News, Vol. 28, No. 7

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Alternative title Zimbabwe News Author/Creator Zimbabwe African National Union Publisher Zimbabwe African National Union (, Zimbabwe) Date 1997-07-00 - 1997-10-00 Resource type Magazines (Periodicals) Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) Zimbabwe, Angola, Africa (region), Southern Africa (region) Coverage (temporal) 1997 Source Northwestern University Libraries, L968.91005 Z711 v.28 Rights By kind permission of ZANU, the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front. Description Comment. Cover Story: Diana — The Princess of the Poor. Mother Teresa a global citizen. National News: Nation mourns heroic sons. In memory of heroes of the nation. — committed and loyal. They want Africa to stay a big game park. Special Reports: Reproductive rights — why do they matter? Southern Africa warned about impending drought. View point: A word to aspiring writers. Regional File: Sanctions may save fragile peace in Angola. Business opportunities in New Congo. I write as I like: Significance of 1997 Local Government Elections. Women's file: Interview with Assetou Khoite representative of PAWO. Business: Debt Relief vital for Africa's revival. New era dawns as Africa launches economic community. Feature: Plight of farm workers set to worsen. The struggle for economic independence. Health and Occupational Safety. News In Brief: Increase in Financial Support to Africa: Expert. African Chiefs want old democracies restored. Southern Africa urged to formulate Agricultural Policies. SADC on Food Security. Africa File: Khartoum moves to end isolation. Inquiry faces hurdles in New Congo. OAU to get tougher on military coups. Law and Society: Child sexual abuse and the law. International: Yeltsin more

http://www.aluka.org invincible after going under the knife. Opinion: A call for reflection and reawakening. Book Review: Title: Lake Chivero: A Polluted Lake, Published by University of Zimbabwe. Publications. Obituary: Adam Fredy Wenyimo (1929-1997). Format extent 44 page(s) (length/size)

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http://www.aluka.org ZANU PF

ZANU PF Department of Informration and Publici 1%. 144 Union Avcntie, Haore Tel: 790149 Vmclu 28, N. ' 1997, egistered at the GPO as aNewspaper JULY - OCTOBER 1997 I1nmcl. saleS tax) I Ladies of honour The fruit of silence is prayer Diana - Princess The fruit of prayer is faith The fruit of faith is love of thepoor The fruit of love is service Mother Teresa Zimbabwe News Official Organ of ZANU PF $2.50

Zimbabwe News Official Organ of ZANU PF Contents Comment: Cover Story: 'National News: Special Reports: View point: Regional File: I write as I like: Women's file: Business Feature: News In Brief: Africa File: Law and Socety: International: Opinion: Book Review: Obituary: ...... 2 Diana - The Princess of the Poor ...... - 3 Mother Teresa a global citizen ...... 5 Nation mourns heroic sons ...... 6 In memory of heroes of the nation ...... 7 Defence forces - commited and loyal ...... 8 They want Africa to stay a big game park ...... 9 Reproductive rights - why do they matter'? ...... 10 Southern Africa warned about impending drought ...... 12 A word to aspiring writers ...... 14 Sanctions may save fragile peace in Angola ...... 15 Business opportunities in New Congo ...... 16 Significance of 1997 Local Government Elections ...... 17 Interview with Assetou Khoite representative of PAWO ...... 19 Debt Relief vital for Africa's revival ...... 20 New era dawns as Africa launches economic community ...... 21 Plight of farm workers set to worsen ...... 22 The struggle for economic independence ...... 23 Health and Occupational Safety ...... 25 Increase in Financial Support to Africa: Expert ...... 26 African Chiefs want old democracies restored ...... 27 Southern Africa urged to formulate Agricultural Policies ...... 27 SADC on Food Security ...... 27 Khartoum moves to end isolation ...... 27 Inquiry faces hurdles in New Congo ...... 28 OAU to get tougher on military coups ...... 29 Child sexual abuse and the law ...... 30 Yeltsin more invincible after going under the knife ...... 31 A call for reflection and reawakening ...... 32 Title: Lake Chivero: A Polluted Lake, Published by University of Zimbabwe ... Publications ...... 36 Adam Fredy Wenyimo (1929-1997) ...... 37 0~ Zimbabwe News in the official organ of the Zimbabwe African National Union ZANU PF and is produced on the authority of the Central Committee by the Department of Information and Publicity, Jongwe World Copyright, Central Committee (ZANU PF) Editorial Council: Cde. N.M. Shamuyarira, Cde.C.,C. Chimutengwende, Cde. C. Ndlovu, Cde. S: Kachingwe, Cde. A Sikhosana ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO.

Ex-fighters a national priority OVER the past few months, Zimbabwe witnessed a spate of demonstrations by ex-freedom fighters in most major centres of the country. This was largely precipitated by a temporary stoppage announced by the government in their payment for injuries sustained during the armed liberation struggle following allegations that the War Victims Compensation Fund was being abused. It was during the course of the demonstrations that the leadership of the war veterans met with their patron and , Cde. . Following that meeting, the atmosphere is now more conducive to a corruption- free speedy assessment and compensation of all war veterans, most of whom are still living in abject poverty 17 years after the attainment of national independence. Thus we join the rest of our progressive nation in applauding President Mugabe for his swift action which, once again, confirmed ZANU PF's readiness and commitment to fulfilling the wishes of all its stakeholders and the general electorate at large. However, we take exception to some of the methods applied by the ex-fighters during the course of the demonstrations which resulted in isolated clashes with law enforcement agents. Violence is certainly not a way of communicating one's grievances; it attracts violent solutions which was definitely not what the ex-fighters were looking for. We feel though, that the Party should have given priority to the war veterans soon after the attainment of independence in April, 1980. All the same, it is pleasing that action is now being taken towards meeting the needs of Zimbabwe's most illustrious sons and daughters who bravely accepted the challenge and selflessly sacrificed their lives for our freedom. In this spirit, we unreservedly condemn those guilty of corruption as exposed by the Chidyausiku Commission. We are strongly opposed to people who seek to reap where they did not sow; people whose actions disadvantaged both deserving recipients and the general citizenry. In this regard, the leadership of the war veterans should be commended for helping the state stem out unscrupulous elements through an assiduous vetting system which has just ended. But efforts should not stop here. More should be done in coming up with initiatives that will integrate ex-fighters into various economic sectors such as mining, farming and manufacturing. This will go a long way in complementing government's efforts aimed at alleviating poverty and the general suffering presently characterising lives of most war veterans. There is no need to simply wait for the gratuity and pension payments recently announced by the government. Practicable long-term business initiatives will indeed help compensate for the veterans' unprecedented sacrifice and, bring them into the core of the economic fold. Lastly, it should always be borne in mind that ex-fighters are a national priority. They need every support we can give them and, we need their tested, tried and unwavering revolutionary dedication to duty. Together, the fight for economic emancipation will just be but another resounding victory. And with it, our total independence: ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Diana -- the Princess, of the Poor RBy Ajusa Tabarara iana, the Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in a Paris underpass on August 31, 1997 will be remembered for the brightness, gaiety and glamour she brought to people worldwide. People will certainly miss the controversy she created prd the fascination she held for untold inillions. The world will miss the love she showed to the sick, poor and desperate around the' world. In the immediate aftermath of her death, there was understandable anger at how she died. There are unanswered questions about the behaviour of French photographers and why the Mercedes was travelling at 196km/hr in a 70km/hr limit area. Diana, 36, her lover Dodi al-Fayed, 41, and their driver Henri Paul, a former pilot in the French airforce, died in the tragic car crash while fleeing French paparazzi. Their bodyguard. Trevor ReesJones was recovering at a French hospital. Diana was buried on Saturday, 6 September. Dodi's funeral was held on Sunday night, August 31 soon after his body was brought back to Britain. The Princess died on the operating table - one year and three days since her -divorce from Prince Charles became final. Doctors battled for two hours to save her life. Professor Bruno Riou, who led a team of French medics at PitieSalpetriere Hospital, said Diana suffered very serious thoraic haemorrhaging, followed quickly by cardiac arrest. An emergency chest operation showed a serious wound to the left pulmonary vein. Death was pronounced at 4.00 a.m. French time. She is survived by her two sons, William, 15 and Harry, 12. Anguish The anguish of her family, the Spencers, was mirrored throughout Britain in extraordinary scenes as ordinary men and women paid tearful and emotional tribute to one of the most deeply loved public figures in the world. British people were disappointed that the Royal Standard was not flown at half mast but a Palace spokesman explained that it is ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 Princess Diana touring Ruins during her tour of duty to the Southern African nation never flown at halt mast even when a monarch dies. In France, a mound of flowers grew in the tunnel as foreigners and French people paid homage to Diana. British Liberal Democratic leader Paddy Ashdown said Diana brought colour and compassion to people's lives. Premier Tony Blair said he was "utterly devastated" by the death of a wonderful woman and a warm human being "although her own life was often sadly touched by tragedy". Elton John said the world has lost a compassionate humanitarian. Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti described Diana as "the most beautiful symbol of humanity and love for all the world". One floral tribute summed up some people's feelings: "Born a lady, became a princess, died a saint." Another was much more emotional: "The nation has thrown away a jewel more precious than its whole empire." Dodi's father, Mohammed al-Fayed said he had tremendous regard for Princess Diana and he cherished her friendship "as did all the Fayed family". He described the condemned driver as "a very safe, reliable person" who has worked for their company for ten years. Deep love Dodi had declared to Michael Cole, director of public affairs at their London store that he was very fond of Diana and "will never have another girlfriend." For the first time, Diana had abandoned all pretence and secrecy, openly admitting her feelings for her new love. She said: "It's about time I started to get a4ife, and this is it. I believe that Dodi is the man who will take me out of one world into another. I trust him. I think he can provide absolutely everything I need. OContinued on next page

Diana - Princess of the poor *Continued on next page "'I love his gentleness and his kindiiess. I can't tell you how comforting it is. I like the way he sends flowers and the way he conducts himself, not only with me but with women in general." As the affair blossomed, Diana looked more at ease with life than she had done for years and friends began speaking seriously of a prospect of a wedding. Diana and Dodi spent so much time together and it was almost as if they knew there was no time to waste. They met 10 years ago but their relationship only blossed in July. They had been in love for nine months. Said The Mirror" Diana's love story came to its swift and shockihg end. But at least for the last weeks of her life the once tormented Princess had found the happiness which had eluded her for so long." Triumph The paper added that the press was being blamed "before all the details of the accident are known". It noted that Diana was the most incredible mixture of vulnerability and toughness, innocence and cunning. History, it stated, will recall her as the woman who changed the way British people regard the royals. It said alone, Diana took on the might of the royal establishment and triumphed it again and again and again. Althouglh their fairy tale marriage was blessed with two sons, it turned sour as she discovered that her husband loved another woman, Camilla Parker Bowles. In her grief, she made a cry-for-help suicide attempt. Dale Tryon and Selina Scott were mentioned in Charles' affairs while James Hewitt James Gilbey, Phillip Dunre, Oliver Hoare, Hasnat Khan, Will Carling, Christopher Whaley and Asian millionaire Gulu Lalvani featured in Diana's. As the marriage collapsed, Prince Charles admitted never having loved his wife who he said he was bullied into marrying by his father. Noting that she would not go "quietly" and vowing that -I'll fight on", Princess Diana said Charles should not become king because of his adulterous affairs. The divorce was officially announced on February 28, 1996. The Princess, born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham - and failed all her O-levels even at the second taking and left school at 16, worked for £1 an hour cleaning and acting as a nanny before becoming an assistant at a Young England Kindergarten in London, Pimlioo. She became the first Englishwoman in 300 years to marry an heir to the throne and they wed- The Princess of Wales with Young Angolan landmine victims ded on 29 July, 1981. Diana was 20 and Charles 32. Controversy She was later to become controversial for allegedly involving herself in what were said to be political issues, which she preferred to call humanitarian problems. Although the British government realised Diana as a major asset to the country and resorted to using her to help boost goodwill, the royal family regarded her as an uncontrollable "wild card" and she was isolated accordingly, Diana told the Daily Mail's Richard Kay: "I have got to find a place where I can have peace of mind." She considered France, , America and Australia, The young tragic woman was often accused of destabilising the Monarchy and was reported to have praised Labour and criticised the Conservatives on the landmine issue in French papers. In her Panorama television interview, she talked of a monarchy for the 21st century. To this, The Express commented that the royals can go back to the distant, cold, formal monarchy'of lavish imperial aloofness at their own peril. Noting that the agenda of her palace enemies have been dashed with her death, the Daily Mail said the dead Diana will threaten the stability of the monarchy more seriously than she did when she was alive. It said people polled recently preferred Britain to be a republic. Marriage and Islam The Sunday she died, Diana, who had become fascinated with Islam, was to tell the royal family of her plan to marry Dodi. Dodi confirmed to a relative Hassan Yassin: "Diana and I are deeply in love. The relationship is extremely serious and we have decided to get married. "They were to set up a home in £7 million (about Z$126 million) Malibu mansion bought recently. The Sun condemned the royal family's aloofness at Diana's death and the lack of expression of sorrow. It also predict. ed that the monarchy would die with Diana's departure. Zimbabweans, like other people worldwide, will remember her for championing the cause of the sick when she visit*Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Mother Teresa a global citizen W'She was a wonderful person who hasa touched everybody's lives" - Tess Joseph, a Christian teenager other Teresa, the 87-year-old Catholic nun who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her self less devotion to the poor, died of cardiDiana the Princess of the poor *Continued from previous page ed leprosy and Aids patients, the aged as well as children's homes. Said her brother Earl Spencer: "My own and only explanation is that genuine goodness is threatening to those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum. "It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this: a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was in the end the most hunted person of the modern age." According to a French paper, Le Poisien Princess Diana's last words as she lay fatally injured in the car wreck were: "Leave me alone, leave me alone." Elton John sang the church service on the burial day. Part of the song went thus: "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts. You were the grace that placed itself where lives were torn apart." 0I *'We have lost our mother. She was a mother to the whole world" - Sufla Riazi, a Moslem school teacher. ac arrest on Friday September 5, 1997, irtthe eastem Indian City of Culcutta, her home and base of her Missioneries of Charity Order which she created almost half a century ago. What tragedy that the world has lost in less than a week, two women who had touched the lives of people in their distinct generations: Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris hounded by paparazzi on motorbikes and, Mother Teresa. What irony that the world had been served best by two people who worked outside institutions and structures traditionally designed for public servants. Interesting comparison It was a very interesting comparison between Princess Diana and Mother Teresa. The Economist Times newspaper said: "The frail, aged, wrinkled but radiant Mother Teresa and the lith, young, and beautiful Diana could not possibly have been more different. Born over half a century apart - Mother Teresa was born in 1910, Diana in 1961 - their work among the poor, the suffering and the loney brought them together. "And it was fate's ever surprising twist that both died in such quick succession, with the Mother breathing her last on the eve of Diana's funeral". Cardinal Jaime Sin, from Manila, Phillipines, also compared Diana and Mother Teresa: "The Princess lived in the palace. Our little nun lived in the shacks of the poor ... The Princess has made it to the headlines, where her face is seen everyday. Our dear, reverend Mother has entered Heaven, where her heart really belonged even while on earth. "With the death of the Princess, the world lost a sweetheart; in the death of our little sister, the world has gained an advocate in Heaven. "In life, the Princess was known for her beauty and gracefulness, while our very dear sister, by her lifelong service to humanity, transformed a hostile and ugly world into a striking paradise of Christian love". 0"She was a living goddess for whom there is no replacement" - Ratan Saha, a Hindu college student. religious barriers and geographical boundaries. Both of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa gave us an example of the voluntary work. -It is impossible to find out exactly how many volunteers are at work. In the United States, for example, thirty-seven million or so are known to belong to organisations like the Pink Ladies, Traveler's Aid, or Big Brothers. But those who work alone or in small informal groups cannot be counted. The total number of men and women who give their time to help others appears to be between 50 and 78 million. They do almost anything: They saw, clean, scrub, paint, cook, repair things, record books for the blind, amuse sick children in hospitals, or escort senior citizens who do not want to go out alone. They give blood, they work in libraries and schools; they translate documents' for new citizens with a language problem or raise money to support syphony orchestras. They answer the telephone calls of the desperate who are thinking of killing themselves and, who ,need a friendly ear. But the problem is: The volunteers prefer to help the needy, informally, in their own neighbourhood. And they can find plenty to do. Now, one may wonder what Princess Diano and Mother Teresa would think. Hussein Serag, staff writer NB: The following to be boxed in the story: Mother Teresa factfile OWas born on August 27, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia to Albanian parents OHer real name was Agnes Gonxha 'Bojaxhiu Owas awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work among the poorest of the poor in Culcutta and around the world *poor in Culcutta and around the world 0 Launched her Missionaries of Charity Order in 1959, and Helping hands *Died of heart-attack on September 5, Infact, Mother Teresa's work cut across 1977. l ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

