IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 48 covering the period 25 November - 1 December 2000

CONTENTS AFRICA: HIV/AIDS figures stabilise ZIMBABWE: Aid work suffers as donors withdraw ZIMBABWE: Mbeki, Obasanjo meet Mugabe over land reform ZIMBABWE: Bumper maize crop, but concerns for next year ZIMBABWE: ZANU-PF wins by-election ZIMBABWE: Fuel crisis could worsen ZIMBABWE: High Court sets dates for MDC electoral petitions ANGOLA: UNITA accuses Luanda of “genocide” ANGOLA: Oil industry transparency ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: UNITA warns of escalating conflict ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: SA to stay neutral ZAMBIA: Relocation of Angolan refugees ZAMBIA: Donors to relieve pressure on falling currency ZAMBIA: Main opposition party suspends its leader ZAMBIA: Petroleum refinery to re-start production ZAMBIA-DRC: Kabila disowns fleeing DRC soldiers ANGOLA-NAMIBIA: SWAPO warns Angolan refugees NAMIBIA: Security forces kill alleged UNITA rebels MALAWI: Ruling party wins local poll after tiny turnout MOZAMBIQUE: President awaits further info on prison deaths SWAZILAND: Police break up anti-monarchy border blockade

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AFRICA: HIV/AIDS figures stabilise For the first time, there are signs that new HIV/AIDS infections may have stabilised in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, UNAIDS said in its annual epidemic update released on Tuesday. New infections in 2000 totalled an estimated 3.8 million compared with 4 million in 1999, the ‘AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2000’ revealed. Globally there are 36.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, 25.3 million of these people are in Africa. UNAIDS said the slight fall in infections was probably a result of two factors. “On the one hand, the epidemic in many countries has gone on for so long that it has already affected many people in the sexually active population leaving a smaller pool of people still able to acquire the infection. At the same time successful prevention programmes in a handful of African countries, notably Uganda, have reduced national infection rates and contributed to the regional downturn,” the report said. National HIV prevalence rates continue to vary widely between countries. They range from under 2 percent of the adult population in some West African countries to around 20 percent or more in southern Africa, the report noted. More details at www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/other/20001129.phtml ZIMBABWE: Aid work suffers as donors withdraw As UNDP head Mark Malloch-Brown prepared to meet Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe in Harare in order to broker new talks between the government and international funders, UNICEF said on Thursday that donor withdrawal was already having an impact on humanitarian work in the country. UNICEF Country Representative Justin Maeda told IRIN that there would be a shortfall of about US $7 million in 2001 and that would result in the agency only being able to complete about 35 percent of its work next year. “Some donors are telling us that until there is clarity between themselves and the Zimbabwe government they cannot fund us,” Maeda said. He added that certain donors were not drawing a distinction between funding for government projects and funding for development work. “Very important work with children and young people is being affected, particularly around HIV/AIDS and orphans,” Maeda said. Maeda expressed concern that donor countries were withdrawing support from the country wholesale because of the political situation, despite an understanding that development work would retain international support. ZIMBABWE: Mbeki, Obasanjo meet Mugabe over land reform Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe received a diplomatic nudge to resolve his country’s land reform troubles on Thursday, during a short visit by South African counterpart Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. “We call on the international community to give support to the resolution of this issue, and to come around to support it materially so that compensation, which is also a part of the law, will be paid,” Obasanjo said. The high-profile and sudden meeting with Obasanjo, who leads Africa’s most populous nation, and Mbeki, who leads Africa’s largest economy, renewed pressure on Mugabe to find a workable solution to his land reform programme. Obasanjo said the talks had focused on regional issues in west and southern Africa, but the emphasis in his remarks to reporters was on Mugabe’s plans to resettle white-owned farms with black peasant farmers, without paying the current owners for the land. Mbeki and Obasanjo have been acting as intermediaries between Zimbabwe and its former colonial ruler Britain together with international lenders to implement land reform. The three heads met for two and a half hours at the Mugabe’s State House in Harare. Obasanjo said the meeting had been at his request. ZIMBABWE: Bumper maize crop, but concerns for next year Zimbabwe has recorded its biggest maize harvest for over a