Foreign speculators 'plundering Mozambique's forests'

Foreign speculators are using desperately poor villagers to plunder Mozambique's national forests of rare hardwoods and other valuable resources, media reports said on Tuesday. A government spokesman was quoted as saying that the rampant exploitation of indigenous state forests and game reserves by illegal operators was threatening planned eco-tourism projects. "We're very worried about this uncontrolled exploitation of timber and particularly of our rare hardwoods which are so valuable on the foreign market," he said. He added that government planned to spend an estimated US $40 million to upgrade the forestry and wildlife components of the National Agricultural Development Programme. The planned upgrade will include the introduction of community resource management programme, which would attempt to teach communities that wildlife resources had more economic value if conserved for industries such as tourism. The Zambezia province expects to earn at least US $66 million from eco-tourism over the next year. Mozambican journalists attacked in Johannesburg Two Mozambican journalists working in Johannesburg, were beaten and robbed at the week-end, according to media reports. The two men who work for the Johannesburg daily, 'The Sowetan', were in Johannesburg's Alexandra township checking reports that illegal immigrants were living in "atrocious conditions." According to news reports the two were set upon by six men, who initially claimed to be policemen, demanding to see their identity documents.