The late Cde Joseph Kaparadza, a former Deput/ Minister and Governor The nation at large is still in a state ot mourning following recent deaths of some of her most illustrious sons. First to depart was Jongwe Printing and Publishing Company's Acting Managing Director and Member of the Central Committee, Cde. Adam Wenyimo, who collapsed at his Seke home last July. A politician and business administrator of many years, he served the Party faithfully throughout his life. (See full obituary) A couple of weeks later, former Deputy Minister and, Mashonaland Central Governor, Cde. Joseph Kaparadza, passed away. He was buried at his rural home in Dotito, Mt. Darwin. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 That was followed by the deaths of comrades George Marange and Charles Nkomo early August. Late during the same month, comrades Edmund Garwe and Andrew Jirn passed away. Cde. Marange, a Parliamentary representative for Gokwe Central at the time of his death and, a Central Committee Member, entered politics during the very early days and was an unwavering ZANU PF faithful to his last day. He died following a short illness and was declared a national hero. In Bulawayo, an ex-freedom fighter, Cde. Charles Nkomo, yet another dedicated cadre, also died after a short illness. Then it was the death of ZANU PF's candidate in the forthcoming Chitungwiza Executive Mayoral elections, Cde. Andrew Jiri. For many years a selfless civil servant, Cde. Jiri died in a road accident at a time he was undoubtedly most needed by both the Party and the people of Chitungwiza who were all set to retain him as mayor of the town. He was declared a liberation hero and buried at his rural home in 'Madziva, Mashonaland Central Province. A day following Cde. Jiri's death, former. Minister of Education, Cde. Edmund Garwe, passed away after complaining of chest pains. He was a Member of Parliament for Murehwa North, a Member of the Central Committee and, a hardworking gentleman of integrity. He was also declared a liberation hero and laid to rest at Marondera's Paradise Park. Their deaths were therefore not only terrible losses to their families but, shattering blows to the leadership and fellowship of ZANU PF as a Party and, Zimbabwe as a nation. Only last May, the Party lost two of its -Most dedicated and committed cadres - comrades Stephen Kenneth Sesulelo Vuma and Peter Musende. Cde. Vuma, a self-convicted socialist and Member of the Central Committee at the time of his * death, was declared a national hero while Cde. Musende, who was Mashonaland East ZANU PF Provincial chairman at the time of his untimely departure, was declared a liberation war hero. May all their souls rest in eternal peace. 0 National News Nation mourns heroic sons Stalf Writer

In memory of heroes of the nation Staff Writer n the occasion of-commemorating Zimbabwe's sons and daughters, ordinary young and old people alike who played extraordinary roles towards the liberation of the nation President Robert Mugabe paid heartfelt tribute to the fallen heroes, noting that they endured pain, suffering and brutality as' they engaged the enemy in the bitter struggle to liberate the masses whose lives had been for decades, shackled by colonial oppressors. Addressing thousands of citizens gathered at the national shrine on 11 August 1997, Cde. Mugabe said it was thus their selflessness, determination and loyalty to the cause of freedom which made it possible for Zimbabwe to be born. "We are assembled here, not so much to mourn our departed brave heroes as to remember and pay tribute to them as we renew our dedication and unswerving loyalty to Zimbabwe and. the national cause to shape our future guided by the ideals that they held dear as they kept the flames of the revolutionary struggle alight. "We are here also to rekindle in us the sense of national consciousness and common identity which should always impel us to uphold the unity and oneness of our people as they chart the course of their national destiny. The spirit of these fallen heroes should, therefore, be kept alive, and be nurtured and cherished for the present and future generations of this country so that their actions can always engender the true spirit of patriotism, altruism and comradeship within our society." Honour The President said it was incumbent upon all citizens, as they honoured with pride the fallen heroes, to remember those of the gallant fighters who died outside Zimbabwe and were buried in such places as Mozambique, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and Botswana. It was in order to pay them fitting tribute that the Party, he said, had directed the Minister of Home Affairs to establish a task force whose mandate was to locate and identify all the graves of combatants who died outside Zimbabwe so that monuments could be constructed in their honour. "In addition," said Cde. Mugabe, "the Party and Government have now provided that all deceased war veterans, detainees and restrictees shall be honoured as Liberation War Heroes and Liberation Heroes respectively." Farms identified President Mugabe said last year, the Party established the Land Acquisition Committee headed by Cde. to identify, among other things, the totality of commercial farms in the country and indicate to the Party land to be acquired. He said a total of 1 772 farms had so far been identified with a total of 4 403 127 hectares. "Out of these, 1 072 farms have been identified for resettlement purposes with a total hectarage of 3 205 911. The number of farms identified for indigenous commercial farming purposes stands at 700 with a total area nf 1 397 216 hectares. "War veterans will be allocated a percentage of the land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act. The programme of allocating land for resettlement of war veterans will be an on-going exercise." War veterans "Being mindful of the plight of excombatants," he said, "the Government has enacted the War Veterans Act and decided to create the War Veterans Fund for financing business projects designed to economically empower the war veterans in the fields, of agriculture and manufacturing. "Programmes under the War Veterans Act will now be administered by Cde. , who has been appointed Minister of State in the President's Office, and who willreport directly to the President." However, noted Cde. Mugabe, while ad.dressing specific requirements for war. veterans, government was mindful of the plight of the communal area people. He said in order to uplift the standard of living for the people particularly those in rural areas, 2$1.3 billion had been allocated to the newly created Ministry of Rural Resources and Water Development. In addition, he said, there would be a Rural Development Fund which would be used specifically for the provision of, among other projects, rural roads, boreholes, sanitation facilities, and small to medium-sized dams, din-' ics et cetera in rural districts. Observed Cde. Mugabe: ',This new approach to rural development will certain-. ly result in improved infrastructure in the rural areas with a significant impact on the social lives of the rural people." President Robert Mugabe roudded off his address by urging every citizen to draw inspiration and courage from the selfless and noble spirit that guided the nation's heroes as they charted the path to freedom. "Let us continue to recognise that our non-racial society can only -prosper under the hard-earned conditions of freedom, equality, unity, peace and stability," he said. 0 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 For news behind the headlines, buy a copy of Zimbabwe News

Defence forces - committed and loyal Staff Writer During the past years, the nation has witnessed fundamental organisational structure and policy transformations in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces aimed at meeting new security and socio-economic challenges within the southern Africa region. Addressing several thousands of people gathered at Rufaro Stadium-on the occasion of Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day (12 August 1997), the President and Commander-In-Chief of the forces, Cde. Robert Gabriel Mugabe said the Day was was important in the history of the nation. "It is a day specifically set aside to honour and respect our Defence Forces as well as recognise their special role in our society as physical guarantors of Zimbabwe's territorial integrity and sovereignity over its airspace and naturalresources ... The favourable security environment which our nation has enjoyed over the years and continues to enjoy today is a clear testimony of the commitment and unflinching loyalty to Zimbabwe and its people by our Defence Forces." Transformation in the Defence Forces included the creation of a single command structure within the Ministry of Defence in order to bring about efficiency and effectiveness in the management of defence matters. He observed that the military and professional institutions of learning have continued to score notable and commendable achievements in producing personnel of high calibre. "In this regard, our Defence Forces conducted successful training courses and exercises that included the Platoon*Sergeants Course, the Second Regional Peacekeeping Course, Exercise Blue Hungwe and Exercise Nyanga Stone. "Participation in the courses was not confined to local participants only, but included personnel from our neighbours in the region. I also note with great satisfaction the progress made in the training programme that is designed to equip retired and retrenched soldiers with professional and entrepreneurial skills," said Cde. Mugabe and thanked the European Union for a $30 million grant to further the above cause. Other services Defence Forces, said the President, have continued to play a key and vital role in upgrading strategic installations and other infrastructures located in various parts of the Country in support of the agencies of law and order. "Operation Safeguard Heritage is a vindication of the Defence Forces' effective support given to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in the preservation of our natural resources. "in addition, the Defence Forces' assistance and support extended to the civil community and authority have'continued unabated in providing rescue operations to victims to floods and other disasters which often occur during the rainy season. "The Zimbabwe Defence Forces have also assisted the City of Harare in clearing the water hyacinth in Lake Chivero. The nation is also proud of the Forces's splendid efforts in manning hospitals and clinics during the civil servants' strike action in September last year, ificluding their support to the -Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in controlling the malaria outbreak and assisting in the immunisation programme." General welfare Cde. Mugabe said while government was aware of the critical shortage of singe and married residential accommo-, dation, he was pleased to note that in the spirit of self-reliance, the Forces have put in place a Construction Regiment whose mission is to address the accommodation situation in conjuction with the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing. He said the recent commissioning of the Defence Forces Harare Mortuary and Funeral Parlour was a welcome move which marked an important milestone towards the provision of basic and essential facilities for deceased members of the Force. "In these times of peace, tranquility and stability, our Defence Forces have embarked on various economic activities that generate income for the improve- ment of their conditions of service and state of our defence systems. In this regard, the engineers and technicians are constantly engaged in refurbishing vehicles, tanks, aircraft and buses in order to give them a new lease of life." Proud The President said government would continue building and upgrading Ohe Forces' fighting capability and military preparedness adding that defence and security of any nation were not cheap commodities. "Because they are the insurance for peace, survival and progress, expenditure on them is thus necessary in pursuit of these noble ideas and virtues." Stated the President: "Zimbabwe is proud of the achivements of her Defence Forces in carrying out humanitarian operations in Somalia, Rwanda and Angola under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. "In all these peace-keeping and observer missions, our Defence Forces raised high the Zimbabwean flag, with discipline and dignity to the admiration of the whole world. In the process, our Defence Forces forged friendly and lasting relations with their colleagues from other foreign countries. As a result, Zimbabwe now enjoys fraternal relations of mutual trust and cooperation with all its neighbours. "In line with her defence policy, Zimbabwe will never use her Defence Forces for aggressive purposes, except in deferkce of her legitimate, vested interests and national sovereignity. Selfdefence is Zimbabwe's primary defence strategy, in line with her defence planning and strategic new thinking." In conclusion, the President and ZDF Commander-In-Chief noted that prevailing peace in the sub- region would further facilitate progress and development in the economies of all the countries concerned. And observed: 'Through the tireless and examplary efforts of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Zimbabwe will continue to be assured of socio-economic stability and prosperity which the neighbouring countries can also share." 0 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

They want Africa to stay a big game park Staff Writer Southern Africa has won the first battle over the jumbos but the real fight is far from being over yet imbabwe had indeed, every person to celeborate at the Harare meeting of the Convetion on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) after amassing 77 votes having polled only eight at the previous meeting in the United States of America about 36 months ago. Botswana and Namibia also won their rights to re- engage in ivory and other elephant related products at the Harare meeting. Zimbabwe is home to more than 66 000 jumbos, plus-half more than the acceptable ecological carrying capacity which local environmental experts put at 30 000. Speaking to this magazine following the triumphant victory in the highly contended debate to downlist jumbos from strictly prohibitive Appendix 1 to Appendix 11, the then Minister of Environment and Tourism, Cde. Chen Chimutengwende (now Minister of Information Posts and Telecommunication) said it was important and indeed significant that the nation, alongside Botswana and Namibia, eventually won. to downlist the jumbos which mostly came from the industrialised nations,. Cde. ChimUtengwende said there was an element of racism in their argument. Explained the Minister: "It's not the welfare of the people they are concerned with but the perpetuation and furthrance of their own interests." Cde. Chimutengwende probably put it more succintly vhen he said: "The industrialised West would still like to see Africa as one big game park." National parks in Zimbabwe consume betweenZ$80 and $90 million per annum, most of which is taxpayer's money. The nation has been losing several millions. each year owing to the ban on ivory and related products. Its present stockpile, which is still accumulating, is in excess of Z$40 million of which $11.2 million (28 percent) should long have gone towards the construction of clinics, schools and other projects in the rural areas under the CAMPFIRE programme. Asked what he made of the resistance Given the above, it rings even clearer that there is no genuine morality whatsoever in the so-called aid to developing nations from the West. That they pursue nothing but self-serving interests regardless of their consequences on the general populace of economically struggling nations. To further underscore the immediate above, the so-called animal rights groups in the West are alleged to be working on a counter-productive exercise to sponsor poachers so as to discredit the three southern African states in their conduct of ivory trade. If succes ful, the next CITES meeting will have ample evidence to re- ban ivory and related trade. Ironically, in the best interests of animals. However, Minister Chen Chimutengwende stated that efforts were underway to tighten every possible loophole through increased security. Yet there is another possibility; manipulation of staff within the ranks and file of the department of national parks and wildlife. A mechanism should thus be put into place to ensure this does not occur.O ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Reproductive rights why do they matter? right for both women and men; that every individual has the right to decide the size and spacing of the family, and to have the means and information to do so; that there must be no coercion, either to have or not to have children; andthat these rights are part of the international structure of human rights, which has as its foundation the concept that all men and women are equa". At the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994, and the Fourth World Conference in Women, held in Beijing in 1995, * the world's nations spelt out in detail the components of reproductive rights and their implications. These rights include voluntary choice in marriage, sexual relations and childbearing, and the right to enjoy the highest attainable standards of sexual and reproductive health. The State of World Population report shows how these understandings flow from the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and international human rights treaties / which are binding on states that have ratified them - the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the I Everyone has a basic right to be free from sexual violence and coercion. Above, Child. a street scene in Thailand In particular, these treaties obligate odern contraception has revolu- internationally-agreed human rights governments to protect individuals tionised family life. Until the pill can make a difference in people's lives against violations of their reproductive came into widespread use. in by giving them the power of choice. For rights, and to ensure that everyone has the 1960s, sex was a lottery: there were women, reproductive rights are especial- access to safe and affordable services no really safe contraceptives. Today, ly important - guaranteeing the abili- addressing a broad range of sexual and nearly 60 per cent of the world's cou- ty to make choices about childbearing reproductive health concerns (including pies use modem family planning, and empowers them to make choices in family planning, safe motherhood and "reproductive health", which includes other areas of life. prevention of sexually transimitted diseases, among others). The United Nae right to decide the size and spacing A central theme of the report is that tions system for monitoring treaty comof the family, is recognised as a human reproductive choice, gender equality and pliance therefore offers important supright. sustainable development are closely port for efforts to protect and promote The place of reproductive and sexual connected, a linkage the international reproductive rights. rights in the human rights framework community has recognised repeatedly The conference agreements themselves 'is described in The State of World Popu- at the 1990s series of conferences on so-expre lation 1997 report by the United Nations cial development issues, vuss a global consensus and are inPopulation Fund (UNFPA), published on valuable advocacy tools which can in28 May. The report, The Right to Says Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director fluence the formulation to national laws, Choose: Reproductive Rights and of UNFPA: "The consensus means what Reproductive Health, shows how it says: that reproductive health is a OContinued from previous page 10 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Reproductive rights'- why do they matter?- *Continued on next page policies and standards. The report cites numerous examples of how countries are putting the Cairo and Beijing agreements into operation. For example, the South African Constitution, adopted last year, explicitly prohibits discrimination on grounds of gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status or sexual orientation. It also recognises that everyone has the right "to bodily. and psychological integrity, which includes the right ... to make decisions concerning reproduction", and "to have access to ... health care services, including reproductive health care". The Ugandan Constitution was recently revised to recognise the priority of human rights for women over traditional and local laws. Chile is considering a constitutional reform to establish legal equality between women and men. The government of Sri Lanka recently approved a Women's Charter which acknowledges women's right to control their reproductive lives. In Colombia, a new social security law recognises women's rights to sexual and reproductive health. Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Haiti and Peru are among the many countries that have recently established or strengthened institutions to protect the rights of women. Laws protecting women against sexual and domestic violence have been approved in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. Strengthening and enforcing these safeguards will be vital for global development. The UNFPA report lists a basic set of internationally-accepted reproductive rights, which are implied in international human rights instruments: The right to survival/right to life implies that women's status and health services should be improved to reduce the 585,000 maternal deaths that occur each year from the pregnancy-related causes. This involves, for example, reducing early marriage and higher-risk pregnancies; expanding access to pregnancy care, trained birth attendants and emergency obstetric services; providing quality family planning services and information; and reducing reliance on unsafe abortion. The right to liberty and security of the person implies a right to enjoy and control one's sexual and reproductive life, and the right to informed consent in medical interventions, several countries' constitutional courts have held that compulsory sterilisation and abortion violate this right. The practice of female genital mutilation information to allow in formed decisions. The right to the highest attainable standard of health implies a right to have access to the highest-possible quality care related to sexual and reproductive health, protection from harmful practices, and the right to counselling and impartial information to allow informed decisions. The right to family planning has been acknowledged, clarified and expanded in human rights instruments and international declarations since 1968. The Cairo Programme of Action, reaffirming earlier agreements, states: "All couples and individuals have the basic right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so". , The right to marry and found a family implies to government obligation to offer services for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, since these are a leading cause of infertility. The right to a private and family lifeincludes the right to make autonomous and confidential choices in regard to whether and when to have children. The right to the benefits of scientific progress implies a right to have access to available reproductive health care technology, including safe and acceptable contraceptive methods. The right to receive and impart inforra tion and to freedom of thought are applicable in demonstrating that everyone (including adolescents and the unmarried) have a right to information and counselling about family planning methods and service availability. Fulfilment of the right to education is one of the-most important means of empowering women with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. Promoting the education of women and girls contributes to postponement of the age of marriage and to a reduction in the size of families. The right to non-discrimination on the basis of sex is violated by laws and practices that prevent women but not men from taking reproductive health decisions without their spouses' consent; by policies limiting girls' rights to stay in school when they are pregnant, by family practices favouring sons over daughters with regard to nutrition, health care and education; and by prenatal sex selection and female infanticide. The right to non-discrimination on the basis of age implies that young people have the same rights to confidentiality with regard to reproductive health care. as adults. El ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 It pays to advertise in the Zimbabwe News magazine

