Back Issues

RESOURCES, CONFLICTS AND RECONSTRUCTION: A CONGOLESE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Jacques Depelchin

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/17776

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is haltingly stumbling away from the eleventh war since its Independence in June 1960. The question, which is on the mind of all the Congolese people, is whether this peace - finalized in April 2003 - shall hold; whether, this time, the politicians who agreed to work together in the transition government of national unity will really work for the benefit of all the Congolese. Given the way in which the agreement was reached, there are good reasons to be doubtful. Government partners continue to be suspicious of each other. There are still signs that some people are pursuing the war by other means.

It is obvious that in order to understand the nature and depth of the Congolese crisis, it is necessary to deepen both the space and time parameters beyond the usual regional and continental limits. In addition to others, which will be made clear below, the principal reason for expanding the geographical and historical horizon is that globalization as practiced today looks, at the risk of distortion, very much like the modernization of Atlantic Slavery. This is also in response to Edouard Glissant's well known encouragement to "have a prophetic vision of the past" to which we could add "with an ancestral vision of the future". Only such an approach can really help us understand how and why, at so many turns of our collective history, we have not been able to take ourselves seriously and repair the effects and consequences of that Crime Against Humanity, as the UN Conference Against Racism, Discrimination and all forms of Intolerance (Durban, South Africa, August-September 2001) described Atlantic Slavery, the wiping out of Native Americans and other aboriginal populations.

From Atlantic and Oriental Slavery (as globalization was practiced then) to the current destruction observed in the DRC, in Africa, in the USA and many other places on the planet, we can learn more quickly from our specific histories if we approach them from a perspective which reveals the similarities: the search for resources be they slaves, rubber, diamonds, coltan, oil, timber, water or uranium shall always trigger conflicts. Conflicts and wars of conquest will erupt in order to access resources. The resulting violence will end with destruction. Conquering states, colonizing states, pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial, have been the central tools for carrying out these looting processes.

The search and thirst for the Congo's resources is not a recent phenomenon. From the days of Atlantic Slavery, the Kongo Kingdom became one of the prized destinations of slave traders. As a result of the conflicts generated by the search for slaves, the area was devastated by what has been described by historians as Jagga invasions, military expeditions in search of slaves. Kimpa Vita, a heroin resister against the onslaught was burned (like Joan of Arc) for having denounced the Kings' participation in the slave trade (1703), and the help of the Catholic Church.

As a result of the last war (1998-2003), there has been a tendency to downplay previous conflicts, which erupted in the Congo around the question of resources, from rebellions during the Slave Trade era to colonial and post-colonial rebellions.

Looking at the pattern of the history of the Congo, from the time of Atlantic slavery, it is obvious that the wealth (resources) of the country has been intimately connected to conflicts regardless of the historical period (before colonial occupation, during colonial rule or after). The use of violence and military force in order to secure and control access to these resources was crucial. When the country became Independent in 1960, in the thick of the Cold War, the US sought to ensure that the Congo stayed on the side of the West. For this alone, the US and its allies, Belgium (former colonial power), France and the others did all they could to make sure that the Congolese would only follow their dictates. Lumumba, the first and only elected Prime Minister, was overthrown within weeks of assuming power (September 4, 1960).

In order to seriously re-think the reconstruction of the DRC, it is crucial to look at the history of the country through a lens which allows us to see beyond our own borders. If we look at the DRC's Independence in 1960: when Independence began to be discussed by academics like Van Bilsen in 1955, it was envisioned as a process which would take place over a 30 year period. The understanding most Belgians had of colonial rule was a benevolent, paternalist episode in which the Belgian King Leopold II had 'sacrificed' his fortune in order to bring civilization to the Heart of Africa. When Adam Hochschild's book, King Leopold's Ghost came out in 1998 in both English and French, the Belgian historical establishment and the average Belgian were shocked to learn that the truth was drastically different: what had happened could be described as a genocide. Accessing rubber at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th led to massive loss of human life among the Congolese.

The achievement of Independence in 1960 and (insult to injury) Lumumba's speech at the Independence official ceremony, seeking to straighten the record, led to Lumumba and his acolytes being punished to such a degree that others were not encouraged. Not only was Lumumba killed, but his body and that of his companions had to be dissolved in acid. Later on, in Kisangani and in all the areas known to have been favourable to Lumumba, a witch-hunt was launched against all Lumumbists. Similarly, the successful armed struggles against Portuguese colonialism in Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Angola, in 1975 (around the time of the US defeat in Vietnam) extracted a heavy price in the form of a relentless policy of terrorism and destabilization against the governments in place in those countries, by the apartheid regime, hand in hand with the US. Most countries in Africa, around 1960, the so-called year of Independence, found themselves in a predicament: how to consolidate a victory in a most hostile context, one dominated by a determination on the part of former colonial powers not to accept the former colonies as equal partners.

As pointed out in critiques of development as a failure, scaffolding was put in place to build colonial rule, development and, before, slavery. The end of slavery, and colonial rule meant the removal of the scaffolding, but the building stayed on and served the primary purpose of reinforcing subjugation of one group by another. From Slavery through colonial occupation and Apartheid, the historical end of these oppressive regimes did not mean the end of the system. In fact, quite the opposite happened as has been shown by UN statistics about the deepening of poverty for the poorest people of the planet.

Through these common histories of ours, we have learned that changes can be transformative, politics do not have to be monopolized by politicians or state institutions. Emancipatory politics require that we remain faithful to the subject which has been fighting for the very same objectives we are still fighting today: a world freed from conquering warfare, a world driven by the concern for building sustained peace between people.

* Jacques Depelchin is with the Ota Benga International Alliance for Peace in the Congo.
* This is a summary of a presentation at the Symposium, Futures of Southern Africa, Windhoek, Namibia, Sept 15-17, 2003.

MONITORING AND EVALUATING ADVOCACY PROGRAMMES

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/17712

Advocacy is an essential component of rights-based programming, focusing on building constituencies around different issues, and working to change the broader context in which an agency works. As with any other development activity, good planning, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment are essential for good management of advocacy, for accountability, and to make sure lessons are learned to improve practice in the short and long term, according to an article this week in Aid Workers Exchange, a weekly knowledge-sharing bulletin for development and relief practitioners.
[Pour la version française répondez avec en objet "VERSION FRANCAISE"]

Aid Workers Exchange is a weekly knowledge-sharing bulletin
for development and relief practitioners. It alternates
between questions/responses and short articles.

Please share this e-mail with interested friends and colleagues.
Subscribe/unsubscribe details are at the end.

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Advocacy is an increasingly important strategy in development,
but how do you prove its impact, and ensure appropriate lessons
are learned? This week's article describes some approaches that
you may find helpful.

Do you have any "lessons learned" to exchange with other aid
workers? e-mail exchange@aidworkers.net or join the discussions
online at http://forum.aidworkers.net

This article is also available online at:
http://www.aidworkers.net/exchange/20031015.html
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MONITORING AND EVALUATING ADVOCACY PROGRAMMES
By Louisa Gosling

Advocacy is an essential component of rights-based programming,
focusing on building constituencies around different issues, and
working to change the broader context in which an agency works.

As with any other development activity, good planning,
monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment are essential for
good management of advocacy, for accountability, and to make
sure lessons are learned to improve practice in the short and
long term.

It is essential to define what you are trying to achieve and how
you will know whether or not you are succeeding. The findings
from monitoring and evaluation can also be used for further
advocacy purposes.


A 'MODEL OF CHANGE'

Advocacy can work at different levels and use different
approaches simultaneously. There are two broad categories:

* Attempting to influence policy directly
* Developing the capacity of others for advocacy

A 'model of change' can help to clarify how you expect the
advocacy process to bring about change in people's lives.

For example, the process of advocacy can be seen as an impact
chain:

build awareness > change policy > impact on people's lives

There are a number of frameworks available that you can use and
adapt to clarify the advocacy process in terms of intermediate
and long-term objectives, and how you will know if you are
getting there.


WHAT TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE?

It is important to assess both the process and impact. Both are
essential to allow us to modify and adapt our advocacy strategy
during implementation.

Process monitoring of advocacy activities is needed in order to
judge:
* are the techniques working?
* are people being reached and is the message understood by
targets? are the most appropriate targets and channels being
used?
* are you involving and collaborating with the relevant people,
organisations and bodies?

Impact monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment are needed
to know:
* are the objectives likely to be achieved, ie, will there
be/have there been changes on the ground?
* what more needs to be done to sustain changes?
* what unintended impacts - positive and negative - have
occurred?
* have promises of policy changes really been implemented (or
are they still only rhetoric)?
* what can be learnt for future advocacy activities?

Constant impact monitoring enables you to look for evidence of
change as you go, to assess progress in bringing about the
change, and to test whether your assumptions about the process
of change are correct.


WHO DEFINES SUCCESS?

Different stakeholders will have different views on what success
is, depending on where they are within the impact chain. To get
an overview of how successful you were, you need to solicit the
views of a range of stakeholders: for example, ultimate
beneficiaries, local people and their organisations, staff
involved, advocacy targets, journalists and outsiders.

Not all stakeholders have the same interest in telling you how
effective the campaign is. Some may deliberately misinform. For
example, companies may flatter campaigners to discourage them
from continuing a campaign. There may also be a danger of
campaigners exaggerating their success. It is therefore vital to
ensure a rigorous analysis takes place, and that evidence is
properly triangulated. This makes advocacy impact assessment
more credible, even though based on a subjective approach.


METHODS FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATING ADVOCACY

A variety of methods can be used. For example:

* Surveys can provide an overview of what was achieved.
Anonymous surveys can be useful where an organisation cannot
be open about why change is happening.
* Interviews.
* PLA techniques such as ranking are useful for assessing the
success of developing advocacy capacity among grassroots
activities.
* Video can be an effective way of conveying emotion in
evaluations, without which spirited campaigns turn into dry
reports.
* Case studies that draw on a range of techniques and that are
cross-referenced to avoid bias are a helpful way to provide
useful lessons and to present complex material. These can be
done for specific projects or institutions or groups of
beneficiaries.

Where emphasis is on development of civil society and ability to
hold decision makers accountable, methods for monitoring, review
and evaluation need to:
* be culturally appropriate
* encourage participation by children and young people
* be gender sensitive
* be developed in consultation with southern-based organisations
* emphasise values that organisations consider important in
their work.

Methodologies need to reinforce transparent and co-operative
ways of working, and strengthen the role of external agencies in
helping to create space for marginal groups to have a voice. It
is important to use a range of methods to get the information
you need, and to cross-check the information. The methods also
need to be suited to the nature of the advocacy work and provide
information that is timely and useful.


ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ADVOCACY

The impact of advocacy can be measured in a number of ways,
including budget monitoring to analyse the implementation of
policy change. This provides a quantitative approach,
recognising that policy change is not always implemented.

Although it would be useful, in many cases relevant baseline
data is not available to help assess impact. There is often more
emphasis on the systematic recording of evidence that comes up
in the course of the work.

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This article is excerpted from "Toolkits: a practical guide to
planning, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment."
published by Save the Children (2003). Further details online at
http://www.scfuk.org.uk/scuk/jsp/resources/details.jsp?id=594
purchasing information from orders@plymbridge.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

YOUR SAY ...

Do you have something to add or a question to ask? How have you
planned, monitored and evaluated your advocacy programmes?
Can you share some hints and tips about impact assessment?

Email exchange@aidworkers.net or join the discussion online
at http://forum.aidworkers.net/messages/258/11619.html

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AID WORKERS FORUM is our place to ask questions and find answers.
This week's featured topics:

Short-Term Financial Gains ?
http://forum.aidworkers.net/messages/141/11572.html

Conflict Resolution Training
http://forum.aidworkers.net/messages/116/11138.html

Labeling Humanitarian Goods
http://forum.aidworkers.net/messages/140/10262.html

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The Aid Workers Network is a learning community of aid workers
to provide mutual support and practical advice based on
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Aid Workers Exchange 15-OCT-03 ISSN 1478-5137
previous issues available at http://www.aidworkers.net/exchange

promoting the icc

new and updated documents on the international criminal court

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/17657

The Coalition for the ICC (CICC) has posted a number of new and updated fact sheets in its online press room. New and updated CICC and member fact sheets include:
* 2003 - '04 Calendar of ICC Events
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-2003-04Calendar.pdf
* Q&A: The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-Prosecutor.pdf
* History of the Establishment of the ICC: A Timeline
http://www.iccnow.org/documents/iccbasics/History.pdf
* U.S. Opposition to the ICC: From 'Unsigning' to Immunity Agreements
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-AMICC-USTimeline.pdf
* Q&A: U.S. so-called "Article 98" or Bilateral Immunity Agreements
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-BIAsSept2003.pdf
* The U.S. Government Position on the ICC: How Sanctions Will Affect U.S. Allies http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-WICC-BIAanecdotes.pdf

Jacques Depelchin

Ota Benga International Alliance for Peace in Congo

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/17677

Sibanze Simuchoba

Zambia

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/17675

Willemien Lourens

South Africa

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/17678

Women and fairness of elections

Tim Symonds

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/17676

african review of books: maiden issue launch december 2003

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/17703

The editorial production of the Africa Review of Books will be piloted by the Forum for Social Studies (FSS), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the active support of the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC), based in Oran, Algeria. The initiative for the publication of the Africa Review of Books dates back to about a decade and it emerged out of a shared concern in the African social research community to create a forum for a critical presentation of books produced on Africa within and outside the continent. The Africa Review of Books will be published twice yearly in English and in French. The maiden issue is to be launched in Dakar at the CODESRIA
30th Anniversary Conference in December 2003.
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Bellagio Publishing Network Forum (Bellpubnet)
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CODESRIA announces its new initiative, the Africa Review of Books (ISSN
0851-7592)

The editorial production of the Africa Review of Books will be piloted by the Forum for Social Studies (FSS), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the active support of the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC), based in Oran, Algeria.

The initiative for the publication of the Africa Review of Books dates back to about a decade and it emerged out of a shared concern in the African social research community to create a forum for a critical presentation of books produced on Africa within and outside the continent.

Such a Review was deemed central to the goal of projecting interesting original works of art and science produced in Africa that might otherwise be lost on account of poor visibility. It was also hoped that a publication of that nature could serve both as an important barometer of trends in the study of Africa and a pace-setter for an all-round improvement in standards and quality.

The thrust of the Africa Review of Books will be multidisciplinary by definition and will engage both historical and topical questions.
Contributions are welcome from scholars actively involved in the study of Africa. The vibrancy of the Review will be enhanced through the systematic encouragement of debate around critical texts.

The Africa Review of Books will be published twice yearly in English and in French. The maiden issue is to be launched in Dakar at the CODESRIA
30th Anniversary Conference in December 2003. Distinguished academics and resource persons on the continent and in the Diaspora are contributing to the Review.

The Forum for Social Studies (FSS) was established in 1998 as an independent, non-profit multidisciplinary initiative bringing together Ethiopian scholars working on a broad range of social, economic, and political questions. It is currently led by Dessalegn Rahmato. CRASC was established in 1992 as a national centre bringing together researchers in the social sciences and humanities for the common purpose of promoting a deeper understanding of the Algerian society. It is currently directed by Nouria Remaoun.

The Africa Review of Books (ARB) is not associated with or related to "African Review of Books".

For further information about the Africa Review of Books, please contact:

The Executive Secretary CODESRIA, Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop X Canal IV, BP 3304, Dakar, Senegal Tel: +221-8259822/23 Fax: +221-8241289 E-mail: codesria@codesria.sn The Manager FSS, P.O. Box 25864 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel: +251-1-552025 Fax: +251-1-523946 E-mail: fss@telecom.net.et The Director, CRASC, Cité Bahi Ammar, Bloc A, N° 01 Es Sénia, Oran, Algeria.
Tel: +213-41-419783/85 Fax: +213-41-419782 E-mail: crasc@crasc.org Bellagio Publishing Network PO Box 1369 Oxford OX4 4ZR info@bellagiopublishingnetwork.org www.bellagiopublishingnetwork.org
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Bellagio Publishing Network Forum (Bellpubnet)
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Freedom in the World 2003

The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties

2003-10-16

http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/index.htm

Since 1978, Freedom House has published Freedom in the World, an annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties in 192 countries and 18 related and disputed territories. Widely used by policy-makers, journalists, and scholars, the 700-page survey is the definitive report on freedom around the globe.

Nobel for JM Coetzee Does Black African Writers No Favours

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310090096.html

And so I put the cat among the pigeons, or perhaps the pigeon among the cats. I deliberately waited for everyone to sit down, for that moment when silence fills the air. I then posed the question: "Will someone please tell me why JM Coetzee is more deserving of the Nobel Prize for Literature than Chinua Achebe or Ngugi wa Thiong'o?" The answer came as swiftly and directly as the question: "Because he's white." And then someone else suggested that Wole Soyinka had filled the quota for black African writers, despite Africa's long list of writers from Ayi Kwei Armah to Ben Okri writers whose accomplishments are far superior to Coetzee's. Then someone else suggested this was the cultural version of a resurgent European-American reassertion of global white supremacy, along the precedent set by George Bush and Tony Blair. It soon became clear Coetzee had no sympathisers among my friends, even as our leaders proclaimed him a national hero.

The LONG NIGHTS JOURNEY INTO DAY

2003-10-16

http://www.afribeat.com/

"Seven boys left home one morning for work - and they never returned." Those seven boys, later referred to as the Gugulethu Seven, turned up on television that night dead. The news labelled them terrorists and their mothers had to watch their dead children being dragged on the ground in front of the world to see. As I purchase my ticket for the award-winning documentary Long Nights Journey Into Day on four stories, out of the thousands that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) uncovered, I ask the ticket seller a question. It's a question that has become a bit of a hobby actually, when watching African films. "How many people have come to see it?" He tells me that there aren't that many and then he proceeds to say that more black people have come to see it than white people. "They should be the ones seeing it." I say. He concurs.

through fire with water: The roots of division and the potential for reconciliation in africa

Erik Doxtader and Charles Villa-Vicencio

2003-10-16

http://store.yahoo.com/africanworld/1592210848.html

This collection of essays presents 15 case studies of African countries whose recent past has been shaped by conflict. Its exploration of the potential for reconciliation and justice reveals the experiences of communities and nations that are struggling to build a peaceful, prosperous future. It is essential reading for students of development, politics and history, and for the general reader who wants to know more about current affairs in Africa.

war and peace in zaire/congo: ANALYSING and evaluating intervention

Edited by Howard Adelman & Govind C. Rao

2003-10-16

http://store.yahoo.com/africanworld/1592211313.html

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide continues to have serious repercussions for peace and stability in the Great Lakes region of Africa. As we recently saw, the key element of the July 30, 2002 Pretoria peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was the latter’s commitment to disarm and repatriate Rwandan Hutu militants. This volume continues where most books on the region leave off. The contributors make the connection between the Rwandan Genocide and the continuation of the conflict into the territory of Zaire which finally culminated in the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko’s kleptocratic regime.

Youth Interventions

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/17702

The so-called silence of the youth is probably due to the deafness of their elders. It is therefore urgent to give the floor to African academic youths to define and discuss their future projects. Conscious of the need to encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences among young Africans, CODESRIA proposes to devote to youth, a collection of CODESRIA publications dubbed "Interventions", as part of the strategic initiative destined to promote young researchers.
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Bellagio Publishing Network Forum (Bellpubnet)
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Collection "Interventions"

Some find it dangerously depraved, others see it as irremediably immersed in a careless enjoyment of the goods of the consumer society:
African youth is subject to all kinds of reproaches. Unjustly charged with all sorts of vices, the supposed apathy of the youth provokes a legitimate anxiety and favours the development of all sorts of afro-pessimistic sentiments. It is often said that today's youths, unlike their elders, are less committed and have very little impact on Africa's great stakes. It is often asked with obvious anxiety "Can African youths ensure the future prosperity of the continent?" Should we despair at new generations? But if youths are often criticised, they are seldom listened to. The so-called silence of the youth is probably due to the deafness of their elders. It is therefore urgent to give the floor to African academic youths to define and discuss their future projects. Conscious of the need to encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences among young Africans, CODESRIA proposes to devote to youth, a collection of CODESRIA publications dubbed "Interventions", as part of the strategic initiative destined to promote young researchers.

The objective of this initiative, in publishing essays written by young researchers, is to promote free debate among the youth on issues touching on the future of Africa. This low-cost small-format publication is conceived as a tool for collective debate that would examine the different aspects of the development of African societies.

Manuscripts should not exceed fifty (50) A4 pages and should be accompanied by the author's CV and a first evaluation by a competent referee. Every year, the Council will publish a number of works in this collection and ensure their effective distribution across the continent.

Contributions should be sent to:
The Deputy Executive Secretary Collection "Intervention"
CODESRIA (Attention: Mrs Emilie Sarr)
BP 3304, Dakar/Senegal Tel: 221 8259822/23 Fax: 221 8241289 Email: emilie.sarr@codesria.sn Bellagio Publishing Network PO Box 1369 Oxford OX4 4ZR info@bellagiopublishingnetwork.org www.bellagiopublishingnetwork.org
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africa/global: Gendernet - reducing gender disparities

2003-10-16

http://www.worldbank.org/gender/

Property inheritance by women is emerging as one of the greatest present-day controversies in Africa, with the majority of people on the continent still not keen on passing on inheritances to women and a sharp conflict between the traditional cultural ethic and modern way of life.

africa: Views Still Clash On Wealth Inheritance By Women

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310140506.html

Property inheritance by women is emerging as one of the greatest present-day controversies in Africa, with majority of people on the continent still not keen on passing on inheritances to women and a sharp conflict between the traditional cultural ethic and modern way of life.

africa: Women activists win continent's "Nobel Prize"

2003-10-16

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20573

Two tireless women's rights champions, Maeza Ashenafi from Ethiopia and Sara Longwe from Zambia, were awarded the 15th annual Africa Prize for Leadership, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize for Africa”, in a ceremony Saturday in New York. The Hunger Project, a global strategic organisation that is committed to ending hunger worldwide, sponsors the 50,000-dollar award. The annual prize recognises activists' bold leadership to legally guarantee women's full human rights on the African continent.

kenya: Gays, Lesbians Fight Conservative Gov'ts, Unkind Society

2003-10-16

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20571

Kenya's gays and lesbians plan to forward their grievances to the government and lobby for recognition in a draft constitution currently being discussed in Nairobi by 629 delegates from across the East African country.

liberia: medical help for survivors of sexual violence

2003-10-16

http://www.msf.org/temporary/liberia-assault.htm

Medicins Sans Frontiers has set up a project to treat the victims of rape and sexual violence near Liberia's capital, Monrovia, in the wake of the drawn-out civil war that has decimated the country over the last 14 years. The project opened in the first week of October. It is feared that a high proportion of woman and children suffered brutal sexual abuse or attacks during the course of the conflict, with women being taken from their families and used as 'sex slaves', and children as young as five being assaulted.

malawi: Being Pregnant is Shrouded By a Shadow of Death

2003-10-16

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20628

With one in every 15 pregnant women dying from pregnancy and delivery complications, giving birth is risky business in Malawi. Doctors say women are dying as a result of loss of blood, inexperienced birth attendants and limited resources and drugs.

tanzania: Three get 30 years after FGM victim dies

2003-10-16

http://www.ippmedia.com/guardian/2003/10/11/guardian3.asp

The High Court in Singida zone has sentenced three women to 30 years in jail after a girl on whom they had performed female genital mutilation (FGM) died.

zambia: Land Rights for Women Still Far From Becoming a Reality

2003-10-16

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20580

When Lands Minister Judith Kapijimpanga announced recently that government had, with immediate effect, directed local authorities to intensify land allocation to women to empower them through ownership, there was a huge round of applause. But not everyone is optimistic. The Zambia National Land Alliance, an NGO reviewing the land policy, says all this is high sounding and right along the lines of affirmative action, but will be a long time coming.

africa/global: TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS SHOULD BE HELD TO HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS, says un expert

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/17701

The United Nations expert on the right to food has recommended that UN Member States better monitor transnational companies to protect food supplies for the poor and suggested that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) could play a role in this effort. “The growing power of transnational corporations and their extension of power through privatization, deregulation and the rolling back of the State also mean that it is now time to develop binding legal norms that hold corporations to human rights standards and circumscribe potential abuses of their position of power."
TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS SHOULD BE HELD TO HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS - UN
EXPERT
New York, Oct 13 2003 3:00PM

The United Nations expert on the right to food today recommended that UN
Member States better monitor transnational companies to protect food
supplies for the poor and suggested that non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) could play a role in this effort.

In a report to the General Assembly released today, Jean Ziegler, Special
Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on the right to food, also
praises the Governments of Sierra Leone and Brazil for their food
initiatives.

Mr. Ziegler says "the growing power of transnational corporations and
their extension of power through privatization, deregulation and the
rolling back of the State also mean that it is now time to develop binding
legal norms that hold corporations to human rights standards and
circumscribe potential abuses of their position of power."

Noting that transnational corporations are often many times bigger than
some of the countries in which they operate, and that they "are still
rarely under scrutiny for their respect of human rights," Mr. Ziegler
concludes, "it is therefore vital to strengthen monitoring mechanisms."

"Governments should regulate transnational corporations and their
activities in the food system with a view to implementing their obligation
to protect their citizens and those in other countries," he writes.

"Non-governmental organizations should have a crucial role to play in
order to help states, human rights mechanisms and the transnational
corporations themselves to ensure the fulfilment of all human rights,
including the right food," he says.

The report also says, "While advances have been made in women's formal
rights, this has not been accompanied by adequate attention to making
these rights meaningful and substantive so the real impact of
international instruments on women's lives remains limited. Women continue
to suffer de facto discrimination in access to and control over food,
land, and incomes and other resources."

He recommends governments "reduce the gap between advocated norms and
reality."

The report compliments Brazil's new government for its 41-point "Zero
Hunger" programme and the Government of Sierra Leone for the new emphasis
it is putting on the right to food.

UN News Service


---
CONNECTIONS

* Learn more about international standards on the right to food in HREA's
study guide on Food & Water:
http://www.hrea.org/learn/guides/food.html

Burundi: Durable peace dependent on human rights

2003-10-16

http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/burundi/document.do?id=80256AB9000584F680256DBB004AA7FB

The signing on 8 October 2003 of an agreement on implementation of the December 2002 cease-fire agreement between the Government of Burundi and rebels leaves significant challenges unresolved, says Amnesty International. "It is essential that the Government of Burundi and the rebels assisted by regional and international actors commit themselves to addressing fundamental questions such as impunity. A determination by all parties to end the human rights and humanitarian crises must underpin a political settlement," Amnesty International said.

car: Political foes reconcile at national talks

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37157

After 40 years of political enmity, Central African Republic Prime Minister Abel Goumba and former President David Dacko made a historic reconciliation on Friday in the capital, Bangui, during the on-going national reconciliation talks.

kenya: murder suspects 'tortured'

2003-10-16

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3190358.stm

The three men charged with the high-profile murder of a Kenyan academic who was helping to redraft the constitution say they were forced to confess by police. Their lawyer Muriuki Kanyiri said they were tortured for five days and told to say they were working on the orders of a specific politician.

kenya: THE NORTHERN FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Organisational Profile

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/17692

Northern Kenya is home to two million people, an 80 percent illiteracy rate, poor living conditions and health care, low rainfall, scarce water and diminishing grazing for the mainly pastorilist population. Present day circumstances are bad enough, but the people have also suffered from dehumanising acts inflicted on them first by British colonial rule and then the subsequent post-independent governments of Kenyatta and Moi. According to the organisation the Northern Forum for Democracy: "The situation prevailing in Northern Kenya is exceptional as communities have over the years suffered from gross injustices. It makes them feel that it's a conspiracy of all Kenyans against then and therefore a situation of hopelessness reigns."
Contact Khalif Abdi Farah on norfod@hotmail.com

The Forum was formed by members from communities living in Northern Kenya in
1996, with the primary goal of initiating the forum to mobilize and
sensitize communities to appreciate the importance of demanding their
rights. More specifically, the area described by the Forum as Northern Kenya
is that part of the country occupied by cushitic pastoralists stretching
from Tana-River District in the South to Moyale District in the North, lying
in the Eastern part of the country. The area is inhabited by various
communities comprising the Somali, Orma, Gabra, Rendille, Burji, Boni and
Boran. These communities practice pastoralism involving the keeping of
livestock such as camels, cattle and shoats. So far the Forum has 46 members
hailing from the districts of Garissa, Tana-River, Ijara, Wajir, Marsabit
Moyale, Mandera and Isiolo.

The goal of the Northern Forum for Democracy is to support pastoralists
communities in appreciating democratic and human rights values. Their
objective is to raise awareness on these by at least 50 percent by 2008.
Specific objectives include strengthening the enhancement of women in their
role in the achievement of good governance and democratic practice; and
supporting and facilitating the training of leaders and government staff on
their role in public accountability and democratic governance.

ENDS

kenya: Truth Body Formed to Probe Rights Abuses

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310160011.html

A Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission will be formed in Kenya, it has been revealed. The commission may open a can of historical and legal worms in the country. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Kiraitu Murungi, said the Government will form the commission after he received findings of a task force led by the Kenya Human Rights Commission chairman, Prof Makau Mutua.

mozambique: Most Nomination Papers for Local Elections Irregular

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310100563.html

Of the 94 candidates for mayors of Mozambican towns and cities in the municipal elections scheduled for 19 November, only the 33 candidates from the ruling Frelimo Party have presented nomination papers free of any irregularities.

nigeria: SHARI'AH IN NORTHERN NIGERIA AND HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

2003-10-16

http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/aliproj.html

Twelve northern states in Nigeria took various steps in 1999 to extend implementation of Shari'ah law. These steps could have been the most significant and controversial changes in Nigeria’s laws in many years. Although the Muslim population is in the majority in all of these states, there are non-Muslim populations, notably Christians, as well. A research study plans to examine the effect of the new Shari'ah implementation on pluralism in general, and on constitutionally guaranteed rights of non-Muslims in particular.

south africa: POLICE KIDNAP, ASSAULT AND THEN ARREST CAPE TOWN ACTIVIST

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/17723

On Monday 13 October well known Cape Town activist and leader of the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign, Max Ntanyana, was kidnapped by unidentified police. Max was bundled into an unmarked car in Mandela Park, blindfolded and taken to an isolated beach. There, the police repeatedly dumped Max in and out and the water, threatening to drown him and telling him that they would only stop if he agreed to act as a police spy and pass on information about community activities in Mandela Park and elsewhere in Khayalitsha, according to this press statement.
PRESS STATEMENT

POLICE KIDNAP, ASSAULT AND THEN ARREST CAPE TOWN ACTIVIST, MAX NTANYANA

Yesterday (Monday 13th October) well known Cape Town activist and leader of the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign, Max Ntanyana, was kidnapped by unidentified police. Max was bundled into an unmarked car in Mandela Park, blindfolded and taken to an isolated beach. There, the police repeatedly dumped Max in and out and the water, threatening to drown him and telling him that they would only stop if he agreed to act as a police spy and pass on information about community activities in Mandela Park and elsewhere in Khayalitsha - they also offerred him a large amount of money. Max refused to cooperate and eventually the police took him back to a Khayalitsha police station and drew-up fabricated charges of attempted murder.

