ANB-BIA - Av. Charles Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belgium
TEL **.32.2/420 34 36 fax /420 05 49 E-Mail: anb-bia@village.uunet.be
_____________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 03-10-2002

PART #4/4 - From SOUTH AFRICA to  ZIMBABWE

* South Africa. No nuclear link with Iraq — The South African government says categorically it has not been approached to sell uranium to Iraq. South Africa’s foreign minister, Aziz Pahad, says his government will ask the British Government to clarify «vague statements» made in British Prime Minister’s dossier. Mr Pahad says his government had not been approached, but would be investigating suggestions that Iraq tried to buy nuclear material in Africa. He says the finger had been pointed at South Africa as the only country on the continent of Africa with the capacity to enrich uranium. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 September 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. L’uranium de l’Irak — Le 26 septembre, le vice-ministre sud-africain des Affaires étrangères, Aziz Pahad, a déclaré que son pays n’avait pas fourni de l’uranium à l’Irak comme l’affirme un document britannique. Réagissant à ce dossier sur les capacités de l’Irak à produire des armes de destruction massive, M. Pahad a dit: “Je peux affirmer formellement que nous n’avons pas vendu de l’uranium àl’Irak”. Le rapport de M. Blair parlait d’indications selon lesquelles l’Irak a cherché à se procurer de l’uranium en Afrique. Or, l’Afrique du Sud est le seul pays africain à avoir mené, dans le passé, des programmes d’enrichissement. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 septembre 2002)

* South Africa. Race to pump oil off stricken ship — 30 September: Salvage workers are resuming the pumping of oil from the ship that went aground off the east coast of South Africa in mid-September. The Jolly Rubino, a freighter carrying hazardous chemicals, is still aground near the St Lucia Wetlands reserve — a designated World Heritage site. Bad weather and a fire aboard the ship have interrupted efforts to transfer the remaining oil from the wreck to other ships. But the operation to pump fuel out of the ship’s tanks is now being speeded up because of fears that the Jolly Rubino will break up. Smit Salvage, who are running the pumping operation, say they are trying to pump off about 800 tonnes of oil. On 18 September, salvage experts abandoned attempts to refloat the ship. The decision was taken after the fire on board had spread to the engine room and cracks in the ships hull had widened. Booms have been put in place in an attempt to prevent oil from coming ashore. Smit Salvage said most of the chemicals aboard had been washed ashore or consumed in the fire that raged aboard the ship. Although most of the oil which had already spilled into the sea has been washed to the south of the St Lucia Wetland area, conservation manager Richard Penn-Sawers is still worried. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 September 2002)

* South Africa. Steel giant polluting water — 30 September: Several South African families have taken giant steel corporation, Iscor, to court for polluting their water. The case is being seen as one of the most important environmental legal battles in the country’s history. The 16 black and white families live in Steel Valley in south-west Johannesburg, in the shadow of Iscor’s massive steel manufacturing plant at Vanderbijlpark. They claim the industrial giant has polluted their water, degraded their environment and brought sickness and suffering to their families. The Steel Valley residents want the court to force Iscor to stop polluting their water. Four of them are also asking for compensation because they claim that drinking the polluted water has damaged their health. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 September 2002)

* South Africa. Unions strike against privatisation — 1 October: The South African trade union movement starts a two day strike against government privatisation policy. The Congress of South African Trades Unions, Cosatu, is allied to the ruling African National Congress but objects strongly to the privatisation of state owned enterprises. The strike is the latest open example of conflict over policy between the government of President Thabo Mbeki and some of its closest supporters. Many in South Africa now ask how long the alliance, which includes the South African Communist Party, can last. The African National Congress wears its credentials as a liberation movement with great pride. Nothing is more insulting to it than to suggest that it is somehow less than caring about the poorest in South African society. This is why it has reacted so sharply against the two day general strike — warning against what is termed «ultra-leftist» principles. In reality the urban working class has been moving away from the ANC for some time. The privatisation of electricity or telecommunications may please foreign investors, but it has cost ordinary workers many thousands of jobs. The trades unions, who are in a political alliance with the ANC, could not ignore this challenge to their interests. Numerous meetings have failed to bridge the gap. And now, in conjunction with the South African Communist Party, they are taking their protests to the streets. —The response to the strike call by the South African trades unions is reported as being «largely positive but mixed across the country». Cosatu says that in some areas — like Durban, Cape Town and Gauteng —there has been a good response, but in other areas workers are not on strike. The South African Chamber of Business says that about 15% of workers have not shown up for work. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 1 October 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. Grève générale — 30 septembre. Le Congrès des syndicats sud-africains (Cosatu) a lancé un mot d’ordre de grève générale pour les 1er et 2 octobre, sur fond de malaise politique au sein de l’alliance au pouvoir, le Congrès national africain. La Cosatu manifestera contre la pauvreté qui touche 48% de la population. Il exerce des pressions sur le gouvernement afin qu’il change ses projets de privatisation pour que les services de base, comme l’eau et l’électricité, restent abordables pour les pauvres. Mais selon le gouvernement, la privatisation devrait bénéficier aux pauvres à long terme, parce que les compagnies privées sont plus efficaces pour gérer de telles entreprises. - 2 octobre. Au deuxième jour de la grève, plusieurs dizaines de manifestants sont descendus dans la rue pour dénoncer la politique de privatisation du président Mbeki et protester contre un taux de chômage qui a atteint 30%. Cependant, la mobilisation a été inégale dans le pays, forte notamment dans les mines, mais faible dans le secteur public. La chambre de commerce a estimé à 15% le taux de participation de la grève. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 octobre 2002)

