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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 06-06-2002

PART #4/4 - From SOUTH AFRICA to  ZIMBABWE

* South Africa. Scandals threaten Opposition — On 3 June, Cape Town’s mayor, the latest casualty of a series of sex and corruption scandals that threaten to bury the two leading parties competing for South Africa’s minority white and mixed-race vote, yesterday relinquished his ceremonial duties but continued to cling to political office. Gerald Morkel, a key leader of the Democratic Alliance party, stopped short of resigning outright following accusations by a high profile German fugitive accused of massive fraud that he gave the mayor tens of thousands of pounds in illicit payments. Mr Morkel’s attempt to avoid political oblivion follows the resignation of the premier of Western Cape province on 31 May, amid a police investigation into gross sexual harassment. Peter Marais, the highest ranking public official in the New National party (NNP), which gave South Africa apartheid and has reinvented itself as a mostly «coloured» or mixed-race organisation, was Mr Morkel’s main political rival in the region. The scandals have spread far beyond the individuals involved to tar the leaderships of both parties with charges of cover-ups and hypocrisy. President Thabo Mbeki’s African National Congress is poised to take advantage in the days ahead with the introduction of a new law allowing elected officials to swap parties. (The Guardian, UK, 4 June 2002)

* South Africa. Prestige with a hefty price tag — World summits are nice to have but expensive  to keep. So South Africa is finding in its quest to have its big cities play host to thousands of delegates to United Nations conferences. An estimated 65,000 participants in the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development will roll into Johannesburg in late August. The summit is billed as one of the largest ever held. But the South African government, which is frantically preparing an untested city for the onslaught, is hoping it is not also one of the costliest. It already knows that the prestige of hosting the UN comes at a price, having struggled to foot the R100m bill for last year’s UN World Conference Against Racism. International donors were slow to show their financial support and months after the conference, South Africa’s foreign ministry officials were still scratching about for contributions to cover the cost. Chastened by its experience in Durban, South Africa has been better prepared to drum up financial support for August’s summit. Valli Moosa, minister of environmental affairs and tourism, signalled at the end of last year that the developing country — with one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world — should not be left to find all the cash for the meeting of world leaders. He rattled the contribution box loudly to donors, including the business community. The early warning appears to have worked to a certain extent. But the summit’s budget is still not entirely covered. The provincial government and the city of Johannesburg are contributing R150m of the R500m conference budget. Donor countries — mainly European Union members — are paying R120m. The business community and delegates will have to bridge the gap. (Financial Times, UK, 5 June 2002)

* Soudan. Revers pour le SPLA — “Après plusieurs jours de combats acharnés”, l’armée soudanaise vient de récupérer la ville stratégique de Gaisan, dans la région du Nil Bleu, à la frontière entre l’Ethiopie et le Soudan, des mains des rebelles de l’Armée de libération du peuple soudanais (SPLA), a-t-on appris le 30 mai de source mllitaire à Khartoum. Gaisan, située au pied du Plateau éthiopien, est passée à plusieurs reprises alternativement entre les mains de l’armée et celles des rebelles. La reprise de Gaisan place Kurmuk, située à 30 km plus à l’ouest, sous la menace directe des forces de Khartoum. Ces villes sont toutes deux situées au nord du Soudan, mais le SPLA considère les Engassanas, qui vivent dans cette région avec d’autres tribus, comme des groupes ethniques originaires du Sud-Soudan. (PANA, Sénégal, 30 mai 2002)

* Soudan. Le contrôle des aides internationales — Il y a quelques jours, le gouvernement soudanais a demandé à l’Onu le transfert de la base de la mission onusienne Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) de Lokichoggio à El Obeid, en plein territoire contrôlé par  Khartoum. “C’est une évidente tentative de la part de Khartoum de maintenir sous contrôle les ONG qui fournissent de l’aide aux populations du sud”, a commenté l’évêque de Rumbek, Mgr Mazzolari. “Je pense que les ONG réagiront négativement. Khartoum voudrait avoir un contrôle total des aides. Depuis des mois, elle empêche une grande partie des vols prévus d’arriver aux destinations où les besoins d’aide se font sentir”. Depuis longtemps, les ONG internationales et les membres des Nations unies eux-mêmes ont dénoncé l’utilisation des secours destinés aux populations comme arme politique. De nombreuses ONG s’appuient sur l’OLS de façon marginale pour acheminer de l’aide vers les zones dont le gouvernement interdit l’accès. (D’après Misna, Italie, 30 mai 2002)