Southern Africa warned about impending drought By Caiphas Chimhete outhern Africa might experience another severe drought as global climatic data points to the possibility of poor rains during the 1997/98 season that could result in an adverse impact on the region's food security The SADC Regional Early Warning Unit's monthly bulletin has warned of the occurence of the El Nino, a weather phenomenon that starts with the warming waters in the Pacific Ocean and in turn affecting the global climate. SADC Food Security Sector Coordinator, Reginald Mugwara says although there is no consensus within the climate forecasting community about the potential severity of the drought in the SADC region, "there is, however, growing concern that it could be bad". He says current developments have been reported to the SADC Ministers of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources. The ministers have instructed the Food Security Sector to collaborate with meteorological and forecasting institutions to monitor the situation. The bulletin says that although it is still tod early to make any definite predictions concerning the rainy season in the SADC region the occurence is worrisome. Of concern is the shifting in the atmospsheric pressure difference observed in recent months across the Pacific Ocean, as measured by the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) from being positive to strongly negative. I The SO is now following a tre~id that is frequently associated with dry years in the SADC region. Also associated with this shift in the Sol, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the eastern and central Equatorial areas of the Pacific have also risen in recent months and are now in excess of 1 degree celsius above the .long term average. According to Water in Southern Africa, a recent report by SADC in collaboration with IUCN-the World Conservation Union and the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC the natural warming events, caused by El Nino, alter weather paderns worldwide,' probably causing droughts in southern Afica or contributing to their severity. El Nino means "the boy-child" in Spanish because it occurs in late December when. the- Christian community celebrates the birth of Christ. El Nino and the Southern Oscillation are known as ENSO. During the ENSO phase, equatorial waters across the Pacific ocean get warmer. Normal airflow moves westward from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean but during El Nino this movement is weakened and altered. "This results in high rainfall in some parts of Latin America but low rainfall and even drought in southern Africa," says the report. However, the extreme opposite of the ENSO cycle results in unusually heavy rain and bumper harvests in southern Africa. Since the year 1800, there have been several droughts in the SADC region but the 1991-2 drought has been described as "the worst in living memory" and was linked to the El Nino occurence. Several droughts between 1800 and 1992 have also been linked to this weather phenomenon. The United-States Department of Agrculture has also warned of a possible drought in the next crop season saying: "The current episode of El Nino began in May. Eastern and Southern African nations should take appropriate precautions to deflect the impact of the resulting drought. The department said that the impact of the impending drought could be reduced if countries in eastern and southern Africa grow drought-resistant crops which can survive with little water. The SADC Regional Early Warning Unit says unlike the last marketing year when the region had surpluses in maize, sorghum and millet, current assessments indicate shortfalls for all cereals. Maize has a deficit of 885 000 tonnes, slightly worse than the 783 000 tonnes as of May this year. All individual country balances indicate overall cereal deficit, except for South African and Zimbabwe. Food security remains a critical concern in all other countries, especially with the occurrence of the El Nino. Although most countries in the region received above average rainfall during the last season, flooding, water logging, leaching of the soil nutrients and erosion reduced yields drastically. Floods were more severe in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. The last season's incesant rains left about 163 000 people homeless and in need of relief food in the Lower Shire Valley bordering Malawi and Mozambique. Elsewhere in Mozambique 200 000 people, especially in flood plains along the Zambezi catchment area, were seriously affected and still need relief food. The excessive rains led to a drop in yields resulting in regional cereal deficit. To make up for the deficit SADC will need to import at least 1.75 million tonnes of cereals during the 1997/98 marketing year. With about 80 percent of the 136 million people in southern Africa dependant on agriculture and the food security worsening, the region has already been warned by experts to take the drought alert seriously. Mugwara says SADC will continue publishing its early warning bulletins to appraise the region of developments in the ENSO and to provide assessments of future developments. He says SADC will also hire an expert in drought management who will travel around the region to discuss with each member state their national drought strategies and to bring those involved in implementing the strategies together at a regional conference in November this year. A regional drought task force has already been formed to start providing information to member states, liaising with donors. Regional research efforts should be directed at the development.of suitable agricultural technologies such as irrigation schemes to ensure that the region produces enough food even during the years of drought. OContinued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Sial Report *Continuedfrom previous page Researchers say the development of new varieties of drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and millet can boost regional food security. Maize, wheat and rice and more prone to drought. Emmanuel Monyo, a research scientist with the SADC and the International Crops Research Institute for the SemiArid Tropics (ICRISAT) says," Farmers in the drought-prone areas can take advantage of the new early-maturing varieties of sorghum and millet which have the advantage of catching up with the season." Monyo said the research centre has gathered genetic resources from all the countries in the SADC region except Angola and Mozambique. Currently, the gene bank has over 8 000 accessions of pearl millet and more than 12 000 accessions of sorghum. In an interview in Affica Information Afrique, Monyo said since its inception in 1984, the programme has so far released 11 pearl millet varieties and 22 of sorghum which are drought resistant. During the 1991/92 drought, southern Africa received very minimal rainfall resulting in poor crop yields and loss of livestock. in Zimbabwe, human starvation was averted when the government swiftly imported yellow maize from outside the region, particularly Kenya. Other countries in SADC, such as Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania were rescued by the - donor community. Environmentalists warn southern Africa to consider the possibility of a drought in the coming season seriously as about one third of droughts in the region are attributed to El Nino. Droughts in southern Africa have occurred with varying frequencies, extent and severity, also differing from each country because of different economic and political situations. The reponses to drought have also differed. The disadvantaged people in the rural areas, who include the jobless, female-headed households,' the elderly and disabled, are the most vulnerable to food insecurity because of their social positions. A research paper, Chronological of Droughts in Southern Africa; The Impacts of and Future Management Options by Leonard Unganai of the SADC ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 Drought Monitoring Centre, says despite high frequencies of drought in southern Africa not much counter-measures have been put in place to cushion the vulnerable in case of a drought. "It 'is imperative that there be a strong pro-active, rational, cost-effective and long-term approach to coping with droughts rather than see the perpetuation of crisis management," says Unganai. Although very little can be done about the physical causes of drought, most of its impacts are human-induced and can be lessened. The region can reduce ef- fects of drought by avoiding "poorly timed export commitments" resulting in suffering that can be avoided. Ungani says more effort is still required. in designing response strategies in agriculture, to avoid or at least minimise crop and livestock losses by adopting alternative management options timeously, in the event of a drought. Since droughts can not be avoided, southern Africa needs "to put in place short- term and long-term mechanisms to cushion people" in the event of a drought, says Unganai (SADC). .l The Editor and Staff of Zimbabwe News convey their deepest sympathies to the Madzongwe family on their sad loss. May his soul rest in eternal peace

A word to aspiring writers By Martin Stobart hile this writer cannot claim to command a readership following of appreciable proportion, he can however derive encouragement from the numerous correspondences he receives from time to time from newspaper readers in all walks of life including university boffins, aggrieved workers, cultural groups and students of journalism who desire to pursue freelance feature article writing. It is my intention in this article to endeavour to assist the trainee freelance journalist. There is nothing impossible, particularly when one has basic training. However, it is advisable, initially, to concentrate on one or two subjects which one understands well and for which language comes naturally, so that you do not benumb your mind groping about for the right words and phrases. Be wellread in and research thoroughly the topics you want to discuss. Newspaper editors in particular will give first preference to current topical issues. Impressive writing means you have to develop and nurture a style of writing perculiar to yourself which becomes the hallmark of your work, so to speak. Article-writing can be very onerous, and impressing editors can even be discouraging to a point of exasperation. A serious journalist will expect this sort of draw-back and should brace himself/herself for it. As one journalist once put it: "For journalists, particularly edi,tors, are human enough to carri about in their heads biases and prejudices ..., ." Feature writing means that one has to have a comprehensive.understanding of the differences inherent in writing to the various publications: for instance dailies, weeklies, on the one hand and magazines on the other hand. You ought to acquire a "telepathic" understanding of each and every editor you deal with. This is the cardinal rule without whose knowledge freelance journalism becomes a futile exercise, akin to banging your head against a brick wall. Most editors don't, or are not obligated to, tell you why they decline to publish your work. However, modern journalism has evolved somewhat and some progressive editors take time as well as have the courtesy to furnish correspondents with reason for non-publication. Whether you are writing in chiShona, isiNdebele or English, your language has to be of an acceptable standard. One thing, journalists, particularly editors, as with lawyers, have language as the tools or equipment with which to craft their product, the news and stories. Perseverance is the mother of success, remember; it is also the tenet of durability in journalism as a career. A word of comfort: Even reporters in the employ of a newspaper do feel miserable in their work for there are times when they go on for days on end without their stories seeing the light of day. I know that this is painful, particularly to a freelancer who may have no other job to fall back on to earn income for sustenance. My advice is that first and foremost you have to love what you are doing in the service of the community at large. The primacy ought to be on that aspect while the pecuniary aspect is of secondary considerations. Now, in order to broaden your horizon, bring in, albeit gradually, the element of versatility: be an all-rounder; but this, I must reiterate, comes with experience over a long period of time. At the risk of being accused of beating my own drum loudest, I have laced my writing with social activism, (for years those of the right have labelled me a communist). One can do feature-writing no matter where they live be it in the mines, on farms or in the rural areas. In fact I can go so far as to assert that in these areas of the country a freelancer is sitting on top of huge deposits of news. (Presently I am fighting hard to prevail upon my chief to allocate me land in the rural areas on which to built homestead. Should I succeed I could hit the sky with joy for the idea of writing a book keeps. knawing at the innermost of my conscience.) An enterprising journalist is one who knows what news publications are there for and what his/her community wants, its aspirations and expectations. Keep your finger on the community's (or nation's) pulse. He/she ought to know and understand the role of the media generally. The media aren't the voice of the peopIe (contrary to what is oft said); rather they give the people the voice by availing themselves as conduits of communication, well that's nuff, for I do not need to expatriate on the intricate side of things. Finally, even if your language is bereft of phraseologyal embellishment and ornateness such as this writer's, don't be unduly pertubed, for as I indicated above, editors are trained for that part of the job. Ideas are more imlortant. Although an appreciable facility for language is neccessary, a journalist should be a thinker, an intellectual, who is able to interpret the thinking and feelings (which are usually not expressed) of the community in whose midst one lives. Promote and advance and cater for the interests of your community, for it is by rendering this service that you are guaranteed a story to write about. Of significant importance is the fact that a freelancer who specialises on feature articles is not a reporter, not essentially. He/she is a critic, of necessity; he/she is, above all else, an analyst and must not commit the cardinal crime of misre presenting the facts. If. you are a serious, dedicated writer you will have to forgo social insularity and adopt a position of "social syncretist". Criticism by your detractors could make you wobbly at the knee-joints if you are lily-livered, hence it is necessary, absolutely necessary , to reseach your subjects. Don't, for the love of Mike, rush to reproduce a story unless and until you have put a fine-toothed comb through it. A freelancer in particular, as *Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

A ngola is slipping back into war as Meanwhile, in response to Unita's inimplementation of the 1994 Lu- creased threats to peace, UN Security saka Protocol appears to be Council has approved a second package collapsing. Once again fresh hostilities of sanctions which are to be implementhave broken out after the Union for the ed at the end of September if Unita does Total Independence of Angola (Unita) not comply immediately with those secforces attacked and captured a govern- tions of the Lusaka protocol which it has mentborder post in the troubled north- thus far ignored. eastern part or Angola recently. A former Unita officer told journalists that "white mercenaries" in possession of large caches of arms were in Unita camps near the Congo border. The United Nations Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM) confirmed Unita's seizure of the post from Angolan forces. The post is located on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo-(DRC). Unita withdrew from the border post just before a UN inspection of the area. Aspiring writers *Continued from previous page I said, mixes, intermingles and consociates with everybody. Where practicable, right across the socio-economic spectrum. Hence requests to write about "this and that" inundate you by the dozen: don't be excited by this deluge of requests, For you may find that only one out of ten will be worth writing a single sentence about. Usually you are asked to write about things that -are incompatible with your personal dignity and principles. My observation as a columnist is that aspiring freelance journalists have had their hopes for the future dashed simply because they have elected to get off the ground by launching some scathing attacks on others or writing about events and issues overly subjectively. The age-old and most visious predator of editors, is the law of libel, more so nowadays when the reading fraternity has become more and more enlightened and informed and litigious. So save your editor the trouble ..... Get to your respective communities... they are your best and most educated mentors... teachers ... and authentic sources of information [- UNAVEM has been replaced by a smaller mission, the UN Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA). Unita is openly violating the ceasefire and commitments it made under the Lusaka Protocol which it signed with the government of Angola. The sanctions, if fully implemented, are designed to cripple the organisation's operations, and limit the arms build-up which Unita has been engaged in even all through the implementation of the Lusaka peace process. The agreement between the Angolan government and Unita signed in Lusaka, Zambia was an attempt to end the 20- year-old civil war in Angola. Implementation was under the supervision of UN special representative Alione Blondin Beye. Both parties agreed to a ceasefire, withdrawal of troops, demilitarisation of Unita forces and disarming of civilians. The ceasefire was set within the framework of a new mandate with participation of the government and Unita. All Unita and civilian weapons were to be turned in and stored, with verification and monitoring by UNAVEM/MONUA troops who were also to keep track of all former Unita troops and their locations. The previous ceasefire in 1991 facilitated elections in 1992, which Unita lost to the governing party of President Eduardo dos Santos, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Unita's leader, Jonas Savimbi refused to recognise the election results and plunged Angola into another two years of vicious fighting until the Lusaka Protocol which led to the formation of a Government of National Unity and Reconciliation (GURN). However, Savimbi refused to participate in GURN although members of his party took their seats in Parliament and the cabinet positions allocated to them. This decision, according to military analysts, was an indication that instability would continue in Angola much as Unita's refusal to recognise the outcome of the 1992 election had plunged the war; weary country into more conflict. . Savimbi's refusal to accept any post in the GURN, demandirng instead that he be made Special Advisor to the Angolan president, strained the Lusaka agreement from the beginning. Although the Parliament later approved Savimbi's status as the leader of The Greatest Opposition Party in Angola, Savimbi was not satisfied. Unita also refused full disarmament and did not return vast territories under its control to the central authority. Observers say these delaying tactics were designed to prevent government from exercising its sovereign rights over diamond-rich areas under Unita control. The demobilisation process, a key element in the peace process, was "extremely inefficient", according to UN military observers, and was made more difficult by Unita's intransigence. While the UN says some 70 000 Unita troops were disarmed, the rebel movement is on the verge of re-launching full scale war and is accused of inciting the inhabitants of the coastal province of Benguela. Savimbi charges that the GURN is trying to deprive Unita of its main source of revenue from the sale and export of diamonds, despite the fact that the party is included in the GURN. After the discovery of arms caches in some Unita controlled diamond-rich areas, Savimbi said publicly that he intended to continue with the war and .wanted to seize towns of Ganda, Cubal, Caimbambo and Chongoroi. Some 800 young people have already been forcibly recruited to Unita ranks and are now in Bimbi, near central Builundo for military training. More than 6 000 people have fled to the northeastern area since fighting resumed in Angola and the World Food Programhie (WFP) has warned of food shortages. UNAVEM/MONUA also accuses Unita troops of replanting landmines on roads which had already been cleared and reeContinued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 gi Business opportunities in New Congo By Munetsi Madakufamba he demise of Mobutuism in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRQ, former Zaire, has brightened economic opportunities as evidenced by recent investment deals secured by some southern African countries. When it took about seven months to May for the Alliance of Democratic Forces led by President Laurent-Desire Kabila to change the political landscape in the DRC, there were many doubts about the new government being able to rebuilt an economy mismanaged for more than 30 years former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (now late). But the recent inflow of direct foreign in vestment, particularly from neighbouring countries, has indicated that it may not be long before the sick economy, crippled by 32 years of misnle, begins to function more efficently. With Kabila promising better economic management, democracy and respect for human rights the DRC is signalling new opportunities for regional cooperation. A number of investors from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have joined their counterparts from the other parts of the continent on establishing business links. "The peace situation ushered in by the new government of the DRC offers great opportunities and more prospects for Zimbabwe's business community to increase their market share", said a Zimbabwean businessman ahead of a trade mission to the DRC last July. Sanctions may save peace in Angola *Continued from previous page opened by the UN. Seven UNAVEM/MONUA observers were detained in the northern Lunda Norte province. The mediation countries - the US, Portugal and - have strongly condemned Unita. 0 According to press reports, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the leading SADC countries with growing intrest in Africa's third largest country. Recently a 50- member Zimbabwe business delegation returned from their second trip to the DRC where they clinched a deal to supply emergency food worth about US$16 million.7' "The Zimbabwe business community is finalising a plan to urgently supply an assortment of food requirements worth (US$16 million) to the DRC, which will be delivered by no later than 15 September," said , Zimbabwean Minister of Industry and Commerce, who headed the second business mission to ]Kinshasa. While some economic observers have warned of a possible 'investment war' in the DRC as investors from the region scramble for deals, others have dismissed this as unlikely given the diverse business opportunities in the country. Dispelling such fears between Zimbabwe and South African investors, Shamuyarira said: "There is not going to be a scramble for oppoturnities between us and South Africa. Infact we are trying to cooperate with South Africa in helping the DRC." The peaceful political situation in the DRC has prompted some neighbouring countries to forge closer ties with the vast central African country. Uganda Airlines inaugurated a twiceweekly flight into Kinshasa in July, underlining a growing alliance between the two neighbours. " Given the atmoshere that has been created by the liberation of this country we considered it most appropriate for us to be part of the process of furthering regional development by facilitating the movement of people, goods and ideas in our region and beyond," said Jack Turinawe, general manager of Uganda Airlines. The DRC badly needs air transport because its national airline, Air Congo, is virtitally bankrupt after years of economic anarchy under Mobutu. The national airline's staff had not been paid for more than two years. Since assuming power, Kabila has been involved in talks with many regional and international corporations as well as governments wishing to do business in the DRC or to assist the country's economic recovery. The DRC President was recently in South Africa on an official vist intended to explore ways by which the latter could help rebuild the shattered economy. According to recent reports, South Africa has already dispatched a large team of experts to the DRC to survey critical areas that may need aid and private sector investment. As a sign of approval of the new government's recent reform initiatives, the World Bank had pledged its support and a meeting will soon be convened to drum up international financial aid. "We have discussed with the government the fact that we should try to convene an informal meeting of donors that might be in a position to support this government," said Callisto Madavo, vicepresident of the bank's Africa region after a meeting with the DRC president in June. The European Union (EU) has also indicated that it is now ready to resume economic cooperation with the DRC after five years of separation. A four- member EU delegation which held talks with President Kabila in early August expressed satisfaction at the new govemment's commitment to human rights and democracy. The EU severed relations with former Zaire in 1992. In a show of solidarity with the new government and appreciation of the fledging democracy in the DRC, 11 African heads of state and government convened a one-day summit in late July in Kinshasa headed by Robert Mugabe, current OAU chairman and President of Zimbabwe. Although the DRC is ranked among the world's poorest countries, its economic future is bright on the strength of its rich naturil resources which include the con. tinent's largest tropical forest, a mighty river and a wide range of minerals (SARDC 0 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL 28 NO. 6