The charge sheet states that Max had entered a local community radio station and pointed a gun at staff even though Max pointed out that he had been nowhere near the station and indeed had not visited the station since late last year after a judge had slapped an effective banning order on him. Presently, Max is being held in prison in Khayalitsha. The kidnapping, assault and trumped-up charges against Max Ntanyana have prevented him from making a long-scheduled appearance in the Cape High Court (which was to take place today) in order to contest the apartheid-era bail conditions imposed on Max for the last several months (since a previous arrest for fighting evictions in Mandela Park). The Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign is presently trying to get Max out of jail on bail.

This latest outrage of the police against Max and the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign is only further confirmation of a concerted, cyncial and illegal campaign, ultimately orchestrated by local and provincial ANC politicians, to smash community activism and resistance to the neo-liberal policies that are destroying poor communities in and around Cape Town. Just like the apartheid authorities used to do, the new political mandarins and their police thugs have now turned to outright criminality in a desperate attempt to crush their self-proclaimed 'enemies'. This is the true face of the 'new' South Africa and it must be exposed!

For further information call Fonky on 073 154-6555

sudan: release of political prisoners welcomed

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/17741

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of political prisoners, including Popular National Congress leader Dr Hassan al-Turabi, by the Sudanese government. However, the organisation remains concerned at legislation in place which allows prolonged incommunicado detention without charge and has been repeatedly used in the past few months in Darfur, western Sudan.
PRESS RELEASE


AI Index: AFR 54/090/2003 (Public)
News Service No: 235
14 October 2003


Sudan: Amnesty International welcomes the release of political prisoners and calls for amendments to security legislation
Amnesty International today welcomed the release of political prisoners, including Popular National Congress leader Dr Hassan al-Turabi, by the Sudanese government. However, the organization remains concerned at legislation in place which allows prolonged incommunicado detention without charge and has been repeatedly used in the past few months in Darfur, western Sudan.

"By releasing political prisoners, the Sudanese government signals a greater respect for the fundamental civil and political rights of individuals," Amnesty International said.

"It must now show a real commitment to human rights by abolishing Article 31 of the National Security Forces Act. This article allows the security forces to detain people incommunicado for up to nine months without charge or judicial review and is inconsistent with Sudan's obligations under national and international law."

"In addition establishing a registry of all persons detained by the security forces, allowing visits to detainees and ensuring fair judicial process for anyone detained are concrete measures that will improve human rights and peace prospects in Sudan."

Amnesty International is also calling on the Sudanese government to account for incommunicado detentions in Darfur. In the past months, many community leaders of Fur, Zaghawa or Masalit ethnicity have been detained on suspicion of supporting the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), a new armed opposition group in the region. Despite a September cease-fire agreement between the Sudanese government and the SLA allowing for the release of people detained in connection with the conflict, individuals are still reported to be held without charge in detention centres in Darfur. They include Abaker Ismail Adam and three others from Mukjar, reportedly detained in the prison of Nyala, South Darfur and Hayder Tamboor and seven others in the security forces office in Zalingei, West Darfur.

The release of political prisoners come in the context of progress on security and military arrangements in peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to end a 20 years-old internal armed conflict in the south of the country. Both parties to the conflict are said to have signed a human rights "text" which would guarantee fundamental human rights. Amnesty International is calling on both parties and on international mediators to the peace talks to put in place guarantees to end arbitrary detentions of suspected political opponents in Sudan.

"According to international human rights law, anyone detained must have access to relatives, lawyers and medical care if needed, and must be promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offence or else released," Amnesty International said.

Background
On 13 October, Dr Hassan al-Turabi, leader of the Popular National Congress (PNC) and other party members, including Yusuf Mohamed Saleh Libis, were released by a presidential decree. The decree reportedly allows the opposition party to reopen its headquarters and to publish its newspaper. Hassan al-Turabi stated that his release was due to a combination of national and international pressure for greater political freedoms and peace in Sudan.

Hassan al-Turabi was arrested in February 2001 after signing a memorandum of understanding with the SPLM and charged with offences related to "crimes against the state". Despite two rulings by the Constitutional Court that he should have been released after a certain period, his detention was renewed, first under the National Security Forces Act, then by presidential decree. He was transferred from Kober prison to house detention in May 2001. He was never brought to trial.

Yusuf Mohamed Saleh Libis was arrested by the security forces in February 2002 and was detained in solitary confinement for several weeks before being transferred to Kober, the main prison in the capital Khartoum. He was never charged with a recognizable criminal offence.

Four days ago, Mohamed Fergerai, member of the Beja Congress, a political party in Eastern Sudan was released. He was arrested on 28 September 2003, reportedly after criticising government policies in Eastern Sudan at a symposium in the Al-Nilein University in Khartoum. He was reportedly held in Kober prison without charge until his release.





Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org

TANZANIA: Two major NGO coalitions join opposition to NGO Act

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37143

Two major international NGO coalitions have expressed support for their Tanzanian counterparts who oppose the country's NGO Act, due to enter into force before the end of October, because it would impose "serious restrictions to freedoms of association and expression".

zimbabwe: no rift in commonwealth, says mckinnon

2003-10-16

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1629

The secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, has denied that there is a rift within the 54-country body over how to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis. McKinnon said that the standard story about "the Commonwealth countries in the West taking a tough stance on Mugabe", while the African members treat him with kid gloves, is inaccurate.

zimbabwe: opposition spokesman charged over protest

2003-10-16

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7738

Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party said on Monday police had charged its chief spokesman with organising national protests intended to force President Robert Mugabe to quit. On Monday MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said police had now charged him under harsh security laws.

Zimbabwe: Police Still as brutal

MDC Press Statement

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/17714

"The police vehicle stopped in the Nyamandlovu area and all the trade unionists were blindfolded before the vehicle turned into the bush to a spot where the trade unionists were told to disembark from the vehicle. After disembarking from the police vehicle, the trade unionists were taken to another place where they were asked to take off their shoes. They were severely assaulted all over their bodies and made to chant Zanu PF slogans."
Zimbabwe: Police Still as brutal

Trade unionist and Bulawayo ward 13 (Pelandaba) councillor, Samuel Khumalo, was among the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) officials who were arrested, brutalized and later dumped in the bush by officers of the Zimbabwe Republic Police over the peaceful demonstration planned by the labour body last week, which was thwarted by the police.

Councillor Khumalo, who is the chairperson for the Communication and Aligned Services Workers Union of Zimbabwe, is now recovering from home.

The demonstration, Councillor Khumalo says, was meant to protest to the government over high levels of taxation; high cost of living; shortage and high cost of transport as a result of the fuel price increases; shortage of cash and the gross violation of human and trade union rights.

Councillor Khumalo was among several trade union leaders who had gathered to hand over the petition with the issues to government officials in Bulawayo. Police quickly dispersed them near the Government offices complex in Bulawayo, but, determined to hand over the petition to the relevant authorities, they re-grouped at a different place. Riot police suddenly arrived, and started assaulting the trade unionists who had gathered. Councillor Khumalo was struck several times on the forehead, and blood started oozing out of his nose. The blood oozing from Councillor Khumalo's nose was not enough to deter the police officers from further assaulting Councillor Khumalo, who they dragged by his hair for about one kilometer to Drill Hall Police Station, where he was ordered to wash off the blood. Some of Councillor Khumalo's hair pulled off as he was being dragged to Drill Hall Police Station.

While at Drill Hall Police Station, the police asked one of the trade unionists in the group to reveal the person who had informed him about the demonstration. The trade unionist gave out the name of one union member who works for Tel One. Councillor Khumalo and his colleagues were then transferred to Stops Police Camp in Bulawayo in a police vehicle before being taken to Tel One offices where they picked the unionist who had been named as having spread information about the intention to hand over a petition.

The police truck then drove the unionists along Victoria Falls road. As they drove, the police insulted the unionists telling them that they will never rule Zimbabwe because it was won from the British imperialists through an armed struggle. No one would rule the country without waging an armed struggle, the police said. The police officers went on to warn the trade unionists that they will die for no good reason because of their involvement in politics, and told them that now that the Daily News had been stopped from publishing, there was no newspaper that would carry the story of the treatment they were to receive from them (the police).

The police vehicle stopped in the Nyamandlovu area and all the trade unionists were blindfolded before the vehicle turned into the bush to a spot where the trade unionists were told to disembark from the vehicle. After disembarking from the police vehicle, the trade unionists were taken to another place where they were asked to take off their shoes. They were severely assaulted all over their bodies, made to chant Zanu PF slogans and sing the Zanu PF song "Rambai Makashinga."

After assaulting the trade unionists, the police then drove off and left them in the bush. For an hour, the trade unionists struggled to walk to the main road. They managed to phone one trade unionist in Bulawayo and transport was arranged to pick them up. They first received treatment at the company clinic before being transferred to Bulawayo Central Hospital where they received further treatment.

Councillor Khumalo can be reached on 263 9 400 562 or on his mobile number 293 91 924 094.

MDC Information and Publicity Department

angola: concern about harassment at Congolese camp in Angola

2003-10-16

http://tinyurl.com/r46m

A recent spate of harassment at a refugee camp near the Angolan capital has prompted the UN refugee agency to appeal for the authorities to guarantee the safety of refugees and aid workers there. Congolese refugees at Sungui camp in Bengo province, 72 km north of Luanda, have allegedly been harassed over the last three months. In the latest incident this week, armed uniformed men entered the premises at night, threatened a refugee and stole some equipment from a container belonging to UNHCR’s partner INTERSOS, an Italian non-governmental organisation in charge of constructing houses and schools.

ANGOLA: UNHCR steps up repatriation

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37160

Due to the onset of the rainy season, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plans to step up its voluntary repatriation programme for Angolan refugees living in neighbouring countries. The UN refugee agency this week said some 15,000 Angolans had returned from Zambia, mainly from Meheba camp near the border with Angola.

botswana: Bushmen of the Kalahari and Destructive Anthropology

2003-10-16

http://www.oneworld.net/article/view/70261/1/

A small and quiet academic debate threatens tribal peoples around the world. It is largely sparked by the plight of the Gana and Gwi “Bushmen” in Botswana who are being forcibly removed from their lands, many think to clear the area for eventual diamond mining. A handful of anthropologists now oppose indigenous peoples' struggle for their land rights, especially in Africa but also more generally.

burundi/tanzania: going home

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37135

After several years of waiting, the few hours more mattered little. Like others around him, Joseph Kayuka, sat patiently surrounded by a few precious belongings: a bench, a bicycle and some clothes, as well as pots and pans, crammed into a couple of old sacks. But, by mid morning of 1 October, Kayuka, his wife Imacule Mkingiya and their five children had boarded the truck and were riding along a bumpy road heading west back into Burundi.

ERITREA: Repatriation of refugees from Sudan resumes

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37214

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was due to resume the repatriation of thousands of Eritrean refugees from Sudan on Wednesday. In a statement, it said some 36,000 Eritrean refugees would be assisted to go home.

UGANDA: Gov't accused of violating refugee rights

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37172

An international refugee rights organisation has criticised the manner in which the Ugandan government last month carried out the relocation of Sudanese refugees from a camp in western Uganda, which ended in riots and the arrest of some refugees.

UGANDA: More refugees return from Sudan

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/17729

Thirty three refugees who fled Uganda to Sudan during the years of turmoil that followed the end of Idi Amin Dada's reign in 1979 were repatriated on Monday, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
UGANDA: More refugees return from Sudan

KAMPALA, 15 October (IRIN) - Thirty three refugees who fled Uganda to Sudan during the years of turmoil that followed the end of Idi Amin Dada's reign in 1979 were repatriated on Monday, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

UNHCR Senior Protection Officer Stephan Gonah told IRIN that this brings the total number repatriated from Sudan to 226. He said the ages ranged from toddlers to 60-year-olds.

Gonah said most had been living in Juba, southern Sudan. Most of those who had stayed on were students who had decided to complete their studies in Sudan before returning home.

"Whoever completed his or her commitments to study still gets help with repatriation by UNHCR," Gonah said.

Most of the 33 returnees are from Uganda's West Nile region which borders southern Sudan. Many had fled fearing reprisals from one of a number of armed factions following the fall of Amin's military dictatorship.

Amin's army and much-feared secret police force consisted largely of Ugandans drawn from the West Nile region.


[ENDS]

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uganda: Refugees in Uganda move towards self-reliance

2003-10-16

http://tinyurl.com/r46r

Even though he was a successful farmer back home in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the last thing Salim Saliman expected to find as a refugee in neighbouring Uganda was economic prosperity. Today, though, thanks to his and his wife’s hard work and some help from UNHCR and its partners, he is an economic success story – a poster boy for the Self Reliance Strategy pioneered by the Ugandan government and the UN refugee agency.

africa: africa ponders corruption report

2003-10-16

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3181984.stm

Last week's report by the global corruption watchdog Transparency International, in which most African countries feature in the bottom half of the table, has generated widespread comment across the continent. The publication of the report coincided, poignantly, with the opening in Nigeria of an unprecedented public hearing into corruption allegations against two senators launched by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nasir el-Rufai.

ANGOLA: Donors call for greater transparency

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37229

While recognising the progress Angola has made since the end of the civil war last year, the European Union (EU) has called for an improvement in transparency in public sector expenditure.

Namibia: land debate rages

2003-10-16

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1621

Ruling party parliamentarians have been accused of following in the paths of Kenya and Zimbabwe, by apportioning land to Government leaders. "You're helping people who are in a better category to help themselves rather than helping the poor," parliament heard.

nigeria: Commonwealth group ties reprieve for Nigeria to information access

2003-10-16

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=85075

To rekindle the confidence of the international community, particularly the sleaze watchdog, the Switzerland-based Transparency International (TI) in its anti-corruption crusade, Nigeria needs to quickly enact its Freedom to Information law, a report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) submitted to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Headquarters seems to have suggested.

nigeria: Nigeria in talks with Swiss to recover Abacha loot

2003-10-16

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=30806

Nigeria has lodged a request for judicial cooperation with Switzerland as part of an ongoing probe into an alleged multi-billion-dollar embezzlement by the late military dictator Sani Abacha, Swiss authorities said on Saturday.

nigeria: threat to sue UK over seized £3m

2003-10-16

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=85030

Nigeria is threatening legal action against the UK government unless it returns, with interest, £3m ($5m) that it says was stolen from its central bank. The money - a small fraction of the billions of dollars thought to have been plundered by Sani Abacha, the late African dictator - was seized in 1998 from a Nigerian businessman at Heathrow airport. The UK Treasury acquired the money after the customs service argued it was probably the proceeds of drug sales.

south africa: Accountability and social activism: achieving socio-economic rights

2003-10-16

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000566/index.php

It would appear that over the past nine years civil society organisations (CSOs) and social activists in South Africa have missed many opportunities to ensure improvements in the delivery of socio-economic rights. A common thread running through the strategic failures is the absence of a coherent concept of accountability. Progressive civil society needs to embrace a new brand of social activism informed by a new philosophy of 'direct' and 'active' accountability. In terms of this philosophy, CSOs and social activists should strive to hold elected politicians and public officials directly accountable, for the performance of their duties and responsibilities, in an active and sustained manner, according to Colm Allan, Director, of the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), an anti-corruption body.

South Africa: Forensic audit reveals more irregularities at the NDA

2003-10-16

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=397

The Mail and Guardian (M&G) reports that the forensic audit of the National Development Agency (NDA) ordered by the Minister of Social Development has revealed more irregularities. The M&G cites as examples that the NDA allegedly hired the services of a private investigation company to vet staff and conduct investigations into other Non Profit Organisations at exorbitant monthly payments.

south africa: hefer commission delayed

2003-10-16

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=qw1066211101356B216&set_id=1

The Hefer Commission adjourned on Wednesday in Bloemfontein within the first 15 minutes of its first public hearing at the Supreme Court of Appeal. The commission was set up to investigate their allegations that National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka may have been an apartheid spy. Its terms of reference were later broadened to investigate alleged abuse of office by Ngcuka and his political head, Justice Minister Penuell Maduna.

zambia: Chiluba faces huge fraud charge in court

2003-10-16

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=84&art_id=qw1066052520203B251&set_id=1

Former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba appeared in court on Monday to face charges he stole about $30-million (about R210-million) while in office - accusations that his lawyers said were part of a political smear campaign.

zambia: We are failing to fight corruption, says UPND Vice President Sikota

2003-10-16

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=85054

UPND vice-president Sakwiba Sikota says the ranking of Zambia as an eleventh most corrupt country among the 133 other nations showed that the fight against corruption was failing to achieve the expected results. According to the 2003 Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) last week, Zambia had maintained its rank as the eleventh most corrupt among 133 countries in the world.

Zimbabwe: Nation sits on time bomb as corruption is on the increase

2003-10-16

http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/4136.html

The world anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), says that Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s wealthiest nations that has sadly been reduced to an economic basket case, is accelerating towards being one of the worst corrupt countries in the world, giving another twist to the screws on a country already bruised by negative international perception.

africa/global: A New Beginning for WTO After Cancun

2003-10-16

http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2003/0310fairtrade.html

Forget the spin you have been reading about the "failure" of the World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun, says this commentary from Foreign Policy in Focus. It was one of the most successful international meetings in years because it redefined how trade can benefit the poor and how the developing world can be real players in these negotiations. In fact, if policymakers and global trade negotiators were paying attention, Cancun could lead to trade talks that actually bring about fair trade, and the benefits to both the developing and the developed world that have long been promised.

africa/global: Forget the neo-liberal myth: state-market synergies in poverty reduction

2003-10-16

http://www.id21.org/society/s7ajh1g2.html

Advocates of liberalisation assert that states which disengage from strategic economic planning are more likely to stimulate economic growth and hasten poverty reduction. Is there evidence to back this neo-liberal claim? What is the role of national economic governance in poverty eradication? How should we monitor the relation of economic governance to poverty reduction?

africa: Can Technology Solve Hunger?

2003-10-16

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20640

On the eve of World Food Day, the development community is divided over the best course of action to fight malnutrition and hunger, the leading causes of death and sickness worldwide. On Tuesday, some activists celebrated a 25-million-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to HarvestPlus, a global research project to breed and disseminate crops for better nutrition. However, many have questioned the motives of the grant.

africa: DEBT RELIEF FOR POOR COUNTRIES (HIPC) - A factsheet

2003-10-16

http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/povdebt.htm

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have approved debt-reduction packages for 26 countries, 22 of them in Africa, under the enhanced Initiative for the Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). These packages will provide nominal debt service relief of about $41 billion ($25 billion in net present value terms). Taken together with other traditional debt relief mechanisms and additional voluntary bilateral debt forgiveness, these countries will see their debts fall, on average in net present value terms, by about two thirds, according to the IMF.

africa: free market needs "policy rethink"

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/17698

The annual Trade and Development Report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, just before its meeting in Geneva October 6-17, calls for a "policy rethink" on the effects of market-driven free-trade policies on developing countries. The report notes particularly disadvantageous results for Africa, with further entrenchment of dependence on primary commodities with volatile prices. This posting from the Africa Action Africa Policy E-Journal contains a general press release from UNCTAD, brief excerpts from the Trade and Development Report, and the executive summary and introduction from a separate study of issues in Africa's trade performance prepared for UNCTAD.
AFRICA ACTION
Africa Policy E-Journal
October 13, 2003 (031013)

Africa: Trade and Markets, 1
(Reposted from sources cited below)

The annual Trade and Development Report released by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development, just before its
meeting in Geneva October 6-17, calls for a "policy rethink" on the
effects of market-driven free-trade policies on developing
countries. The report notes particularly disadvantageous results
for Africa, with further entrenchment of dependence on primary
commodities with volatile prices.

This posting contains a general press release from UNCTAD, brief
excerpts from the Trade and Development Report, and the executive
summary and introduction from a separate study of issues in
Africa's trade performance prepared for UNCTAD. Another posting
today contains additional excerpts from the Africa-specific report.
Both reports and additional background information are available on
the UNCTAD website [http://www.unctad.org].

+++++++++++++++++end summary/introduction+++++++++++++++++++++++

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Press Release October 2, 2003

UNCTAD/PRESS/PR/2003/95

DEVELOPMENT RECORD OF MARKET-DRIVEN GLOBALIZATION POINTS TO URGENT
NEED FOR POLICY RETHINK, UNCTAD STUDY CONCLUDES

For more information, please contact: Press Office T: +41 22 907
5828 E: press@unctad.org

For the past two decades, the search for sound economic
fundamentals in poorer countries has been all about replacing a
state-driven inward-oriented growth strategy with a market-driven
outward-oriented strategy. Much has been promised, but according to
the Trade and Development Report 2003, released today by UNCTAD,
the policies pursued to eliminate inflation and downsize the public
sector have often undermined growth and hampered technological
progress. As a result, "the current economic landscape in the
developing world has an uncanny resemblance to conditions
prevailing in the early 1980s", when many countries slipped into
deep crisis, says UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero in his
Overview to the Report.

The target level of investment for catch-up growth - estimated by
the Report to be in the range of 20-to-25% of GDP -- has eluded
most countries undergoing rapid market reforms. By contrast, policy
continuity in East Asia after the debt crisis produced a strong
investment performance, growing manufacturing value added and
employment and a rising share of manufacturing exports. With
productivity and technology gaps with leading industrial countries
closing quickly, the region's integration has come from a position
of strength. Elsewhere, the Report finds a less encouraging record:

* Industrial progress has halted in much of the developing world;
only eight of 26 selected countries succeeded in raising the share
of manufacturing value added in GDP between 1980 and the 1990s,
together with a rising share of investment;

* In economies with lagging industrialization and a declining share
of investment, the share of manufactures in total exports has also
been stagnant or falling, while exchange rate depreciation and wage
restraint have been the basis for bolstering trade performance;

* The production structure in much of Latin America and Africa has
seen a notable shift away from sectors with the greatest potential
for productivity growth towards those producing and processing raw
materials; and

* Where trade and investment have risen in the context of
international production networks, the tendency has been for an
apparent increase in the technology content of exports without a
similar increase in domestic value added.

The Report documents a world of industrial difference across
developing regions. In Asia, a handful of "mature industrializers"
have shifted to a high-tech and service-heavy development pattern,
leaving neighbouring countries more room to use their natural
resources and labour reserves in support of rapid
industrialization. By contrast, declining shares of manufacturing
output and employment ("deindustrialization") have accompanied
rapid liberalization in many Latin American and African countries.
"Enclaves" of industrialization linked to international production
chains have dotted this landscape, without in most cases
translating into more broad-based investment, value added and
productivity growth.

A wide range of macroeconomic, financial and trade policies were
used in East Asia, the Report shows, to stimulate investment,
target industrial upgrading and encourage exporting. In much of
Latin America and Africa, by contrast, big-bang liberalization has
led to inconsistencies among macroeconomic, trade, FDI [Foreign
Direct Investment] and financial policies that have skewed
structural changes and stunted technological progress. The Report
also finds that some of the more successful sectors in Latin
America have benefited from precisely the kind of selective policy
interventions alien to the neoliberal model.

The Report is doubtful that a "second generation" of neoliberal
reforms will start to put things back on track. But nor will
harking back to the easy industrialization policies of the past.
Rather, as Rubens Ricupero notes in his Overview to the Report,
"Rethinking options requires a candid assessment of the economic
record of the past two decades and of the experience of the more
successful cases of industrialization and development. It also
requires a move away from generalized approaches to accommodate the
diversity of conditions and challenges facing the developing
world".

***************************************************************

Trade and Development Report 2003
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Excerpt from pages 14-15

The short-term prospects for Africa do not suggest any significant
divergence from recent growth trends. There is now a growing
consensus that, as a result, it will be impossible to meet the
Millennium Development Goals.

2. Africa remains relatively insulated from global trends

Performance in Africa was largely independent of the impact of the
downturn in the United States in 2001 and more closely linked to
demand conditions in Europe. Like Latin America, the region
benefited little from the upswing in 2002. Climatic and political
factors continued to have a major impact on economic performance.
Eastern and Southern Africa were adversely affected by drought,
which created severe food shortages, and by depressed export
prices. In these subregions, growth remained well below the African
average. Conditions in Nigeria and Zimbabwe were dominated by
political tension. The conflict in C"te d'Ivoire had an adverse
impact on trade in the neighbouring landlocked countries, Mali,
Burkina Faso and Niger, which had to rely on port facilities in
other West African countries as the Nigerian facilities were no
longer accessible. Trade in the subregion has been seriously
disrupted with a consequent loss of income, in part because of
longer transportation routes for both exports and imports. It has
also had a direct impact on cocoa prices.

The strength of oil prices in 2002 underpinned a 5 per cent growth
rate in Angola. Among the subregions, the highest rate (5.0 per
cent) was achieved in the Horn of Africa, reflecting relatively
good performance in Ethiopia and Sudan. Similarly, growth in the
Great Lakes region exceeded 4 per cent (compared with 2.3 per cent
2001) following efforts to restore peace and the concomitant
recovery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where growth
reached 3.0 per cent in 2002 (compared with a fall of 2.0 per cent
the previous year). Expansion continued strongly in the United
Republic of Tanzania and Uganda, which grew at 6.0 per cent and 6.6
per cent, respectively. In North Africa and Central Africa, growth
was close to the regional average.

Despite the relatively stable performance, with 15 countries in the
region reaching growth rates of 5 per cent in 2002, only six
(Angola, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, and Rwanda)
achieved rates of 7 per cent or more, which are required every year
if the goal of halving poverty by 2015 is to be reached. Indeed,
there are very few countries that have been able to maintain rapid
growth for long enough to have a tangible impact on reducing
poverty. Only three countries (Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and
Mozambique) met this target in both 2001 and 2002, and only
Equatorial Guinea has done so since 2000.

The short-term prospects for Africa do not suggest any significant
divergence from recent growth trends. There is now a growing
consensus that, as a result, it will be impossible to meet the
Millennium Development Goals for the region, particularly that of
halving poverty by 2015. A durable improvement in African economic
performance will depend on success in the fight against the
HIV/AIDS pandemic and other diseases such as tuberculosis and
malaria, and on resolving the deep-seated problems related to weak
and unstable commodity prices, declining levels of aid, the
continued debt overhang and political instability. Even though
improvements in domestic policies, institutions and governance hold
the key to sustained growth, progress on many of these fronts
depends primarily on action by the international community
including faster and deeper debt relief, increased and better
quality aid, and improved access to the markets of the developed
economies.

***************************************************************

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

TD/B/50/6 - 28 July 2003

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA:
ISSUES IN AFRICA'S TRADE PERFORMANCE

Report by the UNCTAD secretariat

Executive Summary

Africa's share in world trade has been falling consistently since
1980. The continent remains heavily dependent on the export of a
few primary commodities, most of which have suffered a secular
decline in prices leading to large terms-of-trade losses. Unlike
other developing regions, the continent has by and large not been
able to diversify into manufactures or market-dynamic products and
has even lost market shares for its traditional exports.

Market-oriented policies have not been able to reverse the
situation. In addition to the provision of better market access and
reductions in subsidies for products competing with African
exports, external resources are required to compensate for losses
and to fill the resource gap in order to ensure adequate investment
in the development of human and physical infrastructure,
institution building and diversification.

Introduction

1. The emphasis on trade liberalization and export orientation in
the past decade has led to a phenomenal growth in world merchandise
trade, which has consistently grown faster than output. Africa has
also witnessed some increase in its trade relative to GDP, despite
the general assertion that Africa is trade-averse. Trade
(merchandise imports plus exports), as a share of GDP for Africa
(excluding South Africa and Nigeria), increased from 45 to 50.4 per
cent between 1980/1981 and 2000/2001. However, on the whole,
Africa's share in world exports fell from about 6 per cent in 1980
to 2.0 per cent in 2002, and its share of world imports from about
4.6 per cent in 1980 to 2.1 per cent in 2002. This phenomenon has
as much to do with the structure of international trade as with the
composition of merchandise trade of Africa, the trade policies
applied in the continent in the past 20 years, and market access
and agricultural policies in industrial countries.

2. More than any other developing region, Africa's heavy dependence
on primary commodities as a source of export earnings has meant
that the continent remains vulnerable to the vagaries of the market
and weather conditions. Price volatility arising mainly from supply
shocks and the secular decline in real commodity prices and the
attendant terms-oftrade losses have exacted heavy costs in terms of
incomes, indebtedness, investment, poverty and development.
Previous UNCTAD reports on economic development in Africa have
discussed extensively some aspects of these issues, including
capital flows and debt, overall economic performance and prospects
of the region, and adjustment and poverty alleviation.

+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++

Date distributed (ymd): 031013
Region: Continent-wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+

************************************************************
The Africa Policy E-Journal is a free information service
provided by Africa Action, including both original
commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of
human rights.

Documents previously distributed in the e-journal are
available on the Africa Action website:
http://www.africaaction.org
For additional background on this e-journal go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/e-journal.htm
To support Africa Action with your contribution go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/join.htm

To be added to or dropped from the e-journal subscription list,
write to e-journal@africaaction.org For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the source mentioned
in the posting.

Africa Action
1634 Eye St. NW, #810, Washington, DC 20006.
Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545.
E-mail: africaaction@igc.org
************************************************************

AFRICA ACTION
Africa Policy E-Journal
October 13, 2003 (031013)

Africa: Trade and Markets, 2
(Reposted from sources cited below)

The annual Trade and Development Report released by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development, just before its
meeting in Geneva October 6-17, calls for a "policy rethink" on
the effects of market-driven free-trade policies on developing
countries. The report notes particularly disadvantageous results
for Africa, with further entrenchment of dependence on primary
commodities with volatile prices.