* Sudan. Sudanese army retakes key town — 31 May: The Sudanese army says it has recaptured the eastern town of Qeissan from the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), after fierce fighting. The town, described as strategic by the Sudanese military, had been held by the rebels since 1997. The army said it had inflicted heavy losses on the rebels and had seized tanks and artillery. There was no immediate confirmation from the southern-based rebel movement. The armed forces general command said in a statement broadcast by Omdurman Radio that the fourth infantry division was able to gain control of the town, about 580 km south-east of the capital Khartoum, on 29 May. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 May 2002)

* Sudan. Sudanese die crossing to Libya — Reports from Khartoum say that 45 Sudanese nationals, seeking jobs in Libya, have died after losing their way in the western desert. The Sudanese news agency, Suna, said the victims had probably died of thirst and hunger, and it warned others Sudanese not to attempt such an enterprise. It gave no further details of when the group got lost or whether there were any survivors. Correspondents say that thousands of Sudanese work in oil-rich Libya, many of them having taken the desert road. (BBC News, UK, 2 June 2002)

* Soudan. 45 morts dans le désert — 45 Soudanais, en route vers la Libye pour y trouver un emploi, sont morts pendant leur voyage après s’être perdus dans le désert, a rapporté l’agence officielle soudanaise le 2 juin. Selon un communiqué du gouvernement régional de l’Etat de Darfur, situé à la frontière de la Libye, les victimes sont probablement mortes de faim et de soif. Il ne précise pas quand le groupe s’est perdu et s’il y avait des survivants. En février, 18 hommes étaient morts de la même façon après que leur camion fut tombé en panne dans le désert. Des milliers de Soudanais traversent régulièrement le désert de sable dans l’espoir de trouver un emploi en Libye, pays riche en ressources pétrolières. (AP, 2 juin 2002)

* Swaziland. Rasta row shakes Swazi royals — 28 May: A row has broken out in the royal family in Swaziland about Rastafarian members of the royal household. King Mswati’s aides have evicted six young men, including the king’s nephew, for wearing dreadlocks and, allegedly, for smoking marijuana in the royal residence. Royal sources say the order to evict the men was made by King Mswati after they made abusive utterances against him. But the men deny the allegations against them and say that the real motive for their eviction is to prevent them gaining access to the king. They want to pass to the king a message from God they say they received in a dream. The father of one of the men, Prince Sulumlomo, has condemned the eviction and is reported to have sought an urgent meeting with King Mswati, who is his younger brother, over the eviction order. His son, Prince Bhamela, and the five other men, have been ordered not to set foot inside the Ludzidzini royal palace and in any of the royal residences because of their Rastafarian beliefs. They have also been asked to vacate the late King Sobhuza’s royal residence where they sought alternative accommodation after their eviction. Royal sources say this is the second time the men have been ordered out of royal residences for their belief in Rastafarianism. The men say that they have been detained several times by police for their beliefs, but that they have never been charged. (BBC News, UK, 28 May 2002)

* Swaziland. King takes ninth wife — 3 June: King Mswati III has married once again, bringing the total number of his official wives to nine. The wedding during which the king married his ninth wife, Nontsetselelo Magongo, an 18-year-old girl forced to leave school last year amid protests from human rights and anti-child abuse institutions in Swaziland and abroad, took place on 1 June. Royal sources say that the ceremony was once again conducted by King Mswati’s sisters, as well as the wives of his late father, King Sobhuza II, at the Ludzidzini royal residence. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 3 June 2002)

* Tchad. L’ex-président Malloum rentre au pays — Le vendredi 31 mai, l’ancien président tchadien Félix Malloum est rentré définitivement au Tchad, après 23 ans d’exil au Nigeria. En 1975, à la chute du régime du président Tombalbaye, il avait été porté par l’armée à la présidence du Conseil supérieur militaire, et présidé aux destinées du Tchad jusqu’à la fin de la guerre civile. En 1979, il décide volontairement de démissionner de ses fonctions de chef de l’Etat, pour s’exiler au Nigeria. Vendredi, à son arrivée, M. Malloum a été reçu par le président Idriss Déby, qui a salué son retour comme un événement national, appelant tous les Tchadiens exilés à  revenir au pays pour apporter leur contribution au développpement du Tchad. (PANA, Sénégal, 1er juin 2002)

