Zimbabwe News, Vol. 27, No. 1

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Alternative title Zimbabwe News Author/Creator Zimbabwe African National Union Publisher Zimbabwe African National Union (Harare, Zimbabwe) Date 1996-01-00 Resource type Magazines (Periodicals) Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Southern Africa (region) Coverage (temporal) 1996 Source Northwestern University Libraries, L968.91005 Z711 v.27 Rights By kind permission of ZANU, the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front. Description Editorial. National News: Mugabe speaks about his vision of the future. Congress resolutions adopted by national conference. Political programme for 1996 unfolding. Manjinji salt pan, a respected island of water. Fight against malaria. Street kids should be off the streets. Regional News: Angola's 20th anniversary: looking back and ahead. SA and SADC: balancing global and regional interests. Southern Africa investment summit. AIDS and human rights. Mauritius: Country profile. Zambians elect new team of leaders at 4-day convention. Profile: Tanzania's Mkapa is an asset to the region. Benjamin William Mkapa - a profile. Features: SADC grapples with increasing drug problem. Motoring for the less able. Technology aids the disabled. International News: Eileen Lake, first black woman Anglican vicar. Child health expert issues peanut warning. Talking Point: The causes of epidemics in Africa. Need for an African lingua franca. The nation state rendered irrelevant. Precious Documents: Workshop on industrial relations to transport workers of Southern Africa. Implications of the land commission findings and recommendations on the smooth administration of rural district councils. Towards sustainable land tenure systems within the smallholder

http://www.aluka.org fanning areas. Harmonising traditional and elected structures in land matters at local levels. Workshop on future land tenure systems in Zimbabwe. Format extent 64 page(s) (length/size)

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http://www.aluka.org lty, Peace ad eveont uepanmeni ol Inlormation and I-uollcty, 14Ausun moad, Workington, Harare lty, Peace ad eveont uepanmeni ol Inlormation and I-uollcty, 14Ausun moad, Workington, Harare Volume 27, No. 1 1996, Registered at the G.P.O as a Newspaper $1.00(incl. sales ta 1 El lET kSSAUIU )N LAN] IEFOR Ve must make strenous effc ach finality on the question nation-state rendered irrelevant [5 GABE SPEAKS ABOUT HIS VISION FOR THE FUTUIRE

Zimbabwe News Official Organ of ZANU PF Contents Editorial: National News: Regional News: Profile Features: International News: Talking Point: Precious Documents; L ~ V '.1' ...... " ...... t ...... Mugabe speaks about his vision of the future ...... Congress resolutions adopted by national conference ...... Political programm e for 1996 unfolding..., ...... M anjinji salt pan, a respected island of water ...... Fight against m alaria ...... Street kids should be off the streets ...... Angola's 20th anniversary: looking back... and ahead ...... SA and SADC: balancing global and regional interests ...... Southern Africa investment summit ...... AIDS and hum an rights ...... M auritius: Country profile...... Zambians elect new team of leaders at 4-day convention ...... Tanzania's M kapa is an asset to the region ...... Benjamin W illiam M kapa - a profile ...... SADC grapples with increasing drug problem ...... M otoring for the less able ...... Technology aids the disabled ...... Eileen Lake, first black woman Anglican vicar ...... Child health expert issues peanut warning ...... The causes of epidemics in Africa ...... Need for an African lingua franca ...... The nation state rendered irrelevant ...... Workshop on industrial relations to transport W orkers of Southern Africa ...... Implications of the land commission findings and recommendations on the smooth administration of rural district councils ...... Towards sustainable land tenure systems within the smallholder farming areas.... Harmonising traditional and elected structures in land matters at local levels...... Workshop on future land tenure systems in Zimbabwe ...... L I C Zimbabwe Newsis 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 Printing and Publishing Co., No. 14Austin Road, Workington, Harare. World Copyright, Central Committee (ZANU PF) Editorial Council: Cde. N.M. Shamuyarira, Cde. C.C. Chimutengwende, Cde. C. Ndhlovu, Cde. S. Kachingwe, Cde.A. Sikhosana, Ode. M. Munyati. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 )AMMM