Significance of 1997 Local Government Elections he next local Government Elections for Rural District Councils scheduled for 6th December, 1997 are significant in two main respects among other aspects. First, from a conventional perspective this electoral process is naturally going to accord the electorate an opportunity to decide who rules them in local council. Secondly, both the last peoples Congress held in September, 1993, and the subsequent national peoples annual conferences had agreed to democratise local government elections by allowing domestic, farm and mine workers to vote. Domestic workers and related residents were able to cast their votes in October, 1995. As a result of this local government democratisation process, Council Wards such as Borrowdale Ward 18 and Marlborough Ward 41 in the City of Harare and others elsewhere were won by Zanu-PF cadres. Without this progressive policy input of the party leadership, such wards would still be represented by non-Zanu-Pf political adventurists who call themselves independents. This is why Cde , Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development considered it necessary to postpone the holding of these elections to 6th December, this year, in order to allow enough time for those now in a position to exercise their right to vote to register in the wards that they live. The voter registration exercise takes a long time to complete. It is now up to potential voters to take full advantage of the enabling electoral conditions made possible by the party to go and register as voters. This is the one act which cannot be left to the other resident or cadre but which deserves individual participation. It is self-determination at the local level. Apart from fighting for a better land deal the arduous liberation struggle always wished to democratise thecentire state electoral process at its various levels. Needless to recall the thousands of party loyalitsts, activists and liberation com- batants who gave their lives for this cause. This is why shortly, the nation will be commemorating the fallen heroes. However, local government elections have been characterised by low voter turnout in the past. This need not be the case because it is the time that party cadres for Rural District Council elections throughout the country have been waiting for, to vote into office candidates that had been endorsed by the party vetting system which includes the electoral primary proces. Incidentally, in areas where these primaries have not yet been held, Cde , the national secretary for the Commissariat and Culture has taken the logical step to announce as he did in a circular that primary elections had since been postponed to September, 1997. However, the Chivi Rural District Council Primary elections in held on the 5th July, 1997, were upheld because the postponement of the primaries had not reached the people on the ground on time. Although a lot of people are more interested in the more visible parliamentary elections, which are stil a long way off, few realise the enormouse responsibility and serious substance that obtain in District Council wards. In creating and appointing the Nation's First Provincial governors in 1984, then Prime minister Cde R. G. Mugabe explained that real development of the state and communities started with the improvement of social, material, economic and other conditions of the people in the villages, farms, mines etc. This to politicians with vision is a more fitting challenge than to only rush to represnt urban constituencies of institutions such as Bulawayo, Harare, , Gweru, etc. where there is already good or meaningful development in place and attendant infrastructure. Provincial Governors or Resident Ministers would be more successful in their responsibilities if they work with committed coun- cillors who share the vision to uplift their communities to higher levels of development. As implied in this notion the quality of councils depend on two aspects. Firstly, the candidates who offer themselves for elective office should have as their driving spirit the true sense of community service and an ability to perform satisfactorily by imparting the relevant skills and encouragement necessary to mobilise the imagination and enthusiasm of rural folk towards a productive cause. In looking dt ability of the would-be councilors to perform debate is currently going on as to whether the right or ideal council candidate should either be primarily a Zanu PF party loyalist at the expense of academic, professional and other orientation or vice versa. These two positions are extreme and if applied in isolation or exclusion, the effect would be a disservice to both party and government. In this day and age Zanu-PF certainly has within its ranks enough party loyalists who are also academically, technically or professionally oriented to represent it in-council and to push forward the development process in accordance with the wishes of the party. The party should not compromise on this. This is the only way to develop the local communities further according to the ZanuPF way. What is needed is the willingness and commitment of the entire cadreship to uphold this approach. However, in as much as the politburo, Central Committee and Provincial Councils are high party organs, the main responsibility lies with party districts, branches and cells to assist in the process of identifying the suitable candidates because these lower party organs are closer to the ground, to the grasssroots where the mass voters are. *Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Significance of 1997 local Government elections *Continued from previous page If the lower organs consientise the potential voters on both the needs of their local communities and the right calibre of representation in thier caouncils, the correct party candidates will be identified and voted into office. Nevertheless, through the normal interaction process, higher echelons of the ;party also have the responsibility to facilitate the proper electoral process. It is pleasing to note that as mentioned earlier the national Commissariat Deparment is already wrestling with this' is sue. In the past the party has lost a number of law suits filed by losing opposition (independent) candidates. Since December, 1997, is still a long way off ,there is enough time to fulfil all the tech,nical details that the opposition have been preying on in order to embarass the party. Tie Importance of the grassroots (the electorate) to weed out unscrupulous elements who only emerge at election time and disappear from party activities, whether they win or lose, during the period in between elections has also been sounded by two cadres, Cde provincial chairman for Mashonaland Central mentioned this when he urged the party primary electorate in all the Mashonaland Central Rural District Councils to choose candidates who would put good imaginative effort in party and local Government issues. Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire, Former Provincial Governor himself and now chairman for Mas ingo Province urged the party electorate in his province to elect people who are capable of spearheading development not simply because they were businessmen or had degrees as their only criteria. None other than President Mugabe too reminded M.P.s on the eve of the Opening of the 3rd Session of the Fourth Parliament' of Zimbabwe to remember their responsibilities because thq people who elected them were watching and would. remember when the legislators next present themselves for election. The Herald issue of the 7th July, 1997, made refreshing reading when it quoted Cde , the National Secretary for Administration briefing the nation after a politburo meeting held the previous week at which the party expressed concern at growing poverty in most areas of the country while the economy in general was growing rapidly. Ili this regard the new rural District Councils would need to work closely with the party's departments of Economic Affairs, and Labour and Production which had been tasked by the Polit- buro to take the lead in working with Government Ministries and Departments to ensure that all particularly the rural poor, benefit from the prevailing economic growth. This would ease the plight that the rural folk face of drifting to cities and towns in search of jobs that do not exist and end up in worse conditions. The state President is further known to be urging the setting up of a Development Fund to be used as a vehicle to improve the quality of life in lesser developed areas. One excellent economic and social asset that the country has and .has been able to maintain is the road network. However, this infrastructure would be more meaningful to economic growth if more growth driven or productive projects spring up from the hinterland. If the President had his way the Fund might be on its way. what will be needed would be local community elected and other civic interests to put forward projects that will tap from, this Fund and develop their communities. All these things can be acted upon if the party electorate registers now, identifies capable candidates and vote them as party candidates in September at party primaries and ultimately into Councils in December, 1997. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 APOLOGY Due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not publish the July, August, September and October issues. We however assure you of regular monthly issues during the period ahead -- Editor.

Interview with Assetou Khoite, representative of PAWO he Pan African Women's Organisation (PAWO) had observer status to the recently ended Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit in Harare on 2-4 June 1997. Virginia Muwanigwa and Grace Kwinjeh of SARDC spoke to a representing of PAWO, Assetou Khoite of the background of the organisation and its aims and objectives. PAWO will be holding a congress in Harare, Zimbabwe on 28-31 July. The following is an excerpt of the interview. When was PAWO formed and what are its objectives? PAWO was founded in 1962 by African women to unite and fight against colonialism. The first PAWO congress was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Several congresses have since ben held in Monrovia, Algiers, Dakar, Tripoli, Angola, Burkina Faso and Harare from 28-31 July this year. Which countries make up PAWO? All the 53 African countries, including Morocco, which is however not a member of the OAU. In what way does PAWO relate with the activities of other organisations such as the OAU? Because PAWO is an organisation based in Africa, we are closely working with the OAU to sensitise it on gender equality. There is a gender unit in the OAU structure but we feel something directly related to the office of the Secretary General such as a Director of Women's Affairs, would be strategic. The OAU decided to have a peace-making committee and invited every country to submit names for this committee, which process we ifntend to take part in. How for example, does PAWO relate to activities of other women's organisations and the cause for gender empowerment? Following up on the recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action, PAWO works closely with other organisations advocating for gender empowerment. For example, PAWO intends to closely collaborate with the First Ladies Peace Initiative. How will PAWO work with the First Ladies initiatives, in terms of making sure efforts are not duplicated? We will work well, taking into account that they are in a very influential position, so our efforts will complement each other, and we will meet half way since we deal with women from grassroots level upwards, especially since its women, children and the elderly who suffer from the war most. What activities has PAWO been involved in within the continent with regards to problems of war, disease and poverty? Well, we have been involved in conflict resolution. A committee was set up which consists of the First Ladies of Ghana, Mali, Tunisia, wife to the vice President of South Africa and myself. We have been to Rwanda to see the situation of children and we are waiting for approval to go to Burundi, Angola, Liberia, Somalia and the Democratic Republc of Congo. How much impact has PAWO had in the OAU? PAWO has had considerable impact in the OAU. For instance we have pushed the OAU to have a unit dealing with women, and we also coordinate women's issues in the OAU. We do this by talking to ministers and chief of delegations. Before Beijing, PAWO was asked to help women financially and also in the implementation of the PFA. Who are some of the founder members of PAWO? These include Graca Machel of Mozambique, Zimbabwe's Thenjiwe Lesabe, Ruth Momphati of South Africa and Caroline Joot from Senegal. When a country is chosen to be represented in the general secretariat the country chooses its own representative. How are PAWO activities coordinated within the continent'and through the regions?. Zimbabwe is the PAWO regional secretariat for SADC countries and Thenjiwe Lesabe is the focal point through the Zanu PF Women's Ldague. The Zam PF Women's League is a wing of the ruling party in Zimbabwe. Does this mean then that PAWO is represented only at ruling party kve? No. Zanu PF is the founder member of PAWO and we take the Minister as representing the interests of all women. PAWO is open to all women regardless of political affiliation. For the first time ever, we have a wornan president at the OAU summit, Ruth Perry of Uberla. What is your comment on this? The appointment of Ruth Perry of Leia as Interim President is fantastic in that, it shows women can ocupy any positions of power. She was shown respect by the other Heads of States present at the OAU summit. What makes Ruth Perry more interesting is that she is of grassroots origin, Generally, what would you say is the status of women in Africa? For all African countries women have more or less the same status and face the same economic problems, difficult access to credit, education. There are a lot of women who are not educated ad have no access to health services. Do you feel the objectives of Belling a attainable and the momentum still there? The flame of Beijing is still burning, even the Nairobi Forward ;strategies are still focus for discussions on the gender issue. I urge all women to be united. We should help each other as the enemy of .women are other women. We should fight to have more education, training, access to power and decision-making which can be obtained through education - (SARDC). 0 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 How are women elected into the what is your message to other womgeneral council of PAWO? en and others concerned with gender e empowerment

Debt Relief vital for Africa's revival A Africa steps up efforts toward economic reconstruction and development; the rising debt burden remains the single largest hurdle preventing the continent from rapid economic recovery. "The cost of servcing external debt which, for the continent as a whole, is estimated to have exceeded US$340 billion ($3 740 billion) at the end of 1996,, siphons away considerable resources which could have been productively invested in the development of Africa," said the Economic Commission for Africa in a statement after a recent ministerial conference in Addis Abba. Forty-eight sub-Saharan countries, half of which registered economic growth rates of at least five percent in the past two years, are forecast to grow by 3.8 percent a year over the next decade according to a recent report by the World Bank. Measures to revamp economic growth have been and are still implemented by a number of countries including those in southern Africa that have moved consistently with their market-oriented reforms. For instance, the performance of Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries in reducing fiscal deficits to sustainable levels has been successful with single digit deficits being achieved in the majority of cases. But a major cause of concern is the fact that the debt servicing ratio in most African countries is too high while foreign direct investment is significartly low, resulting in a negative net outflow of financial resources from Africa to the developed world. Total external debt service as a proportion of exports in Malawi last year stood at 26.4 according to a recent report from the SADC Finance and Investment Sector. Malawi, one of the heavily indebted countries in southern Africa, has a total external debt of about US$2 billion, which is the same as its annual gross domestic product. The chairman of the Africa Development Bank board of governors, Lesedi Mothibamele, says debt servicing for the By Munetsi Madakufamba continent takes a quarter of total export earnings. Mothibamele, who is also Botswana's Assistant Finance Minister, attributes the continent's slow pace of recovery to the rising debt burden. Economists argue that a high debt service ratio is detrimental to a country's development efforts since it is payable in foreign exchange earnings. Therefore, the more debt a country. repays in foreign exchange earnings, the more it reduces its capacity to import goods vital for industry, agriculture, transportand other basic government services such as health and education. "Servicing Africa's international debt of US$340 billion chews up US$24 billion annually - money that the poorest states can ill-afford," writes Ben Hirschler of Reuter. Despite facing probably the world's most severe debt crisis, many countries in Africa have received less attention from the north as compared to Asia and Latin America. Notable exceptions do however exist here and there. . Some countries in southern Africa, particularly Mozambique,. Tanzania and Zambia have benefited extensively from a number of debt rescheduling initiatives especially those initiated by the Paris Club, a group of international creditors which grant favourable repayment terms based on the debtor country's commitment to economic reform programmes. Last month, Mozambique signed agreements with Austria, Germany and Sweden to formalise cancelation and rescheduling of the southern African country's debt which currently totals US$5 billion (Z$55 billion). The move is a culmination of a decision reached by the Paris Club of western creditors last November, which granted Mozambique 'Naples terms' under which 67 percent of debt servicing due over a given period is scrapped, while the rest is rescheduled over at least 20 years. Early this year Tanzania also looked set to eventually emerge from the foreign debt trap as the Paris Club granted it more than US$1 billion in debt relief. The decision was a seal of approval by the western creditors for the government's commitment to free-market reforms recomended by the scheme. A broader debt relief scheme is however on the. cards. The Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) initiative was recently proposed by the World Bank and the International Fund (IMF). Although the new initiative has offered a glimmer of hope, a lot of sceptism shrouds the scheme. The HIPCs, a multilateral debt relief scheme which was agreed on last year by creditor nations, has taken longer to implement than originally hoped. Uganda was chosen as the first candidate and the test case for all the HIPCs most of which are in Africa. But a timetable has not yet been agreed on with some countries wanting implementation soon, while others, including the US, recommending two years from now. in a briefing paper for the last G7 Denvor Summit, Oxfam International Advocacy Office castigated the US government for continuing to "use its influence to delay implementation of debt reduction under the IMF-World Bank framework for Highly Indebted Poor Countries". "Efforts to promote private investment are unlikely to succeed in the absence of an early resolution of Africa's debt crisis," added the international advocacy group commencing on US proposals for a new initiative, the Partnership for Economic Growth and Opportunity in Africa, aimed at addressing the development crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the rigid rules under. HIPC are likly to exclude needy countries as they tend to favour only those that have toed the IMF/World Bank line. The rules requirethat, in general, a candidate country needs to have some record under IMF tutorship as well as showing strong economic reform efforts. As the North ponder on the nittygritties of the debt relief scheme, Africa keenly waits as the continent desperately needs something that can ease its spiralling debt crisis - SARDC. [] ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 new era, has dawned on Africa with the launch of the African Economic Community (AEC) as the continent extends its agenda from a politically oriented one to embrace economic issues. ' Among its major objectives, the AEC will seek to accelerate Africa's economic growth and development by defeating disease, hunger and poverty. The AEC, whose founding treaty was adopted seven years ago in Abuja, the federal capital of Nigeria, was launched at the Organisation of African Unity's (OAU) 33rd Assembly of Heads of State and Government recently held in Harare, Zimbabwe. The OAU, an organisation previously mandated to help decolonise the continent,has through the AEC made commitment to revamp intra-continental trade and investment, thus moving beyond a tradition of discussing economic issues on and ad hoc basis. The community will also provide a platform for further discussions of a successor to Lome IV, a trade and cooperation agreement between the European Union and Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific which will expire in February 2000. The Treaty establishing the AEC was adopted in 1991 and was-enforced in 1994 when steps were taken to implement its various provisions. The first Ministerial Session of the African Economic and Social Council took place in Abidjan and the recent Harare summit marked the inaugural meeting of the Council of Ministers of the AEC. The Treaty provides ,among other issues, that the existing regional economic blocs automatically become the legal building structures of the community. The-eventual launch of the AEC was a fulfilment of the aspirations of many former and present African leaders who, through The Lagos Plan of Action adopted in 1980, envisaged the continent's renaissance era based on the strength of its various regional economic blocs. "The Lagos Plan of Action and its Final Act of 1980 enunciated principles and strategies for achieving an African Economic Community by the year 2000," recalled Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe, the OAU chairman. President Mugabe added that it is at the level of the various economic communities that the momentum towards an African community will emerge. Some of the regional blocs are the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Economic Commission of" West African States (ECOWAS). With the regional blocs effectively working as its operational bodies, the AEC will hold annual meetings alongside the traditional OAU summits. The responsibilities of implementing the programme of integration will be in collaboration with the OAU Secretariat. This means that the OAU secretariat will have to restructure in order to accommodate the extra responsibilities. OAU Secretary General, Salim Ahmed Salim and UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, joined 30 heads of state and government and other African leaders who attended the Harare summit in witnessing the launch of the AEC. Salim, who was re- elected for a. third term, vowed to spend his final four years preparing Africa to reach the next century as an economic super power and thus depending less on the outside world to solve its problems. "Our fundamental oblective is to establish the AEC for the realisation of continental integration and common market, as an optimum basis for accelerated economic transformation, and spring board into the international economic arena," said Salim. The OAU Secretary General expressed concern over Africa's slow pace of growth and increasing incident of poverty in comparison with other developing continents. Although in 1996 most of Africa recorded improved growth rates in total output as a result of relatively good weather conditions, the region was faced with a simultaneous increase in the number of people living in absolute poverty according to recent reports by the Economic Commission for Africa. Chairman of the various regional economic commmunities at the launching ceremony endorsed and pledged their commitment to AEC and its objectives. Mozambican President Joachim Chissano, speaking as the vice-chairman of SADC, pledged the commitment of the southern African grouping in cooperating with other regional economic blocs to make the new continental community succeed. President Chissano said the consolidation of regional and continental integration will enhance Africa's economic capacity to compete effectively on the world market. "The trend toward the establishment of regional and continental blocs requires deeper cooperation and integration of African economies, if the African continent is to avoid marginalisation on the global market," he stressed, adding that the various economic and political decisions already taken by SADC are testmony that the region is willing to play its role as one of the building pillars. The African leaders also noted that their decision to continue with efforts aimed at ending civil wars throughout the continent were not only important for maintaining peace and stability, but equally crucial in the economic sphere where peace is a prerequisite for trade and investment - SARDC. C 1 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL 28 NO. 6 New era dawns as Africa launches economic community By Munetsi Madakufamba