This posting contains excerpts from an UNCTAD report on issues
in Africa's trade performance presented at the meeting. Another
posting today contains a general press release from UNCTAD, brief
excerpts from the Trade and Development Report, and the executive
summary and introduction from the Africa-specific report. Both
reports and additional background information is available on the
UNCTAD website [http://www.unctad.org].

+++++++++++++++++end summary/introduction+++++++++++++++++++++++

TD/B/50/6

28 July 2003

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA:
ISSUES IN AFRICA'S TRADE PERFORMANCE

Report by the UNCTAD secretariat


STRUCTURE OF TRADE AND AFRICA'S PERFORMANCE

7. While the value of Africa's manufactures increased by 6.3 per
cent annually, this seemingly high growth rate is about half the
growth rate recorded by Asia (14 per cent) and Latin America (about
12 per cent) and is from a relatively low base. It is also the
result of significant growth in labour-intensive and resource-based
semi-manufactures from a few countries, in particular Mauritius
(garments) and Botswana (rough diamonds). ...


9. The trends discussed above indicate that most African countries
have been losing market shares in commodity exports to other
developing countries, while at the same time most have been unable
to diversify into manufactured exports. Africa's difficulties in
maintaining market shares for its traditional commodities derive
from its inability to overcome structural constraints and modernize
its agricultural sector, combined with the high cost of trading.
Africa has not been able to increase the productivity of its
agriculture because of low investment in the sector. As a result,
it has lost its competitive advantage in producing cocoa, tea and
coffee vis-a-vis the new and more efficient producers in Asia and
Latin America. The loss of market shares for cotton and sugar is
largely due to high subsidies and domestic support for less
competitive producers in the United States and Europe. ...


11. Furthermore, structural changes have increased the premium on,
inter alia, accurate market information, timely delivery and
packaging, which have become critical for gaining competitive
advantage in global markets. The African continent thus has a great
competitive disadvantage due to its weak and unreliable transport
and communication links and its tardiness in information technology
compared to other developing country regions. African countries
also lack a strong institutional capacity to provide the necessary
support services to its producers and exporters.

(a) Dynamic products

12. The most dynamic products in world trade are manufactures.
While the majority of these are high-tech products, some
labour-intensive manufactures, notably clothing, have seen rapid
growth in world trade as a result of the spread of international
production networks and subcontracting (see Trade and Development
Report 2002). In Africa, undergarments (SITC 846) are the only
important export item among the most dynamic products in world
trade (table 4). However, its share in total African exports is
only 1.7 per cent. Moreover, two countries (Mauritius and
Swaziland) account for over 85 per cent of total exports of this
product.

13. Seventeen of the 20 most important export items of Africa are
primary commodities and resource-based semi-manufactures. On
average, world trade in these products has been growing much less
rapidly than manufactures. ... World trade in other primary
commodities that account for an important proportion of total
exports of Africa, particularly agricultural products such as
coffee, cocoa, cotton and sugar, has been sluggish, with the
average growth of trade in such products in the past two decades
barely reaching one-third of the growth rate of world trade in all
products (i.e. 8.4 per annum over 1980-2000).

...

15. Africa's difficulty in breaking into trade in market-dynamic
products is also related to the significant changes that have
occurred in recent years in international trade in agricultural
products. World trade has shifted away from traditional commodity
exports to non-traditional ones, such as fruits, vegetables, fish
and seafood, which have high income elasticity and lower rates of
protection in industrial and large developing countries. While
there have been significant declines in trade ranging from 18 to 11
per cent between 1980/1981 and 2000/2001 for coffee, cocoa, tea,
sugar and sugar products and textile fibres, international trade in
fruits and vegetables has increased by 15 per cent, fish and
seafood by 12 per cent and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks by 10
per cent. ...

(b) Market access

18. The introduction of the African Growth and Opportunities Act
(AGOA) in 2000 and Everything but Arms (EBA) in 2001 by the United
States and the EU respectively is a welcome development in market
access for African countries. However, an analysis of EBA in 2001
revealed little use of the scheme owing in part to the fact that
the beneficiaries continued utilizing Lome protocols which arguably
have less restrictive rules of origin than the former (Brenton,
2003). An assessment of AGOA reveals that the additional benefits
represent a modest expansion over the preferential treatment that
SSA countries already enjoyed under the generalized system of
preferences (GSP) (UNCTAD, 2003:2). On the other hand, it is
contended that, had it not been for the restrictive rules of origin
governing market access under AGOA, its medium-term benefits would
have been five times greater (Mattoo et al., 2002).

PRICE VOLATILITY AND TERMS-OF-TRADE LOSSES

19. African countries depend heavily on a few commodities, which
have suffered from both price volatility and secular decline since
the 1960s. Price volatility for commodities like coffee, cocoa and
tea is mainly induced by supply shocks resulting from weather
conditions. ...

20. Secular decline in real prices emanates mainly from gluts in
commodity markets. For those commodities produced in the north, for
instance cotton, groundnuts, sugar and wheat, subsidies and othe r
domestic support for farmers underscore the significant increases
in the marketed surplus. For example, EU agricultural policies
stimulate output for export or reduce import needs. EU wheat
exports rose by 55 per cent to 22 million tons (increasing the EU's
global market share by 6 percentage points to 20 per cent) between
1980/1981 and 1991/1992. The United States' subsidies for cotton
production amount to US$ 3 4 billion annually, and with about 40
per cent of production exported, the United States is the biggest
world exporter of cotton.

21. In the case of tropical beverages such as coffee, cocoa and
tea, overproduction stems partly from increased productivity due to
technical advance by some traditional producers in Latin America
and Asia, as well as expansion of land allocated to production, for
instance in Brazil. ...


24. UNCTAD's analysis of real commodity prices of 15 products of
export interest to Africa between 1960 and 2000 suggests that
bananas, copra, coconut, copper, cotton, coffee, cocoa, fish-meal,
gold, sugar, tea and white pepper suffer from high price
volatility. ...

25. On the whole, problems due to declining terms of trade for SSA
commodity-dependent countries are exacerbated by the high price
volatility of their major exports such as coffee, cocoa, gold, tea
and cotton. The extent of fluctuations in real export prices of SSA
compared to the other regions has been summed up in an IMF/World
Bank document as follows: "Sub-Saharan exports experienced roughly
twice the volatility in terms of trade than East Asia's exports did
in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and nearly four times the volatility
that the industrial countries experienced" (cited in UNCTAD, 2001:
38).

(a) Impact on African economic performance

26. Volatility of commodity prices aggravates difficulties in
macroeconomic management and frustrates investment efforts because
of uncertainty about overall economic conditions, including
exchange rates, return on investments and import capacity,
particularly of critical imports such as oil.

27. Between 1997 and 2001, the UNCTAD combined price index in US
dollars fell by 53 per cent. That is, commodities lost more than
half of their purchasing power in terms of manufactured goods:
African commodity exporters would have had to double their export
volumes in 2001 to maintain their foreign exchange income at 1997
levels. ...

28. A major explanation for the poor economic performance of the
region in the past two decades and a half is the significant loss
of resources due to adverse terms of trade. ... Research carried
out by UNCTAD indicates that if SSA terms of trade had remained at
1980 levels, the share of the subcontinent in world exports would
have been double its current level...


30. According to a recent IMF/World Bank publication, a substantial
drop in the prices of their key export commodities explains the
deterioration in the debt-to-export ratios of 15 highly indebted
poor countries (HIPCs), of which 13 are African. ... In 2001, for
example, the price of coffee, which is the main export in five
HIPCs, fell by 35 per cent. Large price falls were also recorded
for other commodities that were the primary exports of at least one
HIPC; cotton fell by 19 per cent (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and
Chad), cashews by 69 per cent (Mozambique and the United Republic
of Tanzania), fish by 21 per cent (Senegal) and copper by 13 per
cent (Zambia). ...


WHO BENEFITS?

33. While African producers have incurred losses in foreign
exchange earnings, traders and firms in the higher steps of the
value chain have been reaping significant benefits. According to
the International Coffee Organization (ICO), for example, in the
early 1990s earnings by coffee-producing countries (exports f.o.b.)
were some US$ 10 12 billion, while the value of retail sales was
about US$ 30 billion. Today, the value of retail sales is US$ 70
billion, while producers receive only US$ 5.5 billion. With an
estimated 125 million people in the developing world dependent on
coffee production for their livelihoods, the impact of such a price
decline has been devastating in terms of social dislocation,
including social exclusion and poverty.

34. A value chain analysis of the coffee market reveals that, since
1985, a growing share of total incomes in the chain has accrued to
economic agents in the importing countries. The asymmetrical
character of power in the coffee value chain explains the unequal
distribution of total incomes. "In the producer countries it
[power] is very weak farming is highly fragmented and the
destruction of marketing boards further reduces the capacity of
farmers to raise their share of value chain rents. At the importing
end of the chain, there are three major residues of power
importers, roasters and retailers. They compete with each other for
a share of value rents, but combine to ensure that few of these
return to the farmer or producer country intermediaries or
governments" (Fitter and Kaplinsky, 2001:16).

35. The World Bank reckons that, in 2002, the world market price of
cotton would have been more than 25 per cent higher but for the
direct support of the United States for its cotton producers.
Furthermore, various estimates suggest that, in 2002, cotton
subsidies by the United States and the EU have caused a loss of up
to US$ 300 million in revenue to Africa as a whole, which is more
than the total debt relief (US$ 230 million) approved by the World
Bank and the IMF under the enhanced HIPC Initiative to nine highly
indebted cottonexporting countries in West and Central Africa in
the same year. The cost of lower cotton prices to Mali, according
to Oxfam, amounted to $43 million in 2001. This is exactly the
amount of debt relief received by Mali from the World Bank and the
IMF in the same year under the enhanced HIPC Initiative. In Benin,
Mali and Burkina Faso, about 11 million people depend on cotton as
their only source of income, and in Benin, for example, lower
cotton prices have been associated with a 4 per cent rise in
poverty in 2001.

36. European Union reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
announced recently, involving moving away from production- and
price- linked subsidies, are a welcome development. It is, however,
too early to ascertain the impact of the reforms on output and
prices, or how soon it would be extended to products like sugar,
tobacco and cotton, which are important exports for some African
countries. Farm support systems in OECD countries are having
serious consequences in Africa for the poverty reduction objective
of the Millennium Development Goals. It is unlikely that the
current CAP reforms will change this situation even if they lead to
cuts in subsidies. They are focused on domestic support, not trade,
and contain no new provisions about tariffs or improving market
access for African agricultural exports.

POLICY ISSUES

42. While policy responses should take into account the
characteristics of the commodity and trends in its global markets,
two main issues need to be underscored. First, more than any other
developing region, Africa is heavily dependent on the export of
commodities, although paradoxically its share in world exports has
declined in the last two decades. Second, the majority of Africa's
non-fuel commodity exports have been subject both to high price
volatility and a secular decline in real prices. The continent has
therefore been caught up in a downward spiral where such dependence
and its attendant ramifications have become a structural feature of
many of Africa's economies. ...

43. The preceding analysis suggests a bigger role for the state
than is currently recognized in addressing commodity dependence in
African countries. Governments have a critical role to play in
providing extension services and reducing dependence by creating
conditions that promote horizontal and vertical diversification
towards higher-value-added products. Similarly, Governments are
best placed to coordinate an integrated programme of "supplyside
responses" effectively, as well as undertaking quality control. It
is therefore essential that institutional capacities be reinforced.

44. A horizontal diversification programme must incorporate more
dynamic, higher-value-added products such as fruits, vegetables,
fish and seafood, as well as temperate products such as grains and
meats, which are unrelated to existing or traditional exports, in
order to attain a balance between commodities subject to persistent
and short-lived shocks. ...

45. Institutional capacities must also be enhanced for the
provision of public goods and services that address market
imperfections, including eliminating segmentation of rural and
urban markets and linking them to regional and global markets.
Improvements in ports, cargo-handling facilities and
telecommunications infrastructure, together with the removal of
non-physical barriers to transportation (e.g. harmonization of
customs and transit documentation), should reduce costs and
increase the competitiveness of exports, in particular for
landlocked African countries. ...

48. The great potential for intra-African trade, which could create
additional markets for African exports, has yet to be exploited.
This has long been recognized, but efforts aimed at promoting it
have met with limited success. Promoting regional economic
integration through enhanced regional and intra-African trade is
one of the major objectives of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD), and one can only hope that some tangible
results will now be achieved, considering the strong support for
NEPAD in the international development community. UNCTAD's analysis
of trade between the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the
Southern African Development Community (SADC), for example, reveals
great potential for increasing trade in primary commodities,
including meat, tropical beverages, cotton, diamonds and non-
ferrous metals. The analysis also suggests that a few resource-
intensive basic manufactures, such as cotton yarn, cement and some
types of woven fabrics, could also be traded.

49. Problems stemming from commodity trade relations are manifested
at the multilateral level, hence domestic policy packages are
unlikely to be effective without a complementary package from the
international community.

50. To the extent that more advanced developing countries in Asia
and Latin America with a relatively diversified economic base move
from low-value agricultural commodities towards labour-intensive
manufactures and higher-value-added dynamic products, a space would
be created for the poorer countries in the production and export of
agricultural commodities, including processed products. This
depends, inter alia, on increased market access for these products.
... Such a process would be facilitated by greater liberalization
of OECD domestic agricultural markets through a significant
reduction, and finally elimination, of massive agricultural
subsidies and support for commodities such as cotton, groundnuts
and sugar, which are of export interest to Africa. In the meantime,
a mechanism is required at the international level to ensure that
countries providing subsidies to their producers should compensate
African countries for income losses arising from such subsidies on
a pro rata basis. ...


52. The persistence of the problems of commodity dependence in the
past three decades suggests that markets have not been able, and
cannot be expected, to solve the problem. It could also be argued
that the limited and some what half-hearted support of the
international community for the traditional price support and
stabilization schemes was an important factor in their demise. ...

54. African countries require sufficient resources in order to
invest in improving human and physical infrastructure and undertake
institution building. Thus, support by the international community
should be combined with a judicious set of policies designed to
help African countries through the provision of much increased
levels of official flows in order to help bridge the savings and
investment gap, as well as the provision of a permanent exit
solution to the debt problems of Africa.

+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++

Date distributed (ymd): 031013
Region: Continent-wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+

************************************************************
The Africa Policy E-Journal is a free information service
provided by Africa Action, including both original
commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of
human rights.

Documents previously distributed in the e-journal are
available on the Africa Action website:
http://www.africaaction.org
For additional background on this e-journal go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/e-journal.htm
To support Africa Action with your contribution go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/join.htm

To be added to or dropped from the e-journal subscription list,
write to e-journal@africaaction.org For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the source mentioned
in the posting.

Africa Action
1634 Eye St. NW, #810, Washington, DC 20006.
Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545.
E-mail: africaaction@igc.org
************************************************************

africa: governance expert speaks on Nepad

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37239

Professor Okey Onyejekwe is an expert on African governance at the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Here, during a conference in Addis Ababa on good governance, he tells IRIN why he believes the credibility of Africa’s new development blueprint, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), is threatened by the unwillingness of African leaders to hold each other accountable.

africa: NEPAD - Thinking out of the box

2003-10-16

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000548/intro.php

"Partly because of its evolutionary trajectory, NEPAD comes across as trying to be all things to all people. A 'comprehensive integrated plan that addresses key social, economic and political priorities for the continent' is, in my view, too grand a project. It is such claims that elicit the radical critique that NEPAD is merely warmed-over neo-liberalism. We must go beyond giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it." This is according to a paper by Dr. John FE Ohiorhenuan, UNDP Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator in South Africa.

africa: World Trade Report 2003

2003-10-16

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1631

The World Trade Report 2003 takes up three issues of topical interest in international trade. These include developments in South-South trade, trends in non-oil commodity markets and the growth of regional trade agreements.

africa/global: Lessons from Brazil

2003-10-16

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20030863

In 1990 the World Bank predicted that within ten years there would be 1,2 million HIV infections in Brazil. Thirteen years later, this scenario has yet to materialise. To provide free medication, Brazil had to take a firm position against multinational drug companies in negotiating for lower prices. Their key bargaining chip is the domestic capacity to produce generic copies of the drugs in the Far-Manguinhos federal laboratory in Rio de Janeiro (and six other state-owned facilities) if prices aren’t affordable.

africa/global: TB workforce crisis a major obstacle to treatment success

2003-10-16

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr74/en/

A growing "workforce crisis" is a serious obstacle to achieving targets for global tuberculosis control set for 2005 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Faster and more effective recruitment and training of TB health workers is needed to ensure vacancies in developing countries are filled quickly, says a draft report written by TB experts. Of the 22 high burden countries (HBCs) which account for 80% of the world's TB cases, 17 reported that their efforts to reach the 2005 targets are being hampered by staffing problems.

africa: condoms don't stop Aids, claims vatican

2003-10-16

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,1059068,00.html

The Catholic Church is telling people in countries stricken by Aids not to use condoms because they have tiny holes in them through which HIV can pass - potentially exposing thousands of people to risk. The church is making the claims across four continents despite a widespread scientific consensus that condoms are impermeable to HIV.
Related Link:
Anti-condom message shocks
http://iafrica.com/news/sa/277092.htm

africa: wealthy countries called on for global fund contributions

2003-10-16

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=20352

International aid and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups on Monday called on the world's richest countries to contribute the funds needed to sustain the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In its first two rounds of grants, the fund has committed $1.5 billion in funding to support 154 programs in 93 countries worldwide.

car: Diarrhoea epidemic in north confirmed

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37218

The Pasteur Institute in the Central African Republic capital, Bangui, has confirmed an epidemic of diarrhoea in the northwest of the country where at least 40 people died in late September, an official said on Wednesday.

south africa: The Activists Who Stare Down Death

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310130384.html

When the Treatment Action Campaign launched a defiance campaign in March this year, 32-year-old Kebareng Moeketsi was at the forefront of the first protest. Barely a week later Moeketsi, a volunteer HIV counsellor from Alexandra near Johannesburg, died of Aids, leaving behind two children. Accepting the Nelson Mandela Health and Human Rights Award on behalf of the TAC this week, chairman Zackie Achmat said : "During our civil disobedience campaign from March 20 to July 31, more than 100 of our leaders have died."

SUDAN: Increasing levels of preventable blindness

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37153

Extremely poor levels of hygiene in Sudan, coupled with a lack of health care facilities, medicines and trained personnel, are contributing to widespread preventable blindness. All the leading causes of preventable blindness, such as trachoma, river blindness, and cataracts co-exist in Sudan, Dr Serge Resnikoff, Coordinator of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Prevention of Blindness and Deafness programme, told IRIN.

UGANDA: Army to provide protection for measles campaign in north

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37176

Plans are underway to go ahead with a mass measles immunisation campaign in northern Uganda, despite continued security concerns over rebel activities in the region. It is hoped 12.7 million children throughout the country will be immunised during the period 14-21 October.

zambia: Government Taking 'Urgent Steps' To Address HIV/AIDS Epidemic

2003-10-16

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=20322

The Zambian government, under new President Levy Mwanawasa, is taking "urgent steps" to fight the nation's HIV/AIDS epidemic, after almost 20 years of "struggling against the disease with little effect," the New York Times reports. Health experts believe that Zambia - where nearly one in five adults is HIV-positive - has the sixth-worst AIDS epidemic in the world. According to a United Nations report, fewer than 1% of the estimated 200,000 or more HIV-positive people in Zambia who need antiretroviral medications has access to them.

zimbabwe: Waiting For Death

2003-10-16

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20550

It's been months since Noma, a cancer patient at Mpilo, the largest government hospital here, has gone for radiotherapy. The process is meant to stop the cancer in her leg from spreading. But five months ago the only machine used by patients in three provinces - Matabeleland, Masvingo and Midlands - broke down and there is no foreign currency to import spares. Mpilo Hospital has also run out chemotherapy drugs.

africa/global: Making 1 Billion Count: Investing in Adolescents' Health and Rights

2003-10-16

http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2003/pdf/english/swp2003_eng.pdf

Over 1.2 billion adolescents - one person in five - are making the transition from child-hood to adulthood. How well we prepare them to face adult challenges in a fast changing world will shape humanity's common future. Adolescents must be enabled to avoid early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS while being given skills, opportunities and a real say in development plans, stresses The State of World Population 2003 report by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

africa: THE IMPACT OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC ON TEACHER mortality

2003-10-16

http://www.eldis.org/fulltext/teachermortality.pdf

This article discusses the commonly stated belief that teachers in Africa are among the groups most affected by HIV/AIDS and that their death rate is disproportionately high compared with the populations as a whole. Reasons given for this include the relative youth of teachers and the high number of women in the profession, since young people and women show higher prevalence as groups than others.

east africa: Experts call for new child labour policy

2003-10-16

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=87&art_id=vn20031014073435332C952708&set_id=1

Millions of African children working on commercial farms are at high risk of death and injury. Regional experts say governments must act to reduce the number of child labourers. About 70 percent of the world's 250 million child labourers work on farms, and it is common to find children employed on coffee, tea, tobacco, sugar cane, cotton and other plantations in Africa, a child labour conference in Ethiopia heard.

ghana/uganda/south africa: DOES INVESTING IN EDUCATION REDUCE POVERTY?

2003-10-16

http://www.id21.org/society/s5bft1g1.html

Three broad facts about education have emerged from recent research. Firstly, almost universally education is found to lift people out of poverty. Secondly, when a comparison is made between investing in education and other forms of investment, the returns from investing in education are on average lower. Thirdly, the returns to education - in the sense of the increment in income that accrues to each year of education - are much higher for those with higher levels of education. What factors influence these trends?

nigeria: Teachers' pay row shuts down Nigerian varsity

2003-10-16

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw1066210203762B252&set_id=1

One of Nigeria's oldest and biggest universities has been closed indefinitely over non-payment of teachers' salaries, officials at the institution said on Wednesday. Authorities of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in the northern city of Zaria on Tuesday announced the closure of the institution following a rift between the teachers and the university administration over unpaid salaries, they said.

south africa: CHILD POVERTY, CHILD SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS AND the budget

2003-10-16

http://www.idasa.org.za/bis/docs/BudgetBrief125.htm

This budget brief from the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) assesses the extent to which the 2003 South African Budget addresses widespread child poverty and the delivery of children's socio-economic rights. The brief concludes that while Budget 2003 may have moved a small step in the 'right' direction, the national treasury, along with other government departments, could have done and should have done more for poor children.

south africa: Five Million South Africans Live in Squatter Camps

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310140036.html

About five million South Africans live in the 1066 informal settlements spread across the country. Answering a question in Parliament, Housing Minister Bridgitte Mabandla said 1,376,706 households reside in the settlements. The highest concentration of informal settlements was found in Gauteng which has 181 settlements containing 448,393 households.

tanzania: VOICES OF THE STIGMATISED: LISTENING TO THE voices of street children

2003-10-16

http://www.id21.org/society/s5are1g1.html

What are the links between HIV, poverty, education and gender inequality? How have structural adjustment and cost-sharing affected vulnerable children in Tanzania? Are policy-makers able to address the serious inequalities and vulnerabilities faced by the growing number of children working the country's streets?

uganda: U.N. Calls For Uganda Ceasefire For Child Immunization Drive

2003-10-16

http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20031010/449_9333.asp

UNICEF and World Health Organisation representatives in Uganda have asked the government and rebel groups to observe an eight-day ceasefire, beginning Tuesday, to allow more than 50,000 vaccinators to immunize children against measles. "No cause and no conflict can be greater or more urgent than the cause of protecting all the children of Uganda from this deadly disease," the representatives said in a statement.

ZAMBIA: Back to school for free food

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37202

A free daily meal has been enough incentive to attract a steady increase of primary school children back into class in Zambia's Southern province. The pilot school-feeding programme, launched in July, now reaches 50 schools in five districts, providing a fortified micronutrient-rich porridge for 19,000 young children in the country's most drought-affected areas.

south africa: Alexkor land returned to Richtersveld community

2003-10-16

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=260221

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday returned the land and mineral rights currently owned by Alexkor, the state diamond company, to a community forcibly removed from the land in the 1920s. In a unanimous judgement, the Constitutional Court largely confirmed an order handed down earlier this year by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) that the Richtersveld community had been removed from their land under racist laws and practices, and were therefore entitled to have it, and the mineral rights, returned to their exclusive use and benefit. "These practices were racially discriminatory because they were based upon the faulty, albeit unexpressed, premise that because of the Richtersveld community's race and lack of civilisation, they had lost all rights in the land upon annexation," the SCA had said.

africa/global: FOREST CONSERVATION AND THE RURAL POOR: A CALL TO BROADEN THE CONSERVATION AGENDA

2003-10-16

http://www.panda.org/downloads/policy/Forest_and_Poverty.pdf

This paper by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Global Network / World Wildlife Fund begins by asking why forest conservationists should consider poverty reduction. It argues that, since poverty reduction is such a global priority, if the forestry community do not develop good proposals that contribute to that agenda, forest depletion may increase.

africa: $25m Gates gift to GM project under fire

2003-10-16

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=13&o=31089

Bill Gates is to donate at least $25-million to research into whether GM food can provide 840-million malnourished people with extra vitamins and micro-nutrients. But the first move by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private philanthropic organisation, into controversial food biotechnology for developing countries has been criticised by development groups which said the research was "scientifically unnecessary".

africa: THE WORLD BANK AND FOSSIL FUELS: AT THE CROSSROADS

2003-10-16

http://www.seen.org/pages/reports/WB_brief_0903.shtml

In its own words, the World Bank Group's position as a leading source of global fossil fuel financing poses a "clear and present danger" to its reputation and the global commons. A September brief from the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network and Institute for Policy Studies Brief says it is high time for the Bank to decide whether to remain the world's key agent for transnational corporations' oil, gas and coal aspirations, or to become an agent for positive change, truer to the stated mission of an institution that claims to alleviate poverty and promote environmental sustainability.

malawi: HIV/AIDS MAINSTREAMING IN CONSERVATION

2003-10-16

http://www.eldis.org/fulltext/hivandconservation.pdf

This paper describes the experiences of the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM) in addressing the impacts that HIV/AIDS is having on the environment. The paper describes those impacts and the process the WESM has been through in order to mainstream HIV/AIDS into its work.

malawi: Ten-Year Plan to Save Rare Fish Species launched

2003-10-16

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20544

Alarmed by the dwindling numbers of its rare species of fish, locally known as chambo, the Malawi government has formulated a 10-year plan to restore the fish in Lake Malawi, and its largest outlet, Shire River.

nigeria: National Conservation Fund Holds AGM

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310150532.html

As the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) held its 14th Annual General Meeting at the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, its president, Chief Philip Asiodu has noted that the country is still faced with "accelerating environmental degradation."

SOUTH AFRICA: Concern over drought warnings

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37187

South Africa may be heading for a prolonged drought, which researchers warn could be among the most severe in decades.

south africa: Jukskei poses major health risk

2003-10-16

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=256411

It had the title of being one of Africa's most polluted rivers. Now, it seems, the Jukskei River could become one of the continent's deadliest. The river which runs through parts of Johannesburg, Sandton, Alexandra and eventually ends up in the Hartbeespoort Dam, a favoured recreational dam, has proved to have a human faecal count so high it poses a serious health risk.

uganda: World Bank Steps in to Save Hydropower Project

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310150307.html

The World Bank has stepped in to help fund Uganda's Bujagali hydropower project after US power giant AES Corporation pulled out of the project, which is aimed at providing Uganda with a cheaper source of power. The $520m project at Bujagali on the Nile river ran into trouble after environmentalists argued that it would destroy a network of waterfalls, a major tourism attraction and water rafting site, and a site of special spiritual significance to the local population.

africa: A Bad Week for African Journalists

2003-10-16

http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20555

The African media had a bad week throughout the continent, as governments closed private radio stations and newspapers, and arrested editors, reporters and publishers in what press freedom organisations consider an effort to eliminate the free flow of information.

algeria: Managing editor of daily "Liberté" arrested and held for questioning

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17681

Farid Alilat, managing editor of the daily "Liberté", was arrested on October 7 at his newspaper's offices and brought before an Algiers court, where he was questioned for five hours about a column entitled "La fessée" ("The Spanking").The column, published on 21 August, was written by Hakim Laâlam of the daily "Le Soir d'Algérie", which was suspended at the time for having failed to pay its debts to the state printers. "Liberté" published the column as a gesture of solidarity.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT UPDATE - ALGERIA

9 October 2003

Managing editor of daily "Liberté" arrested and held for questioning

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

**Updates IFEX alerts of 24, 19 and 3 September, 19 and 18 August 2003**

(RSF/IFEX) - On 7 October 2003, Farid Alilat, managing editor of the daily
"Liberté", was arrested at his newspaper's offices and brought before an
Algiers court, where he was questioned for five hours about a column
entitled "La fessée" ("The Spanking").

RSF has condemned the episode as the latest in a series of incidents
involving harassment of the independent press. The organisation warned the
authorities not to damage freedom of expression any further on the eve of
the presidential election. "These arrests bring the government into
disrepute," said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard.

The column, published on 21 August, was written by Hakim Laâlam of the daily
"Le Soir d'Algérie", which was suspended at the time for having failed to
pay its debts to the state printers. "Liberté" published the column as a
gesture of solidarity.

In early September, journalists who work for the private press made a
collective decision to refuse to respond when summoned by the judicial
police. They decided they would only answer for what they had written before
the courts.

"Liberté" editor-in-chief Said Chekri said the summonses arrive so
frequently that it is hard to keep track of them. The judicial police have
issued approximately 30 summonses in the last month. The same scenario has
been played out on a regular basis for over a month. Following three
summonses, journalists are arrested, brought before the chief prosecutor and
the examining magistrate, and given a conditional release.

Sometimes common law cases going back several years are reopened, but
journalists are usually arrested for "insulting the head of state" (under
Article 144a of the Criminal Code). Lately, journalists have been arrested
at their newspaper's offices rather than in the street.

For further information, contact Virginie Locussol at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: northernafrica@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
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IFEX - Noticias de la comunidad internacional de la libertad de expresión
________________________________________________________________

ACTUALIZACIÓN DE ALERTA - ARGELIA

el 9 de octubre de 2003

Director de periódico detenido y interrogado

FUENTE: Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF), París

**Actualiza las alertas de IFEX del 24, 19 y 3 de septiembre, 19 y 18 de
agosto de 2003**

(RSF/IFEX) - El 7 de octubre de 2003 por la mañana fue detenido en la sede
de su periódico Farid Alilat, director del diario "Liberté". Alilat fue
interrogado durante cinco horas por el Tribunal de Argel, en relación con
una crónica titulada "La fessée" ("La azotaina"), publicada en "Liberté" el
21 de agosto.