* Tunisia. Ben Ali promulgates amended Constitution — On 1 June, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali promulgated the new Tunisian constitution approved 26 May in a referendum by 99.52 percent of the country’s 3.5 million voters. Under the constitutional amendment, an incumbent president can run for an unlimited number of terms in Tunisia, and also pushed the age limit for president from 70 to 75 years. The old constitution limited the presidential mandates to three five-year terms, and grants immunity to former presidents. Ben Ali, aged 65, thus has the possibility of seeking a fourth term of office during the elections scheduled in 2004. (PANA, Senegal, 2 June 2002)

* Tunisie. Ben Ali prêt à se succéder — Le 1er juin, le président Ben Ali a promulgué la nouvelle loi constitutionnelle lui permettant de solliciter deux autres mandats présidentiels. Cette décision intervient à la suite du référendum du 26 mai, où 99,52% des votants se sont exprimés en faveur d’une réforme de la Constitution. Le troisième mandat de Ben Ali, au pouvoir depuis 1987, arrive à échéance en 2004. (Le Figaro, France, 3 juin 2002)

* Tunisia. Government prevents contacts with human rights activists — The World Anti-Torture Organisation (OMCT) has condemned the fact that it has become impossible to contact its correspondents in Tunisia. Since 26 May, the date of the Constitutional referendum that opened the doors for a new term in office of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, the OMCT has not managed to establish contact with its sources in Tunisia. «Since that day», explained the statement issued today, «the representatives of the civil society that had opposed the Constitutional revision, are no longer able to receive telephone communications from abroad, nor do they have access to their e-mails. Also the internet sites of international NGO‘s, in particular that of the OMCT, are not accessible from Tunisia». The OMCT, apart from expressing its deep concern, also took the occasion to criticise President Ben Ali. «Having proposed to host in Tunis the 2005 World Information Society Summit, it would be advisable for the citizens of his nation to have unrestricted access to communication means and be allowed to establish contacts abroad». (MISNA, Italy, 5 June 2002)

* Uganda. The disabled cast their votes — 5 June: Uganda’s disabled persons got to elect their representative in the country’s special polls on 4 June. In the eastern towns of Busia and Tororo, and around the country, they formed long lines outside polling stations as early as 0800 (0500 GMT) to cast their votes. Known here as Persons With Disabilities (PWD)s, the voters were participating in local elections for the disabled under Uganda’s unique «Movement» system. The system allows political parties to exist but not to organise. Chanting pro-government slogans, PWDs came to the polling stations in wheelchairs and on crutches, accompanied by their wives and children. However, members of their families were not allowed to take part in the election if they were not themselves disabled. They were later joined across the country by youths who were also electing their own representatives in separate polls. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 June 2002)

* Zambie. Famine: désastre national — A son tour, dans l’Afrique australe frappée par la famine, le président zambien Levy Mwanawasa a décrété l’état de désastre alimentaire national. Dans un discours radio-télévisé le 29 mai au soir, il a réclamé une aide internationale d’urgence pour 4 millions de ses concitoyens menacés par la famine, précisant que la récolte de maïs de l’année serait épuisée d’ici août. Selon l’Onu, quelque 10 millions de personnes au Malawi, au Zimbabwe, au Lesotho et au Swaziland sont également menacées par la famine. L’évaluation par les agences internationales de la situation en Zambie et au Mozambique est en cours, et l’heure est au pessimisme. Ces pays n’ont plus que quelques semaines de réserves, estime la responsable régionale de la FAO. En Zambie, dans les zones les plus touchées, les gens ont déjà commencé à ne se nourrir que de racines et la plupart des enfants souffrent de malnutrition. Le volume de la dernière récolte ne permet de nourrir que six des dix millions de Zambiens, a précisé le président. (AP, 30 mai 2002)