decade, but delays in payments to farmers by the state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB) could threaten next year’s crop, a leading Harare-based economist told IRIN. Zimbabwe’s mainly communal farmers have produced around two million mt of the staple maize, more than enough to feed the country. “It’s the biggest crop we’ve had in 10, maybe 12 years,” John Robertson said. But, he added, delays in payments by the GMB “has put a strain on next year’s crop”. In some parts of the country, late cheques have caused difficulties in securing seeds and fertilizers for new planting, which ideally should have started in early November. “Planting at this stage of the year is risky,” Robertson said. But the GMB’s acting chief executive Joan Mtukwa, also warned of a projected maize shortfall in the 2001/2002 season due to the high cost of agricultural inputs, which have doubled in price. That, Robertson said, is coupled with uncertainty over weather conditions during the important maize growing stage of January to March. “The prospects for the coming year are where the dangers lie,” he remarked. ZIMBABWE: ZANU-PF wins by-election President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party won a parliamentary by-election marred by violence in the town of Marondera, news reports said on Tuesday. ZANU-PF scooped 7,376 votes to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC’s) 4,366 in the Marondera West rural district southwest of the capital, Harare, the state Election Commission announced. Officials said voter turnout was just 33 percent of about 36,000 registered voters. The election was called after a ruling party lawmaker who held the seat died in a car accident in August. ZIMBABWE: Fuel crisis could worsen The National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) said this week it had it received US $10 million from the Metropolitan Bank of Zimbabwe under a facility to import fuel. But NOCZIM warned that the country would plunge into a deeper fuel crisis unless a permanent solution is found to the present hard currency shortage. NOCZIM chief executive Webster Muriritirwa said on Wednesday that the US $10 million, part of a US $30 million facility arranged by Metropolitan, was exhausted within a week and that the state-run fuel procurement agency had since struggled to raise funds to import fuel from other sources. Metropolitan Bank last month unveiled the US $30 million facility to enable NOCZIM to import fuel using Zimbabwe dollars, a development then seen as one of the permanent solutions to Zimbabwe’s fuel problems. ZIMBABWE: High Court sets dates for MDC electoral petitions Zimbabwe’s High Court has set dates for 14 electoral petitions filed by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) challenging the June parliamentary election results in 38 constituencies, the ‘Daily News’ reported on Wednesday. The trials, to be heard in three sessions spread over five months, are scheduled to begin on 9 January next year and to end on 11 May. The MDC launched petitions in the High Court alleging there were irregularities in the 38 constituencies whose results it is challenging. ANGOLA: UNITA accuses Luanda of “genocide” The Angolan rebel group UNITA accused the government on Wednesday of practicing a “form of genocide” for its financial and political benefit. “The increase in the number of displaced people is a premeditated act by the government to obtain political and financial dividends,” UNITA´s secretary-general Paulo Lukamba “Gato” alleged. He charged that Luanda was applying “a form of genocide” and “scorched-earth policy” to “force (rural) populations to urban areas” under government control. “The international community should know that its (humanitarian) aid serves to feed the government’s armed forces and to fill black markets, benefiting the regime’s hierarchy, which re-routes donated aid for personal enrichment,” Gato said. ANGOLA: Oil industry transparency A major two-day oil and gas conference in the Angolan capital, Luanda, came under criticism prior to even getting under way. The British-based NGO, Global Witness, challenged companies participating in the second annual conference, ‘Oil and Gas Investments in Angola’, to address head on issues regarding transparency and corruption. The organisation believed that foreign oil companies could play a major role in increasing accountability of oil revenues which comprise 92 percent of Angola’s exports. “It is simply not acceptable,” said Simon Taylor of Global Witness, “for foreign oil companies to hide behind suggestions that they are not responsible for a significant proportion of Angola’s income from their direct payments.” Taylor argued that the conference is a perfect opportunity for companies “to end their complicity in the wholesale rip-off of Angolan state assets due to their lack of transparency”. IRIN focus on transparency in the Angola oil industry at www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/sa/countrystories/angola/20001127.phtml ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: UNITA warns of escalating conflict A senior Zambian military commander told IRIN on Tuesday