RSF condena la práctica de acoso sin tregua contra la prensa privada y
alerta a las autoridades argelinas de las amenazas que dañan la libertad de
expresión, en vísperas de las elecciones presidenciales. "Estas detenciones
ponen en ridículo al gobierno, que bosqueja así su propia caricatura", ha
declarado Robert Ménard, secretario general de RSF.

La crónica publicada en "Liberté" fue escrito por Hakim Laâlam, del diario
"Le Soir d'Algérie", víctima entonces de una suspensión por no haber pagado
sus deudas a las imprentas. "Liberté" publicó la crónica en sus páginas como
una muestra de solidaridad.

Como resultado de una decisión colectiva adoptada a comienzos de septiembre,
los periodistas de la prensa privada han decidido no acudir a las citaciones
de la policía judicial, declarando que solo tienen que responder de sus
escritos ante la justicia. Cerca de treinta de esas citaciones han sido
emitidas en un mes, según Said Chekri, redactor jefe de "Liberté". Esta
práctica se repite desde hace más de un mes. Después de tres citaciones se
produce la detención, y luego la comparecencia ante el fiscal de la
República y el juez de instrucción y, hasta el momento, la puesta en
libertad condicional. Aunque en ocasiones aparecen asuntos de derecho común,
que datan de varios años atrás, generalmente se detiene a los periodistas
por "ofensa al jefe del Estado" (art. 144 bis del código penal). Últimamente
se detiene a los periodistas en los propios locales de su redacción, y no en
plena calle.

Para mayor información, comunicarse con Virginie Locussol, RSF, 5, rue
Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, Francia, telef: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1
45 23 11 51, correo electrónico: norddelafrique@rsf.org, Internet:
http://www.rsf.org

Esta información es responsabilidad de RSF. Favor de reconocer a RSF al
difundirla.
_________________________________________________________________
DIFUNDIDO/A POR LA OFICINA DE LA RED IFEX
EL INTERCAMBIO INTERNACIONAL POR LA LIBERTAD DE EXPRESION
489 College Street West, #403, Toronto ON M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
correo electrónico: alerts@ifex.org buzón general: ifex@ifex.org
sitio Internet: http://www.ifex.org/
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ethiopia: call for investigation into attack on journalist

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17683

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is deeply concerned by the recent violent attack on Araya Tesfa Mariam, a journalist working for the Amharic-language weekly Ethiop. On October 1, unidentified assailants attacked and brutally beat Mariam near his home in the capital, Addis Ababa. According to local journalists, Mariam is still receiving medical attention for severe injuries to his skull, hands, and legs sustained during the assault.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT UPDATE - ETHIOPIA

9 October 2003

CPJ calls for investigation into attack on journalist

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**Updates IFEX alert of 7 October 2003**

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi:

October 9, 2003

His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Via facsimile: 251-155-2020

Your Excellency:

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the recent
violent attack on Araya Tesfa Mariam, a journalist working for the
Amharic-language weekly Ethiop. On October 1, unidentified assailants attacked
and brutally beat Mariam near his home in the capital, Addis Ababa. According to
local journalists, Mariam is still receiving medical attention for severe
injuries to his skull, hands, and legs sustained during the assault.

It is unclear who is behind this vicious attack. However, some local journalists
expressed concern that it may have come in reprisal for his work for Ethiop,
which publishes a regular column discussing internal struggles in Your
Excellency's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), one of four parties in
Ethiopia's ruling coalition.

As an independent organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our
colleagues worldwide, CPJ urges Your Excellency to ensure that a thorough,
independent investigation into this attack is conducted to determine who is
responsible and the reasons for the assault. We also ask that you make public
all findings from the investigation. Such action would send a reassuring signal
to Ethiopia's badly shaken press. Meanwhile, we will continue monitoring this
case.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We await your response.

Sincerely,

Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Similar appeals can be sent to:

His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 155 2020

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Adam Posluns (ext. 107) or Alexis Arieff (ext.
117) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004,
fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: africa@cpj.org, aposluns@cpj.org, aarieff@cpj.org,
Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole responsibility
of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403,Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
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ethiopia: Editor-in-chief summoned, released on bail

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17697

Wessenseged Gebrekidan, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper "Etiop", was summoned by the Central Investigation Department on October 9. Gebrekidan reported to police and was released on bail of Eth. Birr 5,000 (approx. US$585) after making a statement. The editor was summoned in connection with a news item entitled "National Military Service Proclamation promptly approved". The item was published in "Etiop" newspaper on 9 April.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - ETHIOPIA

13 October 2003

Editor-in-chief summoned, released on bail

SOURCE: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA), Addis Ababa

(EFJA/IFEX) - On 9 October 2003, Wessenseged Gebrekidan, editor-in-chief of the
weekly newspaper "Etiop", was summoned by the Central Investigation Department.
Gebrekidan reported to police and was released on bail of Eth. Birr 5,000
(approx. US$585) after making a statement.

The editor was summoned in connection with a news item entitled "National
Military Service Proclamation promptly approved". The item was published in
"Etiop" newspaper on 9 April.

Gebrekidan has been accused of "disseminating fabricated information" in the
news item, which referred to the "National Military Service Proclamation"
instead of the "National Reserve Army". It is not known whether his case will be
brought before the Federal High Court.

For further information, contact Kifle Mulat, President, EFJA, P.O. Box 31317 /
33232, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, tel/fax: +251 1 55 50 21, mobile: +251 1 (09) 222
939, e-mail: efja@telecom.net.et, efjakifle@hotmail.com

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of EFJA. In
citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit EFJA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403,Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

niger: President issues warning to independent radio stations

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17695

President M. Tandja Mamadou has warned independent radio stations operating in parts of the country against broadcasting any programmes "liable to disturb the social peace and public order." In a 2 October 2003 radio message to all regional ministers, municipal chief executives and district heads of public institutions, the president instructed them to "immediately invite all media heads in areas under your jurisdiction and call them to order to warn them against any act liable to endanger the peace and public order." He also threatened that "any unacceptable behaviour would be severely dealt with under the law."
Une version française n'est pas disponible. A French version is not available.

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - NIGER

13 October 2003

President issues warning to independent radio stations

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media freedom
and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org and
www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

President M. Tandja Mamadou has warned independent radio stations operating in
parts of the country against broadcasting any programmes "liable to disturb the
social peace and public order."

In a 2 October 2003 radio message to all regional ministers, municipal chief
executives and district heads of public institutions, the president instructed
them to "immediately invite all media heads in areas under your jurisdiction and
call them to order to warn them against any act liable to endanger the peace and
public order." He also threatened that "any unacceptable behaviour would be
severely dealt with under the law."

Copies of the president's statement were distributed to media institutions
operating outside of the capital, Niamey.

Radio station managers have, in recent weeks, incurred the ire of state
authorities who have accused the stations of engaging in disparaging press
reviews, and of opening up their talk show and panel discussion programmes to
opposition groups and members of the Tuareg ethnic group to criticise the
government (see IFEX alerts of 7 October and 29 September 2003).

BACKGROUND:
Conflict between the government and the semi-nomadic Tuareg in the early 1990s
finally abated with the brokering of a peace accord in 1995. Some former rebel
elements have, however, been critical of the government's commitment to the
terms of the agreement.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media Freedom
Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing Address;
Private Bag 13386, Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax: +264 61 248
016, e-mail: research@misa.org, Internet: http://www.misa.org, or Kwame
Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, P. O. Box LG
730, Legon, Ghana, tel: +233 21 24 24 70, fax: +233 21 22 10 84, e-mail:
mfwa@africaonline.com.gh, Internet: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA. In
citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

sierra leone: Editor arrested and detained

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17685

Paul Kamara, managing editor of the "For-Di-People" newspaper, was arrested and detained on October 3 at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kamara was released after seven hours and asked to report the following morning. He was arrested in connection with a front page article published in the October 3, 2003 edition of the paper. The article challenged the constitutional legality of the Speaker of Parliament, Justice Edmond Cowan's defence of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah in Parliament.
**We apologise for any cross-posting - The following is being forwarded
exactly as received**

To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), research@misa.org

Sierra Leone Alert

October 9, 2003

Editor arrested and detained

* The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Media Foundation of
West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity, will henceforth issue alerts,
statements and appeals to highlight media freedom and wider human rights
violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org and www.mediafoundationwa.org
for more information.

On October 3 2003, Paul Kamara, managing editor of the "For-Di-People"
newspaper, was arrested and detained at the headquarters of the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kamara was
released after seven hours and asked to report the following morning.

According to Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)-Sierra Leone sources,
Kamara was arrested at the instance of Attorney General and Minster of
Justice, Eke Halloway, and queried about a front page article published in
the October 3, 2003 edition of the paper. The article challenged the
constitutional legality of the Speaker of Parliament, Justice Edmond Cowan's
defense of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah in Parliament.

Justice Cowan had reacted in Parliament to recent media publications that
insinuated that President Kabbah was found guilty in 1968 by a Commission of
Inquiry headed by Justice Beoku Betts. The Beoku Betts Commission was set up
to investigate alleged fraud at the Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board
(SLPMB) while President Kabbah was serving as Permanent Secretary at the
Ministry of Trade.

The "For-Di-People" newspaper had, for the last week been serializing
verbatim, the Beoku Betts Commission report, much to the chagrin of the
Speaker of Parliament and some government officials.

The Speaker, quoting relevant provisions of the constitution, argued that
President Kabbah was not a convict because a Commission of Inquiry did not
have the powers of a High Court.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) considers the arrest, detention
and interrogation of Kamara for disagreeing with the Speaker on the
constitutional interpretation of the Beoku Betts Commission's report as an
abuse of power and a manifestation of intolerance of dissent.

The MFWA appeals to the government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to
demonstrate a commitment to media freedom and freedom of expression in
Sierra Leone by permitting the independent and critical debate of issues of
public interest.

Kindly protest the arrest and detention of Mr Paul Kamara, and address it
to:

H. E. Tejan Kabbah
Office of The President
State House
Tel: 232-22-232101
Fax: 232-22-231404
Email: info@statehouse-sl.org
Freetown, Sierra Leone

Minister for Information
Youyi Building, 9th Floor
Freetown
Sierra Leone

The Media Relations Officer
Office of the President
State Lodge
Tel: 232-22-232101
Fax: 232-22-231404
Email: info@statehouse-sl.org
Hill Station, Freetown
Sierra Leone

Enquiries:

Media Foundation for West Africa
Prof Kwame Karikari
Executive Director (MFWA)
P. O. Box LG 730
Legon, Ghana
E-mail: mfwa@africaonline.com.gh
Tel: 233-21-24 24 70
Fax: 233-21-22 10 84
Web: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

Enquiries:

Media Institute of Southern Africa
Zoe Titus
Program Coordinator: Media Freedom Monitoring
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Web: http://www.misa.org

PROMOTING MEDIA DIVERSITY . PLURALISM . SELF-SUFFICIENCY . INDEPENDENCE

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility
of MISA**

sierra leone: Radio journalist arrested by police, threatened with expulsion

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17724

A recent action by the Senegalese authorities has raised fears concerning the press's future and the right to information in a country which until now has been known to respect democracy and freedom. Police officers arrested Sophie Malibeaux, Radio France Internationale's (RFI) permanent special correspondent, in Ziguinchor, southern Senegal, on 7 October 2003. Malibeaux was covering a meeting of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance, MFDC), an armed independence group, when she was arrested and forced onto a special flight to Dakar.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE/ALERT - SENEGAL

14 October 2003

Radio journalist arrested by police, threatened with expulsion

SOURCE: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) / West African
Journalists Association (WAJA), Dakar

(IFJ/WAJA/IFEX) - The following is an 11 October 2003 joint IFJ-WAJA press
release:

Sophie Malibeaux case: an escalation in attacks on press freedom in Senegal

A recent action by the Senegalese authorities has raised fears concerning
the press's future and the right to information in a country which until now
has been known to respect democracy and freedom.

Police officers arrested Sophie Malibeaux, Radio France Internationale's
(RFI) permanent special correspondent, in Ziguinchor, southern Senegal, on 7
October 2003. Malibeaux was covering a meeting of the Movement of Democratic
Forces of Casamance (Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance, MFDC),
an armed independence group, when she was arrested and forced onto a special
flight to Dakar.

The journalist was held for several hours in the Interior Ministry's
offices. Later that day, she was notified that she was to be expelled from
the country. The official explanation for the expulsion order was the
"necessity [to preserve] public order". Malibeaux was not given the
opportuniity to make a statement in her defence.

The journalist was given very little time to collect a few personal effects
at her home and police then escorted her to the airport. A second order
cancelling or suspending the earlier expulsion order arrived just as she was
about to board a Paris-bound flight.

The authorities' brutal treatment of Malibeaux came as a shock to many
observers, who are unaccustomed to such behaviour by the authorities in
Senegal.

The organisations that have signed this statement denounce the authorities'
humiliating and degrading treatment of Sophie Malibeaux. Such behaviour
targeting the accredited foreign press is unprecedented in Senegal. The
organisations believe the police action was unjustified, as the RFI
correspondent respected the code of ethics in her coverage of the MFDC
meeting, and ask that the case be closed.

These events follow numerous recent examples of harassment against
Senegalese journalists and the state prosecutor's statement listing recent
violations of press laws, which was interpreted as a thinly-veiled warning
to journalists.

The Foreign Press Association of Senegal, SYNPICS, the West African
Journalists Association and the International Federation of Journalists'
Africa Bureau call on the authorities to put an end to the repeated attacks
on journalists and press freedom in order to favour good relations with the
press and to preserve Senegal's good standing within the international
community.

Dakar, 11 October 2003

Foreign Press Association of Senegal (APES)
Senegalese Union of Information and Communications Professionals (SYNPICS)
West African Journalists Association (WAJA)
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Africa Bureau

For further information, contact UJAO/WAJA 17, Boulevard de la République,
BP 21 722, Dakar Ponty, Senegal, tel: +221 842 01 41/42, +221 842 01 43,
fax: +221 842 02 69, e-mail: synpicsujao@sentoo.sn, Internet:
http://www.ujaowaja.org

The information contained in this press release/alert is the sole
responsibility of IFJ and WAJA. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit IFJ and WAJA.
________________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
________________________________________________________________________

South Africa: 'Hefer subpoena violates reporters' rights'

2003-10-16

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=6&art_id=vn20031016122740167C547210&set_id=1

Media organisations on Thursday asked the Hefer Commission to withdraw a subpoena against the journalist who was a source of the allegation that Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka was an apartheid spy. Veteran journalist Raymond Louw told the commission that forcing former Sunday Times journalist, Ranjeni Munusamy, to testify would endanger 13 years of negotiations between media organisations, the department of justice and the South African Law Reform Commission about the removal of Section 205 from the Criminal Procedure Act. The section can be used to call on a person to reveal their sources of information to a judicial officer or face imprisonment.
Related Link:
* Commission says it will subpoena more journalists
http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1633

zimbabwe: Amended AIPPA legislation passed into law

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17754

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has signed into law the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act (AIPPA Amendment), which seeks to correct certain anomalies that came to light after the law was promulgated in 2002. The new act redefines Section 2 of the principal act. The term "mass media service" or "mass media", which hitherto had been unclear, has been defined as "any service, media or medium consisting in the transmission of voice, visual, data or textual messages to an unlimited number of people and includes an advertising agency, publisher or, except otherwise excluded or specially provided for in this Act, a news agency or broadcasting licensee as defined in the Broadcasting Services Act".
Related Link:
* As Zanu PF now knows, propaganda does not sell
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7741
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT UPDATE - ZIMBABWE

15 October 2003

Amended AIPPA legislation passed into law

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**Updates IFEX alerts of 9 and 8 May, 25 and 6 March, 28 February, 31 and 27
January 2003 and others**

(MISA/IFEX) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has signed into law the Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act (AIPPA Amendment), which
seeks to correct certain anomalies that came to light after the law was
promulgated in 2002.

On 13 October 2003, "The Herald" newspaper reported that in an extraordinary
government gazette, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda
said the president had signed the act into law.

The new act redefines Section 2 of the principal act. The term "mass media
service" or "mass media", which hitherto had been unclear, has been defined as
"any service, media or medium consisting in the transmission of voice, visual,
data or textual messages to an unlimited number of people and includes an
advertising agency, publisher or, except otherwise excluded or specially
provided for in this Act, a news agency or broadcasting licensee as defined in
the Broadcasting Services Act".

"Mass media products" are now defined as "an advertisement, the total print or
part of the total print of a separate issue of a periodically printed
publication, a separate issue of a tele text programme, the total or part of the
data of any electronically transmitted material or audio or video recorded
programme".

"Mass media" now means "any service that produces mass media products whether or
not it disseminates them".

The amendments also include the insertion of a new section on the abuse of
journalistic privilege. In May, the Supreme Court struck down Section 80 of the
act, which had made it an offence for a journalist to "publish falsehoods". The
court deemed the section to be unconstitutional.

The new amendment states that "a journalist who abuses his or her journalistic
privilege by publishing information that he or she intentionally or recklessly
falsifies in a manner which threatens the interests of defense, public safety,
public order, the economic interests of the state, public morality or health or
is injurious to the reputation, rights and freedoms of other people, shall be
guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding two
years".

Section 22 has been amended and now states that "the head of a public
institution may refuse to disclose to an applicant information concerning the
applicant if such disclosure will result in a threat to the applicant's or
another person's safety or physical health".

The new act exempts the following from registration: "a mass media service
founded by or under an Act of Parliament, a mass media service consisting of the
activities of a person holding a license issued in terms of the Broadcasting
Services Act, a representative office of a foreign mass media service permitted
to work in Zimbabwe and the production of publications by any enterprise,
institution and other person that are disseminated to exclusively to members or
employees of that enterprise, association, institution or other person".

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: research@misa.org or kkandjii@misa.org, Internet:
http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

zimbabwe: Journalist manhandled, equipment stolen

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17680

A vigilante group attacked Cyril Zenda, a senior journalist with the "Financial Gazette" newspaper, on October 3, robbing him of
5000 Zimbabwe dollars (approx. US$6) and his mobile phone. Zenda told MISA-Zimbabwe that he was spotted by a vigilante group known as Chipangano when he disembarked from a bus at Harare's main bus terminus. He said the group pulled him to a secluded area and began interrogating him about the message on a MISA-Zimbabwe t-shirt he was wearing.
ALERT - ZIMBABWE

9 October 2003

Journalist manhandled, equipment stolen

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

(MISA/IFEX) - On 3 October 2003, a vigilante group attacked Cyril Zenda, a
senior journalist with the "Financial Gazette" newspaper, robbing him of
5000 Zimbabwe dollars (approx. US$6) and his mobile phone.

Zenda told MISA-Zimbabwe that he was spotted by a vigilante group known as
Chipangano when he disembarked from a bus at Harare's main bus terminus. He
said the group pulled him to a secluded area and began interrogating him
about the message on a MISA-Zimbabwe t-shirt he was wearing.

The t-shirt bore the message "Free My Voice: Free the Airwaves". Zenda told
MISA-Zimbabwe that the group demanded to know what the message meant and why
he was wearing a t-shirt bearing an anti-government slogan. Zenda said he
was lucky that the group did not realise he was a journalist for the
"Financial Gazette". He lied to the group, telling them the t-shirt had been
a gift from his younger brother. According to Zenda, the group then
proceeded to tear the t-shirt from his body and burn it. His mobile phone
and money were also forcibly taken.

BACKGROUND:
Chipangano is a vigilante group associated with the ruling party, the
Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF). Despite numerous
complaints of harassment from the public and opposition members, no concrete
action has yet been taken by the police to dismantle the group.

Zenda said he did not bother to report the matter to police and walked away
when he was released by the group. During the incident, his attackers openly
boasted that nothing would ever happen to them. Although he was not injured,
Zenda said he felt "traumatised" by the confrontation.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232975,
fax: +264 61 248016, e-mail: research@misa.org or kkandjii@misa.org,
Internet: http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

zimbabwe: Moyo describes standard and independent as “running dogs of imperialism”

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/17679

Following the gagging of The Daily News and its sister Sunday paper, The Standard and The Zimbabwe Independent have now clearly become the next targets of the Department of Information’s campaign to muzzle all alternative views under the pretext of “enforcing the law”. According to The Standard, Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Media and Information Commission chairperson, Tafataona Mahoso, threatened to take action against the two papers, which Moyo described as the “running dogs of imperialism”. This is according to the latest edition of the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe weekly media update.
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
September 29th – October 5th 2003
Weekly Media Update 2003-39

CONTENTS
General Comment
Pricing chaos
Zimbabwe’s isolation deepens


1. General comment

Following the gagging of The Daily News and its sister Sunday paper, The Standard and The Zimbabwe Independent have now clearly become the next targets of the Department of Information’s campaign to muzzle all alternative views under the pretext of “enforcing the law”.
According to The Standard (5/10) Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Media and Information Commission chairperson, Tafataona Mahoso, threatened to take action against the two papers, which Moyo described as the “running dogs of imperialism”.
The threats highlight the real intention behind the enactment of AIPPA - to crush all dissenting media voices in the country.
AIPPA is a plainly unconstitutional law, which government has used to silence alternative sources of information while the legality of the MIC, the statutory body tasked with licensing media institutions and accrediting journalists, is also questionable. Section 40(2) of AIPPA says the MIC Board shall consist of no fewer than five members and not more than seven members “at least three of whom shall be nominated by an association of journalists and an association of media houses”. The appointment of these associations’ nominees remains a mystery and has certainly never been made public.
Secondly, as the Administrative Court’s ruling (The Zimbabwe Independent & The Herald 3/10) on the matter of the ANZ’s efforts to re-apply for registration shows, the MIC appears to be beyond the reach of the law. The commission’s decisions cannot be set aside by the country’s courts, bestowing on the statutory body what clearly appear to be a quasi-judicial authority outside the jurisdiction of the country’s judicial process. This issue formed the essence of Eddison Zvobgo’s assertion that some sections of AIPPA represent the “most calculated and determined assault” on the people’s civil liberties when he presented the views of the Parliamentary Legal Committee at the time the original AIPPA media Bill was first brought to Parliament for approval.
This extra-judicial authority is aggaravated by the fact that a decision made by a single commissioner is still binding. Section 10 of the Fourth Schedule in AIPPA says that no decision or act of the Board or act done under the authority of the Board shall be invalid on the ground that the Board consisted of fewer than the minimum number of persons prescribed in subsection (1) of section 40.
It is indeed sad to note that besides being premised on an unconstitutional law, MIC has found an ally in curtailing basic freedoms in the form of the judiciary. This was aptly demonstrated by the September 11 Supreme Court ruling declaring The Daily News illegal.
As Zimbabwean lawyer, Alex Tawanda Magaisa, has observed, the decision by the Supreme Court relegated the fundamental constitutional right to freedom of expression to parliamentary legislation that reflects and protects the interests of the ruling party with a parliamentary majority. This undermines the authority of the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, and subjects citizens to the whims of those in power who can force through unconstitutional legislation. The Supreme Court’s argument that it could not hear ANZ’s constitutional challenge to AIPPA because they had come to court with “dirty hands” by not complying with its registration requirements, nullifies constitutional guarantees to protect human rights.
“Ideally the court must ensure that the rights of citizens are adequately protected by promoting their uninterrupted enjoyment… If there is a chance to stop the erosion of rights, the court must actively curtail such erosion”, argues Magaisa.
The same line of argument was incisively presented in the Zimbabwe Independent’s issue of the previous week (26/9) by another Zimbabwean lawyer, Tawanda Hondoro and destroys the myth that the ANZ should have first complied with a law it believed to be unconstitutional before challenging it. But of course, such clear-sightedness never saw the light of day in the government-controlled media. And without the mass circulation of The Daily News to explain this position, a terrible injustice has been perpetrated against the people of Zimbabwe. We can only be thankful that the Zimbabwe Independent has brought it into the public domain.


2. Pricing chaos

The government’s penchant for pursuing populist policies, which ignore economic fundamentals, is aptly demonstrated by the chaos that has characterised some sectors of the economy, particularly the retail industry. For instance, while government insists that its ill-fated price controls are in place, prices of basic commodities have continued to escalate unabated.
In some cases, government has even approved price hikes such as that of fuel, which saw the price of leaded petrol being increased from $1,170 to $1,980 per litre and that of diesel being pegged at $1,850 per litre from $1,060 for private users, The Herald (1/10), ZTV (1/10, 7am) & 3FM (01/10,1pm).
According to the reports, government would continue with its dual pricing system whereby public transport operators would obtain fuel from designated filling stations at the old controlled prices of $450 per litre of petrol and $200 per litre of diesel.
However, the situation on the ground shows that there are actually three pricing systems for the commodity, as filling stations are selling fuel at their own prices, which are higher than those stipulated by government, with the minimum price of a litre of petrol selling for about $2,200.
But the government-controlled media, which has dominated the media landscape following the banning of The Daily News, failed to take government to task on this chaotic pricing system.
Instead, The Herald (1/10) blamed players in the fuel industry for misleading the nation “when it’s accepted that it could fuel the country’s transport fleet at a cost of $1,170 and $1,060 per litre of petrol and diesel respectively” about five weeks ago adding that fuel companies would continue playing the “cat and mouse game” with government “until they achieve the intended price”.
The paper deliberately ignored the fact that it is government, which set the old prices and fuel dealers rejected them then saying they were not viable. Further, it is the same paper and its stable mates that hailed the prices as the panacea to the fuel shortage when they were announced at the end of August.
Although the paper (1/10) acknowledged that the new fuel prices were below the market rate and urged government and fuel dealers to come up with a “realistic fuel price”, it (2/10) then gave the impression that the fuel situation would nonetheless improve.
However, Studio 7(1/10) disputed this and quoted some retailers who indicated that the new prices were not competitive enough saying they were “actually looking at $3,500 per litre so that we can remain viable….”
Nevertheless, none of the media seemed to fully analyse the impact of the latest fuel price increases on the spiralling prices of basic commodities and its ultimate effect on the already eroded disposable income of workers.
Further, none of the media viewed the chaos surrounding the pricing of fuel in relation to prices of other commodities, whose prices are also controlled by government.
The price of bread is an example. While government pegged the price of a loaf of bread at $250, retailers increased the price to about $980 and just recently to about $1,300 a loaf of bread.
Besides initially arresting some of those found breaching the price controls, government has not stamped its authority on the issue.
In fact, the anarchy that has characterised the pricing system vindicates views by independent economists, who have been largely quoted in the private media dismissing price controls as the solution to the ever-rising cost of living.
But the government-controlled media as exemplified by The Manica Post (3/10) and The Herald (1/10) maintained that controlling prices was the solution. For instance, The Herald unquestioningly reported that government would soon “release a new set of controlled prices for most basic commodities in a move expected to restore sanity in the manner in which manufacturers and retailers are increasing prices”. The Business Tribune (2/10) echoed this view and accused business of increasing prices “at will”.
Without exposing the negative underlying implications of price controls, The Herald then narrowly blamed the “reckless hiking of prices” by manufacturers and retailers as the main cause of high inflation, which is officially 426,6 percent.
However, The Financial Gazette (2/10) disputed this notion in its article, Hyperinflation: causes, cures. The paper pointed out that hyperinflation is a result of “money supply growth exceeding the growth in the production of goods and services in the economy”. This according to the article “occurs because government spends more money than it collects”. It added: “Once inflation has become established, everyone wants to hedge against it by increasing prices”.
Meanwhile, both sections of the media highlighted the adverse effects of price increases on the living standards of the public. But none of them pinned government down on what other steps it was taking to cushion workers besides controlling prices. For instance, they could have questioned government on whether it would increase the current minimum wage of about $50,000 or increase the non-taxable income for workers.
The Business Tribune for example, merely quoted the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) calling for government’s intervention “to cushion consumers from gross profiteering by unscrupulous retailers” who were flouting “price controls willy nilly”.
The consumer watchdog made similar comments on ZBC (30/9, 8pm).
However, CCZ tried to cover up for its failure to fully fight for the rights of the consumers by alleging that, “consumers lack basic knowledge of alternative commodities when subjected to overpricing”. It did not elaborate on what those alternatives were.
It is against these economic hardships that the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president, Lovemore Matombo, was quoted in The Zimbabwe Independent (3/10) as calling on workers “to prepare for a mass protest against the government’s failure to address the country’s economic crisis”.
The Financial Gazette revealed that there was no hope for any reprieve as the 2004 budget “may turn out to be the same old story of missed targets and unfulfilled promises”. The paper pointed out that, the Finance Ministry has yet to get the required information such as “sound statistics on food requirements and projected crop output for next year” to assist it in planning, barely two months before the budget is presented.