Plight of farm workers set to worsen By Noel Bwanakale he plight of farm workers, who together with their dependents constitute about 20 percent of the national population, is set to deteriorate. Farm workers' well-being has generally failed to improve over the years with farmers citing financial constraints as the main reason. Writing in a prologue to a study carried out by the then Farmers Union in 1969, a Fred du Toit noted: "Agriculture is one of the mainstay of the Rhodesian economy and has consistently maintained that position by the farmers' readiness to accept change to improve the management of their resources and their farming business." He stressed: "An essential element of the agricultural sector is the farmers' labour force, and its well-being and stability is of much concern to the farmer particularly under changeable circumstances." However, three decades later, most farmers in Zimbabwe are yet to effect substantive improvements in respect of the welfare of their employees. A small number though, has tried. Nonetheless, the general trend is that the farm worker is in a rather pathetic position when compared to counterparts in other sectors of the economy. The latter are relatively well-off. Retrenchments According to the latest figures released by the General Agriculture and Plantion Workers Union, about 350 000 employees have remained in full-time employment, enjoying such benefits as pensions, negotiated wages, protective clothing amongst other things. Most workers, largely females are hired on contract basis. However, the Union says a lot of farmers are now generally in favour of contract workers thus have massively retrenched their staff citing recurrent drought periods, high interest and tax rates as main reasons for so doing. Worse still, farmeri take advantage o .contract workers as they are not represented by any labour union. As a result, a trade union official in the Mashonaland Central Province said: "These people suffer and earn very lit- They feed the nation, keWp the wheels of industry turning but are largely a forgotten lot - farm workers tie pay. Their conditions of service are extremely poor." On average, farm workers are getting less than $500.00 per month which is hardly enough to meet food needs alone. Accommodation One other pressing problem confronting farmworkers in their generality is housing. Farm accommodation is mainly characterised by dagga-and-pole, poorly ventilated and in most cases, overcrowded quarters. During peak agricultural periods (planting and harvesting seasons), overcrowding is severe, prompting some workers to seek refuge in makeshift plastic shelters as recently witnessed by this writer at a horticultural farm near Arcturus Mine in Mashonaland East. At this particular farm, managerial labour is provided with small brick houses which are located at and around the main entrance while appalling plastic shelters are hideously situated at the extreme end, far beyond the green houses for flower beds. Another funny development is the piling up of brick, quarry stone and sand samples at most convenient places to fool government inspectors and other keen observers concerned by subhuman accommodation used by the bulk of the farm labour. Said a Cde Patrick P'hiri, a general worker at a mixed farm in the same province: "In most cases, these building materials will just lie untouched for years, get rainwashed only to. be replaced again and again." Water and sanitation Observers feel that little or nothing at all has been done in earnest to improve worker livilihoods in respect of water and sanitation. Toilets and sewerage are mostly a rare combination. At most farms where tobacco, cotton, horticultural produce and citrus fruits are grown, employees often complain of skin disease, chest pains, miscarriages and other ailments eContinued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

T paraphrase one of the most nota- criminately plundering the continent's ble early economists, Frederick An- abundant and mostly virgin wealth, thus gles, before a person can think of making it easer for the combined forces politics, religion or culture, a person of neo-colonialism and imperialism to must first eat. To eat, a person must first perpetuate greedily, the tenets laid produce. In order, to produce, the per- down by their forerunners. son must first enter into productive relations with other persons concerned This strategy has worked and continues with the production of goods and to impoverish the majority in Africa services. largely due to an assiduously ochestratThe 33rd Pan- African Summit in Harare ed policy of depoliticisation which has marked the dawning of a new era which replaced nationalism with narrowfor sometime, has been -viciously con- minded tribal bigotry now translating tested by forces of colonialism, neo- into violent and bloody clashes between colonialism and imperialism, local tribes. Neo-colonialist and imperi- The former successfully depoliticised Africa, marginalised her people by dis- dust forces reauly exploit every turn anu opportunity to further entrench interests of the system for which they serve. Steadfast in its endeavours to empower locals with as much economic power as they enjoy politically, the 33rd Summit of the Organisation of African Unity put more emphasis on economic cooperation between and amongst member states. This is most welcome. More than 95 percent of African trade is between the continent and foreign countries, mostly Western Europe, North America and East Asia. Trade between and, amongst African countries accounts for only five percent. Agreeably, this reality is at the centre of the continent's economic problems. *Continued on next page Plight offarm workers *Continuedfron previous page due to chemicals inhaled while spraying crops. It is also alleged that some farmers carry out spraying operations using aeroplanes guided by flag bearing workers in the fields. These workers are also sprayed in the process. ! In Mashonaland West, a largely tobacco growing province, several employees most of whom spend up to 12 hours on their feet in barns reportedly breathe-intobacco-dust. More so, women, who make the majority of this group, complain of uterus and related disorders and this is also being increasingly associated with those who pack fruit produce like oranges, apples and even beans. Although farm worker predicaments are synonymous from one province to the other, there are some unique cases. For instance, where farmers have ventured into game and crocodile farming, there are cases of some workers losing fingers, arms or whole hands to the vicious animals largely due to lack of protective clothing. In Manicaland, cases of workers who get injured *hile tending tbtimber plantations are said to be rife. However, what makes the situation even more precarious is that the injured are quickly dis- mised without compensation. In the expansive sugar-cane growing area of Chiredzi, workers are reportedly losing eyesight from the soot of the burnt product while others are'attacked by snakes etcetera. But because by-andlarge, clinics or hospitals are far apart, or non-existent at all, some of these injuries fail to reach health institutions in time or never at all. Child labour Schools, like clinics are far apart thus resulting in most farm children failing to attend school. The majority of them end up working on farms, a practice that has been roundly condemned by human rights activists in the country to the extent of pushing for a ban on Zimbabwe's farm produce exports. In 1994, tobacco farms and.tea plantation s Were allegedly engaging child labourers. However, in some cases, children will simply be helping their parents meet certain given targets within set periods. This, according to local findings, often happens during school holidays and, is largely voluntary. Nonetheless, a spokesman fpr the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union said: "If schools and training centres are built in these contentious areas, it wil help a great deal in eliminating child labour." Preference Increasingly assuming serious dimensions is the issue of people rendered jobless and homeless by the government's land designation eercise. And farm worker unions are saying their members should be provided for. They contend that this could entail setting aside land to accommodate workers on permanent basis. "We also want government to give preference to farm workers living on designated land when resettling people. These people are skilled and have farming experience. This will stop workers from being thrown out into the cold." according to one union official. Leaving out affected workers in the resettlement programme will give rise to the squatter -problem. For example, in Goromonzi District, people from surrounding farms settled themselves at and around Chinyika Dam, occupying the grazing land in the process. Other concerns include working on public holidays, stagnation in socioeconomic and political developments and vulnerability vis-a-vis diseases and, lack of support from relevant government ministries who have left much to the farmers as regards the generality of employee welfare. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 The wstrugge for economic independence I~By Zvenyika Kambizi

The struggle for economic independence *Continued from previous page The bulk of African trade is made up of primary products: Minerals, Agricultural -raw materials, herbal plants, timber, animal skins and bones. That these products.are shipped in their raw or semi-processed state can only mean that they are imported for use, as primary products in industries of the purchasing nations. It follows then that for as long as Africa's raw materials are indispensable for the operations of industries of developed nations, these raw materials will continue to be required in their primary form. In simple terms, what this means is that for as long as this indispensability avails, there cannot be African industries to consume these raw materials. In other words, we can write off African processing industries. Once these are written off, manufacturing industries are, Ipso Facto, written off. This virtually means an effective nonirdustrialisation period for the raw material exporting African countries. Now, for as long as we remain purveyors of raw materials, the small industries we try to set up will always be swamped under by the big industries from developed countries. The starting point therefore, would be a common agenda for political unity. Political unification can help eradicate the obtaining scourge of ethnic and interethnic conflicts. Having achieved that, economic unity * must prevail. To realise this paramount requirement, however, regional economic integration must be everyone's task and pre-occupation. Africa needs peace and development much more than any other continent in the world particularly now as we begin the march into the next millenium. In this regard, the Harare Summit witnessed African leaders stressing that accelerated regional economic integration and, enhanced intra-regional trade are essential for the continent to realise unprecedented but sustainable socioeconomic development. To facilitate the integration process, the leaders have agried to establish an economic information network linking up the entire continent it is heartening to note that this new African school of thought comes at the back of an encouraging economic growth for the fourth year running reaching an average of 3.5 to 4.0 percent in 1995. This came about after years of zero growth, thus clearly signailing sound economic expansion in the period ahead. Inflation dropped from 34 percent in 1994 to 21 percent in 1995 with budgetary deficits going down from 7 percent in 1994 to five percent in 1995. Even the 33 least developed nations as designated by the United Nations, the majority of which are African countries, scored a 2.4 percent growth in 1995. But this phenomenal turn of events cannot be sustainable in an environment bedevilled by divisive politics based on tribal or ethnical agenda. For, it is no secret at this point in time that Africa is one of the most turbulent places in the world. Civil disputes on the continent have reduced 7 million of its people to refugees, making about 20 million people homeless in the process. Amongst other pressing challenges is the debt issue estimated at Z$3 600,billion at the end of 1996. Related problems include a low industrial base (mostly for reasons afore-articulated), deteriorating environment, brain drain and high infant mortality. In the comtemporary period, HIV/AIDS has emerged as one of the major obstacles to Africa's economic progress. But must important is the fact that Africa has taken the first decisive. step and moreso in the right derection. For, with everyone concerned striving for these inevitable goals, issues of deteriorating environment, brain drain and, declining health standards can be effectively resolved. The continent's initial efforts towards economic redemption have already gained the confidence of many in the outside world. Last year, just after the OAU Summit in Yauonde, Cameroon, The Christian Science Monitor of the United States commented: "Africa has, for many years, been related with disasters, famines and chaos, but now, a new look has emered in the land." The World Bank has noted that the economy in Africa south of the Sahara, has entered a new development stage. Moreso, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank have since made it clear that the continent was no longer a place full of conflicts and calamities but, one poised for unprecedented economic expansion, liberty and prosperity. Africa's economic growth rate shot up to between 5.2 and 6 percent in 1996. Last year's growth rate was the highest in 20 years. This growth, it must be noted, has its roots in the growing regional cooperation. East African government-togovernment development organisation, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) now have tentative plans for regional cooperative projects - a basis upon which intra-regional trade and continental economic unity can be built and sustained. It is indeed a cause for concern that Africa, with its abundant natural resources, huge market potential and strategic location, contributes only 2 percent to the total world trade while its imports are increasing by an average of 7 percent annually. For individual countries, it is hoped that the advent of economic reforms will see an increased inflow of capital as well as modern techniques and, expanded trade. This will indeed, give impetus to economic development of individual naions and help stop or curb their marginalisation. In this regard, emphasis should also be placed on sustainable self-reliant measures as one way of cutting down on the steadily accumulating foreign debt. Yet again any such measures can only be more meaningful through regional trade and cooperation. At the Southern Africa International Dialogue (SAID) meeting in Kasane, Botswana, President Robert Mugabe thus said the whole purpose of treating southern Africa as a growth area was to utilise the regional approach to enter the global markets, offer cothpetitive conditions for direct foreign investment as a catalyst for transfer of capital, technology and market access, and provide optimum capacity utilisation through. rationalised products and proper market mix. *Continued on nextpage ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Health and Occupational Safety By Noel Bwanakale R ecently, communities in and around the small coal-mining town, of Hwange as well as the general mining populace in the country commemoratd the June 2, 1972 disaster in which over 400 winers died undergroung at the then Wankie Mine. This occasion moved this writer to look at issues pertaining to health and occupational safety vis-miners in the country. Now read on... The Zimbabwe Association of Mine Workers records that at least 48 mineral excavation workers died in occupational accidents last year. About 278 workers werereported injured and this year, over 11 of them have since died. Given the small population of mine workers in the country, this figure is said to be the highest in the region. The struggle for economic independence *Contin uedfrom previous page To achieve this, trade, customs, shared environmental, concerns, immigration and other similar legal regimes that form barriers to the regional approach need to be rationalised. Having said that, it must be reiterated that economic unity amongst African states as was also stated during the recent group of fifteen (G-1 5) meeting in Harare should be the concern of all people of goodwill. In the same breath, the entry into force of the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community '(AEC) is a very welcome development. However, that the AEC would be on the basis of regional blocks, meaning that it would seek to consolidate and sustain intra-regional trade and cooperation can only mean that we should look at our regional policies from the most practica. ble point of view to enable the new continental economic body realise its objectives. Admittedly, Africa has been a sleeping economic giant. However, time has now come for its inevitable renaissance. Forward Africa! ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 Against this background, the Chamber of Mines encompassing all large mines like Anglo American Corporation and Lonrho has instituted occupational health and safety awareness campaigns at all member-mines in addition to the annual first-aid competitions. Contrarywise, the department of Mines Inspectorate has tightened its supervisory role in respect of health and occupational safety. However, relevant Ministry officials have since indicated that supervision was being undertaken in a framework of reduced resources. Causative factors Despite such collective efforts to safeguard the life of the underground mine worker, the industry has increasingly recorded fatal cases and serious injuries due to falling groupd, hoisting and shaft mishaps, tripping, faulty machinery, gassing and explosives among other factors. All the same, some say a good number of the accidents are caused by unprofessionalism on the part of the worker owing to inadequate training. Cde. Arjuma Mandal, chief mining engineer in the Minisry of Mines, recently observed shortly after the death of Cde Watson Mtisi, a gangleader at Tiger Reef Mine: "We now have to be tough with mines because people are dying willynilly in acidents that are avoidable." But in an industry categorised by the National Social Security Authority as an "ardous task," how practicable are the life-serving measures? One is also tempted to ask: Is the worker practising selfdiscipline to stay safe and healthy given the risks associated with his position? This writer had a chat with a crosssection of the mining labour force and was acquainted with their hopes and fears with regards to occupational health and safety. Safety awareness campaigns Mining companies particularly those affiliated to the Chamber of Mines employ safety officers tasked to conscientise workers on imminent dangers and how these can be avoided at the workplace. Underground employees are placed under safety and first-aid classes. Even the women are offered the privilege to attend these lessons. On completion, participants are proud owners of national first-aid certificates. Graduates are then invited to inter-departmental, inter mines, zonal and national competitions held every year. As a matter of fact, this competition induced training gives an impetus to ocupational safety consciousness. Nonetheless, calls emanating from' within the ranks of employees suggest that training should be remodelled to make the exercise more appealing. "Safety education," said Cde Vena Musafari, a retired first-aider at Cam and Motor Mine, "ought to be restructured in a manner that makes lessons short and interesting. There is nothing more boring than prolonged talk sessions." Observed Cde Peter Mtaya, a pensioneer with Rio Tinto: "One fact stuck out during my stint as a first-aider. Miners are generally good dramatisers of safety education but when real situations arise, the majority are at a loss as to which of their acquired knowledge to employ." .However, Cde Ackim Wenje, an underground miner at Lonrho's Acturus Gold Mine stated: "in a bid to accomplish set targets on time, a number of workers resort to short-cuts, defying laid-down safety procedures, often resulting in accidents or injuries." Incentives Quite a number of subscribers to the Chambers of Mines like Anglo-American and Rio Tinto have initiated financial and material incentives in a bid to promote occupational safety and health. .For example, departmental and Best Worker awards have been instituted at most of these mines. Workers found guilty of causing accidents and other health threatening activities stand t?, forfeit bonuses while in serious cases of negligence, the worker can be relieved of his duties. In almost the same context, government, through the Inspectorate Division in the Ministry of Mines has placed emphasis on complete stabilisation of all forms of'mining. *Continuedon next page