* Zambia. Food disaster and poverty — 30 May: Zambia has declared the country’s food shortage a national disaster, saying four million people face starvation. President Levy Mwanawasa said that current crop production would only feed six million people out of a total population of more than 10 million. He said that Zambia would run out of food by July or August. Zambia’s move comes a day after the United Nations warned that at least 10 million people face starvation in four southern African countries unless the international community acts swiftly. «I make a passionate appeal to the international community to assist us in this time of need,» Mr Mwanawasa said. He said crop assessments showed the country would have a maize shortage of 630,000 tonnes. Maize is the staple diet in southern Africa. «Given this scenario and concern for the survival of our people, my government has decided to declare a national disaster with regard to food insecurity in the nation and water shortage in the Southern province,» Mr Mwanawasa said in a statement. Millions of Zambians would have to depend on foreign food handouts and imports, he warned. 31 May: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved $317m financing for Zambia’s 2002 economic plan to target poverty  reduction. «The gesture by the IMF is tremendous testimony to its shift in addressing poverty in least developed countries,» Finance Minister Emmanuel Kasonde said adding $62m would be released immediately. Zambia has declared the country’s food shortage a national disaster, saying four million people face starvation. It also faces an economic crisis with mining giant Anglo American negotiating to pull out of the Konkola copper mines — the country’s biggest mining operation and major employer — which accounts for 67% of foreign currency earnings. Mr Kasonde said in a statement $150m would be interim financing for the World Bank’s Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme, while $167m would be loans to support the budget. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 May 2002)

* Zambie. Détenus malades graciés — Cent malades en phase terminale, détenus dans les prisons zambiennes, seront bientôt libérés, a annoncé le 3 juin le ministre de l’Intérieur, précisant que par cette mesure on cherche à alléger la situation de surpopulation des centres de détention. Le nombre élevé de décès par maladie enregistré dans les prisons a poussé la Commission nationale pour les droits humains (ZHRC) à présenter une protestation formelle au gouvernement. Selon elle, cette situation provient principalement de la propagation de maladies contagieuses, en premier lieu la tuberculose, parmi les milliers de prisonniers séjournant dans des structures inadaptées. (Misna, Italie, 4 juin 2002)

* Zambia. RSF condemns journalist’s mistreatment — On 5 June, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) protested against the abuse suffered by Emmanuel Chilekwa, editor-in-chief of the private People newspaper. He was arrested on 4 June for insulting current President Levy Mwanawasa. In an open letter addressed by RSF‘s secretary-general, Robert Ménard, to Zambia’s President Mwanawasa, the international organisation called on the President to «show respect for press freedom by not arresting journalists». This is the very reason why the RSF has called for the decriminalisation of the offence of «defaming the President». Based on RSF reports, the journalist was arrested by police without formal charges of defamation. In the past days, Chilekwa had written about rumours circulating, suggesting that Mwanawasa suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. «I was handcuffed, savagely beaten and demanded to reveal my source on the President’s health. A request which my professional ethics do not allow me to respond to», declared the journalist. Since Mwanawasa’s rise to power, Chilekwa is the second journalist to be arrested in connection with his profession. The first was Fred M’Membe, editor-in-chief of The Post, arrested on 11 February. (MISNA, Italy, 5 June 2002)

* Zambia. President takes the bus — In an effort to cut costs, President Levy Mwanawasa left his official Mercedes Benz at home on 5 June and took the bus. Mwanawasa, who was elected in December promising to address poverty and corruption, took public transportation to the airport as part of a new push to save money, he said. Mwanawasa then flew to a meeting in South Africa. Mwanawasa said he hoped to set an example for his ministers, who should take the bus whenever they travel to the airport to send him off on official trips. Zambia’s 10 million people are among the world’s poorest. (CNN, USA, 5 June 2002