* Sudan. On Sudan’s tense frontline — The dry dirt road which leads into Torit from the east is littered with dead bodies. Some lie partly hidden in the long grass. Others are sprawled in their camouflage uniforms in and around the mud trenches which mark the approaches to the town. The area is heavily-mined, and scattered with broken mortars, tanks and machine guns. Torit was captured over three weeks ago a fortnight ago by Sudan’s rebel army, the SPLA. It is not much of a town — one avenue lined with shabby brick built shops — but it is an important strategic position, close to the Nile, neighbouring Uganda and Kenya, and the southern capital, Juba. «It’s a big victory for us,» said SPLA Commander Wilson Deng Kuoirot, watching a crowd of his soldiers singing a triumphant song in what had been the Sudanese Government’s barracks in Torit. «Next we will take Juba.» A captured government tank raced past us — heading for the new frontline some 65 kilometres further west along the road towards Juba. Suddenly, the soldiers stopped singing and squinted towards the sky. «Antonov bomber — quick, inside the shelter,» said Kuoirot. High in the clouds above us, a government bomber circled slowly over the town, then headed away towards the west without dropping its bombs. «Enemy morale is very low,» said Kuoirot, bringing out seven young prisoners of war. «They’re recruited by force to come and fight against us for a cause they don’t understand.» «They want me to be an Arab, a Muslim,» explained the SPLA‘s front commander, Oyay Deng Alak, at his field headquarters close to the new frontlines. «How can we remain in one country with such behaviour? Dividing the country is better than remaining in a situation of continuous fighting.» (BBC News, UK, 22 September 2002)

* Sudan. Aid flights to south halted — 26 September: Humanitarian flights into southern Sudan are to be banned for the next nine days as fighting in the region escalates. The UN says it is very concerned about the ban, imposed by the Sudanese Government. The government’s action will cut off almost the entire south of the country, preventing humanitarian flights from getting in, and also potentially blocking the evacuation of foreign staff from the war zone. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 September 2002)

* Soudan. Combats dans le sud — Le 26 septembre, les rebelles soudanais ont mené d’importants combats dans le sud du Soudan, où le gouvernement a lancé une vaste offensive. L’armée gouvernementale s’est emparée de la ville de Midil (région du Nil Bleu méridional), a déclaré un porte-parole des rebelles de l’Armée populaire de libération du Soudan. Suite à la recrudescence des affrontements, les Nations unies ont suspendu les vols humanitaires en partance du Kenya pour le Sud-Soudan. De son côté, le gouvernement soudanais a décrété la fermeture de son espace aérien pour 9 jours dans les zones de combat. L’évêque de Rumbek, Mgr Mazzolari, a dénoncé la reprise des hostilités dans le sud du pays, qui est “tragiquement ignoré par la communauté internationale”. Il a déploré les raids aériens presque quotidiens visant des objectifs civils. “Au nom du pétrole, qui représente le véritable enjeu du contentieux entre les belligérants, on veut sacrifier des gens innocents”, a-t-il ajouté. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 28 septembre 2002)

* Soudan. Violent orage à Khartoum: 26 morts — Un très violent orage a fait 26 morts à Khartoum, a annoncé la radio publique le 28 septembre. Treize personnes, en majorité des femmes et des enfants, ont été précipités dans le vide alors qu’ils se trouvaient sur la grande roue d’un parc d’attraction. Par ailleurs, 13 personnes se sont noyées lors du naufrage de leur bateau de plaisance sur le Nil. La tornade a fait un nombre indéterminé de blessés. Les tempêtes de sable, suivies de pluies torrentielles, sont courantes à Khartoum d’avril à octobre. (AP, 28 septembre 2002)

