dimanche 20 mai. Le scrutin opposera sept candidats, dont le président Idriss Déby qui brigue un second mandat de cinq ans. Dès le 17 et jusqu’au 19 mai, les Tchadiens de l’extérieur (environ 500.000) et les nomades commenceront à voter, conformément aux dispositions du code électoral. Le président de la Commission électorale nationale indépendante a déploré certains dérapages durant la campagne électorale et lancé un appel pour que le scrutin se déroule en toute quiétude. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 16 mai 2001)

* Togo. Mission du premier ministre — Le 15 mai, le Premier ministre togolais Mensah Kodjo a quitté Lomé pour la Guinée Conakry, le Libéria et la Sierra Leone, porteur d’un message du chef d’Etat togolais Eyadema, président en exercice de l’OUA, aux dirigeants de ces trois pays qu’une crise oppose. Les Nations unies ont récemment pris des sanctions contre le Libéria, accusé de soutenir les rebelles sierra-léonais contre la Guinée. Une réunion de l’organe central de l’OUA pour la prévention, la gestion et le règlement des conflits, prévue pour le 9 avril, avait été reportée pour “une meilleure préparation”. La réunion avait pour but d’étudier les possibilités d’une paix durable dans les régions du fleuve Mano et des Grands Lacs. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 mai 2001)

* Tunisie. Najib Hosni libéré — L’avocat tunisien et militant des droits de l’homme, Najib Hosni, a été libéré le 12 mai à la suite d’une grâce présidentielle. Me Najib Hosni, 47 ans, était incarcéré depuis le 21 décembre 2000. (Libération, France, 14 mai 2001)

* Tunisia. Human rights activist released — A prominent human rights activist in Tunisia, Nejib Hosni, says he’s been unexpectedly released after a pardon by President Zine-el-Abidine Ben Ali. Mr Hosni — who’s been in jail since last December — has been awarded human rights prizes in France and the United States for his work as a lawyer and rights activist. His case prompted international concern, with Amnesty International accusing President Ben Ali of silencing his opponents. In a rare radio interview on 12 May, Mr Ben Ali defended his government’s record. He said human rights abuses in Tunisia were rare, adding that he was determined to continue with democratic reform. (BBC News, UK, 14 May 2001)

* Tunisia. «Religion, Human Rights and Education» — «The Islamic notion of “jihad” is getting a bad name». So says former Tunisian Minister of Education Mohammed Charfi, who addressed a congress here on the subject. «Religious wars fought in the name of the jihad are false,» Charfi said. «In the Koran, the jihad is referred to only as a legitimate action of self-defense, and can never be used as an offensive action.» He made his comments during the Congress on 11 May entitled: «Religion, Human Rights and Education,» organized by the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, in collaboration with the US-based Bradley Foundation. «Only when religion has been usurped by politics have there been wars, abuses and violence,» Charfi added. «These are political reasons, which have abused religion and, consequently, violated human rights. The three monotheist religions are messengers of an announcement of love and charity,» the Tunisian professor said. «Around this message, rabbis, priests and sheiks have elaborated ethical and also legislative codes. From this point of view, the men of faith constitute a moral power parallel to the civil.» According to Charfi, only Iran, Afghanistan and Sudan hold the view that politics controls religion. «However, in 80% “of the Muslim world, corporal punishment and the death penalty for apostates have been abolished, and women have more or less been able to emancipate themselves,» he added. (...) (Zenith, Italy, 14 May 2001)

* Uganda. Uganda ready for Sudan ties — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in (on 12 May) for a final five-year term with an announcement that he is ready to restore diplomatic relations with neighbouring Sudan. After taking the oath, Mr Museveni told the crowds that had gathered at the Kololo airstrip on the outskirts of the capital, Kampala, that he was prepared to re-establish contacts at a chargé d’affaires level, and move towards implementing the 1999 peace deal with Sudan. «Recently Colonel Gaddafi advised that we can renew our relationship, and I agreed to invite [Sudanese President] Omar al-Bashir to the celebrations». President Museveni said that in doing so he was following the advice of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. Similarly Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is said to have attended the Ugandan inauguration celebrations in Kampala on the advice of Colonel Gaddafi. The Libyan leader has been trying to broker peace between the two countries, which broke off relations in 1994. Uganda accuses Sudan of sheltering rebels who are opposed to President Museveni and abduct children to serve among their ranks. (BBC News, UK, 12 May 2001)