EDITORIAL Major tasks for 1996 There are many major tasks ahead that should be tackled and completed in 1996. The first one is within ourselves - to complete the restructuring process. We have been encouraged and impressed by the steps taken so far by the National Chairman, Cde. J. Msika, to register all our members. Once that exercise is completed, we will then proceed to the next and final step of placing those members into the proper organs of the Party. These should also be properly registered, with the full names of the office-bearers, and their addresses. The second important and urgent task is to stimulate economic growth. If the rainy season is good, and we have a bumper harvest, that should help us a lot. But, we also need to tackle the problem of unemployment. We should go back to the concept of youth brigades that can be organised by Government, or by the Party, or organising themselves into cooperatives, or even companies. The youth brigades could also help to absorb manyof the street kids we see today. We are told that unemployment has now reached the alarming figure of 44 percent. In the light of this fact, the policy of retrenchment of more workers should now be reviewed. The system cannot absorb more and larger numbers of unemployed people without risking a major breakdown. The Reserve Bank should be told to lower the current high interest rates so that money that is sitting in the banks can be released to go into production processes. The high interest rates discourage domestic investment of any kind. If inflation rises as a result of lowering the interest rates we should accept that fact, and tackle it at the level of incomes and prices. The third task is to ensure the re-election of the President and First Secretary, Comrade R.G. Mugabe, with a large majority. Infact all the Lilliputians who will stand against him should lose their deposits. The work of organising for his re-election started at the National Peoples' Conference on December 15-16, 1995, in Harare, where he was elected unanimously as the Party's candidate. We have to complete this task with resounding success. El ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1

MUxAJF SP HA] A1" r"I VIIO 01-pIFUF II T he national leader, Comrade R.G. lMugabe, ended the year 1995 with a round of interviews with Tdmmy Sithole, the Editor of The Herald, on a wide range of issues. He spoke of his belief and the Party's belief in regional trade and cooperation in the context of the 12 members of SADC (the Southern African Development Community), and possibly adding Kenya and Uganda to that association. Given the geographical, historical, and political factors prevailing today these states can trade with each other, and cooperate more effectively. He thought the COMESA association was unwieldy and would not work. President Mugabe took pride in the unity of our people in the last 15 years, high education levels, and better health. But, in the next six years, he wants to stress economic development, and steer Zimbabwe on a course of rapid industrialisation, based on agriculture. This will involve direct state investment into the infrastructure, especially developing water and energy resources, and upgrading the road network. The government would have to take a direct hand in developing agriculture while creating the incentives, training the skilled manpower, and keeping the economy open for industrial growth by private investment. Zimbabwe had to grow to a stage wherp industry was the main employer white a well-developed agricultural sector sustained the people. By processing minerals and farm produce before export, the growing wealth would be distributed widely among the people. Development theme His theme for the next six years would be "development". And "That means much more emphasis on agriculture and manufacturing, and increased investment in the mining sector. In respect of manufacturing all that we as a government can do is to entice people to invest by our opening of the economy as we have been trying to do; but we will have very little by way of a direct hand, whereas in agriculture we have a direct hand., We do assist in agriculture, by creating a water infrastructure that can get people to grow at least two crops a'year, one of which will depend on ordinary rainfall, and the other on irrigaZI LA F NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 Cde. President R.G. Mugabe tion". While some irrigation infrastructure was in place, it was not enough, said the President. In addition, there was need to boost the manpower and funding of extension services in order to give more direction to the farmers. The national leader referred again to those countries which have transformed their economies to levels where they now qualify as developed nations. He was referring to. countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and even Thailand is also coming to that level. No colonisation again He continued: "it is a level that requires many other things. It is not just a question of investment coming to your country. Investment can come and you can become a manufacturing zone without (your people) necessarily being participants in the economy. Your econo- my becomes that of others and we do not want to become that sort of country. We do not need economic colonisation which we have suffered from already. We want to see our people participating in the economy quite remarkably. He stressed the need to process the goods that we produce beneficiation. He-" said: "You get increased domestic product by producing large quantities of chrome, gold, diamonds, iron, platinum and the like; but, qualitatively, you remain an under-developed country that produces purely primary products. "It is beneficiating those products that creates an industrial economy. Turning iron ore into steel produced the material that other industrialists would use to make goods, for example. Only then can you Continued on next page