Health and Occupational Safety *Continuedfrom previous page in this regard, more frequent inspections have been envisaged at mining operations nation-wide. Association of Mine Workers SecretaryGeneral, Cde Edmund Ruzive, however, contend that workers were increasing. ly dying from accidents and diseases contracted from prolonged periods underground. Established facts indicate that silica dust from gold causes sillicosis, that black lung cancer is caused by coal dust and that exposure to asbestos dust causes asbestosis. These diseases are now ranked amongst major killers of mineworkers not only in Zimbabwe but world-wide. This is in addition to the alleged outdated machines and excavation methods at some mines which obviously increases workers' risk. Moreso, workers alleged that most underground tunnels were neither adequately supported nor vet" ted. Said one lasher"Some sites are not well estabilised hence the frequent fall of ground which trap workers. The same 'goes for underground ventilation which is often inadequate." In Zimbabwe, the escalating mining mishaps have since led workers to press for a shorter working week, from 48 to 40 hours. Protective gear was also another contentious issue with some miners suggesting that due to the "dirty" work they did, allocations should be more frequent 'and on the basis of individual needs rather than the present yearly handouts. Unprofessionalism Allegations are rife that some accidents chri'be blamed on the part of superiors who even encourage circumvention of laid-down procedures. To this extent, some top ranking mine bosses have been booked for having indirectly led to accidents that killed surbodinate Wbrkers. "it is not rare," noted a hoist driver at Brompton Mine, "that one's immediate boss force you into obviously dangerous areas which one is forced to comply with for the sake of safegurding one's job". Keen observers have also noted that some miners paid lip-service to safety measures. A story has been narrated of an underground worker who ghostly frightened a colleague who in turn reacted blindly speeding down-the tunnel and into an unfenced bottomless pit. Only his remains were later recovered on their way to the milling section, buried in the ore. Stories also abound of recruits who have been caught snoozing on dangerous tracks. Psychological factors Studies reflect that in any harzadous occupation such as mining, psychological factors are fast assuming an unprecedented importance as a source of work-related deaths. According to Cde James Saidi of Cyclone Mine, a Lonrho gold claim, "depression and mining tasks don't.go hand-inhand. It is accepted to sent home a Increase in Fin depressed miner as a way ot saving his life". Common sources of psychological depression at most mine settlements are amoungst others, financial woes,marital problems and unnecessary pressure from management. World-wide, about 120 millionfworkrelated injuries occur in the economic sector, causing in excess of 220 000 deaths. Mining has since been categorised as a major contributing factor to these figures. Having. noted and stated the above, it is in the best interests of the nation and every person and, everyone's hope that what happened at Wankie Colliery Mine on that fateful day, June 2, 1972, does not occur again, that miners like any other worker, be totally protected from any mishaps. It also happens that this is every underground worker's dream. ial Support to Africa: Expert Us financial expert at the AfricanAfrican American Summit in Hatare said Africa is fast emerging as an important destination for funds from Western countries following the economic liberalisation reforms on the continent. Lamond Godwin, president and chief executive of Smith Barney and Peachtree Asset Management, pointed out that the business climate in Africa is now brighter than ever before, resulting in increasing investment on the continent by leading American companies. Godwin said one of the main attractions of Africa was the availability of low cost labour on the continent making it more attractive than its main competitors, Asia and Eastern Europe, where wages continued to soar. "American corporates are no longer conceding the African market to Europeans, and it is up to us to ensure that we take advantage of this progress," he said. Africa had over the past decade undergone major changes on the economic front with a number of countries em- barking on Western-backed structural adjustment programmes. The changes had seen most of countries opening up their economies in ine with the new world economic order which called for the free flow of goods and services. 0 Buy a copy of Zimbabwe News from your nearest newsstand now! ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

African Chiefs want Southern old democracies restored Africa Urged to IA frican chiefs attending a five-day ANatural Resources Management Programme conferencein Victor ia Falls in Zimbabwe have called for a return to the "old time" democracy as a solution to the present political instability in the continent. In a paper presented to the conference attended by more than 200 delegates from a cross-section of society, the chiefs charged that while they were now more receptive to the contemporary methods of governance, they felt there were lessons to be learnt from African traditional leaders and culture. Power struggles in Africa have been blamed on fragile democracies and this has resulted in underdevelopment, refugee problems and massive displacements of people. Prince Mwananyanda Lewanika of Malawi said traditional leaders realised the need for adapting to some modern living methods. "We have moved into an era where would want the private sector to be in partnership with traditional leaders because we the capacity to protect investments," Lewanika said. Outlining how African culture dealt with the issue of leadership succession, Lewanika said society was extensively involved in the process. He said the African chiefs needed more involvement in the formulation of developmental projects and their implementation. During the colonial era, traditional stripped of their powers and present day governments have done very little to restore them. This has resulted in conflicts between political and traditional structures. 0 SADC on Food Security he SADC Food Sector has finalised a regional strategy framework for food security that would ensure that the region is self sufficient. At a conference held in Botswana recently, it was noted that to ensure that the problem of food security is addressed there is need for more training, policy analysis and developing a capacity to communicate with and influence the much wider constituency. It was recommended that the role of the regional food security sector should now be more of a facilitative or regulatory nature rather than undertaking productive projects which can be done by the private sector or national entities. A Policy Analysis Network was established for those wishing to participate in the dialogue on food security. The PAN will link reseachers, stakeholders and policy makers across the region on issues such as trade, the role of the private and private sectors and household food security. r Agricultural Policies outhern Africa has been urged to work. out policies to stimulate agricultural production to meet 'their food requirements and improve living standards of their people. Officially opening a three-day workshop in, the Dar es Salaam, on sharing experiences and lessons from agricultural linkage projects, Tanzania's deputy minister of agriculture, Njelu Kasaka said that in order to achieve this goal, countries need to ensure food production exceeds population growth, which is about three percent in most countries. Kasaka said there is need for Southern Africa to direct thier efforts to small-scale farmers, who are the majority producers and are operating in complex situations. He commended significant advances in commodity research in Southern African countries. However, he says the rate of adopting new ideas is not up to natonal expectations. He said this failure is mainly a result of basing research proposals on assumptions which are different from the situations in which the majority of farmprs operate. The seminar was attended by extension officers, farmers' organisations and reseachers from Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Sabanew w'1. E Africa File ...... I Khartoum moves to end isolation By Beatrice Khadige T pehe Islamic regime In Sudan has launched an all-out bid to secure peace in an attempt to end its isolation on the iniernational stage and start rebuilding an economy wrecked by 14 years of civil war and recurring famine. try," said Sudanese Minister for Federal Affairs, Ali Mohammed AI-Hagg re'cently during a South Africa-brokered summit between Sudan and Uganda, two nations accusing each other of providing cross-border support to rebel groups. "We would like to assure the others that there is nothing to be afraid of from Sudan." Asked why it was so important for Sudan to have peace now, Foreign Affairs Minister All Osman Mohammed "We want peace with everybody. Our "We think regional peace is important priority is reconstruction of the coun. for everybody," AI-Hagg said adding: OConlinued on ne.t page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Khartoum moves to end isolation President Museveni 's Uganda is ac- Dr. J. Garang - wants a secular cused of occupying a portion of Sudan government *Continuedfrom previous page Taha, did not answer, saying merely: "It is our priority." Taha said Sudan was in a state of war with Uganda which Sudan has accused of accupying a portion of its territory. 'Its relations with Eritrea have soured Inquiry faces hurdles in New Congo By William Wallis nited Nations experts have said the Kinshasa government has placed new demands on their in vestigation of alleged massacres in the former Zaire but that the probe was continuing for now. Human rights activist Reed Brody, a member of the Mission, said the new demands were received by UN Secretarygeneral Dr Kofi Annan late August. "It's a question both of the composition as well as the manner in which we carry out the mission in order for it to be balanced and independent," Brody told REUTERS in Kinshasa during the last week of August. In Geneva, UN human rights spokesman John Mills said Annan had asked its special regional envoy, Mohamed Sahnoun, to meet President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure the inquiry continued. The Mission was appointed by Annan after he gave in to President Kabila's demands about the composition and mandate of a previous team which identified what it said were more than 100 massacre sites of Rwandan Hutu refugees blamed on Kabila's troops. Human rights groups at the time criticised Annan, saying his decision could set a dangerous precedent. The UN has received a letter from the government... "The letter raises a number of serious issues which could call into question the ability of the investigation to continue," Mills said. He declined to give details. Reports from aid sources said that in the letter, the government rejected the head of the Mission, Atsu-Koffi Amega of Togo, demanded the team work with an African inquiry mission and refused visas to security officers accompanying them. Team members would not elaborate on the contents of the letter. However, spokeswoman Myriam Dessables said preliminary hearings in Kinshasa would not be affected by the new demands. Experts in the 23-member team of forensic and human rights specialists and jurists have already begun taking testimony from witnesses and examining evidence of alleged atrocities. National Reconstruction Minister Etienne Mbaya, in charge of liason with the team, had no comment on the fresh conditions. Kinshasa has already wrung two major concessions from Dr Annan, who dropped the previous Mission's leader, Roberto Garreton of Chile, after he angered Kabila with a report alleging that his troops-killed thousands of Rwandan Hutu refugees. Dr Annan also agreed to date the probe to 1993 when dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who President Kabila toppled in Ma/, was in office. badly even though the two sides were on good terms while Eritreans were fighting for independence from Ethiopia. Relations with Ethiopia itself and with Egypt are little better. The civil war pitting the moslem Arabised north against rebels from the South where the population is mainly christian or animist, has poisoned Khart. toum's relations with its neighbours, particularly Uganda. The biggest rebel group is the Sudan People's liberation Army, led by Dr John Garang who is seen as the key to any permanent settlement. Garang met South African President Nelson Mandela but refused to stay for the summit. Garang wants guarantees that if Sudan stays a unified state, the present Islamic regime must make way for a secular government with a multi-party system. "Otherwise," he said during his visit to Pretoria late last August that amicable divorce may be applicable and that the South could secede. Garang has concluded an alliance-with northern opposition parties rallied behind former Prime Minister Sadiq-AIMahdi, a moderate Islamist. The government has accused the opposition alliance of seeking to overturn the militant islamic military regime led by Omar AI-Beshir who seized power in a 1989 coup. Last April, the govermment signed a peace agreement with six dissident rebel factions headed by Riek Machar who is now a senior official. Machar has backed the peace offensive saying Sudan intends to become a multicultural, multi- religious and multi- ethnic society. Sudan has asked Uganda to withdraw from its territory and to stop supporting Garang. In turn, Uganda accusses Sudan of backing the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of Joseph Kony, fighting in northern Uganda for the past decade to set up a regime based on the Biblical Ten Commandments. Regardini Eritrea, AI-Hagg said Sudan was prepared to begin talks."What we can offer is peace and talks. There is no problem with us," he said. Taha said Khartoum was also eager to 1 Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