* Tanzania. Gearing up for tourism push — Tanzania is hoping the trend towards ecotourism, adventure and cultural experience holidays will help it become a leading tourist destination. The home of Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti plans and the beaches of Zanzibar believes its natural resources can help it build up its share of the massive tourism market. In October, the Tanzanian Government will invite hundreds of prospective foreign investors to a Tourism Investment Forum in Arusha, in the north of the country. Tanzania is already hopeful of attracting much more investment into the industry, by selling the state owned hotels. Zakia Hamdani Meghji, Tanzania’s tourism minister, said the country is not aiming to attract huge numbers of visitors. «We care very much about the environment so it is not mass tourism as such, it is fewer tourists but of course with big money. We want to retain and maintain the environment which is very fragile.» The government is also taking steps to improve the facilities available for visitors. Tanzanian hotels were traditionally owned and run by the government but are now being privatised. The hope is that international hotel operators will invest in the country and upgrade accommodation which has fallen into a state of disrepair under government control. Ms Meghji said there is already some evidence this is happening. She also said she is discussing the area of taxation with the Minister of Finance to ensure the destination is seen as good value for money. This is particularly important at the moment as the Tanzanian shilling has sunk in value against the dollar recently, along with other local currencies. Many of the country’s well known tourist attractions are in the north of the country and the government has formulated plans, with the support of the European Union, to promote attractions in other parts of the country. (BBC News, UK, 25 September 2002)

* Tanzania. Two Tanzania firms clash over cruise ships job hiring — The fate of 280 Tanzanian seafarers who applied for cruise ship jobs and paid a fee of Tsh26 million ($26,000) remained uncertain as a dispute erupted between two local labour recruitment companies which claimed to represent Al-Najat Marine Shipping LLC, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Universal Manpower Recruitment Agency (UMRA) and Al Mourid Travel and Tours Agency have already recruited more than 800 seafarers who paid $103.33 each for registration and medical check up. Al Mourid Travel and Tours Agency managing director Shaban Mnyonge said in Dar es Salaam that all the seafarers recruited by his agency would travel to the United Arab Emirates on September 30. Mr Mnyonge said he had been to Sharjah in the UAE to meet Al Najat’s managing director Mohammed Ali Pasha. According to the official, Al-Najat has confirmed that more than 900 Tanzanian seafarers had been recruited by both Al Mourid and UMRA and would leave by the end of September. But UMRA managing director Salmin Jafaary told The East African that he was concerned that another agency was recruiting seafarers on behalf of Al-Najat contrary to an agreement he claimed his company had signed with the UAE company in April. Mr Jafaary said all seafarers seeking recruitment for the UAE jobs were required to pay Tsh25,000 ($25) to UMRA for registration and another Tsh78,000 ($78) for medical check up at a hospital in Oysterbay, Dar es Salaam. (The East African, Kenya, 23 September 2002)

* Uganda. Spending $2 billion on energy plan — Uganda has drafted a comprehensive energy policy, which it says will require about $2 billion over the next 10 years to implement. About $532.6 million, 32% of which is a public sector contribution, has already been committed to the project. It is estimated that 68% of these finances will come from direct private investment while 32% will be from the government and development partners. The government says that it will seek funding from environmental agencies by emphasising the development of renewable energy resources, which these agencies recommend. Ministry officials say the policy will be the basis for expanding investment in modern energy production, petroleum exploration and development and supply of well-priced petroleum products. It will also seek to increase efficiency of energy use in all sectors from the households consuming biomass for cooking to the big industries and the transport sector. (The East African, Kenya, 23 September 2002)

* Uganda. Tea traders seek new markets — Citing frustrations at the Mombasa auctions, Ugandan tea traders are now looking for new outlets in an effort to improve earnings from the crop. Sources said last week that tea dealers have been to Egypt, the US and Canada to try to get new markets and limit trading at the Mombasa auctions, where prices for Ugandan tea have remained low in spite of improvement in the quality of the exports. Ugandan tea dealers have accused their Kenyan counterparts of frustrating them by not allowing their tea to reach the auctions on time. Some dealers claim that Ugandan tea is kept in bonded warehouses in Mombasa until Kenyan tea is sold. (The East African, Kenya, 23 September 2002)

* Ouganda. Radio diocésaine détruite — Le 27 septembre, peu avant l’aube, les rebelles de l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) ont attaqué les bâtiments de Radio Wa, la radio du diocèse de Lira, gérée par les missionnaires comboniens. Le studio d’enregistrement a complètement brûlé. Les paroissiens se sont mobilisés pour que les flammes ne se propagent pas à l’église voisine. Les missionnaires avaient reçu des menaces et avaient demandé la protection de l’armée, mais la présence d’une dizaine de soldats n’a pu empêcher l’attaque des rebelles. Radio Wa diffusait ses programmes dans toute la région de langue lango. (D’après Misna, Italie, 27 septembre 2002)

* Ouganda. Marche de la paix interreligieuse — Le dimanche 29 septembre, plus d’un millier de personnes ont participé à une marche de la paix organisée par plusieurs responsables religieux, catholiques, anglicans et musulmans, dans le nord de l’Ouganda, théâtre de violences. “Gouvernement et rebelles, asseyez-vous à une table et dialoguez!”, a souhaité l’archevêque de Gulu, Mgr John Baptist Odama. (La Croix, France, 2 octobre 2002)