Mugabe 'speaks about his vision of the futi Increased investments in the mining sector are envisaged Continued from previous page qualify as a truly industrialised country. That is the ambition", he concluded. Indigenisation of the economy I: the interview on the privatisation and/or commercialisation of those parastatal bodies that are losing money, he stressed that the shares and stockholding of such privatised bodies should accrue to the indigenous businessmen. He related how some bureaucrats had told him lies about the disposal of shares in companies in which government had a large or small share-holding. Indigenisation was an important platform of his policy and programme. People here are also very that on 29th December, 1995, the delegations of MPLA and UNITA resumed talks in Luarida. We are told that some progress was made in those talks. But, we have heard this before. We hope this time that the intentions are good, and the declarations are genuine. Dr. Jonas Savimbi, also had a meeting the representatives of the three mediating countries, Portugal, Russia and the USA. Press reports of that meeting also indicate that some progress was made. But, we have heard this before also! Soldiers not assembling But, we think that the test of the pudding is in the eating. The UN forces, un- der UNIVEM 3, have opened the assembly points where the troops of the two armies are supposed to assemble. While a consiserable number of people have gone there, the real soldiers are not there. The crack UNITA army is not going into the assembly points. Only old soldiers and young recruitsare being sent there. This behaviour . ses serious questions about the overall-strategy of UNITA. On the other hand, government (or MPLA) forces are known and identifiable; but one does not know how ready they are to unite with UNITA forces to form one national army of Angola. Diamonds, gold and oil Angola is one of the richest countries in Africa. It is endowed with oil 'in the Cabinda enclave, diamond fields in the northern part, and gold and zinc in central Angola. If there is going to be peace, one would expect the leaders would have begun putting together a national economy, with one central bank. No, nothing of the sort is being done. UNITA still controls the areas with rich diamond fields, and some of the gold mines. They continue to send the diamonds to the international market in Europe through Zaire. A brisk trade is going on, yielding millions of dollars daily for the UNITA coffers. The international companies that mine some of the gold, diamonds, and zinc, are quite happy to do business as usual with UNITA in the areas they control, and the same witti MPLA in the areas they control. There are people who are drawing enormous financial benefits from the diamond trade (both Angolans and foreign nationals), and they do not want to lose that because of the peace process, in a nutshell, they want the war to continue. The big meeting It has been reported that President Dos Santos and Dr. Savimbi are going to hold a meeting this month (January, 1996). This is the meeting that is supposed to put a final seal on peace process. Again, we have heard this before. In the mean time, counter accusations in the public media has started. The MPLA commanders say UNITA forces are attacking their positions in the southern provinces of the country. Cunene and Namibe. According to the Lusaka Accord UNITA troops are not supposed to be anywhere in the south. But, we now get reports of troop movements there. Dos Santos returns On his return to Angola, after the trip to Washington, President Dos Santos gave a report to the nation on Television on December 30th 1995. It was a detailed and somewhat diffident rport. He spoke of provocation of the armed forces, and violations of the Lusaka Accord already. Those listening to him could not feel that peace was at the hand. 0 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL 27NO- i ll eciotis Doctiments