3. Zimbabwe’s isolation deepens

Zimbabwe’s pariah status, stemming mainly from a governance crisis, became more pronounced with private media reports that Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo had revealed that Zimbabwe would not be invited to the Commonwealth summit unless there were radical changes on the ground. The revelation was particularly poignant, as it came from a country that government and the media it controls have always touted as an ally in its fight to end international isolation.
However, even with such revelations, the government-controlled media was relentless in misleading its audiences into believing that there were still chances for Zimbabwe to attend the summit. They did this by manipulating statements by the acting Nigerian High Commissioner Emmanuel Engwuatu to give the impression that Nigeria would back Zimbabwe’s bid to get invited.
For example, The Herald (02/10), Nigeria’s position on Zim has not changed – envoy, quoted Engwuatu as having said his country’s position to have Zimbabwe’s suspension from the Commonwealth lifted had not changed.
“We haven’t been communicated of any other view. We are hosting the Commonwealth and the position of Nigeria has not changed”, he said, adding that his country would consider Commonwealth rules and regulations in inviting any nation to the summit.
This was narrowly interpreted to mean that Zimbabwe still stood a chance of being invited to Abuja.
ZBC (1/10, 8pm) carried a similar report.
However, SW Radio Africa & Studio 7 (1/10), The Zimbabwe Independent, The Standard (5/10), and The Sunday Mirror (5/10) revealed that Obasanjo had made it clear that President Mugabe would not be invited to the summit unless there was “ a sea change in Zimbabwe” adding that the closure of The Daily News represented “a negative sea change”.
To make matters worse for Zimbabwe, the reports also revealed that despite South Africa’s earlier protest over the exclusion of Mugabe, the country had made a policy u-turn and supported Nigeria’s decision.
As it became clear that Zimbabwe’s chances of getting invited were waning, The Sunday Mail (5/10) then sought to dismiss this embarrassing failure to hoodwink the international community into ending the country’s isolation by discrediting the Commonwealth. The paper’s article, Should Zimbabwe lose sleep over CHOGM? observed: “By clamouring to be members of this grouping or to be at CHOGM, aren’t we bolstering Britain’s sense of importance in the world… Africa and all other countries in the Commonwealth have better and useful regional and international organisations to join…than to celebrate British colonialism through the Commonwealth”.
The Sunday Mirror was equally unimpressed by Nigeria’s decision to snub Zimbabwe. The paper criticised Obasanjo saying he was “pandering to the hawks in the Northern hemisphere or, at best, a lame attempt to disguise his obsession with making the Abuja CHOGM a major showpiece for himself and his national agenda…”
But The Zimbabwe Independent disagreed saying Obasanjo had realised that “the regime in Harare can no longer be defended” adding that, “the large majority of Commonwealth states agreed that Harare had not met the conditions laid down for lifting the suspension”.
Despite the clear evidence that the international community and Zimbabwe’s perceived allies were not impressed by the behaviour of Zimbabwe’s leadership, the government-controlled media would not relent in their efforts to paint a picture of a world that supported the country’s policies. They (ZBC 29/9, 7am and The Herald (1/10)) used President Mugabe’s trip to New York for the 58th session of the UN General Assembly to peddle this propaganda.
They reported that Mugabe’s address to the Assembly was well received by diplomats from Africa, Asia, Latin America and some European countries, to give the impression that he was making progress in courting the international community.
Further, Radio Zimbabwe (29/09,6am) and The Herald (30/9) used the visit and signing of a memorandum of agreement between ZANU PF youths and their Cuban Communist Party counterparts “to cement solidarity between the two parties” as another public relations gimmick for the embattled government. The Herald quoted ZANU PF youth leader, Absolom Sikhosana, as having said the two parties would “fight the international isolation of Zimbabwe advocated by Britain”.
However, The Sunday Mirror revealed that rather than softening their stance, members of the international community were advocating a further tightening of the screws on Mugabe. The paper reported that US President George Bush had called on SADC countries to exert more pressure on Mugabe to “allow change”.
Said Bush: “The only time that this government and I, personally, will be satisfied is when there is an honest government, reformed government in Zimbabwe… That hasn’t happened…”
The Zimbabwe Independent also quoted South Africa’s Bishop Desmond Tutu as having said: “The time has come for African leaders to stand up and express their concern over the deteriorating human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.”
Predictably, the government-controlled media ignored both reports although the Sunday Mirror interpreted it to mean that Bush was “plotting” Mugabe’s removal.
Ends

The MEDIA UPDATE was produced and circulated by the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe, 15 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare, Tel/fax: 263 4 703702, E-mail:monitors@mweb.co.zw

Feel free to write to MMPZ. We may not able to respond to everything but we will look at each message.

africa: Peace breaks out in Africa

2003-10-16

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3187576.stm

This week could mark something of a turning point for Africa: in Liberia a new interim government is due to be sworn in and peace talks aimed at ending the decades old Sudanese civil war get under way in Kenya. This comes after last week's signing of a peace pact between the government and rebels in Burundi. Does this mean that Africa - wracked by years of international strife and civil war - can finally look forward to peace?

angola: cabinda secessionist meets angolan authority

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37207

Successive attempts over the past 27 years to end a secessionist conflict in Angola's Cabinda enclave are yet to bear fruit. However, a recent visit to the Angolan capital, Luanda, by the founder of the main rebel group has been seen as evidence that peace may finally reach the troubled province.

DRC: MONUC begins deploying outside Bunia into Ituri

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37220

UN forces have begun to deploy outside of Bunia, the main town of Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Maj-Gen Mountaga Diallo said at a news conference on Wednesday in the capital, Kinshasa.

ERITREA/ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia ups stakes in row over Eritrea border plan

2003-10-16

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15114254.htm

Ethiopia said on Wednesday a ruling on its new border with Eritrea was a "recipe for disaster", upping the stakes in its dispute with the international boundary commission that defined the frontier. Ethiopia has repeatedly objected to the new frontier drawn up by the commission under a peace deal ending its 1998-2000 border war with Eritrea, clouding efforts to bring a final resolution to the conflict that cost 70,000 lives.

liberia: humanitarian crisis worsens

2003-10-16

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/9ca65951ee22658ec125663300408599/3ad0eca0be3c2839c1256dbf004a6a76?OpenDocument

Concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation, a coalition of seven major international aid agencies and nearly 20 Liberian civil society groups have signed the petition which encourages the United States government to deploy a small number of US forces in key strategic areas across Liberia. Agencies fear that unless peace is quickly restored to rural areas of Liberia, the country faces continuing widespread hunger in the months to come.

LIBERIA: New leader abolishes hated Taylor's hated controls

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37209

Gyude Bryant was sworn in as the head of a new transitional government in Liberia on Tuesday and began his two-year term by abolishing monopolies on imports of rice and petroleum products, which former president Charles Taylor had awarded to his cronies.

SOMALIA: Hundreds fleeing Baidoa

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37250

Hundreds of people are fleeing their homes and businesses in the southwestern town of Baidoa after heavy fighting broke out between rival factions of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) which controls the area, local sources told IRIN on Thursday.

SOMALIA: Talks in Kenya "on course", says official

2003-10-16

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37194

Organisers say the Somali peace talks underway in Kenya are on course, and contrary to reports, have not stalled. James Kiboi, a member of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) technical committee which is steering the talks, admitted that "some personalities are not at the talks", but that the proceedings were continuing.

uganda: Ugandans Opt for Talks to End Rebellion

2003-10-16

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=20611

For 17 years, the government of President Yoweri Museveni has failed to crush the rebellion in northern Uganda, which has displaced up to a million people. There are now growing signs that peace talks are being considered as an option. Addressing the nation on October 9, president Museveni said he had not given up on talking to the rebels and that he considered peace talks as a way to end the conflict, but only if the rebels would renounce violence.

zimbabwe: the politics of hunger

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/17642

The food crisis in Zimbabwe is worsening, with a majority of the country's districts having exhausted their food stocks, according to a UN report received on Friday. "According to reports from 58 districts in August 2003, food is becoming scarce, harvest stocks have been exhausted in a majority of districts and over half report a deteriorating food situation," the report said. The report comes a week after the UN's food agency warned that only a quarter of its appeal for funds to feed millions of starving people in southern Africa, most of them in Zimbabwe, had been met. An estimated 5.5 million Zimbabweans will require emergency food aid by early next year, out of a regional total of 6.5 million. This is one of the stories in the latest Zimbabwe Update for the beginning of October. The Zimbabwe Update is produced by ZIMCIVINFO in support of democracy, peace and civics in Zimbabwe.
ZIMBABWE UPDATE: 4th Week September/ 1st Week October 2003 press clippings
From ZIMCIVINFO – in support of democracy, peace and civics in Zimbabwe
CONTENTS:

1. General features
2. The politics of hunger
3. The militarisation of Zimbabwean society and institutions
4. Political violence and other forms of repression


5. The presidential election and developments
6. Nepad and Zimbabwe
7. Impact on the region
8. The economy
9. Land
10. Crackdown on the media
11. Solidarity/activism/networking


FOR NAVIGATION: Click on the Content topics above and then press CTRL + HOME to return to the contents page.

With acknowledgement to ZWNEWS, Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe), The Daily News(Zimbabwe), IOL (South Africa), Kubatana.Net, News24 (SA), Pambazuka News, Sunday Times (SA), Regional Review, BBC, CNN, ANC TODAY, MDC website, AllAfrica.com

In this issue:

See Solidarity section (11) for full COSATU and SACP statements issued immediately after the arrest of union leaders and activists in Zimbabwe. The detained unionists were all released within hours of the statements being issued.

Extract from COSATU statement

“If the arrested trade unionists are not released within 24 hours, COSATU
will embark upon a process of solidarity action similar to that which it
organised in support of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions in August
2003, and calls upon its partners in the Southern African Trade Union
Coordination Council to do the same.”

Extract from SACP statement

“The South African Communist Party expresses its deep concern at the
detention of 41 Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) leaders today. The
SACP calls for their immediate release. The authorities in Harare need to
know that there is widespread outrage in South Africa about the detention of
trade unionists, the closure of newspapers, and the brutal harassment of
civilians, including very worrying reports about the systematic rape of
women and girls by rampaging youth militias.”


1. General features


BISHOPS TRY TO GET MUGABE, TSVANGIRAI TO TALK
Business Day (Johannesburg) October 7, 2003

Dumisani Muleya
Johannesburg

ZIMBABWEAN church leaders are stepping up pressure for talks between President Robert Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai to resolve the country's crisis.

Bishops Sebastian Bakare, Trevor Manhanga and Patrick Mutume are pushing hard for the resumption of talks between Zanu (PF) and the MDC.

Church leaders also want to meet Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately to urge them to restart talks. The clerics said yesterday they believed that if the two leaders met, relations would thaw, enabling dialogue. After failing to secure meetings on Monday last week, the church leaders are expected to resume their shuttle diplomacy this week.

The Zanu (PF) team meeting the bishops includes chairman John Nkomo and party spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira.

The clerics recently met Mugabe, Vice-President Joseph Msika, Nkomo and Shamuyarira before their initiative collapsed . The church leaders are also meeting Tsvangirai, MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube and party chairman Isaac Matongo.

The opposition party's position paper lists the restoration of democracy, political liberties and human rights as some of the key issues, but it has removed the issue of Mugabe's disputed presidential re-election last year .

Tsvangirai said last week his party was prepared for more compromises if that was what it would take to resume talks .

Official sources say the church leaders arranged a meeting between the ruling party's Nkomo and Tsvangirai on September 26.

They have also been able to ensure that Mugabe and Tsvangirai soften their stances to each other in public. The thaw between the two was displayed during the recent funeral of vice-president Simon Muzenda.


TUTU URGES ACTION ON MUGABE
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) October 3, 2003


LEADING South African cleric, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has called on African leaders to increase pressure on Robert Mugabe.

Speaking to the IPS news service earlier this week during a visit to Malawi, Tutu said: "The time has come for African leaders to stand up and express their concern over deteriorating human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

If human rights abuses continue to worsen, the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe will be difficult to heal."

While commending Malawian president Bakili Muluzi for the interest he was taking in the deteriorating political and humanitarian conditions in Zimbabwe, Tutu stressed that more needs to be done. "The Zimbabwe crisis has affected the entire southern Africa region and there is need for African leaders to find quick solutions to the crisis," he said.

"When things are going wrong, we should be able to stand up and say that this is going wrong." Muluzi, along with Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki, are the main regional brokers in the Zimbabwean crisis. - IPS.


I'M NOT SATISFIED WITH ZIM
IOL NEWS (SA) October 03 2003

Washington: American President George Bush on Thursday declared himself "not satisfied" with efforts so far to promote human rights and political reforms in Zimbabwe and urged its neighbours to keep up pressure for change.

"The only time that this government and I, personally, will be satisfied is when there is an honest government, reformed government in Zimbabwe," he told reporters. "That hasn't happened yet; therefore, we're not satisfied."

Prodded to clarify his comments, Bush said he was not pleased "with the process" and "certainly not" with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, whose country lies in the grips of a festering political and social crisis, with the economy in chaos and more than five million people in need of donated food.

He also said he hoped President Thabo Mbeki - with whom he met during a July trip to Africa - would continue to lead efforts to put pressure on Mugabe.

'That hasn't happened yet; therefore, we're not satisfied'
"Our government has not changed our opinion about the need for the region to deal with Zimbabwe and the leadership there," said Bush, who added that he had sent the same message to Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano when they met last month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"When President Mbeki says they are working on it, to achieve this goal, I take him for his word. And I am going to remind all parties that the goal is a reformed and fair government. And that hasn't been achieved yet. And we'll continue to press the issue, both privately and publicly," said Bush.

The American president was speaking at a round table meeting with African media to set the stage for Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's October 6 state visit to the United States.


CHURCH LEADERS HIT OUT AT ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT
AFP, 26 September 2003

Harare - Zimbabwean church leaders have hit out at the government's "irresponsible, inhuman, violent (and) partisan" methods of land redistribution, and accused it of fuelling a culture of violence. In the strongly-worded statement put out by more than a hundred clergymen from 59 churches, the church leaders said that "draconian pieces of law", such as the country's security and press laws were stifling fundamental freedoms. "We acknowledge the historical imbalances in respect of land redistribution. However, we do not approve of irresponsible, inhuman, violent, partisan and non-transparent methods of addressing the problem," it said. In 2000 President Robert Mugabe's government launched a fast-track programme of redistributing white-owned farms to new black farmers, which aid agencies say is partly to blame for chronic food shortages here.


The church leaders also strongly criticised the government's two-year-old national youth service programme, saying its members were responsible for serious human rights abuses. Zimbabwe is deeply politically divided between supporters of Mugabe's Zanu PF party and those of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Three church bishops are currently trying to get the two parties talking. The church statement acknowledged their efforts, but said it was concerned at the lack of progress. "We therefore urge all parties concerned to treat the talks with urgency," said the statement, which came from a meeting held earlier this month. It said South African delegates were also present at the meeting. The church leaders called for the immediate abolition of the youth service, "the immediate repeal of POSA (Public Order and Security Act) and AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act)" and a new constitution.


MIGRATION, NOT LAND, IS THE ISSUE
Business Day (Johannesburg) ANALYSIS October 9, 2003

Geoff Hill
Johannesburg

OVER the past two years, I have been researching a book on Zimbabwe and the question most people ask me is: will what has happened there be repeated in SA?

My own view is that it won't. The logic being that, just because Uganda fell under the tyranny of Idi Amin didn't mean that neighbouring states like Kenya and Tanzania followed suit and started butchering their people.

The Zimbabwean crisis is very much a product of Mugabe's need to stay in power long after the electorate has tired of him. But, if similar circumstances do ever emerge in SA, my worry is that we won't see them coming.

The problem is that, when people talk about Zimbabwe, they focus on the land invasions, but in SA the search for answers doesn't start there.

So where do you go? I'd start at Johannesburg's Park Station and long-haul buses pulling in from all over the country, each one packed with young men and woman from the rural areas coming to the city in search of a better life.

The problem is so bad that, if the rate of migration to cities like Johannesburg and Durban is not stemmed, city life including jobs, water, housing and general wellbeing will not keep pace with the surge in population.

That's where Zimbabwe's problem began. From independence in 1980 to the start of the farm invasions in 1999, the country's population almost doubled, but the number of people living in Harare jumped fivefold.

And Zimbabwe is not alone. The movement of people from rural areas to the towns is just as severe in Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and Brazil. And in each case the typical migrant is aged between 18 and 30, educated and unemployed.

Studies by the United Nations and others have shown that when you educate people in the countryside, they invariably move to the urban areas. One report suggested that, after three years of primary school, a person was twice as likely to seek work in the city than someone with no education. After three years at high school, the ratio doubled again to four times as likely to move to the city.

In Zimbabwe, it was the urban poor, living six or more to a room, who led the revolt against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. However, their gripe was not land, but money and jobs.

In 1998, when they took to the streets and threatened to vote out the ruling party at the next election, the government tried to distract them with the land, but no one was listening and opposition grew because the real complaint had not been addressed.

Without question, there are rural communities in SA who need and deserve land and government should make sure they get it through legal means. But that will not prevent a revolution.

If you give land to families now, how many of their children will stay home and grow crops once they leave school? Experience in the rest of Africa suggests that those kids will head for the cities and try to put their education to work.

So what are the choices? One would be to close the rural schools and stunt the mental growth of a generation, but that would be unforgivable. The other would be to accept that SA is rapidly becoming an urban nation, full of skilled, hardworking young people who deserve the right to build themselves a better future.

At independence in 1980, the literacy rate in Rhodesia was already an impressive 70%, whereas across most of SA, less than half the population could read and write. Mugabe performed a miracle and, within 15 years, he had raised literacy to 95%. In that context, he remains one of my heroes.

But nothing was done to cater for the demands of an educated workforce.

When you've spent 10 years or more at school and your parents worked at three jobs to keep you there, your dreams go far beyond a life in the fields. The new generation would rather be on the internet than on the land.

If land was the issue then why, when it is there for the taking, have 2-million black Zimbabweans decamped to SA and about 600000 to the UK? Surely they should be claiming their plots instead?

But small-scale agriculture would never give them the income needed for clothes, school fees, cellphones, television and the myriad goods that are part of Africa's new culture.

So what are the options?

SA needs to put all its effort into industrial growth and government could help the rural areas by extending its programme of decentralisation and encouraging new investors through tax relief and other benefits to set up shop in the country towns where unemployment is highest.

Giving people land will not keep them at home, but if they can find jobs in their own communities, there's a good chance they will not migrate to the city.

Perhaps on the land there is room to test the Israeli kibbutz system in which a large number of people work an estate in line with best farming practice. This could cater for some of the thousands of unemployed people in places like rural KwaZulu-Natal.

As a journalist, hardly a month goes by that I am not called out to cover a protest staged by Zimbabwean exiles in SA. The demonstrations are invariably against Mugabe, all the participants are young, black and educated and, with their banners and placards, they deny the notion that land reform has delivered what the people really want.

I am a fan of the way the African National Congress has run this country over the past 10 years. SA has enjoyed more democracy and better government than any country in the history of this continent and there is much to be proud of.

But if the party's right to power is ever questioned, the challenge will come from the urban poor.

And, as in Zimbabwe, land will not be the issue.

Hill is southern African correspondent for a daily newspaper in Washington DC. His Book, Battle for Zimbabwe The Final Countdown (NewHolland), will be released on October 15.


2. The politics of hunger


ZIMBABWE FOOD CRISIS CONTINUES TO DEEPEN
Mail& Guardian (SA) 08 October 2003
Johannesburg

Zimbabwe's food crisis continues to deepen, with the country's staple cereal gap for the 2003/04 marketing year (April 1 2003 to March 31 2004) standing at 738 464 tons, of which 671 424 tons is maize, the latest Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) report on the country says.

Food aid and commercial imports achieved by mid September have covered only
28% of Zimbabwe's 2003/04 marketing year's initial cereal deficit, the report
said.

Zimbabwe's food inflation was estimated at 487,3% in August.

The 2002/03-harvest is running out for most rural households, and purchased
foods are selling at prices that continue to escalate far beyond the reach of
the majority of poor households.

However, maize grain, cooking oil, rice and bread supplies continue to be stable in most areas of the country.

Maize meal, which was becoming more visible on the formal market, has become less so following the government's crackdown on major millers for selling the commodity at above government stipulated prices.

The World Food Programme (WFP) food aid distribution to about 1 164-million
beneficiaries went ahead in August without any disruptions, despite fears that
Zimbabwe government's new policy guidelines on humanitarian assistance would provide impetus for interference with humanitarian food distributions.

Access is by far the biggest constraint to food security for the urban population throughout the country. Food access constraints are compounded by high inflation and national cash shortages, which showed no signs of abating at the end of September 2003.

Rainfall prospects for the 2003/04-rainfall season, as currently forecast, are fair to good for the country.

However, changes in the agricultural landscape and shortages of inputs including fertilisers, seeds, fuel, credit and spare parts, are all combining to severely limit potential production for the 2003/04 agricultural season.

If current shortages of fuel, fertiliser, foreign currency, cash and maize seed persist, Zimbabwe will not be able to produce more than 1,2-million tons of maize (66% of national requirements) in the 2003/04 agricultural season, in the best of rainfall circumstances, Fews Net said. - I-Net Bridge


'PREVENT STARVATION AND DESTITUTION' UN APPEALS TO DONORS
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks October 7, 2003

Johannesburg

There's still time to "prevent the twin spectres of starvation and destitution" from occurring in Zimbabwe, said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in a plea for more assistance from donors.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe, J. Victor Angelo, said the generous support of aid efforts in 2002/03 had saved lives.


"I would like to express my gratitude for the timely and generous support given by the donor community during 2002/03. Through this extensive assistance, the international donors funded a wide range of humanitarian interventions, ensuring that the most vulnerable Zimbabwean households had sufficient food, that malnourished children benefited from special feeding programmes and that some recovery assistance was given to small-scale farmers. Lives were saved through these significant efforts," he said in a statement on Monday.

Angelo warned, however, that "the relief needs in Zimbabwe have increased in 2003. There remains a significant food deficit, and there are important requirements in sustaining key social services and the public health system. It is again a question of survival for many families".

Following a request for assistance from the government, the UN launched a new UN Consolidated Appeal for the country in July 2003.

"This appeal also gave a very strong focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the most vulnerable groups, and its particular effects on the lives of women and girls. Latest indications are that almost 780,000 children, approximately 13 percent of the entire child population in the country, have already been orphaned by HIV/AIDS," Angelo noted.

He added that there were significant competing global demands for humanitarian assistance in 2003/04, and recovery and reconstruction requirements in several parts of the world would demand exceptionally high levels of donor commitment in both the short term and the longer term.

"Despite these strategic pressures, I would like to alert the international community that there is a high level of vulnerability amongst Zimbabwe's population, requiring well-targeted and prompt humanitarian interventions. For example, nationally, the prevalence of underweight-for-age is at 17 percent and stunting at 26 percent, pointing to increased impoverishment and human insecurity," Angelo said.

He added that levels of funding needed to be "increased urgently" for aid agencies "to deal with serious food insecurity and an accelerated decline in health and safe water supplies".

"Moreover, a renewed commitment by the donors is necessary to ensure that there is an investment in community-based rehabilitation programmes. These are necessary to strengthen household food production and self-reliance, and to reduce a growing dependency on external aid," Angelo explained.

There was also a need to enhance the partnership between the donors and relief agencies, to bring "more durable solutions to the humanitarian problems in Zimbabwe". However, to achieve this, it "is necessary to increase the quality of the dialogue with the government".

"I have been assured by the government that the humanitarian programme will be implemented without political interference. My validation teams have shown that assistance is reaching the beneficiaries. The teams will also keep monitoring the delivery of humanitarian aid to ensure that it conforms to internationally accepted principles and standards," Angelo stressed.

Zimbabwe's dramatic economic decline, coupled with the humanitarian crisis, has seen growing poverty stretching the survival strategies of Zimbabwean households.

"I therefore appeal to the donor governments to urgently revive their generous assistance to Zimbabwe. There is still time to prevent the twin spectres of starvation and destitution from occurring," he concluded.


ZIM IS REALLY GOING HUNGRY
News24 (SA), 3 October 2003

Harare - The food crisis in Zimbabwe is worsening, with a majority of the country's districts having exhausted their food stocks, according to a UN report received on Friday. "According to reports from 58 districts in August 2003, food is becoming scarce, harvest stocks have been exhausted in a majority of districts and over half report a deteriorating food situation," the report said. The report comes a week after the UN's food agency warned that only a quarter of its appeal for funds to feed millions of starving people in southern Africa, most of them in Zimbabwe, had been met. An estimated 5.5 million Zimbabweans will require emergency food aid by early next year, out of a regional total of 6.5 million.


REPORTS OF STARVATION A BRITISH LIE - ENVOY
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) October 3, 2003

Staff Writer

ZIMBABWEAN High Commissioner to Zambia, Cain Mathema has accused British investors of scheming to destroy his country's economy. Addressing trainee journalists at The Post, Mathema accused British investors of inciting Zimbabweans to rise against the government.

"Zimbabweans are not to blame for the current economic crisis in the country. Our economic problems are not due to mismanagement by the government," Mathema said.

"The problems have arisen because the people who control the economy do not like our government's land redistribution programme."

However, Mathema said the problem was temporary. "We are working very hard to bring the economy back to its feet," he said.

Dismissing claims that Zimbabwe's land redistribution would disrupt agriculture, the country's economic backbone, Mathema said white farmers stopped producing maize in the mid-1980s.

"Since the mid-1980s, when white farmers started producing only enough maize for their cattle, 80% of maize production has been from black farmers and with the redistribution of land, even more people will be able to grow their own food," Mathema said.

"Therefore the issue of starvation is just a lie that (British prime minister Tony) Blair, (US president George) Bush and their media have been peddling that because of land redistribution, people will starve."

Mathema explained that currently southern Africa, as a region, was facing a food crisis and wondered why Zimbabwe was singled out.

He said his government's land reform was a stepping-stone to economic freedom and warned that any forces bent on frustrating that mission would fail.

Mathema said indigenous investment was a prerequisite to sustainable development, which no country could afford to ignore.

"Any country that allows foreigners to control its economy will remain a slave country; its people will always be employees of somebody else and not employers," Mathema said. "This is why we have embarked on this programme of empowering our people with land, which is a key factor in our economic life."

President Robert Mugabe in 2000 embarked on a land reform programme which has displaced nearly all former white farmers and compromised the country's food security. Nearly six million Zimbabweans in urban and communal areas now survive on food hand-outs from the international community.


ZIMBABWE TO ALLOW WFP TO HANDLE FOOD DISTRIBUTION
VOA News, 25 September 2003

Tendai Maphosa

Harare - The government of Zimbabwe Thursday agreed to allow the World Food Program and its affiliates manage the distribution of food aid. Harare had earlier decreed all food distribution would be handled by pro-government local authorities, which led to protests from the donor community. The recent decree issued by President Robert Mugabe's government would have put local authorities in charge of deciding who gets emergency food and who doesn't. However, food donors raised strong objections, arguing that this would upset the established practice of having independent groups distribute food and would, in addition, politicize the process. A WFP official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity said the U.N. agency had agreed with the government that food would be distributed solely on the basis of need, irrespective of political, racial, tribal or religious affiliation. The official said that the WFP would continue working with the non-governmental groups they had been working with in the past. The agreement affects only the WFP and its affiliates, and it is unclear how other donor groups involved in food aid would be affected. Government officials were unavailable for comment. According to the latest estimates, more than five million Zimbabweans will need food aid this year. Poor harvests and President Mugabe's controversial land reform program are being blamed for Zimbabwe's dire shortage of food.


3. The militarisation of Zimbabwean society and institutions

MUGABE 'USING RAPE AS A TOOL'
Mail& Guardian (SA) 09 October 2003

Ottawa

Senior members of Canada's three largest parliamentary parties called Wednesday on the Canadian government to indict Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Senior members of the governing Liberal Party, the right-wing populist Canadian Alliance and the regional, left-of-centre Bloc Quebecois said they were calling on Ottawa to issue a formal indictment against Mugabe.

At a joint press conference, Keith Martin, of the Canadian Alliance, said that if the government agreed to the three parties' demands, Mugabe could face arrest and trial if he ever stepped foot on Canadian soil or if he visited any other country with which Canada has extradition agreements.

In addition, said Irwin Cotler of Canada's governing Liberal Party, Zimbabwe should be "permanently suspended from the Commonwealth," an association linking Britain with more than 50 former colonies.

Martin said there was irrefutable evidence that "children as young as 10 are force to take part in torture and gang rape" by Mugabe's regime.

Martin claimed that Mugabe had been "using rape as a tool" to silence any opposition to regime. - Sapa-AFP


MBARE RESIDENTS FORCED TO ATTEND MUZENDA FUNERAL
The Zimbabwe Standard (Zim) 28 September 2003

By Our Own Staff

Marauding gangs of the Zanu PF vigilante unit, Chipangano, on Wednesday morning ran amok in Mbare closing down the Mupedzanhamo flea market and force-marching residents in the high-density suburb to attend the late Vice President Simon Muzenda’s body viewing at the Stoddart Hall. Members of the infamous terror group went on rampage as early as 7 am assaulting innocent residents, some of them on their way to work, and commandeering them to go to Stoddart Hall where Muzenda’s body was to be viewed by members of the public. The youths halted all operations at Mbare Musika bus terminus and the nearby vegetable markets ordering everyone to abandon their business "in respect of Muzenda", even though the State had not declared the day a public holiday. Said a Mbare resident who refused to be named: "Elderly women were made to stand by the roadside ululating as the coffin passed along Ardbernie Road. It was clear that the women did not belong to Zanu PF, as they were not wearing Zanu PF dresses as they normally do at State functions."

Chipangano members, clad in their familiar white T-shirts with pro-Zanu PF inscriptions emblazoned on their chests, covered all strategic entry points into Mbare and barred commuter omnibuses from ferrying passengers to work in city centre. At Mbare Market vendors were being threatened with permanent closure of their stalls if they did not attend the funeral. Most of them complied in fear. Elsewhere,war veterans from the Tongogara settlement, some 15 kms out of the capital, closed down schools around Norton when they descended on them and ordered teachers to board a Heroes’ Acre-bound Zupco bus. A teacher at Kumboedza Primary School said: "We were forced to shut down classes in the morning and coerced into a bus where the war veterans forced us to sing Rambai Makashinga (the commercial by Last Tawengwa, also known as Tambaoga) all the way to Harare." Meanwhile, hundreds of Zanu PF supporters travelling from Bulawayo and Victoria Falls for Muzenda’s funeral, failed to make it in time to witness the burial as their train arrived at least four hours behind schedule. The train, which was supposed to arrive at 7 am in Harare, only pitched up at 11 AM, about the same time Muzenda’s casket was being lowered into the grave.


4. Political violence and other forms of repression


NORWAY ENDS AID GRANTS TO ZIM
IOL NEWS (SA) October 09 2003

By Peter Fabricius

Norway has dropped Zimbabwe from its select list of main development aid recipients because of the deterioration in governance there.

However, it has elevated Madagascar, Kenya and Afghanistan to the status of key aid recipients because of positive developments in those countries.

The Norwegian foreign ministry announced that it was increasing its worldwide 2004 development assistance budget to a new total of about R15-billion.

Though Norway had already stopped giving development aid to Zimbabwe, indefinitely removing it from the list of key development partners has confirmed this decision.

A foreign ministry statement said it would devote more of its development aid to education, especially for girls and for the treatment of people with HIV and Aids.

More than 100 people, including trade union leaders, were arrested in Bulawayo and Mutare in Zimbabwe as police prevented them from marching in protest at high taxes, inflation and alleged human rights abuses.