that Zambia’s armed forces were ready to defend the country’s “territorial integrity”, following a warning by Angolan UNITA rebels that its war against the government could spill across the border. “A threat is a threat,” the commander said. “Our job is to keep peace around there (the border region).” But he refused to comment on what, if any, changes in the Zambian government’s position of neutrality in the Angolan conflict could have provoked UNITA’s warning. “It’s in their heads, I can’t comment on that,” the commander remarked. In a communiqué dated 21 November, UNITA alleged the Angolan armed forces (FAA) “are assembling men and materials to launch a big offensive against UNITA positions in Moxico in order to occupy all the frontier with Zambia.” It added that the “adventure” of FAA chief of staff General Joao de Matos “in the west frontier of Zambia could escalate the war into that neighbouring country, since UNITA forces are ready for such confrontation”. ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: SA to stay neutral South Africa’s policy towards the Angolan conflict remains one of non-interference, a government official told IRIN on Thursday in response to a newspaper allegation that Zambia had approached South Africa for military assistance to help police its troubled border with Angola. The private Angolan weekly ‘Actual’ reported on 18 November that Zambia had asked for military aid from South Africa following recent incursions by Angolan forces across the sparsely populated border. The newspaper said the troops were hunting for rebel UNITA generals who had fled into Zambia and were allegedly hiding among the Angolan refugee population. “I doubt South Africa would ever grant such assistance. Our position is for a peace settlement in Angola and non-intervention,” the official said. “We favour a negotiated settlement, we don’t favour any side,” he added. ZAMBIA: Relocation of Angolan refugees The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a press release that Zambia had asked for its help in moving 2,000 former Angolan UNITA combatants and their families who recently entered the North Western Province of Zambia. The refugees will be transferred to a camp in Ukwimi, in the Eastern Province, about 300 km east of the capital Lusaka. The camp has better facilities and is a safe distance from the Angolan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border areas. ZAMBIA: Donors to relieve pressure on falling currency The World Bank and bilateral donors are to give Zambia an estimated US $40 million by mid-December following a request by the government to help offset its large oil bill, a spokesman for the bank on Tuesday. World Bank representative Laurence Clarke said the money would be given to Zambia as balance of payments support. “The government is presently spending US $60 million more on the cost of oil imports and has asked us to help offset the large oil bill. We’re still discussing it, but the bank will be the largest contributor to the loan,” Clarke said. The Zambian currency has fallen to a new record low of 3,900 kwachas to the US dollar. ZAMBIA: Main opposition party suspends its leader The central committee of Zambia’s leading opposition party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP), has suspended its leader, Francis Nkhoma, with immediate effect, DPA reported on Sunday. The decision to suspend Nkhoma for “gross indiscipline” was taken at a three-day meeting of the UNIP central committee, a spokesman for the party, Njekwa Namela said in a statement. Nkhoma has been replaced by his deputy, Rabbison Chongo, who will act as leader until 28 December when a new leader will be elected at the party’s national council meeting. Nkoma said he may consider rejoining the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) if his efforts to get back his post fail. “I am still consulting my lawyers to fight this suspension but the Eastern Province is likely to break away because of the mounting pressure,” Nkoma said. He said they would look at some parties including the MMD before deciding which one to join. “We will join the party that has substance and the party that believes in power sharing for the interest of Zambia.” ZAMBIA: Petroleum refinery to re-start production Repairs have been completed on the Indeni Petroleum Refinery in Ndola, Copperbelt province, and the plant is expected to start full production next Monday, the ‘Times of Zambia’ reported on Wednesday. About US $12 million has been spent on repairing the plant. The plant was gutted last year in May, the cause has never been determined although the Zambian government did not rule out the possibility of sabotage. The plant has been undergoing repair works since February this year. Indeni Petroleum Refinery has had five major and costly disasters in its history. ZAMBIA-DRC: Kabila disowns fleeing DRC soldiers Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Laurent-Desire Kabila has disowned the more than 500 soldiers fleeing into Zambia. Kaputa District Council Secretary Elias Sampa said this week that Kabila’s refusal to accept the soldiers had brought about difficulties in