Congress resoluti ons ado l l l . l l i i by National conterence ifteenresolutions were presented to Fthe National People's :Conference held in Harare on 15- 16 December, 1995. They were adopted after much debate and some amendments. The amended resolutions are printed below for the general information of our mebers. At the National People's'Conference held in Harare in September, 1994, all Provinces and many districts submitted about 147 resolutions. These were read at the Congress by the Secretary for Administration, Cde. D.N.E. Mutasa, but there was no time to debate them. It was left to the Central Committee to examine the resolutions, and determine how they would be debated. A Sub-Committee of the Central Committee, headed by the Secretary for Legal Affairs, Cde. E.J.M. Zvobgo, sat and boiled down the substances of the 147 resolutions into 15 themes (or summaries of the main issues in the resolutions). The debate of these resolutions was in open conference, with the press, the visitors, and the observers present. No one who listened to that debate can say anything was imposed by anybody. If there was any imposition it was the representatives of the people imposing their wishes on the leadership. No one in the top leadership of the Party expressed an opinion on the resolutions. However, now that the people have spoken, it is up to the leadership to implement those 15 thematic resolutions. implementing such a wide range of resolutions, dealing with issues that touch at the very heart of our system and our society is not going to be easy - not at all. But, as the expressed wish of the people, we have no alternative but to do the work we were elected to do. Our enemies who always want to work against the interests of the people will find numerous reasons to try and block our path. As usual, our enemies will join forces with those foreigners who oppose our policy, and try to undermine out programme. But, whenever the enemies start their vicious campaigns and attacks on us, our people should know The ZANU PF Secretary Jbr Administration, Cde. D.N.E. Mutasa and understand that we are fighting for them, and their battles and interests. That is- the central factor - Mugabe stands for you today, tomorrow, and yesterday. But, the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia trio (Smith, Muzorewa and Sithole) betrayed you yesterday and they will do it again today and tomorrow if you give them half-a- chance. Now, read the resolutions passed at the historic National Perple's Conference:RESOLUTION ONE: "Congress reaffirms the Party's commitment to the Unity Accord of 1987 to National Unity in all spheres of lif, to democracy within the Party and upright Leadership in accordance with our Code; and, condemns divisive tendencies, corruption, favouritism and unethical behavaviour during elections to Party or State positions and Directs the Party to abolish tribally oriented provincial names, to strengthen the Party's organisational capabilities, to reward loyalty to the Party, to uphold the supremacy or primacy of the Party' and to deepen members' understanding of our ideological line." Sub-heads of the resolution: - need to weed-out elements who Cde. E. J. M. Zvobgo, the Party Secretary for Legal Affairs. seek to divide the Party on tribal and regional lines; - Calls to consolidate former ZANU PF and ZAPU properties; - Demand for equitable distribution of Seniour Posts in government, Parastatals or ZANU PF Headquarters; - Demand for a clearly defined Succession Policy for Leadership at all levels; - Need to affirm our Ideology of Democratic Socialism; - Upholding the Principle of Primary Elections in the Party for local, Authority and National Elections, > - Calls for the disciplining of uscrupulous individuals who resort to unethical means such as vote buying, busing, etc at or during, elections; - Need to prescribe that before anyone gets elected to the Central Committee one must have served in some offices at various levels within the Party; - Need to implement a Party Code of Conduct; - Need to assert Supremacy of the Party; Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1