SCORES ARRESTED IN ZIM BEFORE PROTEST MARCH
Mail& Guardian (SA) 08 October 2003

Harare

Scores of workers, among them labour leaders, were arrested on Wednesday in Zimbabwe's capital when they gathered to protest at high taxation, inflation and alleged rights abuses.

The protesters were rounded up by heavily armed riot police and made to sit down on the pavement in downtown Harare before they were taken away in police cars.

Riot police have been patrolling the streets of the city centre since early morning on Wednesday.

Eight union leaders were arrested in other cities of Zimbabwe overnight on Tuesday ahead of the planned protest march, Wellington Chibebe president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), said earlier.

Chibebe said the arrests took place in the cities of Bulawayo, Gweru and Masvingo.

A police spokesperson would not immediately comment on the arrests.

"We are protesting against high taxation, high prices of basic commodities, fuel and shortage of transport," said Chibebe.

Prices of basic goods have been going up on a weekly basis in Zimbabwe, where inflation is running at more than one percent a day.

In August the annual rate of inflation was officially calculated at 426,6%, but economists believe the true figure is much higher than that.

Chibebe said the unions were also protesting against alleged human and trade union rights violations by authorities.

Under Zimbabwe's security law, public gatherings and street demonstrations are banned unless permission is obtained in advance from the police. - Sapa-AFP


ZIMBABWE TARGETS UNION PROTEST
BBC NEWS (UK) Thursday, 9 October, 2003

More than 100 trade union members and leaders have reportedly been arrested across Zimbabwe on the day of a protest march in the capital Harare.

Police said the Zimbabwe Conference of Trade Unions (ZCTU) had broken the law by organising a public gathering without permission.

The train union federations in both the UK and South Africa have condemned the arrests, which included some 41 trade union leaders in Harare and over 100 in the eastern town of Mutare.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Johannesburg, says it is yet another protest against the economic collapse in Zimbabwe - it was quashed by riot police armed with guns, batons and tear gas canisters.

Our correspondent says the ZCTU, Zimbabwe's trade union umbrella group, planned a march to highlight the workers' grievances over inflation, the high cost of transport, cash shortages as well as abuses of "human and union rights".

Respect

In a letter to Zimbabwe's High Commissioner Samuel Mumbengegwi, the UK's Trade Union Congress (TUC) demanded the release of unionists:

"The TUC and its affiliates are particularly concerned about the situation of several union officials being held in secret locations and the apparent targeting of a number of women trade unionists," read a letter from TUC General Secretary of the UK's Trade Union Conference, Brendan Barber.

"In this light, we request that you treat all trade unionists with respect and dignity and release them without delay."

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said: "It is regrettable that the Zimbabwe government sees trade unions as one of its main opponents, rather than as a partner to help reverse this political and socio-economic collapse."

The ZCTU, which has led strikes in the past against the government of President Robert Mugabe, said the arrests and the banning of peaceful protests were "a gross violation of human rights" when the lives of Zimbabwean people are so unbearable.

The cost of living in the country is rapidly increasing, fuel is scare and prices high and inflation is officially around 425%.


TOP UNIONISTS HELD IN HARARE
Business Day (Johannesburg) October 9, 2003

Dumisani Muleya
Johannesburg

ZIMBABWEAN police yesterday arrested top leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and scores of their supporters over a union attempt to stage mass walkouts and a demonstration.

Congress president Lovemore Matombo and secretary-general Wellington Chibebe were among the 53 labour activists arrested in Harare. They had wanted to protest against the high cost of living and high taxation. More than 100 unionists were picked up countywide for attempting to protest.

Several union leaders were beaten by government security agents in Bulawayo and state police refused to allow ambulances to ferry the injured to hospital, witnesses said.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said 53 unionists were arrested in Harare and two in Bulawayo. He did not say anything about the more than 100 labour activists reportedly arrested in Mutare.

The congress also wants an end to the shortages of fuel, cash, transport, food, basic commodities and foreign currency. It was also protesting against repression and human rights abuses.

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions immediately lodged a complaint with the International Labour Organisation over the wave of arrests and the assaults of unionists.

The confederation said it was concerned about the situation because "several union officials are being held in secret locations and the apparent targeting of a number of women trade unionists".

The banned Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) is temporarily relocating its operations to SA where it will concentrate on its relaunched electronic edition, while continuing the fight for registration as a legitimate newspaper back in Zimbabwe.

The ANZ, which published the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday, was closed on September 12.

It will publish an edition of its flagship title the Daily News on the internet.

"The web edition of the Daily News, formerly published from a Zimbabwean domain www.dailynews.co.zw, will be relaunched in the next two weeks on the domain www.daily-news.co.za," the company said.

The ANZ said it was committed to keeping Zimbabweans informed about "important national issues and also provide entertaining, as well as educational material on a variety of issues that may be of interest to our readers.

"We have had to accept that Zimbabwean laws do not permit us to base this operation in our country of origin but we are also open to the opportunities that other countries whose laws are less hostile to a free press provide," the ANZ said.

Daily News editor Nqobile Nyathi and a number of journalists will move to SA where they will file stories for the website.


ZIMBABWE UNION LEADERS ARRESTED
BBC NEWS (UK) Wednesday, 8 October, 2003

Some 40 Zimbabwean union leaders and workers have been arrested, ahead of a planned protest march organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.
The ZCTU said they wanted to demonstrate against the high level of inflation, increasing cost of living and of transport costs in the country, which is going through an economic crisis.

Heavily armed riot police started patrolling the streets of Harare from early in the morning.

The ZCTU had urged members to leave work and join the protest, but before the demonstration was able to start, police arrested the leaders, members of the ZCTU General Council and the general secretaries of individual unions.

They are currently being held by police.

'Rights violated'

The unions were due to hold their national protest against high taxation, the rapidly increasing cost of living, and the price and shortage of fuel, amid a deep economic crisis in Zimbabwe, where inflation is officially around 425%.
A ZCTU spokesman said the police action against them was a violation of their human rights and that the law was being used to suppress the freedom of association and of speech.

Under the country's strict security laws public gatherings and demonstrations are banned, unless permission is granted.

Members of the ZCTU in other Zimbabwean cities are reported to have been arrested overnight.


DOZENS ARRESTED AT UNION PROTEST IN HARARE
IOL NEWS (SA) October 08 2003

Harare - Zimbabwean police arrested dozens of demonstrators on Wednesday, breaking up a march called by the country's main labour union to oppose high taxes and soaring prices sparked by the country's economic crisis.

A Reuters correspondent saw riot police armed with batons loading people into trucks in the Harare's central business district on Wednesday as they tried to gather for the march.

Police officers were stationed at street corners throughout the district.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has led a number of strikes and protests against President Robert Mugabe's government, which it accuses of mismanaging the country since independence from Britain in 1980.

Mugabe denies the charges and accuses opponents of trying to destroy the country's economy.

The African nation is grappling with acute shortages of foreign currency, food and fuel. Unemployment stands at over 70 percent and inflation is near 430 percent, one of the highest in the world.

On Tuesday, ZCTU Secretary-General Wellington Chibebe said the union had asked workers to report to work on Wednesday and then assemble for the demonstration.

"We are demanding that the government reduces taxes and we are also saying there has to be sanity in the level of prices," Chibebe told Reuters.

Police were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday's arrests.

Street protests without police permission are banned in Zimbabwe under tough security laws enacted last year and which critics say are aimed at repressing criticism of Mugabe's government amid deepening economic and political turmoil.

ZCTU officials said they had not requested permission for Wednesday's march.

Prices of basic food stuffs have soared in recent months, prompting the government to hint at a return to price controls it relaxed earlier this year to kill a thriving black market.

Mugabe, 79, rejects charges of misrule levied against him, and in turn accuses local and international opponents of sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy to punish his government for its seizure of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks.


POLICE HARASS WOZA OVER CASH PROTEST
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) October 3, 2003

Loughty Dube

POLICE in Bulawayo have launched a crackdown on members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) who staged a demonstration over the persistent cash crisis outside the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) branch in the city, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt.

The women, numbering over 200, on Tuesday demonstrated briefly outside the RBZ and chanted slogans denouncing government's failure to deal with the cash crisis bedevilling the nation.
Woza national spokesperson, Patricia Khanye, confirmed the police crackdown.

"Since Tuesday police have been visiting some of our members at their homes but have not found them. As it is, we are waiting for them to strike at any moment," Khanye told the Independent.

The women took mid-day shoppers by surprise when they pulled out banners and posters and started denouncing the decision to introduce travellers' and bearer cheques instead of bank notes

The women quickly dispersed before armed riot police arrived at the scene.

Police spokesman in Bulawayo, Smile Dube, said the police wanted to find out the motive for the demonstration.

"Police are investigating the women to find out who organised the demonstration and what the motive was," he said.

But Khanye said her organisation would continue the demonstrations until the government acted on the four-month cash crisis that has affected both businesses and consumers across the country.

"What we are saying is that we want a lasting solution to the cash crisis and travellers' and bearer cheques are temporary measures that have had no impact on the availability of cash in the country since they were introduced," Khanye said.

This is not the first time women from Woza have found themselves in trouble with the police. In May armed police broke up a peaceful demonstration called to commemorate World Women's Day in Bulawayo.


5. The presidential election and developments


MUGABE'S WOULD BE SUCCESSOR WAITS IN WINGS
IOL NEWS (SA) October 08 2003

By Basildon Peta

The race to succeed President Robert Mugabe is gathering momentum, with Zimbabwe's military supremo, General Vitalis Zvinavashe, set to quit his post in two months' time. He will possibly line himself up to succeed Mugabe if the 79-year-old leader decides to retire.

Politicians in Zimbabwe's largest political province, Masvingo, from where Zvinavashe hails, say that although he is being coy about his plans, his main wish is to fill the void created by the recent death of vice-president Simon Muzenda.

Muzenda also hailed from Masvingo, and was the kingmaker in the province.

By taking over Muzenda's role, Zvinavashe sees himself being able to achieve greater things - even having a go at the presidency, Masvingo politicians believe.

Zvinavashe, who has been head of both the Zimbabwe National Army and the air force, unsettled Zimbabwe's body politics earlier this year when he declared that Zimbabwe was in crisis and politicians needed to do something urgently to reverse the slide. His statements fuelled speculation that the army might be contemplating a takeover.

Zvinavashe, who rarely gives interviews, has not publicly made his plans known after quitting the army.

Political analyst Lovemore Madhuku said Zvinavashe might see his position in the army as a springboard for an effective role in politics.


ZIM'S INFORMATION MINISTER IN A MONEY MESS
IOL NEWS (SA) October 08 2003

By Basildon Peta

The trial of President Robert Mugabe's chief spin doctor, Zimbabwean Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, has started in Nairobi, Kenya. Moyo is charged with stealing $108 000 (about R700 000) from his former employer, the Ford Foundation.

Moyo, who caused a stir earlier this year when he described South Africans as "filthy, reckless and uncouth", is accused of defrauding the American-based Ford Foundation when it employed him at its offices in Kenya in the mid-1990s. He is accused of using part of the money to buy a mansion in Saxonwold, Johannesburg.

The case, which was first opened in 2001, was brought to court last week before Kenyan High Court Judge Onesmus Mutungi.

The Ford Foundation had sued Moyo and five others for allegedly misusing $414 000 (about R2,8-million) advanced for studies projects.

'Filthy, reckless and uncouth'
The Talunoza Trust, which was registered in South Africa by Moyo employing the first two letters of the names of his four children, is at the centre of the fraud allegations. The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said Talunoza was used as a conduit to transfer funds for the purchase of his house in Saxonwold.

Moyo was a programme officer at the Ford Foundation in Nairobi from September 15, 1993 to December 31, 1997 before he moved to South Africa's Witwatersrand University in 1998.

The case is likely to be concluded in absentia as Moyo reportedly claims that the Kenyan High Court has no jurisdiction to hear the suit.

Wits University has accused Moyo of absconding with hundreds of thousands of rands for a project that he did not complete. He is also said to owe R100 000 to the television production company Endemol in South Africa, headed by President Thabo Mbeki's brother, Moeletsi Mbeki.



ZIM OPPOSITION DENIES MUGABE TALKS
Mail & Guardian (SA) 30 September 2003

Harare - Zimbabwe's leading opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on Tuesday denied that negotiations had resumed with President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF party. "This is media speculation. There are no talks in the country and this has been confirmed by Zanu PF," MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said. "Until the talks are formally resumed, talks about talks become exploratory in nature and, of course, pre-negotiation must be preceded by exploratory shuttles [by church leaders] between the two parties," he told a news conference. "All those cannot be concluded as talks," he said, adding "but we are looking at breaking the impasse so that the talks can resume". "We have done everything in our power to reduce tension between the MDC and Zanu-PF. That must not be misinterpreted as capitulation," he said.

Tsvangirai welcome a recent speech by Mugabe in which he said the two parties should settle their differences internally "as sons of the soil" without seeking foreign help. "Recent developments have put the talks agenda even at a higher level ... it will help create an environment in which the two parties will be prepared to negotiate this crisis," he said. But Tsvangirai called for the statement to be translated into concrete action, notably in reversing the ban on Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper. "Let's see The Daily News ban lifted ... and all the restrictions that are being imposed lifted, so that we can demonstrate that there is seriousness," he said. The forced closure of The Daily News was politically motivated, he said. "We view the closure of The Daily News as an attack, as an attack on the MDC. The paper has just become a victim of the whole strategy to emasculate the independent communication channels. We are not saying The Daily News is owned by the MDC, or a mouthpiece of the MDC, but we believe in the spirit of freedom of association. Any closure of any newspaper is an affront to democracy," he said. He said the MDC would launch a campaign to fight for a lifting on the Daily News ban.


MDC REJECTS MUGABE'S CALL FOR UNITY
The Daily Telegraph (UK), 25 September 2003

Harare - President Robert Mugabe called yesterday for unity between all Zimbabweans, including the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. But the MDC quickly rejected the rare display of conciliatory rhetoric as "public posturing". In a rambling speech at the state funeral of Vice-President Simon Muzenda, Mr Mugabe called on Zimbabweans to settle their differences internally and not "in Blair's home", referring to the British Prime Minister. "We are sons of the soil together, and sons of the soil should behave like sons of the soil, not rise against each other," he said. Since the formation of the MDC four years ago hundreds of its supporters have been killed and thousands beaten or imprisoned by Mr Mugabe's supporters and state security agents. Paul Themba Nyathi, an MDC spokesman, said: "Mugabe is leading a country where 70 per cent are unemployed, 80 per cent live below the poverty line and more than five million people require food aid. If he was serious about rectifying the situation he would take practical steps." The funeral, which began three days of national mourning, was attended by thousands of Zimbabweans who cheered the call for unity. But the loudest cheers came when Mr Mugabe castigated white farmers for failing to take part in the government's land seizure programme and blamed them for the loss of lucrative beef exports to the European Union.


CHANCE TO MEND FENCES WILL BE LOST IF MUGABE CLINGS TO OLD GUARD
The Cape Times (SA), 25 September 2003

By Basildon Peta

Has the death of Vice-President Simon Muzenda created an opportunity for President Robert Mugabe to unite his divided country by appointing the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change as a replacement? After all, some of Mugabe's staunch allies, like President Thabo Mbeki and Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, have fought hard to encourage a united government in Zimbabwe as the only realistic way of rescuing the country from its seemingly bottomless economic and political quagmire. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and the top brass of his party, including secretary-general Welshman Ncube and national chairman Isaac Matongo, demonstrated unprecedented magnanimity by visiting Muzenda's home in Harare to convey their condolences. As the country mourns the death at the weekend of Muzenda, who was 80, speculation has been mounting about how Mugabe will use the sudden vacancy to settle the succession question. Analysts say that in a functional democracy it would not be unreasonable to expect Mugabe to use his deputy's death as an opportunity to offer an olive branch to the opposition.


"But in the mad circus that Zimbabwe has become, it is more than foolish to expect this to happen," said University of Zimbabwe analyst Lovemore Madhuku. The reason is not the opposition's dislike for an unity arrangement with the Mugabe regime, but mainly Mugabe's demonstrated belief that Zimbabwe and his government would be far better off without an opposition. Although the MDC would probably refuse to be part of Mugabe's government, if Mugabe extended an olive branch this would portray him as a magnanimous statesman eager to take steps to resolve the crisis in his country. Although this would play to his advantage, Mugabe would most likely rather miss the opportunity. As it is, Mugabe used a memorial service for Muzenda as an opportunity to demonise the MDC as "British puppets" who would never rule Zimbabwe "as long as I live".

If the prospects of Mugabe's appointing Tsvangirai are zero, what about a young candidate from within Zanu PF who has the credentials - such as former finance minister Simba Makoni - to improve the party's credibility and standing? "There is no chance of this happening, either," said University of Zimbabwe political scientist Elphas Mukonoweshuro. "Mugabe will stick to the old guard and Muzenda's successor is going to come from the old school." Any young Zanu PF politicians who have shown a serious inclination to work with the opposition and engage the international donor community have been branded "traitors". None of the many analysts interviewed thought Emmerson Mnangagwa would not be Mugabe's choice. Mugabe has done everything to ensure that Mnangagwa, the Speaker of parliament and Zanu PF head of administration implicated by a United Nations report in looting the Democratic Republic of Congo - will succeed him. "If Mugabe delays announcing Mnangagwa's appointment, it will be because he wants to give him more time to consolidate his power in the party before elevating him," said Madhuku.

There are many reasons for Mugabe's sticking to Mnangagwa, but the most compelling is that the speaker is Mugabe's best insurance policy against future prosecution. In the early 1980s, as minister of state security in charge of Zimbabwe's dreaded spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation, Mnangagwa oversaw the systematic elimination of an estimated 25 000 Mugabe opponents in Matabeleland. The findings of a 1984 inquiry commissioned by Mugabe to investigate the Matabeleland massacres after an international outcry have not been made public, despite pressure by civic groups. Any moderate candidate who may, after taking office, bow to public pressure and release the findings is therefore automatically disqualified from the succession race. If, through some stroke of fate, Mnangagwa fails to be appointed, Mugabe's next choice, analysts agree, would be Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, another hardcore Mugabe fanatic also implicated in the DRC looting. John Nkomo, the charismatic Zanu-PF national chairman considered by many as one of the few Zanu PF men who could make a difference by breaking with Mugabe's past, is out of the equation because of his moderate tendencies. Like many other opportunities that have arisen to resolve Zimbabwe crises, that of settling the succession question and brightening the country's prospects by appointing a credible candidate has come - but is certain to go begging since it is likely that Mnangagwa - a prominent member of Mugabe's old guard - will be appointed.


6. Nepad and Zimbabwe


OBASANJO CALLS FOR 'SEA CHANGE' IN ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) October 3, 2003

Dumisani Muleya

NIGERIAN president and incoming Commonwealth chairman Olusegun Obasanjo says President Robert Mugabe will not be invited to the club's summit in Abuja in December unless there is a positive "sea change" in Zimbabwe.

Obasanjo said in New York on Monday there has to be fundamental and far-reaching changes in Zimbabwe if Mugabe was to be invited.

So far Nigeria has said Mugabe and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf who seized power through a military coup in 1999 are not welcome at the meeting.

Obasanjo was responding to a question as to whether he would reconsider Mugabe's ban as South African President Thabo Mbeki had initially urged.

"Well, it's a decision for me but it's not really a decision for me alone," Obasanjo said. "It's a decision for me with the Commonwealth leaders and for now, after appropriate consultations, I believe there has to be a sea change in Zimbabwe for an invitation to be sent."

Asked about the sea change represented by the closure of the Daily News, Obasanjo said: "I would say if that qualifies to be called a sea change at all, then it's a negative sea change."

Despite South Africa's initial protests over Mugabe's exclusion, Mbeki's spokesman Bheki Khumalo was this week quoted in the press accepting Obasanjo's decision.

Khumalo said Mbeki was among those consulted by Obasanjo over the Mugabe issue.

"The president accepts President Obasanjo's decision," he said "It is up to Nigeria to decide whether or not to invite President Mugabe."

Outgoing Commonwealth chair John Howard of Australia said inviting Mugabe to the Abuja summit when he was in blatant breach of the Commonwealth Harare Declaration principles on democracy, human rights and elections would be a "tragedy".

South Africa initially protested over Mugabe's exclusion before realising it was fighting a lone battle. Its official position on the issue has so far shifted no less than three times. But now Pretoria has accepted it is unlikely to change the club's stance on Mugabe.

On suggestions that Mbeki could boycott the summit over Mugabe's ban, Khumalo said: "There is no question of the president boycotting the event. That notion is a dead duck. He will be there with the other Commonwealth leaders to engage the issues."

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which met on September 27 in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly said Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth for electoral fraud would be reviewed in Abuja.

But CMAG said Zimbabwe was still suspended and would not be invited to the meeting. Mbeki recently claimed in parliament that Harare's ban ended in March.

CMAG members, Botswana, Malta, India, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Samoa, Nigeria and Australia, said there was little chance of Zimbabwe rejoining the councils of the Commonwealth because it remained in material breach of the club's principles and has failed to address key issues of concern.

Instead, they said Pakistan stood a better chance of bouncing back to the club earlier than Zimbabwe.

Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer, who has taken a tough position on Mugabe, prepared a document for CMAG showing that Zimbabwe has not measured up to the Commonwealth "benchmarks" for its readmission.

He circulated the document demonstrating Zimbabwe's lack of progress in meeting Commonwealth benchmarks for democratic reform and insisted Mugabe has to comply with the club's principles.

Howard has made it clear Zimbabwe should not be readmitted until "the disappearance of Mugabe's government".


WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
The Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe – state-owned) COMMENT 28 September 2003

Much has been made and said of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Abuja, Nigeria. There has been that feeling in certain quarters that Zimbabwe will be spited if not invited. These sentiments have been emanating mostly from the white section of the Commonwealth led by the garrulous Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, and the now strangely silent Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister. We think whether or not Zimbabwe is invited to Chogm is immaterial and inconsequential. We don’t see why Zimbabwe should be bothered with Chogm. It should get its priorities right and pay attention to only those meetings and programmes that add value to the country, the continent and the rest of the world. Zimbabwe should actually not attend the Commonwealth summit because it is not worth anything anymore. Since Don McKinnon became the secretary-general, the Commonwealth is no longer the same institution that it was under the leadership of Sir Shridath Ramphal or Chief Ameka Anyaoku. There isn’t much of a Commonwealth anymore. The organisation has visibly moved away from its development agenda and been turned into an extension of British foreign policy. We now have a Commonwealth that is not ashamed to champion British and American imperialism through the positions it takes in situations such as the invasion of Iraq. Howard, Blair and McKinnon have clearly killed the spirit of consensus that marked previous Commonwealth positions and meetings such as the one Zimbabwe had the pleasure of hosting in 1991.

In place of consensus now we have the megaphone diplomacy of the likes of Howard, which has not only irritated Zimbabwe but also other countries, notably South Africa. The white Commonwealth so boldly speaks about democracy, pointing a speck in black Africa’s eyes and yet ignoring the log in their own. When one hears them speak about matters of democracy and equity one would be surprised to realise that they are the same countries that do not practise what they preach. One would only need to hear from the Aborigines in Australia or the Maoris in New Zealand to understand the level of hypocrisy and to understand that in the case of Zimbabwe their agenda is to derail the land reform programme. Therefore Zimbabwe has a choice between going to the Abuja meeting and keeping the gains of its independence as enunciated in the land reform programme. It may as well say to hell with Chogm and concentrate on getting the land reform programme to work effectively. Going to Chogm would be to simply give Howard and Blair an undeserved opportunity to exert pressure on Zimbabwe and distract it from its programmes at a time it should be focused. The Commonwealth is too divided to be useful and we doubt if anything will come out of the Abuja meeting. The Commonwealth must be reminded that unless it works to achieve unity of purpose and returns to its development agenda it will be one organisation that is not worth losing sleep over.


7. Impact on the region


NEW DIPLOMAT TO PUSH ZIMBABWE POLITICAL DIALOGUE
Malawi Standard (Blantyre) October 7, 2003

Peter Banda
Blantyre

Malawi's newly appointed High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, retired judge William Hanjahanja has pledged to press for sustenance of dialogue between Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Hanjahanja, a former High Court of Malawi judge and a one-time chairman of the Malawi Electoral Commission, told journalists after his appointment that he is happy that President Bakili Muluzi has sent him to Harare.

"It is not a secret that the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe has greatly affected Malawi because Zimbabwe is one of our biggest trading partners in the region. The sooner the Zimbabwe political and economic crisis comes to an end the better," said Hanjahanja.

Hanjahanja said that the economic problems dogging Harare are spilling to other Southern African nations including Malawi.

He said that he has been delegated by President Muluzi to play a crucial role in fostering peace talks between ZANU PF and MDC.

President Bakili Muluzi is one of the key Southern African leaders that are mediating talks between the ruling and opposition parties in Zimbabwe.

"President Bakili Muluzi has already made some strides in the dialogue between ZANU PF and opposition MDC party. I hope my presence in Harare would facilitate continued dialogue, which Muluzi started," Hanjahanja said.

Early this month, Muluzi held discussions with a delegation from Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by the party's secretary general, Welshman Ncube.

The discussions were a sequel to a meeting earlier this year of an African troika on the Zimbabwean crisis, including besides Muluzi, presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.

After meeting Muluzi last month, Ncube told journalists the MDC delegation was in Malawi to brief Muluzi on progress so far between the opposition and the ruling ZANU-PF towards easing the "political tension" in Zimbabwe.

Ncube said although the MDC still does not recognise the government of President Robert Mugabe, it has complied with a request by the Muluzi-Mbeki-Obasanjo troika to reduce political tension in Zimbabwe.

"To show our commitment to lessening the political tension we have decided to start attending Parliament," he said.

Ncube also said dialogue between the two parties, which was started by religious leaders, was progressing well. He said he was hopeful that the Troika would convene another meeting soon to review progress and chart the way forward.

Meanwhile the Zimbabwean leader on Wednesday called for unity with the opposition. Speaking during the burial ceremony of his deputy, Simon Vengai Muzenda, President Robert Mugabe said the MDC was free to disagree with the government but should desist from co-opting Britain into the debate.

He said Zimbabweans should work together regardless of skin colour or political affiliation. According to the government owned Herald newspaper, Mugabe hailed the presence of the MDC leadership at the burial ceremony.

Mugabe is on record as having said that the solutions to the country's problems should be discussed internally without the involvement and interference of outsiders.

"True, there will be differences just like I would have arguments with my young brother. But we should keep the arguments within our house, not in (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair's house," the Herald quoted Mugabe as saying.

He said unity talks should not be held in a vacuum but should be in a directed manner, focused towards the attainment of certain fundamentals.

He said Zanu-PF and MDC were "sons of the soil and they should behave like sons of the soil."

"Every Zimbabwean had the right to dance. Do we also cherish the right to fight for it when it is threatened by others from outside? Who are we, and what are we? These are questions that must be answered" asked Mugabe.

Top MDC officials including the party's national chairman Isaac Matongo and deputy secretary general, Gift Chimanikira attended the burial ceremony of Muzenda.

Commenting on Mugabe's speech Nyathi said: "It is the responsibility of a leader to make an all-inclusive speech so as to reduce tension."

Nyathi said the MDC decided to attend the burial ceremony of Muzenda because of the positive contribution he made to the liberation of Zimbabwe.


8. The economy


HARARE SWAPS CHEQUES AS CRISIS DEEPENS
Business Day (Johannesburg) October 9, 2003

Dumisani Muleya
Johannesburg

THE Zimbabwean government has ordered the withdrawal of its travellers cheques, barely two months after they were introduced to alleviate the country's cash shortage.

The travellers cheques, released into the banking system amid a lot of political hype by authorities, have been removed in favour of the easily convertible bearer's cheques that are now widely in circulation.

A senior central bank official said yesterday the government had ordered its printing firm, Fidelity Printers, to stop producing travellers cheques due to "their questionable legal tender".

The move points out the economic policy confusion and overall mismanagement of President Robert Mugabe's regime. His government has never adopted a suitable economic policies since it came into power 23 three years ago.

Zimbabwe has been battling a severe cash shortage for several months. The crisis was caused by hyperinflation the rate is currently 426,6% and the government's failure to anticipate the subsequent rise in demand for bank notes.

The government released new Z1000 bank notes last week, hard on the heels of the introduction of redesigned Z500 notes two weeks ago.

It pumped Z2,5bn in Z1000 notes into the banking system and will continue to introduce the same amount every day until December to improve money supply.

A similar amount in Z500 notes would be released into the financial system every day for the next three months, the government has said.

The cash shortage in Zimbabwe reflects the broader economic crisis that the country finds itself mired in.

Zimbabwe's growing list of shortages includes fuel, power, food and basic commodities, as well as foreign currency.


ZIMBABWE FUEL PRICE SHOCK
Business Day (SA), 2 October 2003

Shortages are expected to persist despite second drastic increase in a month

Harare - Fuel prices rose 60% in Zimbabwe yesterday, just a month after the cost of fuel was increased threefold. But experts warned that such drastic increases would not ease acute petrol shortages. The Zimbabwean government said that the private fuel companies were allowed to sell regular octane petrol at the new price to help meet rising importation costs and the declining value of Zimbabwe's currency against the US dollar. Masimba Kambarami, head of the private Petroleum Marketers Association, said the price increase would bring in only "a trickle" to empty petrol stations. "It is not what we wanted, but at least a trigger system has started (to link fluctuating importation costs to pump prices)," said Kambarami. The price of regular-octane petrol in Zimbabwe went up to Z$1980 a litre, with the official exchange rate Z$824 to the US dollar and a black-market exchange rate of more than Z$5000 to the greenback. Kambarami said Zimbabwe was suffering acute shortages of hard currency, and most of the oil groups were forced to buy US dollars for imports at the black-market exchange rate, which meant the new state-pegged price of petrol was still uneconomic for importers.

In last month's price increases, the government introduced an unorthodox second, lower fuel price for its own vehicles, public transport and for vehicles used in agriculture. The two-tier pricing system, intended to cushion impoverished commuters from fare hikes and keep fuel affordable for black farmers recently resettled on former white-owned farms seized by the state, has been plagued by corruption and profiteering. The country's economic crisis is blamed partly on the state's seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks starting in 2000. The land seizures slashed production of tobacco, the main hard currency earner. Aid, investment and tourism earnings dried up as political violence and abuses of human and democratic rights worsened during the land seizures. More increases in petrol prices are expected to aggravate Zimbabwe's spiralling official inflation of 426%, one of the highest rates in the world. Apart from fuel and currency shortages there are also severe shortages of food, medicine and other imports. The hard-currency shortage led to petrol shortages that began three years ago after suppliers shut off regular shipments because they were not being paid.