OAU to get tougher on milit s political hotbeds in Africa get fewer than ever before, the Organisation of African Unity is moving beyond a more politically oriented agenda on which it was founded in 1963 to focus on economic integration. But some of the remaining hotbeds present\ chalenges to the new OAU chairman, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to deal with, such as the military governments in Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Nigeria and the continued disturbance of a peace settlement in Angola and the 42-year-old civil war in the Sudan still not yet on OAU's agenda. At this year's recent 33rd ordinary session in Harare, a precarious situation emerged just a few days before the summit - a coup in Sierra Leone. The OAU did not hesitate to denounce the coup and order restoration of the ousted democratically elected President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The meeting supported the military action by Nigeria against the new government of coup leader Johnny Paul Koromah, although another military leader of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya was attending. OAU's support for the removal of a new military Khartoum moves to end Iisolation *Continued from previous page improve its ties with Egypt which has accused the AI-Beshir regime of backing armed Islamic militants fighting to overthrow the Cairo government. Khartoum has also made overtures to Washington which has accused Sudan of Islamic terrorist groups and suspended economic aid following the 1989 coup. The Sudanese civil war erupted in 1983 and all attempts to bring it to an end have failed. Currently, the regional Inter--Governmental Authority on Development (GAD) -which comprises Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea - is spearheading new efforts to resolve the conflict ZIANA-AFP. f ary cou; By Maxwel Chivasa government in Sierra Leone, might have presented a discomforting situation for Buyoya. Meanwhile, the wife of Nigeria's military leader, General Sani Abacha, Mrs Abacha was making history as the first African First Lady to address the OAU. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, denounced the coup saying the illegal seizure of power by military cliques can no longer be tolerated. "Armies exist to protect national sovereignity not to run guns on their own people, " he said. The new OAU chairman warned that future coup plotters from the military risk not being accepted at the organisation's meetings. He also said there was need to avoid danger of being compelled by self-appointed mentors to go through the motions of democracy without enthroning its substance. "We are getting tougher and tougher," Mugabe said at a press conference after dosing the meeting. From the civil-strife torn Sudan, Islamic President Omar El Bashir sold his peace agreement amid the heavy presence of the Sudan People's Uberation Army (SPLA) officials. SPLA spokesman Dr Barnaby Benjamin dismissed the agreement saying it was unacceptable and war would continue. SPLA criticised the OAU for not putting the world's longest war, of 42 years, on its agenda. "I don't know what magnanimity is required to get it on the OAU agenda," said Dr Benjamin. But, however, Mugabe told a press conference that further efforts were necessary to come up with a Sudan agreement that accommodates all parties. Despite such conflicts on the continent, this year's OAU meeting made several major decisions and presented a feeling that Africa was much closer together than ever before. This was particularly so with what was considered to be very crucial political declarations. Firstly, on the inaugural session of the African Economic Community and secondly, the united stance by Africa on the threat to burst United Nations Securiy Council sanctions on LUbya :)S in connection with the alleged bombing of an airline over Lockerbie in 1988. the threat by African states in their first involvement in the dispute between the Libyan Arab Jamahirya and the United States and Britain in response to recent information that the two Libyan nationals may not have been involved in the bombing. The other major and quite political decision was the Harare Declaration of the OAU on the reform of the United Nations Security council to democratise its composition whose membership should be expanded to 26. Africa wants it to embrace membership for the benefit of developing, and African countries in particular. The inaugural session of the AEC authorised the OAU Secretary General, Salim to establish relations between the community and the regioral economic communities. The OAU will organise a meeting of donors under the leadership of the African Development Bank in cooperation with the World Bank. United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, in cooperation with Economic Commission for Africa and the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme 'and other donors to decide measures to be taken for financing programmes. The meeting would be held by the end of 1998. OAU also wants Africa to build bridges of solidarity with other affected countries in the African Caribbean and Pacific, the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. In that vein, Mugabe welcomed the special envoy from the Caribbean states, Edison Denis, who brought a message of solidarity. "The destiny of African and the Caribbean is one. Our regions are heavily dependent on European Union preferences extended to us through successive Lome conventions," said Mugabe. The president of Zambia and also chairman of the Common Market for the Eastern and Southern Africa, Frederick Chiluba, said: "Without economic development and improved standards of living, democracy will wither away un*Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Child sexual abuse and the law *What does the general law say on sexual offences relating to children? he Children's Protection and Adoption Act (Chapter 33) defines a 'child' as a person under the age of 16 years and includes an infant'. The Legal Age of Majority Act defines anyone under the age of 18 years of age as a minor which is in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, in Zimbabwe law, children below 16 years of age are regarded as too young to be able to consent to have se. The general law provides for the following sexual offenses against children: RAPE is intentional and unlawful sexual intercourse by a male over 14 years of age, with a woman without her con. sent. Vaginal penetration even in the slightest degree is sufficient and ejaculation by the male is not necessary. Boys under the age of 14 years are regarded in the law as too young to commit rape. OA U to get tougher on military *Continued from previous page der the hot atmosphere oi the globdl economy in which Africa has been peripheralised for far too long,"he said. On behalf of SADC, Mozambique President Joachim Chissano, told the AEC meeting that African countries had realised that economic development and integration of the African continent were essential conditions for the achievement of the objectives of the OAU. The meeting took note and commended the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa for the activities so far carried out to promote dialogue at regional and subregional levels and the dissemination of information on peace, security and disarmament in Africa, despite its limited financial resources. It seems Africa's weapon is now unity and joint action if it. is to emerge as an important player on the international economic scene. (SARDC) 0] Hence, if they are involved in forced sex, they are sent for rehabilitation but not tried. STATUTORY RAPE is unlawful sexual intercourse with any girl under the age of 16 years with her consent. Girls under the age of 12 are legally incapable of consenting to sexual intercourse and girls under 16 years are presumed have not consented. As for rape, the offence is committed by any male over the age of 14 years. INCEST is when a person intentionally has sexual intercourse with another person who is a blood relative or related by marriage or adoption, and thus unable to contract a valid marriage. INDECENT ASSAULT is intentional assault involving sexual organs. SODOMY is intentional anal sexual intercourse with a male child. The legal offence is greater if the victim did not consent. A child under 16 years of age is seen by the law as being too young to consent to sex. ABDUCTION is intentionally taking a minor against, the will of parents, guardians or custodians of the minor with the intention of the person or another party marrying or having sexual intercourse with the ninor. A minor is any person under the age of 18 (male or female). The consent of the minor is irrelevant in this case as the crime is in depriving the parents, guardians or custodians of their right to exercise parental control over the minor. Proposed changes in the general law: At present there is need to review the law so that: CRIME Indecent assault Rape Incest Sodomy Statutory Rape Abduction When parents and teachers abuse children, who do they turn to for protection? a) all acts of forced penetrative sex (rape, incest, sodomy) are equally serious either by treating all as rape or by giving all similar penalties equivalent to that of rape. b) Increasing the gravity of all sexual offences against children (e.g. indecent assault and abduction) by increasing the penalty. c) Increasing the penalty for statutory rape and avoiding treating all rape of 12-16 year olds as statutory rape as a means of avoiding the heavier sentence of rape. Age should be an aggravating factor in the penalties for sexual offences with the highest penalties for offence involving minors. CURRENT AVERAGE 6 mths . 4 yrs 7yrs-capital prison mandatory 2-3yrs, up to 8yrs ± 12 months 1-5 yrs/$1000 0-6 mths PROPOSED Up to 10 years 12yrs-capital prison mandatory As for rape As for rape Up to 10 yrs or treat as rape 0-6 yrs Sourced from Lifelines which is published by the Ministry of Health and. Child Welfare. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 I -neraioa Yeltsin more invincible after qoinl under the knife w resident Boris Yeltsin was Russia's P invisible man for eight of the past , 12 months - the first year of his second term in the Kremlin. But when the President finally re-emerged from heart surgery and pneumonia, his transformation to a would-be invincible man delighted reformers at home and amazed the outside world. It has become commonplace to say president Yeltsin is a fighter, yet it is still true, with a new twist. His quintiple heart bypass operation last November taught him to value time. A year ago in July, he was elected against the odds for his second and constitutionlly last term. For the lack of a serious opponent inside the country, the Russian President is directing his energies towards fighting for a better Russia and for his own place in history - as if there were no tomorrow. President Yeltsin said in his State of the Nation Address in March he wanted to see Russians proud of their state in four years' time and he seems to be putting his all into achieving this end. The remaininng three years in office should show whether his new vigour, health permitting, can last and, more importantly, bring results. By Antoly Verbin A President running against time His biggest immediate worry is the econOmy. He is adding his political clout to 0 relatively youthful dream team overnment of reformers fighting a oming financial crisis. So far, Yeltsin's actions for the last four months since emerging in February from 0 series of illnesses are so composed, focused and energetic that the 66-year-old Kremlin leader looks like a man who is running against the clock. "Boris Nikolayevich has set off on his last political race and has finished the first stage," said the influenial Itogi current affairs weekly magazine. He has put in place a government powered by young and competent reformers, ended the war with Chechnya and scored several diplomatic successes. His physical energy seems at times limited but his mental alertness generally appears unwavering. Before July 3, when he defeated communist leader Gennady Zyuganov by 10 million votes, president Yeltsin had done the impossible. After two bouts of heart problems in 1995 and haunted by bloodshed in rebel Chechnya - a war which he unleashed himself and now bitterly regrets - Yeltsin looked a physical wreck and a political corpse by February 1996 when he decided to run, for a second term. But an energetic meet-the-people campaign orchestrated by liberal Anatoly Chubais and his team took him across Russia dancing the twist and even playing on a children's swing. His younger daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko, became an informal imagebuilder. She was given the post official at the beggining of July, 1997. Clean over heart troubles President Yeltsin's heart failed him in late June, but the voters were not to know that. His aides' explanations variously included Yeltsin losing his voice in vigorous first-round campaigning, a cold, a sore throat and bronchitis. come clean. He told the country in September he had decided to go under the knife to be able to return to active life. He had heart surgery on November 5. As he was recovering, he suffered double pneumonia in January and it was only in February that he returned, amazingly transformed, to active duty. During the last year, President Boris Yeltisin has turned into an energetic old man, in good form, from a bulk and unhealthy, ageing man, said Ite#. Key to power beyond 2000? Enthused by his performance, Kremlin analysts are even looking into ways for Yeltsin to stay in power beyond 2000. The ConstitutiOn says he cannot run tor a third term but some experts say that if intergration between Russia and neighbouring Belarus produces a single state, Yeltsin may have the right to stand for the presidency in the new country. He has largely scrapped his trademark. policy of having several centers of power, hawks and liberals, in his own camp. He has concentrated on backing Ministers despite- opposition from the largely hostile Lower House of Parliament. Having huge constitutional powers, Yeltsin does not need to be concerned about the chance of a repeat of a power struggle with Parliament which resulted in bloody riots and government tanks shelling the white house Parliament building in 1993. He can also afford not to worry too much about his popularity rating. The latest poll by the respected Vtsiom Research Centre gave Yeltsin a mere 5.5 percent backing, far behind Zyuganov who led the feild with 17 percent. His real worry is the economy and his government will need all its skill and a dose of good luck to achieve a breakthrough. Economic shows first signs of growth The economy, in decline since 1989, is It was Yeltsin himself who decided to *Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

A call for reflection S omething these days well as art wbrld. Ernesto resurrected fron classical folk h liberator to sav itself. This is tn What the diagr and reawakening By Theo-Ben Gurirab Minister of Foreign Affairs. Namibia amazing is happening deep reflection and perplexing modes of ways and means ofM-digllg effectively in certain intellectual as forecasting the future. At the same time with the crisis of unemployment, istic circles around the and because of this, there is also an un- poverty, under-development, population (Che) Guevara is being remiting search for a particular type of growth, regional conficts, crime, suin the grave both as a leader armed with empowering mes- odes, Aids as well as the unmistakable ero and revolutionary sages about the present and future state rise of disillusionment among the youtl e modem society from of the world. we seem to be going Our generation must change these ily amazing. through such a phase presently as we things and the youth must carry the osis of the moder soci- gaze at the turn of the century. torch forward. Re- inventing is desirable .pm tn. ha nnua.,'h pnf -new ideas and workable solutions to social problems facing the people. There is a lot of talk about new technologie, globalisation, privatisation and the presumed wonders of the market economy. Yet poverty, joblessness, crime, suicides and the degradation of the environment as well as other societal iniquities continue to rise impacting negatively on the lives of millions of people in the world. The world's abundance of wealth is enjoyed only by a few and the needy are left to their own fate. A sense of uncertainty and insecurity is said to be the order of the day for the majority everywhere. Human history has consistently shown that on the eve of a new millennium or a new century there comes a time for 'Yeltsin more Invincible*Continuedfrom previous page showing the first signs of growth tnjs year, and could be roaring ahead like an Asian tiger by the turn of the century. Inflation is heading for 12 percent this year, down from tripple digits 15 months ago. But a financial crisis is looming and the cabinet is taking desperate steps to increase state revenues and cut spending. To do that, some of the measures like a new tax code and the 1998 bugdet -based on the code must be approved by the uncooperative Duma (Lower House). !Some experts predict a hot Autumn of battles between the government and Parliament after the summer break. It is just the kind of challenge the new Yeltsin is likely to relish. ZIANA-RUETER 0, it is apparently here where Che's life, sojourns and his role at the cutting edge of the worldwide revolution of the 1960s have been awakening people's imagination and readiness for action. Our global village stands on the threshold of the beginning of a new millennium just only a little over two years away. Hence an avalanche of reflecting and theorising that we are seeing among scholarly pundits and opinion-makers who are pontificating on the pros and cons of the modem society. Some of them seemingly believe that Che has the right answers from the grave. One of them has encapsulated the essence and continued relevance of the Cuban revolutionary hero as follows: ",Che had answers to these problems. He said you could change things, not just follow blindly." To look to the future, it is always wise not to forget the past. Che's resurrection interestingly has its instructive reverberations in the reemergence of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President Laurent Kabila as well as the revelations in "The Congo Cables' of 1982. A perspective on history has always proved itself to be a useful tool in analysing contemporary social events. Some of the recent books and studies are underlining the crucial role which ideology and culture have played and continue to play in human affairs. We are presently dealing with the consequences of the post-Cold World War situation which is rather unstable and uncertain. Old and new problems seem to be wearing down heavily upon the capacity of world leaders and policymakers as pioneers into the unchartered horizons. There is decision-making paralysis. There is a shortage of long-term thinking on r.naa. .F8.oap. Questions are being raised as to who will be the final winners and losers in the economic and technological developments involving industrialised, industrialising and developing countries. As it is, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This is as true in national societies as it is the global community. These are old and new questions. They should be addressed and resolved jointly by the public and private sectors in co-operation with labour and the NGOs. Che's ideological clarity and moral standing have become spears and shields for his followers and new converts alike. I read somewhere that "As the world's view of modernism recedes, the extraordinary diversity of times and cultures that had been hidden beneath the shadow of universality is re-emerging." We would need to keep in mind Che's earlier assertion, that is" .. you could change things, not just follow blindly". The quintessential Che was at the centre of the changing and uncertain world of the 1960s and left behind a vibrant and inspiring legacy. He was the pride of the Cuban Revolution led by perhaps the greatest revolutionary of them all Fidel Castro. I am, however, not dealing with the Cuban Revolution here but with Che - the man - and his appealin the world of ideas and solutions to'social problems. For the developing world, the old challenges and the new opportunities are equally mind-boggling. They indude poverty alleviation, under-development, inequality, social disintegration and the ever-threatening population growth. Moreover, there is also the disturbing paucityof new ideas that should give *Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS-VOL. 28 NO. 6

A call for reflection and reawakening *Continued from previous page knsaration towards creauting a irystal dear vision accompanied by a pragmatic road map for the future. -Ideas have always led political orientation, econonic development and social transformation. Do "not just follow blindly,' is Che's admonition. The immediate national priorities for poor countries obviously centre around the pressing question of bread and butter jobs. But not least urgent are the Ideological and cultural challenges which go hand-in-hand with nation-building, poverty alleviation and productivity. While capitalism per se is not an eternal enemy of the poor, how do you - tame it to become responsive and com-, passionate to the demands of the needy in the society? .Against the backdrop of the foregoing, the post-independence situation in Namibia needs some serious diagnosing and reorienting. Something signifacant is amiss. We need a robust and informed public debate of ideological and cultural variety within the context of the consitutional order and public civility. Good laws and enlightened public policies on development only answer a part of the burning questions that we must address. The missing ingredients may actually even be the most critical ones at this stage of our institution-building and prioritsing of national goals. For a start, five-year development plans or other interim arrangements in themselves are not substitutes for a terminal vision for the future of the country nor is any particular road map a panaca. These are necessary preparatory mechanisms for the achievement of our dream-society characterised by industrialisation, productivity,.full employment, of the status of women, saving children, equality, environmental protection, prosperity and happiness for all. But they are far from bqing sufficient. Something-more fundamental is required for sustainable human development in addition to bread and shelter. We must also .produce new ideas with ideological and cultural underpinnings to guide development. Development to what end and for whom in a world of predators and their prey! For example, in the Namibian war against , colonialism and for ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 liberation, we hai, a clear vision which was embraced by all: political emancipablon and national independence based on unity of purpose and action. All patrit ots joined the struggle in pursuit of their common aspirations. The struggle grew into a people's war. The strategies and tactics deployed were likewise straight forward. Accompanying the war of liberation was a general lively debate on all issues of relevance to the struggle, including ideological and cultural perspectives. Even if unanimity was not always there on critical issues, a widely held. consensus would still emerge among Swapo leaders and the masses alike. The struggle taught us a culture of togetherness not merely communally but also in terms of inking in unison about the future. The operative credo was "if you don't know learn, if you know teach others". The present struggle for economic emancipation is far from being a people's war. The collapse of state socialism in Eastern Europe in 1989, coupled with vicious propaganda in certain circles on the alleged death of ideology, has unfortunately created guilty feelings and selfdoubt among the Party rank and fle. ignoring questions of ideology has, therefore become an easy way out. General amnesikhas grippled our national body politic since independence. Most of the developing world is today characterised by this malady of sailing on an open ocean without the benefit of a compass. Anybody who claims that ideology is dead or no longer relevant in modem society and particularly in a developing society reveals a wide area of personal ignorance or is cynically trying to manipulate the truth to suit his own Ideological preference. Whenever human society exists, there ideological also shall be! Ideological roots may have originated somewhere else, at different times in history, but a tree can blossom and bear fruits anywhere in Namibia as well. Ideology weaves itself through history, culture, religion and political economy and always co-exists with them. It cannot be separated from any of the other human yearnings, Catalysts for such a national debate must include political parties, labour unions, academia, theologians, media opinion-makers, artists as well as community activists. Ideological debate did not begin or end in 1647, 1776, 1789, 1917, 1960 or i 989.It predated the historical events of those years and will continue as long as civil society exists. Like history, culture and religion, ideology is a permanent Ingredient in the evolution of civilisation. Any contention to the contrary would be tantamount to a name-calling contest between a kettle and a pot. Both are containers and useful for cooking or boiling water for a cup of Chinese tea. Depth of history is clearly over-exaggerated. Man is a thinker and culture-worker. For this, he produces and relies on ideas. Ideology, simply put, is nothing more or less than a coordinated system of ideas which constitutes a a socio-economic and cultural programme malleable enough for a changing environment. All humans go through this exercise in which they are trying to improve their own welfare as well as prosperity for the society. Namibians are no exception. The only difference, and one of substance, is that some have such a programme and others not. It is misleading, as suggested above, that the question of ideological debate should be limited to capitalism and socialism of whatever variety. Human history is much larger in scope and full of ideas in an endless interplay of continuity and change. Neither Karl Marx's Dos Kapital nor Adam Smith's The Wealth of the Nations has laid down the final chapter and verse on what ideology is or on what is to be done. Nothing is written in stone. Even the Bible or any of the other holy books has not settled the debate on human development and salvation seeing the horrors and shortcomings that abound. Sources of knowledge and human civilisations are many. They are drawn from all parts of the world. That said, Marx and Smith were serious researchers who relied on scientific methodology eschewing absolutes in favour of proofs and verification. History like change itself continues forever. Presently, models of successful develop-. ment of political economy in newly industrialising countries are based on pragmatic policies and efficient public service. For example, among the Asean *Continued on next page