* Ouganda. Museveni prête serment — Le 12 mai, le président ougandais Yoweri Museveni a prêté serment pour un deuxième mandat de cinq ans devant cinq chefs d’Etat, dont le soudanais Omar el-Béchir. Un communiqué du ministère ougandais, rendu public le 11 mai, avait annoncé que l’Ouganda avait décidé le rétablissement des relations diplomatiques avec le Soudan au niveau de charge d’affaires. Ces relations avaient été rompues en 1995. Le 12 mai dans l’après-midi, le leader libyen Khadafi a parrainé une réunion entre les présidents soudanais et ougandais. Les deux ont convenu, selon une source diplomatique libyenne, de prendre des mesures pour la restauration de bonnes relations et le règlement de tous les problèmes en suspens entre les deux pays. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 12 mai 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Government stops repayment of all foreign debts — The government has stopped repayments of all foreign loans, including those owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and is using the little foreign currency that trickles into Zimbabwe to meet payments for fuel and electricity imports, authoritative financial sources said this week. The government owes more than US $4.5 billion to several multilateral institutions and Western countries. These include the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the United States of America, Britain, France Germany and Finland. The government’s domestic debt stands at more than $123 billion. While in the past year the government had struggled to meet its debt obligations, with repayments to some creditors being halted last year, it had maintained payments to the IMF. Top foreign and local financial officials this week said Harare had now virtually frozen all debt servicing in yet another sign of its rapidly deteriorating economic and foreign currency crises. Defaulting on IMF debt is the last step that is taken only by the most financially desperate of governments. Nations strive to keep a clean record with the IMF because international investors and donors first consider the Bretton Woods institution’s credit rating on a country before doing business with it. (Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe, 10 May 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Paiement de la dette suspendu — Le Zimbabwe a suspendu le paiement de ses dettes contractées avec des pays occidentaux et les institutions financières, d’un montant total de 4,5 milliards de dollars. Il a même interrompu la restitution des prêts concédés par le FMI, une mesure jamais adoptée dans le passé. Selon des observateurs indépendants, ce gel du remboursement des dettes est un très grave signal de crise, confirmant l’existence d’une situation qui se détériore rapidement. La croissance de l’économie du Zimbabwe en 2001 devrait encore être négative; on prévoit une chute de 10%, après une perte de 6 points l’année passée. (Misna, Italie, 11 mai 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Pas de financement extérieur des partis — Le Zimbabwe qui accuse la Grande-Bretagne et d’autres pays européens de s’immiscer dans ses affaires internes, a promulgué une loi interdisant aux partis politiques de recevoir des financements de source étrangère. La loi sur le financement des partis politiques, adoptée le 11 mai, rend illégale la sollicitation et l’acceptation par les formations politiques de financements étrangers, et prévoit de lourdes pénalités, notamment la suspension. Le gouvernement accuse les pays européens de financer des partis d’opposition afin de faire tomber le président Mugabe. (PANA, Sénégal, 12 mai 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Canada suspends aid to Zimbabwe — Canada has suspended new development aid to Zimbabwe in protest over the deteriorating political situation in that country. Foreign Minister John Manley says his country is particularly upset about a recent incident in which a senior Canadian aid official and the country’s high commissioner were involved in a scuffle with militants in Zimbabwe. Ottawa protested that incident but now Mr Manley says there was no relevant response from Harare and so Canada is immediately suspending new aid development in Zimbabwe. «We regret that the lack of rule of law, which has long affected the people of Zimbabwe, is now having a direct impact on Canadian citizens. This means we must re-examine our aid relations with Zimbabwe,» Mr Manley said in a statement. Credit from the Canadian Export Development Corporation has been halted and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has also suspended a mining development deal and will not begin any new programmes in the country. Canada is also barring soldiers from Zimbabwe from the peace-keeping training it offers. With these moves the Canadian Government is saying it is very concerned about what is happening in Zimbabwe. Junior Foreign Minister David Kilgour says withdrawing aid is a painful thing for Canada to do. But the breakdown of the rule of law in the country, he says, has spawned a situation that Canadians simply cannot accept. (BBC News, UK, 12 May 2001)