repatriating them. Sampa said the soldiers had run away because they were too young to fight. “They are all young boys aged between 16 and 18. What can they do in a war?”, he asked. Meanwhile, Sampa said that food supplies the government dispatched to the area last week had arrived. “Hunger has reduced for the soldiers and the refugees but the residents are still starving and we are still waiting for relief food supplies to feed the people,” he said. ANGOLA-NAMIBIA: SWAPO warns Angolan refugees Ruling SWAPO secretary-general, Hifikepunye Pohamba, has warned Angolan refugees living in the Namibian Kavango region to refrain from cooperating with UNITA rebels. “Any Angolan national found to be promoting UNITA activities in Namibia will be regarded as an enemy of the citizens of this country,” Pohamba said on Saturday. He was addressing SWAPO supporters at the start of the party’s election campaign for the upcoming Rundu Urban constituency by-election. “The Namibian government will not tolerate such practices to be carried out by foreigners without taking action,” he warned. NAMIBIA: Security forces kill alleged UNITA rebels Four alleged UNITA rebels were killed and three Namibian Defence Force (NDF) solders wounded in clashes in the northern Okovango region, defence ministry spokesman Vincent Mwange said on Wednesday. He said heavily armed UNITA troops infiltrated Matava village, some 90 km west of Rundu and looted property. One UNITA rebel was killed in one of the subsequent gun battles, while two AK47 assault rifles and one PKM gun were captured. On the same day, Mwange said NDF soldiers also laid an ambush and killed three UNITA soldiers and captured two G3 rifles. He added that three NDF soldiers sustained injuries after their truck detonated an anti-tank mine during the follow-up operation, and they are currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Windhoek. MALAWI: Ruling party wins local poll after tiny turnout The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) scored a landslide victory in last Tuesday’s local government elections, scooping 610 seats out of the contested 860 wards, the ‘Chronicle’ reported at the weekend. According to results published on Saturday by the Malawi Electoral Commission, the former ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) faired dismally, beaten into third place by its junior opposition alliance partner, the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), which won 120 seats. Chairman of the Electoral Commission, James Kalaile, said no poll was held in 131 wards because candidates went in unopposed. He also said there would be fresh elections in 15 wards, while in two wards there would be a re-run because of irregularities. But polling was characterised by a low voter turnout despite a last minute decision by the government to declare the polling day a holiday. MOZAMBIQUE: President awaits further info on prison deaths Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano is awaiting the results of further investigations into the prison deaths of scores of opposition demonstrators before taking an official position. Everything indicates there are some responsibilities to be determined,” Chissano said. As many as 83 people jailed in the wake of opposition protests in the northern town of Montepuez, died in the town’s prison on the night of 22 November. The country needed a more rigorous police and judicial system, he added. Questioned by journalists, Chissano said he only had an autopsy report indicating 75 prisoners had died from “mixed asphyxia”, or suffocation. He said he might take a public position after getting the results of additional investigations. A Mozambican-South African forensic team issued their report last week after performing 35 autopsies in Montepuez. Opposition chief Afonso Dhlakama has said that the deaths in Montepuez were acts of “revenge” by local police, who suffered six killed and six injured in clashes with demonstrators on 9 November. At least 18 opposition supporters died in the Montepuez confrontation. More than 40 people died in clashes on that day nationwide as police opened fire to disperse opposition crowds protesting against allegedly fraudulent elections last year. Hundreds were wounded or injured, and hundreds arrested. SWAZILAND: Police break up border blockade South African police on Thursday broke up a pro-democracy blockade at the Swaziland border and warned protestors not to block traffic again between South Africa and Swaziland. The blockade against Swaziland, was called by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). Their demand for political reforms against the last absolute monarchy were also backed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). Around 60 protestors were peacefully disbursed after police ordered them to leave Oshoek, a border gate area on Swaziland’s northwest border, which leads to the Swaziland capital Mbabane from South Africa’s main commercial heartland of Johannesburg. “Movement of trucks and people is back to normal. Those who were protesting were warned not to block traffic as that is against the law,” police spokesman Sipho Mathunjwa said.