A call for reflection and reawakening *Continuedfrom previous page countries which boast spectacular economic growth, their models seem to be more eclectic rather than doctrinaire in application. Even so they have well coordinated programmes of ideas which spur their socio-economic development. As the saying goes, it is not the colour of a cat which matters; the challenge is that it catches the mouse. That is the point. Our challenge similarly is how best to balance history and vision for the future, while formulating pragmatic strategies and workable policies for social transformation which will empower the people and create lasting prosperity. The other challenge is having an ideology which operates in tandem with our heritage, cultural values and moral virtues that the people can relate to. The objective is to inspire them to take a collective stance on the battlefield of ideas and economic competition. A n9ted political commentator has called this a new "Class Warfare". This nasty game which nations play will ultimately determine the winners and the losers. Books and articles written lately, mostly by Western scholars, on the themes of the end of the century or the beginning of the new millennium are meant to define the parametres within which the battle.of ideas and socio-economic globalisation will take place. The countries of the South have curiously left the debate to the other side ostensibly because our pressing priorities are, it is said, more geared towards finding bread for the people and to pipe water to the village. Fine. But then again, by the time y6u give them bread and water, both the dam and the cornfield might have been obliterated. Concentrating on essential national priorities is necessary buf it is not sufficient to prepare a nation fully for the challenges of the near and present cultural and ideological de'bate. The two should always be pursued concurrently. Back to Che and his legacy of the 1960s for which the latest literally groping seems to be all about. That decade was most eventful and challenging. It shook the world with revolutions bf blood and revolutions of ideas. My own generation came into its own amidst that forceful 'helter-skelter of change and new alignment. All-embracing social revolution and student protests spread like bonfire throughout the world. Ours was an angry generation which drank from a foun. tain of internationalism. Che was one of the keepers of that fountain. We were anti-im[erialists, anticolonialist, anti-racist and anti-nuclear weapons. We hated with passion those who oppressed and exploited other human beings. We were idealists, freedom fighters, and inter-nationalists without borders. That's why youths and students took to the bush and the streets en masse and died in pursuit of a better world. Our hearts and minds were for social change and for people's pow. er. We were convinced that "The Future Belongs to those Who Fight For It". Of course, each generation thinks it is unique. Be that as it may. Persons, books and stories often leave significant influences on young minds. Sometimes one is changed by such influences ina lasting way. It could be by a person you never met, a book you read by chance or a story told along the road by a stranger. Again, back, to Che and this time forwhat he meant to me personally in the' 1960s and beyond. Che got me directly in 1963 and his lasting influence is forever with me. We met, so to speak, through people, writings and stories - about or relating to his role in the Cuban revolution. My good friend and colleague (a Cabinet Minister too predictable for most to name) and myself used to hold, whenever we were together, frequent "scences" not of spiritual kind but strictly of political gravity. This was in the 1960s during our student days on Philadelphia. in the United States of America. Anyway, what we used to do was reading to each other in turns (I thought I had a better flair for reading) passages from the writings by or about Che. We would then follow this up with rigorous analysis and probing argumentation. We would be charged up and put in a mode of readiness for African Revolution and ideological purification. There were others at that time, much bigger than Che but none, except perhaps Patrice Lumumba and Malcom X, who had the same electricity like him on my youthful mind. That was when Che was still alive. Apparently, he is still ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 capable of electrifying the whole place from his grave! Che was fearless yet sensitive. I think of his farewell message to his comrade, Fidel Castro; his sentimen. tal letter from a battlefield to his daughter whose birthday party he could not attend; and his relentless passion for international solidarity. He combined the zeal of a revolutionary-with the sensitivity of a romantic. .I was not surprised'by the way in which President Fidel Castro eulogised Che in 1967: "All that you created was perfect, but you made yourself, you showed that the new man is possible, thus everyone could see that the new man is a reality, 'because he exists, he is you..." It is that extraordinary man of all seasons who is today being brought back to life to help out humanity from the doldrums of uncertainty and insecurity. Among the biggest social challenges in Namibia is how to construct a progressive and vibrant cultural consciousness among our people. Our people 'are in a -dire need of a cultural renaissance in order to be able to shake off complete,ly the vile colour of distortions and divisions imposed by the apartheid colonialism and no less by the newest outside cultural subversion. Establishing a and a political system have been achieved fully in Namibia. Inculcating a strong cultural consciousness, among our people, in the face of subversive manipulation and encroachment by external forces is not going to be easy. But there is no alternative. We must dare to resist. The social cohesion in the society that we need and the economic emancipation which is the primary national goal cannot be achieved without cultural solidarity and ideological consensus. That is for sure. We must arm our people with a national heritage as confidence-building and self- defence mechanism in our new Namibia. We must master the magic of telecommunications and the information, superhighway for development but, at the same time, avoid being enslaved by them. Education for all must lead to knowledge, skills and know-how both for society and the individual. In our war against poverty and backwardness, the best weapon is education. Youth development and leadership training *Continuetton next page

A cal for reflection and reawakening , @Continuedfron previous page I was not surprised by the way in which President Fidel Castro eulogised Che in 1967: "All that you created was perfect, but you made yourself, you showed that the new man is possible, thus everyone could see that the new man is a reality, because he exists, he is you ..." It is that extraordinary man of all seasons who is today being brought back to life to help out humanity from the doldrums of uncertainty and insecurity. Among the biggest social challenges in Namibia is how to construct a progressive and vibrant cultural consciousness among our people. Our people are in a dire need of a cultural renaissance in order to be able to shake off completely the vile odour of distortions and divisions imposed by the apartheid colonialism and no less by the newest outside cultural subversion. Establishing a sovereign state and a political system have been achieved fully in Namibia. Inculcating a strong cultural consciousness, among our people, in the face of subversive manipulation and encroachment by external forces is not going to be easy. But there is no alter. -native. We must dare to resist. The social cohesion in the society that we need and the economic emancipation which is the primary national goal cannot be achieved without cultural solidarity and ideological consensus. That is for sure. We must arm our people with a national heritage as confidence-building and self- defence mechanism in our new Namibia. We must master the magic of telecommunications and the information superhighway for development but, at the same time, avoid being enslaved by them. Education for all must lead to knowledge, skills and know-how both for society and the individual. In our war against poverty and backwardness, the best weapon is education. Youth development and leadership training should also be linked to the implementation of a national service.programme. We must teach them in good faith that public office should be held in trust on behalf of the people and not be seen as an opportunity for corruption and per. sonal aggrandisement. This is not to say that we want Namibia to be an island severed from Africa or - ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6 the rest of the world. But charity must begin at home. An ancient sage has said "know thyself' first. Nationalism by it. self is not necessarily an anachronism. It can, however, be manipulated by zealots with blind ambitions and by ruthless opportunists pursuing personal interest. In a nutshell, culture is informed by a people's history, experiences and aspirations. It is a question of combining them with the powers of scientific laws to form a concrete basis for a Namibian ideological specificity. Development cannot be led by foreign co-operating partners or neo-colonialist consultants with destructive agendas. Namibia must at all costs avoid going the way of "A Fate Worse Than Debts". When the Namibia Stock Exchange is controlled by an exclusive and recycled business cabal from the old dispensation, there is a serious cause for concern about which way our country is going. Sustainable human development and socio-economic upliftment of the people do not happen by chance. They require systemic planning and social engineering in a context of progressive vision and a pragmatic plan of action. I believe we are now quite firm on the ground as a nation. We must remain vigilant, no doubt. But we can and must debate these big questions openly without fear or favour. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a first small step. Let me say that this has been enough of an opening salvo on my part with a staccato of deliberative stirrings without necessarily offering any specific and coherent bluc-prints. Well, perhaps so. But then again, this is only a wake-up call to the nation for reflection and reorientation. No one man can close his arms around a baobab tree. I want all of us to do it together. Let us debate these issues. ganyika (Tanzania) in 1963. It was my first ever international conference. For me,' it marked the beginning of warm and revolutionary ties based on solidarity and co-operation between Swapo and the Cuban Revolution. How could Namibians ever forget the decisive role which the Cubans played towards our liberation and nation-building? Later on, I learnt about one of Che's own rendezvous with destiny at an earlier meeting of the African and-Asian nations held in Indonesia in 1959. He observed: "Could it be that ... millions of Asians and Africans have the same hopes that we have? Could it be that our brotherhood transcends distances, different languages, and unites us in the struggle? * . . The man from another land ... touches my. beard and in a strange tounge asks, 'Are you a member of the guerrilla armyrhat leads the struggle for freedom in Latin America? Are you our allies from the other side of the sea?' And I have to answer him, and millions of Afro-Asians like him in the Affirmative. Furthermore, I tell him that Iam his brother, one among many from his side of the world who await with infinitive anxiety the moment when our contitents will unite and destroy, once and for all, the anachronistic presence of colonialism." I got to be thinking just the same way till today. Namibians are called upon to reflect and re-awakened themselves to become conscious masters of our future destiny. I will conclude with one more quote in which Che said in 1960: "We understood perfectly that the life of a single human being is worth a million times more than all the property of the richest man on earth". This is a purest of dedication to the sacred cause and a rare example of self-sacrifice in defence of human rights. Those who were responsible for arI I.I -I-C i.1 I started with Che and I want to end racial supremacy and apartheid cannot there. It was not adventurism which claim today a special championship in brought Che to the Congo in 1965 or' defence of democracy and human rights ended his life in Bolivia in 1967. It was anywhere. Che lives on in our souls: neither power nor wealth that moved VENCEREMOS! o him. His limitless humanity and intemationalism did. Comrade Sam Nunjoma introduced me to a Cuban guest delegation at the conference of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Or- *Theo.Ben Gunrab is Namibia's Minister ganisation (AAPSO) held at Moshi, Tan- of Foreign Affairs.

Title: Lake Chivero: A Polluted Lake, Published by University of Zimbabwe PublicationsEdited by N.A.G. Moyo he book is a result of the proceedings of a workshop jointly hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe and the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The workshop organised by various scientific researchers, was a response to queries'from various sectors of the community on the controversial Lake Chivero following massive fish deaths in 1996. The publication focuses on the causes, consequencies and extent of pollution in Lake Chivero. Aspects covered include among others, the impact of eutrophication, water pollution and catchment management in Lake Chivero, water quality monitoring in Harare, sources and levels of pollution along the Mukuvisi river, pollution from industrial effluents, and waste water standards in Zimbabwe. The study maintains that discharged sub-standard sewage efluent into rivers that feed into the lake is responsible for the poor water quality. Given the heavy loads of untreated sewage deposited into the lake, the effectiveness of the water treatment process can not be guaranteed and so there is need to reduce the amount of sewage in the Mukuvisi and Manayame rivers. Built in 1952, Lake Chivero is the main source of water for the City of Harare which has a population of over 1.5 million people. According to Professor Brian E, Marshal, the steady population growth in Harare and Chitungwiza has ben coupled with the increase in effluent being discharged into the lake. Unless urgent measures are taken, the health of the city is at stake as has been demonstrated by the occasional outbreaks of gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intrestines). Evidence of eutrophication (the accumulation of nutrients in lakes and other bodies of water quality which cause rapid growth of algae) in Lake Chivero has ranged from the presence of the hycinth, death of fish, high chemical levels of toxins, to the heavy presence of blue-green altae. Needless to mention, this has made the purification of the water immensely difficult. Although the extent of toxin production is presently unknown, the research found out that the toxins are a serious threat to public health and need to be controlled. industrial discharge from areas such as Msasa,' Graniteside, Workington, Southerton and others is cited as being responsible for the presence of heavy metal in water and this, with other impurities, causes deoxygenation and a decline in water which consequently affects aquatic life. For example, Marshal writes that while fish have died, the number of snails in Chivero has risen to become the highest to be found in any African lake. Rising levels of phosphorus content have also contributed to the problems in lake Chivero. According to Chris Magadza of the UZ Lake Kariba Research Station, this is due to the partially treated sewage from Chitungwiza. Mugadza also notes that it will take time to find a solution to pollution in lake Chivero if the management policy is not reviewed. Currently, about five ministries are involved, and this alone creates unnecessary bureaucracy. Cecil Muchena blames Zimphos, a fertilizer factory for polluting Mukuvisi river. "Aquatic systems have a natural ability to purify themselves of pollution, but this self-purification capacity is limited and beyond these limits the systems become ecologically stressed," hence the need for responsibility. Muchena also argues that water intended for human consumption should be free from foul taste, odour, colour and turbidity if it is to be safe and aesthetically acceptable. The publication has suggested a number of ways that may help to curb pollution in lake Chivero. In his article entitled, Sources and Levels of Pollution Along Mukuvisi River, M.F. Zaranyika argues that if Lake Chivero is to be purified, waste discharged into rivers that service the lake has to be reduced and monitored. In the past, attempts to control the spread of the water hyacinth using the hyacinth weevil have not been very successful and so the research has suggested that a biohebicide be introduced to double the efforts. The role that government has to play in putting into place legislation that will control water pollution can not be overemphasised. There is need to review existing water laws and regulations so that they reflect the urgency with which water pollution needs to be treated. The proposed National Water Authority is hailed by the study as a welcome administrative structure in \ water management. the water Act, which has been in existence for more than 22 years now, is said to have developed loopholes as fines are too low and the pollution officers have legal powers to enforce the Act. Sibhekile Mthethwa of the Department of Water Resources, Water Pollution Control suggests that the Act be iodified and the department allocated enough resources to enable it to carry out its operations effectively. The report stresses the need for a centralised and unified system to coordinate the fight against water pollution. Instead of different agencies and sectors operating independently, one national database could be set up to network all their activities. "As water resources came under ever increasing pressure from a growing population and water reuse inevitably becomes the norm, the quality of water needs to be protected by strict yet realistic standards," Mthethwa noted. This calls for concerted efforts from both the legislators and the general public, concludes the study. Published at a time when environmental issues are topical, the book offers a challenge .to government, environmentalists, policy makers and the community at large. (Nomalanga Moyo-SARDC) . E1 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

Adam Fredy Wenyimo (1929-1997) By Zvenyika Kambizi THE late Jongwe Printing and Publishing Company acting Managing Director, Cde. Adam Wenyimo, was a dedicated and determined fighter - courageous and consistent in both the political struggle and the fight for economic equity in post- colonial Zimbabwe. His death therefore, on July 9 1997, was not only a sad loss to his dear family but, also to the ruling ZANU PF which he served devotedly and, colleagues and surbodinates at Jongwe Press with whom he worked harmoniously; offering his invaluable fatherly advice and guidance when and where appropriate. Cde. Wenyimo who collapsed and died at his, Seke home, was a revolutionary who ventured where most dared not during the most trying of times. He executed his duties with unwavering loyalty to the Party, from very early days to the last day of his life. Old age (he was 68), did not in any single manner, deter him from carrying out his duties with the characteristic consistency that"marked his entire revolutionary life. In this respect, Cde. Nathan Shamuyarira, Secretary for Information and Publicity and Jongwe Press board chairman, said in a press statement: "The sudden and untimely death of Cde. Adam Wenyimo, a member of the Central Committee of ZANU PF, is a tragic loss to the Party and the Government. We have lost a devoted and hard worker for the Party." He had been on the longwe board for 12 yeams. Since January 1997, he had been the agting Managing Director having assumed the post urpon the departure of Mr. lack Dunlop whose / contract had expired. Observed Cde. Shamuyarira: "He was quiet butvery hard working. He contributed greatly to the organisation and administration of the Party at the headquarters and in Harare Province. He will be missed by all his colleagues and members of the Party." Political career Born on February 22, 1929 at Seke's St. Mary's Mission, Adam Wenyimo was educated at the same Mission School during the 1940S up to Standard Six. He however, went on to matriculate on his own. He entered politics in the early 19505 in the Youth League where he worked with the likes-of Cdes George Nyandoro, James Chikerema, Paul Mushonga and Duduza Chisiza. When he left Salisbury (now Harare) for Bulawayo, he continued with politics but was now working with such comrades as Jason Z. Moyo, Benjamin Burombo and Masocha Ndlovu amongst others. In the early 1960s, Cde. Wenyimo moved to the Copper Belt in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) where he was an active member of ANC. Here, he worked with such prominent freedom fighters as Cdes Simon Kapwepwe and Harry Kumbula. He returned home around 1963 and was soon working in the People's Movement established as an underground movement of ZANU which had just been banned by the governing settlers. During this period, Cde. Wenyimo was elected chairman of the Houghton Park district. Amongst his numerous contributions then, Cde. Adam Wenyimo helped recruit youngmen and women for the armed struggle. In this regard, he worked with comrades , David Hunda amongst others. In 1976, he was amongst the many nationalists who travelled to Switzerland for the futile Geneva Talks. Immediately following that, he toured ZANU PF branches in the United Kingdom, appealing for funds for a. speedy execution of the armed liberation struggle for national independence. During the course of this period, he was arrested and detained on many occasions but never flinched -n his commitment. Post-colonial activities Following -the attainment of independence in 1980, Cde. Wenyimo was elected Mashonaland East ZANU PF Provincial Treasurer, then was elected the same for Harare. In 198f4, he was elected to the supreme governing body of the Party, the Central Committee. The following year (1985), he was elected to the now defunct Senate. Meanwhile, he had been appointed the Party's director of finance in 1982. At the time of his death, Cde. Wenyimo was a member of the ZANU PF Central Committee as well as the National Consultative Assembly. For many years, Cde. Wenyimo was a board member of the National Railways of Zimbabwe, ZIDCO, Catercraft, M and S Syndicate and longwe Press. He is survived by his wife, Grace (nee Rimai) whom he wed in 1969 and five children (boys) Alfred and Tendai and, (girls) Nyarai, Joyce and Natsai. Cde. Adam Fred Wenyimo was laid to rest at his rural home in Seke on Saturday, 12 July, 1997. - RIP fl ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 28 NO. 6

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