* Zimbabwe. MDC forced into hiding — Zimbabwe’s beleaguered opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been forced to take much of its political activity «underground» to avoid the violence of a government widening its net of repression and terror to attack diplomats and aid workers. There have been assaults on the press and the judiciary by a government desperate to cling to power at any price. Now its tyranny has extended to diplomats, aid workers and private companies. The MDC president, Morgan Tsvangirai, told The Independent the party had scaled down public shows of strength such as political rallies, because of the risk of sparking violence between its supporters and those of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party. «We have gone quiet to organise ourselves on the ground,» Mr Tsvangirai said. The party has initiated a «whispering campaign» of one-to-one political education — a strategy reminiscent of underground movements in totalitarian regimes holding rallies only when there seems no danger to supporters. A jittery diplomatic corps met the government last week to express concern for the safety of staff after veterans threatened to raid foreign missions and agencies that they believe support the MDC. (The Independent, UK, 14 May 2001)

* Zimbabwe. UK «spied» on Zimbabwe over Congo RDC — The official Zimbabwean press has accused Britain of using a spy network of environmentalists and journalists to discredit Zimbabwe’s military involvement in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Zimbabwean army controversially deployed in Congo in 1998 in support of the late president Laurent Kabila’s fight against rebel groups in the east of the country. Its continued presence at a time when the Zimbabwean economy is in crisis has aroused suspicion that it is protecting Zimbabwean economic interests in the country. Agents posing as environmentalists and journalists were gathering information on Zimbabwe’s logging and mining interests after a UN panel «exonerated» Zimbabwe and its army of looting in the Congo, the state-owned Herald newspaper said. «A number of espionage teams are in the country and the Democratic Republic of Congo on a British mission to discredit Zimbabwe and the findings of the United Nations,» the Herald reported. Britain denied the report. «There is no substance whatsoever to this story,» a British foreign office spokesman said. The allegations are evidence of antagonism between Zimbabwe and the former colonial power, which worsened over illegal farm invasions last year. A UN Security Council fact-finding mission is scheduled to tour Congo and the region this month. It would visit Zimbabwe on May 21. A United Nations report, issued last month, said foreign interests, including those representing Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, in Congo were systematically plundering the country of its rich natural assets while it was in a state of civil war. Meanwhile, a Danish chewing gum manufacturer in Harare said on 13 May it had halted production in Zimbabwe as a result of threats on its factory by militants. (Financial Times, UK, 14 May 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Sanctions canadiennes — Le 13 mai, le gouvernement du Zimbabwe a trouvé “regrettable” la décision du Canada de lui imposer des sanctions: suspension de l’aide au développement, fin du financement des exportations, arrêt d’une aide à la protection de l’environnement, confirmation de l’interdiction de vente d’équipements militaires et fin de la formation des militaires zimbabwéens à des opérations de paix. Ottawa a décidé ces sanctions après que le directeur canadien de l’ONG Care International avait été enlevé par des “vétérans” de la guerre d’indépendance, en réalité une milice du parti du président Mugabe. L’ambassadeur canadien, qui avait tenté de venir en aide à son concitoyen, a été malmené par cette milice. (La Libre Belgique, 15 mai 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Problems set aside for festival — Against all odds the third Harare International Festival of the Arts has just been hosted in Zimbabwe’s capital city. The country is beset by problems — recently fuel queues have disappeared because there is now no fuel and «war veterans» have transferred the terror techniques they perfected in the rural areas to the cities, targeting white-owned businesses and NGO‘s in particular. Just down the road at the ruling Zanu-PF party headquarters, terrified company managers are being ‘re-educated’ into handing over millions of dollars. Yet none of this disturbed the carnival atmosphere at the arts festival where black and white Zimbabweans mingled with those few tourists and artists willing to brave Robert Mugabe’s third «chimurenga» or struggle. The festival opened with the music of Duke Ellington, and ended with two concerts — one by the most prominent protest singer still left in the country, Oliver Mutukudzi, and the other by gospel singers including Mechanic Manyeruke. Mr Manyeruke had himself been threatened by «war veterans» just a week earlier when he led a May Day rally in prayer. Many of the festival entries, especially the dance and music, were not in the least controversial, the political content was most evident in the theatre. The Amakhosi Theatre Group from Bulawayo, known for addressing national issues, presented a play about the land conflict entitled «Witnesses and Victims». (BBC News, UK, 16 May 2001)