NEW 'CURRENCY' FOR CASH-STRAPPED ZIMBABWE
Business Day (SA), 24 September 2003

Harare - Zimbabwe's central bank has launched a new form of payment in the latest bid to help ease a cash crisis that has rocked the country since April. Some Z$8.8 billion worth of bearer cheques were released to banks to dispense, according to the bank. On Friday a new Z$500 note will be launched, while a Z$1,000 note will be released on Wednesday next week. But economists expressed varying opinions on the new payment system, coming just days before the introduction of new higher denomination notes. Last month authorities introduced travellers’ cheques but the cash shortage has not eased, as people still queue for hours to cash their pay cheques. "I believe these are going to help ease the scarcity (of cash) and make things a bit better," said independent economist John Robertson. But opposition Movement for Democratic Change shadow finance minister, Tapiwa Mashakada, said the bearer cheques would not likely help stem the cash shortages. "I don't think it is going to solve the cash crisis because the public does not have confidence in these instruments as legal tender," said Mashakada.

The new bearer cheques, which will even be dispensed at cash machines, will be in use for six months only while the government assesses market needs. Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa announced last July that Zimbabwe's current 500-dollar note would be withdrawn at the end of September and replaced with a new banknote of the same value. But at the weekend, he said the old note would now be kept in circulation until end of the year. "People are now confused," said Mashakada. "We have a broken record - one small country with different forms of legal tender," he said. The acute shortage of cash, the first of its kind in the history of the country, has forced banks to limit maximum withdrawals to amounts which are so little they suffice to buy just five loaves of bread. Economists blame Zimbabwe's soaring inflation rate, now standing at 426.6%, for the note shortages.


9. Land


RESETTLED FARMERS ENCOUNTER FALLOUT FROM ECONOMIC MELTDOWN
IRIN (UN), 24 September 2003

Bulawayo - The prospects for agricultural revival in Zimbabwe in the new farming season have been thrown into doubt following reports that a parastatal charged with implementing the tillage programme among resettled subsistence farmers, is facing serious problems including the poor state of mechanised and other farming implements and a chronic shortage of fuel. District Development Fund (DDF) officials said more than half the tillage fleet of tractors was in a state of disrepair due to the shortage of spare parts, a situation which worsened early this year when Tanaka Power, a Harare-based agricultural equipment and supplies company, withdrew its services following DDF's failure to service its debt.


This year's crop farming season, which comes as the country is going through a multi-faceted social and economic crisis, holds little promise for these farmers. The DDF has said they will be required to pay Z$32,000 upfront per hectare tilled, and buy their own fuel at a subsidised rate of Z$200 per litre. Although the price is a remarkable climb-down from the current price of Z$2,000 a litre, DDF officials in western Matabeleland province said the farmers had complained, saying most of them could not afford the fees. "The situation in the tillage sections throughout the country is very bad. It would be a dangerous gamble for farmers to look to the DDF, because the tractors are in a state of disrepair. If they insist, they will find that the few that are in working order have no fuel, which they will have to buy themselves," said an official who refused to be named. "Besides the impossibility of villagers securing fuel without government help, the high cost of tillage charges can only be met by established, highly productive commercial farmers, as opposed to those coming from a subsistence background. Disc ploughs are also in short supply, while the few that are there also need to be replaced or somehow repaired - so the DDF is not ready for the tillage task and government is aware of that."


He said the DDF's plight worsened early this year when a Harare agricultural equipment and spares distributor withdrew from a service and equipment spares supply contract, citing the parastatal's failure to pay for services rendered in last year's farming season. "The company said it was failing to cope with the increasing ... [quantity] of equipment requiring service as the parastatal's debt soared, so they turned back all the DDF equipment. The situation, as it prevails now, is that even if the farmers manage to pay, they will not get the service. So failure by the farmers to pay would be a blessing in disguise for the DDF, because it has no capacity to deliver tillage services at the moment," he said. He added that under normal conditions, the DDF should have at least seven tractors assigned to tillage per district, but some districts still did not have any. "The highest number you can find working in the districts in Matabeleland will be two, but they also do not have fuel and the tillage programme has not started."

Farmers are required to organise themselves into groups and approach the Agricultural Rural Extension Services (AREX), which would in turn visit them individually to assess the hectarage they want tilled, and then calculate the amount and cost of the fuel required. AREX is charged with procuring the fuel, while the local rural district council is required to provide fuel storage facilities in the area where the tractors would be working. Given the new maize seed prices announced by the government last week, and the overall cost of tillage, a farmer has to fork out a total of Z$133,000 to till and plant one hectare of farmland. A 10 kg bag of seed maize, enough for 1 hectare, now costs Z$21,00, it takes Z$80,000 to fill the fuel tank of a tractor, and the cost of tillage will stand at Z$32,000. The DDF Director of Operations declined to give details on their state of preparedness and referred IRIN to the DDF Director-General, who was not immediately available for comment.

The managing director (MD) of Tanaka Power refused to expand on the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of their contract with DDF, and referred IRIN back to the DDF. "This is a government contract and such issues are sensitive. DDF would be the best people to discuss that with." The government announced new maize seed prices, which were roundly condemned as unaffordable to farmers, following a submission to parliament by seed companies citing the low government-controlled prices as one of the major factors that could threaten their viability and, therefore, the sustainability of seed supplies in the new season. In the past two weeks the majority of stakeholders in the farm inputs and other agro-supplies sectors have pointed out that the combination of factors making up the Zimbabwean crisis would most likely scuttle any effort at agricultural revival, unless government acts to address the economic meltdown in the country.


ZIMBABWE FARMERS MAY FORFEIT PAYOUTS
Business Day (SA), 23 September 2003


Harare - Zimbabwe's white farmers have been told by the government that they must take the compensation package offered to them for their land or risk getting nothing at all, the agriculture minister has said. Many white commercial farmers have not collected the money because they are contesting the sums offered. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made was quoted in the state-run Herald newspaper yesterday as saying that Z$8bn in compensation money would be disbursed to new black farmers if the white farmers did not claim it. "There is a fund sitting idle and the intended beneficiaries are holed up somewhere in Australia, Canada, Britain or New Zealand," Made said. He did not give a deadline for farmers to collect the money. Under its controversial land reform programme launched in 2000, the government took over white-owned farms for redistribution to new black farmers. The government said it was paying for work done on the land, and not for the land itself, which it says was stolen by 19th century white settlers. But the white farmers' lobby, Justice for Agriculture (JAG), yesterday dismissed the latest move by the government as a "mere propaganda exercise". It said the figures being offered by the government to compensate dispossessed white farmers for work done on their farms represented on average 10%-25% of the real value. JAG vice-president John Worswick said: "They (the government) have failed to raise the finance for land reform. This is just another way of robbing Peter to pay Paul." According to a recent survey by the white-run Commercial Farmers' Union , an estimated 485 commercial farmers out of about 3291 operating in 2000 have remained on their land. The eviction of white farmers has been partly blamed by aid agencies and critics for Zimbabwe's worst famine in living memory.


10. Crackdown on the media


SADC URGED TO TAKE ACTION ON PRESS FREEDOM
Mail& Guardian (SA) 07 October 2003
Gaborone, Botswana

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been urged to take action on threats to press freedom in the region, particularly in Zimbabwe.

At a meeting with the SADC secretariat in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, a Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) delegation raised concerns that the mandatory licensing of journalists could be open to abuse by governments.

A particular source of unease was Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the recent shutting down of the country's only independent daily newspaper, The Daily News.

"These laws will infringe on the freedom of movement of all SADC journalists, as articulated in the SADC protocol on information, sports and culture," said Thomas Deve, Misa board member and former online editor of The Daily News.

"[The SADC protocol] calls for regional governments to harmonise their legislation on media, in pursuit of freedom of movement and access to information," he noted.

The three-day visit to Botswana, which ended at the weekend, is part of a regional campaign, titled SADC Journalists Under Fire: Speak Out for Free and Open Media – Targeting Violations against Journalists in the SADC Region.

"The major problem is the fact that under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, for you to practise as a journalist you have to be licensed. What is also worrying for journalists is that some government departments do not recognise the accreditation card," said Miriam Madziwa, the Bulawayo-based editor of Zimbabwean newspaper The Tribune.

"The question becomes: why should we register if the accreditation card is not recognised by government departments?" Madziwa said.

During local government elections at the end of August, accredited journalists allegedly could not get access to polling stations, or information from officials, unless they had accreditation specifically allowing them to cover the elections.

While it has been argued that Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act is meant to regulate the operations of the media and allow the free flow of information, the Misa delegation maintains that the Act is undemocratic, and places a number of onerous restrictions on the information that journalists, civil society and the public can access and report on.

Severe punitive measures that could be taken in the event of any crime being committed by journalists are also imposed by the Act. Records and other information relating to politics and other issues of national governance are strictly out of bounds, Misa said.

The Act does not confer the right to information on any person that is not a citizen, body corporate or mass media service, and not registered in Zimbabwe in terms of this Act or the Broadcasting Services Act.

"Zimbabwe should be a rallying call for countries in the region, because governments in the region undertook to expand and increase the number of players in the media industry," said Jacob Mafume, a Misa legal consultant.

"The situation in Zimbabwe is an indicator of how governments are moving, and the way they will implement SADC agreements. In Zimbabwe the government is trying to restrict media diversity and plurality," he charged.

Misa has just completed an audit of the status of the media in the region, with specific emphasis on Zimbabwe, as a basis from which to lobby for a more favourable media climate in Southern Africa.

The Misa delegation pointed out that the African Commission on Human and People's Rights has adopted a Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa. Principle VIII states that "any registration system for the print media shall not impose substantive restrictions on the right to freedom of expression". -- Irin


IN FOR THE LONG HAUL
Mail & Guardian (SA) COMMENT 26 September 2003

David Masunda in Harare

"We are here to bury the honourable Robert Mugabe." These words, uttered by a speaker at the funeral of a deceased senior Zanu PF figure, were to be published Zimbabwe’s Daily News last Saturday, but never saw the light of day. The man being buried was, in fact, former deputy minister of public construction and national housing Robert Marera. The relative making the speech quickly realized his faux pas and corrected himself. But it was enough for an alert Daily News journalist to pick up as a interesting angle for a piece for the Saturday edition. Leading the edition was a story about how Ministry of Energy officials were abusing their position to profit from the country’s fuel crisis. In The Daily News on Sunday was to be a story about growing Southern African Development Community concern over Zimbabwe. These stories were carted off in computers seized by the Zimbabwean police.

Daily News editor Nqobile Nyathi said while the lead was hard-hitting, the rest of the paper would have been a relaxed weekend read. The Sunday paper, however, was to be a hard-hitting one. According to The Daily News on Sunday editor Bill Saidi, the newspaper would have given the country’s draconian press laws a kick in the teeth. The newspaper would have carried an editorial condemning Zimbabwe’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act as "draconian and unconstitutional", said Saidi, the author of the editorial comment. The Daily News failed to publish the edition because police sealed off their offices and impounded computers. Efforts to publish the edition using facilities at other newspapers failed.

Legal experts and media practitioners in Zimbabwe were convinced that the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) was in for a "long haul" in its bid to get the papers back on the streets. Its efforts to obtain publishing licences through the courts for The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday would take much longer than anticipated said legal experts. "We know its going to be a long haul, but management has told us that they are prepared to pay our salaries for the next two years, if it is going to take that long in the courts," said a senior journalist at the newspaper. But even if ANZ was to move mountains and manage to get the administrative court to make a ruling on the MIC action, it would still be a "long haul" before the two papers are back on the streets because the matter might remain entangled in the courts, government sources said. On Monday police invaded the newspapers’ offices in central Harare for the second time and pounced on 127 computers, ostensibly to "access the company’s financial documents". This time they were more courteous; enough to obtain a court order before entering. "It’s like a graveyard here," said a Daily News reporter. "Although we have the desks, there are no computers and we are not doing any work. We just come here to chat and mingle."


SUSPENDED ZIM JOURNOS 'DIDN'T SHOW RESPECT'
IOL NEWS (SA) October 03 2003

By Basildon Peta

Two journalists at the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation have been suspended because they were not solemn enough after the death of President Robert Mugabe's deputy, Simon Muzenda.

The Financial Gazette reported on Thursday that the ZBC's acting head of radio and television services, Susan Makore, and head of production services, Douglas Dhliwayo, had been suspended.

"After the president had announced the death of Vice-President Muzenda, ZTV (the television station) and radio stations did not immediately switch to solemn programmes and music," one ZBC staffer told the newspaper.

"This is what led to their suspension."

Efforts to get comment from the ZBC and the two suspended staffers failed.

Muzenda was declared a national hero and buried last week. The death of a senior government minister in Zimbabwe is often treated as a very solemn matter.

During the mourning and burial period, the government-owned ZBC was expected to switch to revolutionary songs and omit hip-hop, soul and other music that is considered disrespectful.

Shortly after Mugabe announced the death of his other vice-president, Joshua Nkomo, in July 2001, the ZBC began airing revolutionary songs and repeated several speeches made by Nkomo during the liberation struggle. - Independent Foreign Service


HIGH COURT DISMISSES 'THE DAILY NEWS' CASE
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek) October 3, 2003

Windhoek

(MISA/IFEX) - On 1 October 2003, High Court Judge Tendai Uchena ordered the police to continue holding equipment they had confiscated from "The Daily News". The judgement followed a 17 September "The Daily News" appeal to have its seized equipment returned.

Judge Uchena did not give any reasons as to why the the 160 computers can not be released by the police. Under the law, the equipment could eventually be forfeited to the state.

BACKGROUND: In September, the police closed the offices of the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), publishers of "The Daily News". Police then confiscated equipment after the Supreme Court ruled the group was publishing without a licence, contravening tough media laws introduced in 2002.

"The Daily News" had initially refused to register for a licence in protest against the laws. A government-appointed media commission rejected the paper's subsequent application for a licence in what the ANZ said was an attack on freedom of expression. Harare's Administrative Court was expected to rule on 3 October on an application by the ANZ to hear its appeal against the media commission's decision.


ANZ WINS COURT APPEAL
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) October 3, 2003

Dumisani Muleya

Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) yesterday won a ruling in the Administrative Court following an application for an urgent hearing into the Media and Information Commission (MIC)'s decision to refuse to register it as a mass media service.

The court said the ANZ case was urgent and set the date for hearing as October 16. When the case opens, the court will determine whether or not the ANZ has been unfairly denied a licence by the MIC.

If it finds that the newspaper group has a case, the court will order the MIC to reconsider its decision. But the court has no power to set aside or nullify the MIC's determination.

ANZ legal advisor Gugulethu Moyo said yesterday's court ruling was a step in the right direction.

"The court ruled we have an urgent case and set down the date for hearing as October 16. We hope that this will be a move towards final victory," Moyo said. "But the problem is that the court has no power to alter the MIC decision. That is why we believe this case is a constitutional matter that should be dealt with by the Supreme Court."

Yesterday's ruling was a dramatic recovery by the ANZ after it suffered a further setback on Wednesday following the High Court's dismissal of its application for police to return its seized property.

The High Court rejected ANZ's demand to compel the police to give back its computers and equipment that it said had been taken unlawfully using an improperly issued search warrant. The judge gave no reason for his decision. Moyo said the ANZ would study the judgement before deciding on whether or not to appeal.

ANZ, publishers of the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday, had last week challenged police claims that they had seized ANZ's assets to use them as "exhibits" and to prevent the company from publishing illegally.

Meanwhile, police on Tuesday charged eight more ANZ journalists for operating without licences, bringing the number of those arraigned to 17. At least 45 journalists have been placed on the police's wanted list.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) this week called for a boycott of state newspapers to protest against the closure of the ANZ. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said banning newspapers increased the "democratic deficit" in Zimbabwe.


ZIM MEDIA NGO SEEKS ANC HELP
News24 (SA), 1 October 2003

Cape Town - A non-governmental organisation threatened with closure under Zimbabwe's media laws says it is sending delegations to six southern African countries to plead for a tougher stand against its government. A three-person delegation from the Zimbabwean chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) which arrived in South Africa this week, said it would seek meetings here with key figures in the African National Congress. The NGO is threatened by Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, used earlier this month to shut down the country's only independent daily newspaper. The chair of Misa Zimbabwe, Reyhana Masters-Smith, told a media conference in Cape Town on Wednesday that the Zimbabwean government was using both legal and extra-legal means, including harassment and detentions, to curb the media. "It's about silencing alternative opinion and expression. It goes far beyond regulating the media," she said. She said if Misa was closed, any NGO in the country would be under threat, whether it was working in the area of HIV/Aids, gender violence or food security. She said Misa delegations were visiting six countries in the region in a bid to get their leaders to take more decisive action on Zimbabwe, and to use the instruments of the African Union to resolve issues in that country. "We are hoping that if we tackle it on a regional level it will create a bit more pressure," she said.

Masters-Smith said the delegation to South Africa, made up of herself, lawyer Tawanda Hondora and Bornwell Chakaodza, editor of the Harare Sunday newspaper the Standard, would seek meetings with the chairman of Parliament's foreign affairs portfolio committee, ANC member Pallo Jordan. It also hoped to meet ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe. "We are here to tell it like it is," said Chakaodza. "The quiet diplomacy by Mbeki and other leaders within the region has completely failed." He said Misa was trying to persuade Southern African Development Community leaders, and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki in particular, to engage Mugabe and his government in a "stronger, more robust way". Hondora said the delegations would be pressing for diplomatic letters of protest from individual countries either directly to the Zimbabwean government or to Zimbabwean embassies. Last week representatives of Misa South Africa joined delegations of the South African National Editors' Forum and the African Editors Forum in a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad to express their concern over media freedom in Zimbabwe. Misa Zimbabwe was ordered in June to seek registration with the state's Media and Information Commission on the grounds that it was "involved in public information and communication with mass audiences through its publications". It has since filed a court challenge to the legality of the commission. Misa, which has chapters in ten SADC countries, says it focuses primarily on the need to promote free, independent and pluralistic media. Its secretariat is in Windhoek.


THE CURSE OF A QUIET DIPLOMACY
Mail & Guardian (SA) Comment 26 September 2003

Bill Saidi, Editor of the Daily News on Sunday

Last week one of my reporters, seeing about 10 police officers swarming around our newsroom, commented wryly: "You would think we were hiding weapons of mass destruction, the way they barged in and scared the hell out of everyone." He didn’t seem frightened though, even as the detective in charge harangued Sam Nkomo, the CEO of Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), publishers of the only independent daily newspaper in Zimbabwe, The Daily News, and its recently launched sister publication, The Daily News on Sunday. "I shall arrest you!" the detective shouted at Nkomo, a slightly-built 60-year-old who had performed his fair share of national duty during the struggle for independence. ANZ had just been told by the Supreme Court that before it could challenge the constitutionality of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, it had to register with the Media and Information Commission, the lynchpin of a law described by commentators, journalists and human rights activists as evil, draconian and anti-democratic. The effect of the ruling was to unleash the police on the premises of the publishing company. They were there to collect the computers and any other equipment used to produce the newspapers "unlawfully". Later I asked Nkomo, who had spent time in Zambia during the struggle, whether he had met President Thabo Mbeki, who had been in that country at the same time. No, he said, he had not.

My question was pertinent in that most of what was happening to ANZ was a result of the "quiet diplomacy" launched by Mbeki to help the people of Zimbabwe find real meaning in their hard-fought independence. Quiet diplomacy had emboldened Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to conduct the affairs of his nation with a palpably outrageous disregard for the niceties of the rule of law, consensus, or even any pretence that the people’s opinions mattered. Later, in the high court, Justice Yunus Omerjee, hearing ANZ’s challenge to the uncouth police action, was acerbic in his questioning of the hapless prosecutor assigned to handle the government’s case. "What does that mean?" he asked her after she read a passage from the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, trying to bolster the prosecution case. At one time, the courtroom burst into raucous laughter when the prosecutor said the police had acted because they were afraid the newspaper company would hide computers. Omerjee granted the ANZ application with an emphatic reference to the lawlessness of the police action.

But since 2000, when the wheels started coming off the experimental vehicle that Mugabe’s Zanu PF ruling party hoped to bamboozle the rest of the world into believing was heading for democracy, the rule of law has been virtually moribund in Zimbabwe. This was just one episode during the turbulent four-year existence of The Daily News. Long before its printing press in Harare was bombed in 2001, a junior reporter got the fright of his life when Mugabe asked him: "Who is funding your newspaper?" Before the bombing, key Zanu PF personnel, including Jonathan Moyo, the architect of the obnoxious Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, had warned that it was time something was done about The Daily News, then under the editorship of Geoff Nyarota. To this day, there have been no arrests for the bombing.

Mbeki has virtually endorsed the two elections others have condemned as grievously flawed - the parliamentary elections in 2000 and last year’s presidential elections. To challenges to take a more principled and tough stance against Mugabe, Mbeki has said the people of Zimbabwe must be allowed to sort out their own mess. He has also pleaded for a chance to apply his quiet diplomacy, which many Zimbabweans now believe to be responsible for Mugabe’s mounting arrogance. Mugabe’s refusal to countenance any resumption of dialogue with the Movement for Democratic Change has been cited as another product of Mbeki’s quiet diplomacy. If the actions against ANZ and its newspapers result in their demise, it will be on Mbeki’s head. Quiet diplomacy will have helped a ruling party alleged to have staged one of the biggest election frauds in history to silence its fiercest domestic critic. It may leave most Zimbabweans with little option but to wage their own struggle against quiet diplomacy.


ENTIRE STAFF OF BANNED ZIM PAPER WILL FACE THE MUSIC
The Star (SA), 24 September 2003

Harare - Zimbabwean police intend charging the entire editorial staff and the owner of one of the country's only independent newspapers with operating for an unregistered organisation. Following on the threat, the SA National Editors' Forum yesterday asked to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to discuss what it said was media repression in Zimbabwe. "We are concerned at these developments and what appears to be a lack of firm response by your office to the violation of freedom of expression in Zimbabwe," Sanef's letter to Dlamini-Zuma said. The Zimbabwe government has already shut down the Daily News for operating without a licence. It has also charged five other directors of the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), which published the Daily News, with operating a media house illegally, and plans to take them to trial soon. The Daily News, which began publishing in 1999, refused to register its operations as required by tough media laws passed in 2002 in protest against the legislation. The laws were enacted soon after President Robert Mugabe was re-elected last year.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said the police wanted to question ANZ board chairperson Strive Masiyiwa, who lives in South Africa, over his role in the illegal operations. Masiyiwa, who moved to South Africa three years ago, also owns majority shares in Zimbabwean cellphone operator Econet Wireless. "The ideal situation would be for us to interview Masiyiwa face to face, but he is not here. However, we are still going to charge him, one way or the other, with the same charges his fellow directors are facing," Bvudzijena said. "We are also going to charge all those journalists who have been working at the ANZ without registration and the requisite accreditation." The group employed about 60 journalists. A government-appointed media commission on Friday denied a licence to the ANZ, saying the group had been found guilty by the courts of publishing the Daily News for nearly nine months without registration. The commission's decision came a week after police shut down the Daily News.


MEDIA BODY QUERIES ZIMBABWE MEDIA LAWS
Business Day (SA), 25 September 2003

Harare - The Zimbabwe branch of a regional media advocacy group said it had filed a court application challenging the legality of the state-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC). The Media Institute of Southern Africa - Zimbabwe (MISA-Zimbabwe) said it had filed the application against the commission, which licences media in the country. Its application also seeks to have the requirement of an operating licence declared unconstitutional. The move comes amid intense international and local concern over a government crackdown on Zimbabwe's last independent daily, which was shut earlier this month over the licencing issue. Police were preparing to charge some 45 journalists of the Daily News for working without accreditation, and the paper's owners were charged on Monday for not having an operating permit. MISA-Zimbabwe has also asked in its court application whether, as an advocacy body, it is also obliged to register with the commission. "We asking the High Court to determine whether we are a mass media house or not. We want it to determine our character," group chairperson Reyhana Master-Smith told AFP.

MISA is an arm of a regional non-governmental organisation promoting media pluralism and independence which has branches in all southern African countries. The commission licences media services and journalists who operate in the country under the media law which came into effect last year shortly after President Robert Mugabe was re-elected to office in disputed polls. The law states that at least three of the maximum seven MIC board members should be nominated by an association of journalists and an association of media houses. MISA argues that neither an association of journalists nor any of the media houses had forwarded any names for the commission. "The board is therefore improperly and unlawfully constituted rendering any purported exercise of the functions and powers conferred upon... (it) null and void," the advocacy group said. The requirement for media organisations to register "places an undue restriction on the free flow of information by requiring organisations to register with a politically compromised body before disseminating information", it charged. Meantime the Daily News, which has been closed for 12 days after the Supreme Court ruled it was illegal, has filed applications with the Zimbabwean courts seeking an overturn of the MIC decision to deny it a licence.


11. Solidarity/activism/networking


Email Correspondence

In this email:

1. SACP statement on detention of Zimbabwean trade union leaders
2. ICFTU--Zimbabwe: Mass arrests of trade unionists by Mugabe regime


1. SACP statement on detention of Zimbabwean trade union leaders

The South African Communist Party expresses its deep concern at the
detention of 41 Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) leaders today. The
SACP calls for their immediate release. The authorities in Harare need to
know that there is widespread outrage in South Africa about the detention of
trade unionists, the closure of newspapers, and the brutal harassment of
civilians, including very worrying reports about the systematic rape of
women and girls by rampaging youth militias.

The priority task within Zimbabwe is the fostering of a climate of tolerance
and respect for the law, a climate that will support rapid progress in the
bilateral talks between ZANU PF and the MDC. This is a challenge that
confronts all Zimbabweans, but it is a particular responsibility of those in
authority.

We know from our own experience of an unfolding negotiations process that
popular pressure, and citizen activism are essential for an effective
overcoming of a political impasse. The SACP fully supports the nurturing of
bi-partisan negotiations, but negotiations must not be limited to
behind-the-scenes elite pacting, which, even if they succeed in the
short-term, will not produce a durable resolution to the social, economic
and constitutional crisis currently afflicting Zimbabwe.


8th October 2003


***************
2. ICFTU ONLINE...
Zimbabwe: Mass arrests of trade unionists by Mugabe regime 8/10/2003


Brussels, October 8, 2003 (ICFTU online): The ICFTU has lodged a protest
with the International Labour Organisation over the wave of anti-union
arrests and violent assaults being carried out today in Zimbabwe by the
country’s government. To date, some 41 trade union leaders have already been
detained in Harare and more than 100 in Mutare, including almost the entire
leadership of the ICFTU-affiliated Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
In Bulawayo, several union leaders were subjected to violent assault by
government forces, and police refused to allow ambulances to ferry the
injured to hospital. ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo and Secretary General
Wellington Chibhebhe are amongst those detained.

The government’s action is the latest in a string of attacks on the trade
union movement, and takes place as the ZCTU and its affiliates were about to
undertake a series of peaceful protests against spiraling transport and fuel
costs, tax hikes, a drastic shortage of cash and ongoing violations of trade
union and human rights by the regime.

The ICFTU is particularly concerned about the situation of several union
officials being held in secret locations, and the apparent targeting of a
number of women trade unionists by the regime.

“Zimbabwe is a country in deep crisis, and the actions of President Mugabe’s
government today are those of a desperate regime. Only when human and trade
union right are fully respected, and the people of Zimbabwe can live in
conditions of full respect for democracy, can the enormous task of
rebuilding the country’s economy really begin”, said ICFTU General Secretary
Guy Ryder.

The ICFTU represents 158 million workers in 231 affiliated organisations in
150 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions:
http://www.global-unions.org

For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2 224
0210.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions(ICFTU)
Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5, B1, B-1210 Brussels, Belgium. For more
information please contact ICFTU Press on: +32 (2) 224 0232 -
press@icftu.org


COSATU CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ZCTU ACTIVISTS
IOL NEWS (SA) October 09 2003

By Brian Latham and Basildon Peta


Harare - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has demanded the immediate release of arrested Zimbabwean trade union leaders.

The federation said if this was not done, it would stage its own solidarity protests to shame the Zimbabwean government.

Zimbabwean police arrested at least 53 members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the main umbrella body representing labour movements in the country.

About 200 union activists gathered in central Harare to protest when armed riot police and plainclothes detectives swooped. It was not immediately clear what the protest was about, although last month the ZCTU warned it would hold demonstrations against cash shortages in October.

'We allowed them to hold their meeting'
"So far 41 of us have been taken to Harare Central police station," said Lovemore Matombo, the president of the ZCTU. He said police had taken "about 90 percent" of the organisation's national executive.

ZCTU secretary-general Wellington Chibhebhe was also in police custody, said his wife Tatenda.

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed that 53 ZCTU members had been arrested. Speaking from Harare, he said: "We allowed them to hold their meeting, but when they began to march, we arrested them under the Public Order and Security Act.

"Now we have received disturbing reports that employers in the industrial sites are closing their businesses and encouraging their workers to demonstrate. We will be investigating, because, while employers are free to close their businesses, if they encourage workers to march, they will also be arrested."

Cosatu said it was demanding the immediate release of all those arrested and for the restoration of trade union rights, including the right to peaceful protest, which were guaranteed by international agreements, to which Zimbabwe was a signatory.

COSATU PRESS STATEMENT
COSATU condemns arrest of Zimbabwe trade unionists

The Congress of South African Trade Unions and trade unions throughout the
world condemn the arrest of at least 41 trade union leaders and members in
Zimbabwe.

The government action appears to have been a pre-emptive action to undermine
today’s national protest by Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
against the high taxation rate, the high cost of living, transport problems,
cash shortages and violation of human and trade union rights by the
government. Among the 41 arrested are the President, Lovemore Matombo,
Secretary-General, Wellington Chibebe, most other top leaders of the ZCTU
and some ZCTU staff members. The police arrested them this morning as they
grouped to lead a protest in Central Harare. Several women are also amongst
them. The protesters were rounded up by heavily armed riot police and made
to sit down on the pavement in central Harare before being taken away in
police cars to Harare Central Police station, where they are being held.