* Zimbabwe. Lutte contre la famine - favoritisme — Shari Eppel, directrice de la section de Bula (sud Matabeleland) de l’ONG Amanai Trust, a formulé de dures accusations contre les politiques de lutte contre la famine mises en oeuvre par le gouvernement. D’après l’ONG, la distribution des produits alimentaires par les structures gouvernementales, en particulier le Consortium étatique du blé (GMB), se fait de manière discriminatoire: seules les personnes en possession de vieilles cartes d’adhésion au parti au pouvoir, le ZANU-PF, arrivent à obtenir des denrées alimentaires. Le ministre des Affaires sociales estime que 5,9 millions de personnes vivant dans les zones rurales et 1,9 million des zones urbaines sont exposées à la famine. Dans les deux mois qui viennent, la situation pourrait encore empirer de façon dramatique. Le gouvernement vient de refuser 10.000 tonnes de maïs envoyées par les USA, parce que les certifications ne garantiraient pas assez la non-manipulation génétique du produit donné. (Misna, Italie, 31 mai 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Opposants en détention — Le 31 mai, une cour de justice du Zimbabwe a placé trois importants leaders de l’opposition en détention provisoire jusqu’au 2 août, en raison d’accusations de tentative d’assassinat du président Robert Mugabe. Le dirigeant du Mouvement pour le changement démocratique (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai, le secrétaire général du parti Welshman Ncube, et le député Renson Gasela sont accusés d’avoir projeté d’assassiner Mugabe avant les élections présidentielles de mars. Ces politiciens nient les allégations. La cour a indiqué qu’elle fixera la date du procès le 2 août à Harare. - D’autre part, deux autres voix dissidentes de la société civile, le président de la Law Society of Zimbabwe, Me Sternford Moyo, et son secrétaire Me Wilbert Mapombere, ont été arrêtés le 3 juin, puis libérés vers minuit, pour être à nouveau interpellés le lendemain. On leur reproche le contenu d’une lettre adressée à des bureaux gouvernementaux britanniques et au parti MDC, au sujet de l’organisation de manifestations de masse de la part du MDC. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 4 juin 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Legal pressure — 30 May: A court in Zimbabwe has set trial dates for two journalists charged under the country’s controversial Press and Media Law. Andrew Meldrum of the British newspaper, The Guardian, and Lloyd Mudiwa of Zimbabwe’s Daily News are accused of having abused journalistic privilege. Their trials will begin on separate dates in June. They were arrested in connection with a story alleging that supporters of President Mugabe’s governing Zanu-PF party had murdered a woman. The story was later found to be unsubstantiated. If convicted, they face up to two years in jail. If the trial goes ahead, it will set a precedent for the laws which critics say are aimed at stifling free speech and suppressing dissent against the government. 31 May: The MDC‘s leader, Morgan Tsvangirai appears in court with two other high-ranking party officials charged with treason. But the case has again been postponed until August. 4 June: Two of Zimbabwe’s most senior lawyers have ben arrested on suspicion of agitating for political violence. The president of the Law Society, Sternford Moyo, and the group’s secretary, Wilbert Mapombere, were picked up on the evening of 3 June, released at midnight and rearrested in the early morning of 4 June. 5 June: MISNA reports that the Council for the Law Society of Zimbabwe has expressed «shock and surprise» at the arrests. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 June 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe launches CD charm offensive — Zimbabwe has launched a marketing campaign in an attempt to improve its image, tarnished by years of political and economic difficulties. An interactive programme has been put together that provides «a factual and authoritative exposition... of what Zimbabwe really is», President Robert Mugabe said. He was speaking at the launch of a CD-ROM sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, which was attended by foreign diplomats, business leaders and tourism officials. The Zimbabwean leader said his country had been treated unfairly by the world media, in particular over its land reform programme. «Over the past four years or so, the government and leadership have been subjected to a persistent and malicious media onslaught because we have seriously made attempts at correcting and redressing past colonial injustices, notably the skewed land distribution and ownership patterns. Never in modern history has a country and its leadership received as many column inches of print and many hours of television as Zimbabwe,» the Zimbabwean head of state said. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 30 May 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Fears that Harare manipulating food relief — Concerns are mounting over political interference by the Zimbabwean government in the distribution of food relief to the 6m people facing severe food shortages in the southern African country. Physicians for Human Rights, a  Danish non-governmental organisation, on 3 June urged international aid agencies to monitor the distribution of food relief more closely to prevent supplies being selectively given to ruling Zanu-PF supporters. The organisation fears President Robert Mugabe’s regime is exploiting hunger to suppress support for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It claims that Zanu-PF supporters, civil servants and traditional leaders are blocking MDC supporters from acquiring maize, a staple food. «It is clear that some schemes have been discriminatory for months without the donor being aware,» the Copenhagen-based group said in a report on political antagonism in Zimbabwe following presidential elections in March. Maize is distributed through government public works schemes, the state-owned Grain Marketing Board and donor programmes. But Physicians for Human Rights believes the marketing board denies grain to those people not holding Zanu-PF membership and claims some public works programmes are reserved for government supporters. (Financial Times, UK, 4 June 2002)