* Vatican City. Missionary of Africa receives senior appointment — On 2 October, both La Croix and the Zenit reported that Pope John Paul II has made four key Roman Curia appointments, including Cardinal Francis Arinze, as new Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. Cardinal Arinze is being replaced as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue by Bishop Michael Fitzgerald M. Afr., its present secretary. Bishop Michael is a British Missionary of Africa who has been raised to the dignity of Archbishop. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 October 2002)

* Vatican. Conseil pour le dialogue interreligieux — Le cardinal nigérian Francis Arinze, qui était depuis 1985 le persévérant président du Conseil pontifical pour le dialogue interreligieux, a été nommé préfet de la Congrégation pour le culte divin. Il est remplacé par Mgr Michael Fitzgerald, un Père blanc britannique, qui était secrétaire de ce Conseil et en devient maintenant le président. La nomination de Mgr Fitzgerald, promu archevêque, très actif dans ce dialogue et notamment avec l’islam, indique une volonté d’aller toujours plus avant dans cette voie indispensable dans le monde d’aujourd’hui. (La Croix, France, 2 octobre 2002)

* Zambie/Congo-RDC. Approvisionnement hydroélectrique — La Zambie et le Congo-RDC ont installé une ligne d’approvisionnement en énergie hydroélectrique destinée à créer un réseau de raccordement pour d’autres pays d’Afrique australe. Ces deux pays sont déterminés à mettre en place un réseau d’interconnexion en énergie qui devrait relier l’Afrique du Sud, la Namibie, le Botswana, le Zimbabwe, la Tanzanie et le Kenya pour leur approvisionnement en une électricité peu coûteuse, indique un communiqué publié le 26 septembre à Lusaka. Le communiqué fait suite au lancement du projet dans la ville de Lubumbashi (RDC) qui va accroître la production d’électricité à partir de la ligne de raccordement de la RDC à la Zambie. Les ressources en énergie hydroélectrique de la RDC sont les plus importantes d’Afrique. (PANA, Sénégal, 27 septembre 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Elections locales — Le samedi 28 septembre, le premier jour des élections locales a été calme, mais caractérisé par une faible participation. Dans une circonscription du sud, le scrutin a été annulé à cause d’irrégularités dans les bulletins de vote. A Harare, la plupart des centres de vote étaient déserts. L’élection a failli être annulée après qu’un parti d’opposition a introduit une demande de report, invoquant la violence et l’intimidation de ses candidats et militants, mais le tribunal a rejeté cette requête. Le parti du président Mugabe, le ZANU-PF, ne rencontre aucune résistance dans 700 circonscriptions, où les partis d’opposition n’ont pas été en mesure de présenter des candidats. Le scrutin s’est poursuivi le dimanche. Selon un bilan établi le lundi en fin de soirée, le ZANU-PF aurait une avance de 74% des suffrages, contre 14% au Mouvement pour le changement démocratique (MDC, principale formation de l’opposition) et 2% aux candidats indépendants. (PANA, Sénégal, 29-30 septembre 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Local elections — 25 September: The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has asked the Harare High Court to postpone this weekend’s (28-29 September) local elections on the grounds that the government has not complied with the Electoral Act. Candidates will contest elections for rural district councils. There is also a by-election in Hurungwe in the north. 29 September: Police have arrested a member of parliament for the MDC, on the second and final day of local council elections. Friends of the politician, Roy Bennett, said he and several other people were detained in the Chimanimani district in the south-east of the country. The police said Mr Bennett had been arrested because he refused to vacate his farm, defying a government order given to nearly 3,000 white farmers. A spokesman for the Electoral Supervisory Committee said the elections had gone smoothly, but the MDC complained that their candidates had been either barred from registering or intimidated from running in about half the wards. The opposition MDC accused President Robert Mugabe of rigging presidential elections last March and said the ruling Zanu-PF party was cheating again. 1 October: Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party hails its decisive victory in the local elections, which the opposition labelled «a joke» and the US State Department described as neither fair nor credible. Unofficial results show that Zanu- PF won nearly all the 1,397 local council seats in elections characterised by low voter turnout. The MDC won fewer than 10 per cent of the 699 seats it contested. The final results are still to be announced. The MDC said the majority of its candidates had not been allowed to register and that its supporters had faced intimidation and violence from ruling party militias. Roy Bennett is released on bail. The US State Department also criticised the government, saying it had failed to «take the necessary steps to ensure conditions for a fair and credible, democratic election», spokesman Richard Boucher said, noting that it had also «failed to ensure that all parties and candidates were able to participate» and «to condemn and punish election-related violence». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 October 2002)