One of the ZCTU leaders, Raymond Majongwe, has been separated from the others
and is at the moment being kept in solitary confinement. Riot police have
been patrolling the streets of Harare city centre since early morning on
Wednesday and eight union leaders were arrested in Bulawayo, Gweru and
Masvingo on Tuesday night, ahead of the planned protest marches. In
Bulawayo, police have been in running battles with the people and several
ZCTU leaders have been injured, including Thabitha Khumalo, a member of the
ZCTU women's advisory council. Police refused ambulances to carry the
injured people to hospital. In Mutare, 100 people were arrested while in
Gweru police also arrested some activists but the number is not yet known.

ZCTU Deputy Secretary-General, Collin Gwiyo, addressed the COSATU Central
Executive Committee on 27-29 May 2003 and ZCTU President, Lovemore Matombo,
addressed COSATU’s 8th National Congress on 17 September 2003. Both
meetings agreed on a programme which includes a commitment to solidarity
with the ZCTU.

Today’s arrests vindicate the correctness of COSATU’s analysis of
Zimbabwe’s political and socio-economic crisis. We share the ZCTU’s view
that the country has deteriorated so fast that it is now on the brink of
total collapse. The crisis is also impacting on all Zimbabwe’s neighbours
through the influx of economic refugees streaming into all the SADC
countries.

It is regrettable that the Zimbabwe government sees trade unions as one of
its main opponents, rather than as a partner to help reverse this political
and socio-economic collapse. Instead of understanding that workers are duty
bound to protest against attacks on their living standards, it sees them as
antagonists.

COSATU demands the immediate release of every one of those arrested and for
the restoration of trade union rights, including the right to peaceful
protest, which are guaranteed by international agreements, to which Zimbabwe
is a signatory.

COSATU calls on the Zimbabwe Government to convene a summit of all political
and social formations to engage in genuine negotiations to find urgent
solutions to the crisis. It also calls on SADC to convene a special session
on Zimbabwe to facilitate a Zimbabwe-inspired solution to the problems,
including helping to convene the summit referred to above.

If the arrested trade unionists are not released within 24 hours, COSATU
will embark upon a process of solidarity action similar to that which it
organised in support of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions in August
2003, and calls upon its partners in the Southern African Trade Union
Coordination Council to do the same.

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has written the
following letter to the Director General of the International Labour
Organisation to request his personal intervention to ensure that our
comrades are released immediately.

8 October 2003 Mr Juan Somavia Director-
General ILO Geneva Switzerland

Dear Mr Director-General, Appeal for urgent representation to President
Mugabe We are receiving very disturbing news to the effect that the
Zimbabwean Police is having recourse to brutal force to arrest trade
unionists who have embarked today on a national protest against high
taxation rate, the high cost of living, transport problems, cash shortages
and violation of human and trade union rights by the Government. So far, 4I
are reported detained. We are fully convinced that the ZCTU was engaged in
legitimate trade union activity. Most top ZCTU trade union leaders and
several women trade unionists are also amongst those under arrest and they
are reportedly being detained in unknown places. We are very concerned about
the conditions under which they are being detained; we are suspicious that
their life may also be in danger. In the circumstances, we would kindly urge
you to intervene promptly with President Mugabe requesting their immediate
release and the assurance that trade unionists can go around freely
discharging their trade union work. We trust that you will intervene
urgently given the very serious nature of the government onslaught against
ZCTU trade unionists. Yours sincerely, General Secretary

News and Publicity - Press Statement:

[Press]Cosatu condemns ZCTU arrests


COSATU Communications Department - 2003-10-08


Patrick Craven Acting COSATU Spokesperson

patrick@cosatu.org.za 082-821-7456 339-4911

*********************************************************

Visit the COSATU web site at http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html fo=
r copies of our most recent press statements.

Get free e-mail for union members. Visit www.union.org.za and sign up now= !
It's free! COSATU takes steps to ensure that any attachments are free from
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***********************************************************

Cellphone Solution for Internet access

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310090094.html

Although cellular access to the Internet is nothing new, it has not caught on in Africa. That is largely because it has been sold as a way for users to display Internet content on a cellphone itself, with its tiny screen making very unappealing viewing. Now a trio of firms is touting a new technology as a way to connect computers to the Internet by using the cellphone as a modem.

participation and wsis: at what expense?

2003-10-16

http://www.globalcn.org/en/article.ntd?id=1788&sort=1.24

The Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) campaign, while recognising the progress made by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in ensuring the participation of all stakeholders, including Civil Society, deplores the absence, removal or dilution of positions on issues that are core to communication rights, in particular the sections on Community Media, Intellectual Property Rights, Internet governance, “Information Security” and funding.

Science in Africa 'must come down to earth'

2003-10-16

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1048&language=1

More attention should be given to science and technology that directly affects the lives of ordinary Africans, a leading African UN official has said. Speaking at a meeting this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, K.Y. Amoako, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, criticised science and technology policies in the continent for focusing on high-level experts and researchers.

Tanzania on road to e-Democracy

2003-10-16

http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/285491/news/item?item_id=720516

The Tanzanian National Assembly (Bunge) has begun exploring the potential for interactive information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance parliamentary democracy and create new channels of communication and participation between the House and citizens.

ZIMBABWE'S DAILY NEWS OWNER LAUNCHES SA-BASED WEBSITE

2003-10-16

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html#useful

This week, six defiant words - "The Daily News will be back" - appeared at the top of The Daily News’ new Website, promising readers the battle is far from over. Following the paper’s September 12 closure, the main Website was stripped of its stories. However, people from around the world continued to use the Web site’s interactive chat page to keep each other informed of the situation and voice their opinions.

e-CIVICUS 211 - a focus on land mines

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/17643

"Landmines, or anti-personnel mines as they are sometimes called, are a scourge on the post-World War II landscape where they have completely changed the nature of warfare. In the second half of the twentieth century and beyond, landmines have been a lucrative commodity and have been planted in conflict zones throughout Africa, Asia, the former Soviet bloc and the Middle East." To subscribe or unsubscribe email Edwin@civicus.org

Human Rights Update

Newsletter of the Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat

2003-10-16

http://www.thecommonwealth.org

Human Rights Update, Newsletter of the Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat, provides a comprehensive briefing on human rights issues related to the Commonwealth. The June 2003 issue, for example, begins with articles on the Sierra Leone Special Court and on Education and Economic Development. It continues with a special feature on the Rights Based Approach to Development, following on from a January 2003 feature on the same subject. The focus of the edition is on Zimbabwe, where the Commonwealth position on the country is set out. The edition contains The Marlborough House Statement on Zimbabwe; the Zimbabwe Mid-Term Review; a 16 March 2003 Commonwealth Statement on Zimbabwe and Excerpts from an Address by the Commonwealth Secretary-General to the Commonwealth Business Council on 17 January 2003. Information on the International Convention on the Rights of Migrants and their Families, an International Labour Organisation report on discrimination at work and an overview of the 59th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, is also provided. For comments, contributions and copies of the publications please contact: Human Rights Unit, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7747 6423, Fax: +44 (0)20 7747 6418, e-mail: b.morgan@commonwealth.int Website: www.thecommonwealth.org

International CENTRE for Peace in Central Africa (ICPCA) newsletter

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/17700

The International Centre for Peace in Central Africa (ICPCA) is a Non Governmental Organisation created in 1999. ICPCA aims to participate in the achievement of peace in Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes Region by providing its support and assistance to every programme focused on justice, reconciliation, and post conflict issues. The centre focuses its activities on research, publication and implementation of projects. For this purpose, the centre is releasing a monthly newsletter where analysis is made on the DRC peace process and related topics in the Great Lakes region. The newsletter is available on demand, by sending a message to olivierkambala@hotmail.com
International Center for Peace in Central Africa (ICPCA) is a Non governmental organization created in 1999.

The center is a sustainable place for conceptualisation and actions in order to implement a safe environment in Central Africa, especially in Great Lakes region. ICPCA aims to participate in the achievement of peace process in Democratic Republic of the Congo (and in the Great Lakes Region) by providing its support and assistance to every programme focused on justice (judicial and restorative), reconciliation, dealing with post conflict issues (peacebuilding and peacekeeping, DDR process, elections, disarmament…) and closed to global security in Central Africa.

It works with other national and international organizations with similar objectives and establishes sufficient partnership with them. The center focuses its activities on research, publication and implementation of project with immediate impact on the field of post conflict situation, struggle against impunity and social justice.

For this purpose, the center is releasing a monthly newsletter where analysis are made on the DRC peace process and related topics in the Great Lakes region. The newsletter is available on demand, by sending a message to olivierkambala@hotmail.com .

New Listservs on Legal and Political Developments in Human Rights

2003-10-16

http://www.hshr.org/listservs.html

Human Strategies for Human Rights (HSHR) has announced the launching of a series of email listservs in English, Spanish and French on legal and political developments related to human rights. Sign-up information can be found through HSHRs website at www.hshr.org/listservs.html

Angola: Eduardo dos Santos Foundation (FESA) Takes Donation to Uije

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310150750.html

The Eduardo dos Santos Foundation (FESA) handed over on Wednesday to Uije provincial government about four tonnes of various medicines and other first aid items.

Ghana: NGO disburses 400,000 Pounds Sterling for Projects in the North

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310150735.html

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMP FED), has spent over 400,000 pounds sterling on projects undertaken in the Northern region, supporting over 6000 female students at the various senior secondary schools and another 500 females in vocational and micro projects.

South Africa: Themba Lesizwe awards R6.5mn for victim empowerment projects

2003-10-16

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=396

Themba Lesizwe, a South African Network of Trauma Service Providers with more than 100 NPO affiliates, has awarded R6.5mn to 60 crime and violence empowerment projects. Organisations were awarded grants of between R50 000 and R200 000 for research, improving accessibility of trauma counselling and mental health services in poor communities, raising public awareness about violence and abuse, and training of volunteers and frontline workers in trauma management.

Southern Africa: Sweden Responds to UN Appeal

2003-10-16

http://allafrica.com/stories/200310150676.html

Sweden this week donated almost US $6 million towards aid efforts in Southern Africa following a recent UN appeal for more funds to support humanitarian operations across the region.

Baseline Conference for the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food

November 2-6, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/17686

The research agenda of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food will be launched at a special scientific conference that will bring together several hundred scientists with development stakeholders to present and debate key issues around increasing water productivity in agriculture and the impacts on poverty alleviation and on food, health and environmental security in the program's benchmark basins.
Baseline Conference for the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food -
Nairobi, November 2-6, 2003

The research agenda of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food will be
launched at a special scientific conference that will bring together
several hundred scientists with development stakeholders to present and debate
key issues around increasing water productivity in agriculture and the impacts
on poverty alleviation and on food, health and environmental security in the
program's benchmark basins. The Conference will result in a number of action-
oriented recommendations from stakeholders on how to implement the CGIAR
Challenge Program on Water and Food to achieve
the highest impact.

Participants will be engaged to provide input and guidance on the program; on
how it can deliver solutions that are politically and socially acceptable,
financially and technically feasible and can be implemented in a practical way.

For further information contact cpconference@cgiar.org
or log on to http://www.waterforfood.org

Enhancing participation of women in African party politics

23-25 October 2003, Dakar, Senegal

2003-10-16

http://www.nimd.org/default.aspx?menuid=0&type=newsitem&contentid=84&special

African female experts from different liberal parties will discuss their national situation and the measures taken by the party to enhance female participation. The workshop will produce a joint declaration with practical points for the future.

Gender and ICT for Development Seminar Series: A Concept Note

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/17687

In an effort to broaden its gender and technology initiatives as well as enhance women's participation in Uganda's ICT sector, the Department of Women and Gender Studies (DWGS) at Makerere University would like to propose a Gender and ICT for Development Seminar Series to provide an opportunity for students, scholars and interested members of the public to gain insights on the intersection of gender, ICTs and development from key actors in the field. Particular emphasis would be given to raise the challenges and opportunities for women aspiring to be IT professionals.
----------------------------

Gender and ICT for Development Seminar Series: A Concept Note

Background
The Department of Women and Gender Studies (DWGS) at Makerere University is a
leading academic organization committed to advocating for a greater role of
women in Uganda's ICT sector. DWGS contributes to development in Uganda through
ensuring that gender is an integral part of the development process. This
involves among others, providing the intellectual leadership for mainstreaming
gender in aspects of technology within the university and beyond. In executing
its mandate the department works through a comprehensive strategy that includes
teaching and training, research publication and dissemination, outreach,
networking, advocacy and gender mainstreaming.

Rationale
Around the world, information and communications technologies are typically
thought of as being a domain for men. In this regard, Uganda is no exception.
Women in Uganda account for a small fraction of the national IT workforce. In
addition, like other industries women are in low paying jobs and given fewer
responsibilities than men.

However, in an effort to broaden its gender and technology initiatives as well
as enhance women's participation in Uganda's ICT sector, DWGS would like to
propose a Gender and ICT for Development Seminar Series to provide an
opportunity for students, scholars and interested members of the public to gain
insights on the intersection of gender, ICTs and development from key actors in
the field. Particular emphasis would be given to raise the challenges and
opportunities for women aspiring to be IT professionals.

Proposed format of Gender and ICT for Development Seminar Series
Given its positive relationships with women's organizations around the country,
DWGS is in a strong position to attract prominent female professionals to act
as guest speakers. Potential candidates would include Ms. Ruth Ochieng,
Director, ISIS-WICCE, Ms. Dorothy Okello, Coordinator, WOUGNET and Ms. Irene
Muloni, Secretary General, WETSU to name a few. Male IT professionals will also
be invited.

Seminars would be held on a monthly basis at DWGS whereby guest speakers are
given 30-45 minutes to speak on their area of expertise. A significant time
will be allocated for a question and answer session to ensure that the audience
is able to seek career guidance for opportunities in Uganda's ICT sector.

Beneficiaries
As a member of the Cisco Networking Academy Program in Uganda the DWGS has a
pool of approximately 500 students which would benefit from the seminar series.
In addition, members of the public particularly women would also benefit.

Costs
The DWGS has obtained a small grant from I-NETWORK to cover the first four
seminars from October to December 2003. These funds are to be expended on
Guest Speaker Facilitation, publicity and food/drinks.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM

MUMBAI, INDIA 16-21 JANUARY 2004

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/17790

The Fourth World Social Forum will be held in Mubai, India on 16-21 January 2004. The Indian Organising Committee together with the International Council of the WSF is preparing this event of great international importance with an expectation that it will bring together some 70.000 participants from all over the world. With this letter we would like to share with you information about the World Social Forum. Please find attached a two-page brief by Heinrich Böll Foundation. The web-site of the event is http://www.wsfindia.org/ where more information can be found. Further, we would like to extend an invitation to representatives of social movmemnts and people's organisation from Africa, Latin America and Asia to the WSF.
From: Vijay Pratap and Marko Ulvila, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

To: African Civil Society Groups

Re: WORLD SOCIAL FORUM IV
MUMBAI, INDIA 16-21 JANUARY 2004

Date: 15 October 2003


Dear Madam/Sir,

the Fourth World Social Forum will be held in Mubai, India on 16-21 January 2004. The Indian Organising Committee together with the International Council of the WSF is preparing this event of great international importance with an expectation that it will bring together some 70.000 participants from all over the world.

With this letter we would like to share with you information about the World Social Forum. Please find attached a two-page brief by Heinrich Böll Foundation. The web-site of the event is http://www.wsfindia.org/ where more information can be found.

Further, we would like to extend an invitation to representatives of social movmemnts and people's organisation from Africa, Latin America and Asia to the WSF. Unfortunately my organisation is not in a position to provide assistance for travel costs. Perhaps some of the donor agencies active in your regions would be able to help with travel costs.

Please find attached a brief introduction to the Vasudhavia Kutumbakam Initiative. We would be happy to get your comments on the concept and approach we have worked out.


Sincerely yours,



Vijay Pratap
Convenor, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India
Member, India Organising Commitee of the WSF
vasudhaivakutumbakam@vsnl.net

Marko Ulvila
Member-secretary, Democracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Finland
vk-finland@kaapeli.fi



Attachments:
- HBF WSF Brief no 7
- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Initiative

The 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' Initiative


A Coalition
For
Comprehensive Democracy



Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The Earth is a Family), a Coalition for Comprehensive Democracy, is about furthering, strengthening and deepening 'democracy' simultaneously in economic, social, political, cultural, gender and ecological dimensions of life, from local to global levels.


Pursuing the Democratic Dream

Modern day dominant science, social and economic processes, and polity tend to fragment life, issues and people's ways of looking at them. Democracy has come to mean merely 'representative' political structures. Despite this dominant thrust of institutionalisation over the past 200-500 years, which has culminated in the present processes of monopolistic, hegemonic, and humanly disempowering globalisation, there is another perspective of democracy which is still widely espoused intellectually and intuitively. It is an idea about relationships being based on equality, mutuality and respect in individual interaction between family members, between communities, between human beings and the rest of nature, in the market, between genders, and the nation state, and between peoples across the nations. The challenge for all of us is to build politics around this perspective to channelize all institutions towards ever expanding and deepening democratisation.

People in South Asia have long cherished values which, in modern times, are best expressed under the rubric of 'universalism' and various dimensions of 'democracy'. Before the colonial interventions of the West, even when there were rulers of foreign origin, the participatory mode of governance from the grassroots to the top, devolution of political power at all levels, and cultural plurality were hallmarks of our social-political system. We had our own failings such as the obnoxious practice of untouchability. The communitarian principles manifested through the caste system degenerated into hierarchical fundamentalism. But, despite all kinds of failings, the sense of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'' (The Earth is a Family) has been part of our cultural sensibility since time immemorial. That is why our socio-cultural diversity is a source of strength and, in fact, the primary defining force behind our unbroken identity. There have, of course, been brief phases of ideological or identity polarizations. But soon, the pluralist perspective prevails again. The basic premise of this world-view is that no sect, religion, ideological group, class, socio-political formation, the state, or church can claim a monopoly over TRUTH. Each one's 'truth' is able to capture only some aspects of the TRUTH, depending upon the vantage point, and not 'the TRUTH' as a whole. Other dimensions are contained in the ‘truth’ possessed by our enemy, and our allies.


Threats to Democracy

All epochal transformative moments in history are pregnant with two opposing possibilities a new dawn or an era of darkness. What are the forces of darkness at this juncture?

Globally, an elusive 'Consumer Paradise' is being promised through the mass media and the market. There is a mad rush for this kind of globalism. Socio-political forces, whose world-views and dreams are anchored in a doctored view of history (such as Huntington's view on 'Clash of Civilisations'), are becoming victims of the prevailing social pathology of a 'mad-race syndrome. Social identities are getting hardened and becoming more and more competitive. These forces believe that they are engaged in a survival struggle, in which moderation finds little place as a democratic trait.


The Democratic Agenda

No one organization can aspire to fulfil the need of all types of interventions required to realize democratic values in all walks of life. So, by definition, there cannot be any one Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. It is a way of relating to at each other, not a structure for unifying or homogenising the diverse. It is an attempt to ‘own’ each other and nurture each other’s democratic interventions despite differences. Therefore it can be more-or-less a space for enabling ideas on concerns about democracy and a platform for diverse interventions. It can be a forum where people from diverse backgrounds, sharing this broad search come and share their work and create new coalitions without necessarily merging their respective institutional/organisational identities.

Such an initiative could also be seen as an effort to engage the civil society in dialogues on a number of crucial issues at various levels: local, regional and international. The dimensions can be articulated as,
· Empowerment of the daridranarayan, the 'last person' (Economic Democracy),
· Ecological regeneration and people's control over natural resources (Ecological Democracy),
· Ensuring human dignity (Social Democracy),
· Strengthening plural co-existence (Cultural Democracy),
· Deepening of democratic structures and institutions (Political Democracy)
· Evolving gender relations based on mutuality, equality and respect (Gender Democracy)

Our Faith

Our shared view is that selfishness and greed are only one part of the human journey and not the defining characteristics of human life. Wants can be fulfilled, and even indulged in, without being glorified.

The task of building true democracy today is inextricably linked to the global struggle to reform or transform capitalism without a readymade version of any ism. It is a project based on the perennial values of non-violence compassion, justice, equality and freedom and truth.

Many radical movements think that their responsibility is only towards a fundamental transfer of power in favour of the oppressed and marginalized. They feel no responsibility towards the larger whole while pursuing the cherished ideals. Moral renewal of individuals and institutions in society, with a sense of the larger whole, is the responsibility of all.

Our Hope

In a phase of phenomenal upsurge of democratic aspirations, new norms have to be agreed upon through a process of participatory dialogue even with the adversary, at various levels of human collectivities. One has to recognize the complementarity of each other’s ‘truth’ and consciously avoid being judgmental regarding the other’s viewpoint. The critical evaluation of other viewpoints has to be in an idiom which encourages moderation and introspective engagement on all sides. Such processes are unfolding and can consciously and actively be pursued today.

Our Method

We espouse a three fold method for democratisation. One is 'dialogue', basically to recognise the contours and the calling of our times. Dialogue at all levels, including with the adversary, is possible only if we believe in the willingness of the human spirit for struggle and self-sacrifice against injustice instead of believing in the conspiracy theory. The dialogue must consciously be across hierarchical structures at each level, incorporating the idiom and aspirations of the most marginalised. Constructive action to strengthen and promote modes of production and ways of life consonant with the various dimensions of democracy is the second aspect, which must be based on a participatory process at each level and across levels. Simultaneously, we have to fight the injustice. For this, multiple forms of non-violent political action are the only answer. One is conscientious civil disobedience, to use Gandhi's word, 'Satyagraha'.


Contact Addresses

Vijay Pratap
Poorvanchal 1312
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi-110067, India
Tel: +91-11-6713251, 6102752 (R)
E-mail: vijaypratap@vsnl.net

Marko Ulvila
Pengertie 3
37800 Toijala
Finland
Tel +358-3-5425423
E-mail: marko.ulvila@kaapeli.fi

angola: Deputy Programme Director

Save the Children UK

2003-10-16

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/386E30EA490B3605C1256DB4005B41F2

Save the Children UK is looking for an experienced, innovative and supportive person to play a key role in our Angolan programme. As Deputy Programme Director you will be responsible for supporting the management and development of the health and social welfare and policy development programmes; human resources and logistics.

eritrea: Programme Officer

PATH

2003-10-16

http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1565.html

PATH Kenya (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is seeking to fill a Program Officer position to fill a minimum of a one-year position based in Asmara, Eritrea with 30% travel within Eritrea. The Program Officer will be involved in a variety of HIV and AIDS interventions and responsible for the development of a range of communication media including interpersonal, print, mass and folk media.

south africa: PROJECT COORDINATOR

CHRIS HANI INSTITUTE

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/17726

The Chris Hani Institute (CHI) is looking for a Project Coordinator to be based at its Head Office in Johannesburg. The CHI is an independent NGO set up through a joint initiative of COSATU and the SACP. The CHI was launched on 15 April 2003 as part of the Chris Hani 10th Anniversary Commemorations.
9 October 2003

ADVERT: PROJECT COORDINATOR REQUIRED BY THE CHRIS HANI INSTITUTE

The Chris Hani Institute (CHI) is looking for a Project Coordinator to be
based at its Head Office in Johannesburg. The CHI is an independent NGO set
up through a joint initiative of COSATU and the SACP. The CHI was launched
on 15 April 2003 as part of the Chris Hani 10th Anniversary Commemorations.

This is a re-advertisement. Previous applicants will not be considered.

Responsibilities and Main Duties are to:
- Implement an international co-operation agreement between the CHI and the
RLF
- Act as the CHI’s liason with various partners and stakeholders
- Plan, Lead and Coordinate initial activities, projects and programmes of
the CHI as decided by the CHI Board and as per CHI Strategic Plan
- Coordinate and Service the Board of the CHI
- Facilitate Strategic Planning by the CHI Board
- Implementation of the CHI Strategic Plan
- Plan, Lead and Coordinate CHI Fundraising work
- Plan, Lead and Coordinate activities to institutionalise and establish
the
CHI including office set-up, installation of office infrastructure and
mobilisation of human resources
- Reports to CHI Board and Task Team
- CHI Advocacy, Marketing and Development of Partnerships with other
stakeholders
- Overall Administration of Finances
- Budgeting and overall Financial Control

Requirements
- Knowledge, understanding and membership of, and committment to working
class organisations, policies and positions on key issues in society
- High-level Project Planning and Management experience, qualification and
skills
- Strategic Planning experience and ability
- Excellent fundraising skills and experience
- Strong Advocacy and Networking skills
- Excellent research skills, qualifications and experience
- Strong ability and experience to initiatite, co-ordinate and drive the
implementation of programmes and projects
- Event management and administration experience and skills
- Ability to write and report effectively
- Ability to work fast, efficiently and meet deadlines
- Efficient time management and work planning
- Experience in, activism in, and membership of working class organisations
and/or broader democratic movement or developmental/voluntary sector
- Self motivated, innovative and able to work under pressure
- Willingness to travel
- Drivers licence
- Ability to work in a team
- Good command of the English language

What is offered?
- a 12-month contract (from 01 December 2003 to 30 November 2004)
- Remuneration - a competitive market-related salary which is negotiable
depending on skills and experience

How to apply?
- Do not include copies of qualifications, certificates, etc. in your
application.
- The selection process will be conducted on Friday, 31 October 2003 and it
will include an interview, a computer-based problem-solving exercise and a
presentation.
- There shall be no correspondence entered into with unsuccesful
candidates.
- Send a covering letter and a comprehensive CV with three contactable
referees by 24 October 2003 to:
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Chris Hani Institute Task Team
Tel: 27 11 339-3621/2, Fax: 27 11 339-4244, Cell: 083 651 0271,
Email - mazibuko@sacp.org.za

sudan: Field Supervisor

GOAL

2003-10-16

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/77D8CFF893EEBC18C1256DBA00480D08

The main purpose of this position is to manage GOAL's programme activities in Abyei County, Bahr El Ghazal (BEG) Region. The project activities include Primary Health Care (PHC) and nutrition but the programme is entering a period of expansion where additional medical and non-medical programme activities will become part of the role.

WEST AFRICA: PROJECT MANAGER

IDEA

2003-10-16

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/17788

To replace a staff member on leave of absence, IDEA seeks a temporary Project Manager to contribute to the general development of its activities in Africa, with specific reference to the West Africa region. (S)he will be located primarily in West Africa, reporting to the Head of the Africa Team based in Pretoria. (S)he will work in cooperation with the other members of the Africa Team and with IDEA's staff at HQ in Stockholm.

PROJECT MANAGER for WEST AFRICA
Temporary post - November 2003 to June 2004
1. The position:
To replace a staff member on leave of absence, IDEA seeks a temporary Project Manager to contribute to the general development of its activities in Africa, with specific reference to the West Africa region. (S)he will be located primarily in West Africa, reporting to the Head of the Africa Team based in Pretoria. (S)he will work in cooperation with the other members of the Africa Team and with IDEA’s staff at HQ in Stockholm..
2. Context:
International IDEA is preparing its programme of activities for 2004-6 with a focus on the strengthening of electoral processes and political parties; the political participation of women and other underrepresented groups; democracy building through dialogue, especially in post conflict situations. These themes will be taken up in IDEA’s work in Africa, building on existing activities and working in cooperation with various public and non-governmental bodies at national and international level. In West Africa, IDEA is seeking to strengthen ties with regional organisations and give a stronger regional dimension to its activities currently based in Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
IDEA has specialised staff at HQ in Stockholm working on each priority theme. Its geographical staff contribute information and analysis from the field, take part in designing and implementing activities, represent IDEA and its work in the region, networking and liaising with official bodies, local political actors, academics, NGOs, the donor community etc. The Africa team is headed by a Director to be based in Pretoria. Project teams are currently based in Lagos and Ouagadougou.
The programme manager with special responsibility for West Africa will take leave of absence in November until June, creating a temporary vacancy for a full time (or nearly full time) expert with project management skills in the area of democracy and good governance, as well as a sound knowledge of political trends in Africa.
3. Main functions:
v Participate in programming IDEA’s activities in West Africa, including the Burkina Faso project, for the period 2004-6 and take specific responsibility for initial phase of implementation of these activities
v Contribute to the development of IDEA’s thematic work, providing regular information and analysis on political trends and challenges for democracy in West Africa

v Maintain and develop relevant professional contacts and networks of cooperation with those active in the field of political reform and democracy assistance in Africa, including practitioners, policy makers, academics and the international community (e.g. ECOWAS).
v Represent IDEA externally as appropriate, provide information and expertise for target groups, the media etc. and generally contribute to IDEA’s information activities
4. Specific tasks:

The assignment is foreseen in two consecutive phases:

First phase: minimum 30 days between November 2003 and end January 2004 to be based primarily in Stockholm
Tasks:
- to assist in programming of IDEA’s activities in Africa 2004-6 and in the definition of specific regional activities for West Africa.;
- to prepare 2004 work plan and budget for activities relating more specifically to West Africa.

Second phase: minimum 90 days between February and end June 2004, to be based primarily in Ouagadougou and the West Africa region, with two or three visits to IDEA office in Pretoria and possibly Stockholm as required.
Tasks:
- to prepare and launch activities, supervise financial administration, procurement and budget monthly reporting (10-15 days a month)
- representation, networking and public relations relating to all IDEA's work (2-5 days a month)
- political analysis and reporting (2-5 days a month)
- handover and debriefing

A third phase may be foreseen to continue supervisory tasks, delaying full handover until later in 2004.
5. Required Skills:
The Project Manager should have a good track record of designing, managing or evaluating democracy or governance projects (5 years minimum). Knowledge of development co-operation and good understanding of programming procedures, project cycle management etc would be a distinct advantage. Experience of working at transnational level or with regional organizations would be an advantage.

(S)he should be familiar with a range of issues relating to democracy analysis and support, including one or more of the following: political party development, legislative and parliamentary work, post conflict democracy building, gender and political participation, election processes.

(S)he should have a sound knowledge and capacity for analysis of political trends and challenges for democracy in Africa, preferably in West Africa. Ideally, the project manager will already have a network of relevant contacts in the region.
The project manager should be full of initiative, versatile and adaptable, willing to keep colleagues fully informed, yet able to work autonomously. Fluency in English and French is required as well as normal computer/internet skills.
Type of contract: 8 Months (limited) duration - full time or 75% time.
Entry on duty: November 2003
Fee: International rates, commensurate with professional experience

Closing date for tenders: 29 October 2003

Tenders (including CV) should be sent preferably by e-mail vacancies@idea.int or by fax: +46-8-20 24 22 or by post International IDEA, 103 34 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. Mark the tender “Project Manager West Africa”.

Fahamu