Congress resolutions adopted by National Conferel Continued from previous page - Calls for setting-up of Ideological College; - Need to ensure that Party Workers are appointed on merit; Criteria be laid down for qualifying be selected to stand as candidate for elections in Local Authorities or for Parliament; - Calls for abolition of triballyoriented Provincial Names; - Demand that Party Workers should not be required to resign posts to which they were elected; - That District Party Workers should be given bicycles; - .That for organisational campaigns - the "Door-to-Door" principle or policy be implemented. - hat District Offices of the Party be constructed and that budget allocations be made including 60 percent retention by Districts of subscriptions raised; - That loyalty to the Party be taken into account in making important appointments and promotions in the Civil service; - That Congress Condemns nepotism, tribalism and corruption. RESOLUTION TWOi "Congress urges Party and government to reexamine and work out a comprehensive Land Policy with a view to establishing land tenure systems, land settlement programmes, land registration programmes, land inheritance laws and practices, farm sizes, subdivisions and productivity number of farms an individual can own and environmental management.." Sub-heads of the resolution: - Need to speed up land distribution and ex-combatants to benefit from the resettlement schemes; - Calls to build basic infrastructure such as sanitation, water, -roads, schools, clinics and initial capital for starters before resettlement schemes are commissioned; - Calls upon government tc cede portion of state land in Region 1 in Nyanga District for resettlement of communal people for horticultural purposes; calls for the issuing of permanent permits in the names of both spouses to settlers in resettlement areas; - Calls for the urgent and timeous invocation of the Land Acquisition Act in order to meet the land needs The conference reaffirmed the Party's commitment to the Unity Accord between the former ZANU PF and PF-ZAPU in 1987 The picture shows dent R. G. Mugabe (left) in a toast with Vice-President J.M. Nkomo (ri the signing ceremony in 1987. of the people of Matebeleland North Province; - Calls for the allocation of State lanc in Matebeleland North Province to local indigenous people for grazing purposes, resettlement and commercial enterprises such as safari operations; - Demand that Party assists government in mobilising communal people to pursue land reorganisation or villagisation programme; - Demand for title deeds to developers at Growth Points and Rural Service Centres and incentives be given to those wanting to start business in rural areas, such as tax holidays etc. RESOLUTION THREE: "Congress calls upon Party and government to formulate a comprehensive policy on increased agricultural production, to provide inputs and extension for indigenous farmers to enter the commercial sector, to participate in the exploitation of natural resources and to increase the national herd." Sub-heads of the resolution: Calls for more emphasis on skills training in the agricultural field in order to improve agricultural output; - Demand that commercial farmers provide their employees with decent houses, schools and clinics; - Demand that mandatory jail sentences be imposed in all stock theft cases without the option of a - Calls for government to increa lage units in each district to the increasing demand from mercial and small scale farrr RESOLUTION FOUR: "Congress re mends Party and government to fc late as a matter of urgency, a Nat Water Policy, to prioritise water din ment by harvesting water, bui dams and harnessing the water fro, Zambezi river." Sub-heads of the resoauuomm - Calls for funds to be provide the construction of at least on dium size dam for each admir tive district in everv. financial - Calls upon government to and implement the Zambezi ' pipe Scheme, the Gwayi/v dam and the Gwayi/Shangan projects in the 1995/96 fini year in order to provide a' agricultural green belt throu ternsive irrigation schemes; - Applauds government for dec to construct the Tokwe-M dam; RESOLUTION FIVE: "Congress i government to formulate a more prehensive policy of environn management and equitable exploit of natural resources in order to imI Continued on next page ZIM§AJff NES VOL. 27No. 1 is resolutions adopted by National Confence Cninued from previous page n the welfare of local people ankate i al resources of Local Authorities;" Sub- heads of the resolution: Calls for government to intensify its efforts in pursuing all forms of conservation including mechanical conservationto prevent siltation of the rivers; C lls for government to reverse land degration1 through vigorous pof proper land use and r restation; Demand or adequate measures to be taken to ensure that natural resoures extracted from particular pats of the country by companies benefit local people in terms of employment and the provision of pub clic facilities such as schools, clinics and recreational centres; - Urges government to extend its policy on royalties being paid to local authorities to cover safari operators and wildlife farmers; - Calls for the redress in the economic imbalance that exists in the tourism industry; -. Callsor local authorities to enter into joint ventures with other interested investors in the tourism industry, RESOLION SIX: "Congress recognises the necessity of increased infrastructural development particularly in rural areas by the construction of roads and bridges The conference adopted a resoltion urging government to formulate a national water policy and prioritise water development by harvesting water into small and medium sized dams in all administrative districts. and the provision of telecommunications services and electricity to Rural Service Centres and Growth Points;" Sub-heads of the resolution: - Calls for the strict enforcement of laws and regulations governing motor vechicle speed on public roads in order to reduce the carnage that now exists on the roads; - Calls fj% h~eentralisation to local au t the approval and issuing .bus timetables and permits;- conference called on government to build basic infrastructure like roads in countryside. - Urges government to take immediate steps to construct and tarmacadamise the following roads:(a) Birchenough Bridge-Murambinda Road; (b) Chinyauhwera-Bezel Bridge-Chivhu Road; (c) Riverside-Marange Rural Serve Centre Road; - Urges government to construct and tar surface to standard during the 1995/96 financial year the following roads; (a) Bulawayo-Bubi-Nkayi Road; (b) Bulawayo-Tsholotsho road; (c) Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe road; (d) Binga-Siabuwa-Karoi road; (e) Gwayi-Lubimbi-Binga road; (f) Lupane-Tsholotsho-Plumtree road; (g) Kavira-Makwa-Sidinda * Kanywambizi-Victoria Falls road; Calls upon government to seriously consider the construction of a railway line between Rutenga and Masvingo and the upgrading of the present railway line between Masvingo and Gweru; - Demand for immediate steps to be taken to drastically improve and expand telecommunication services in order to enhance efficiency in business and to attract investment: Urges government to speedily promote new and renewable souices of energy as these are the only Continued on next page

Congress resolutions adopted by Continued from previous page affordable sources of energy for the peasant farmers; RESOLUTION SEVEN: "Congress urges government to further intensify the provision of primary health care by the construction of ward clinics and district hospitals and the upgrading of existing district and provincial hospitals and the teaching of health education to minimise the effects of Aids and drug abuse;" Sub-heads of the resolution: - Calls for the reconstruction and upgrading of St. Paul's Hospital in Lupane to a 140 bed rural hospital; - Calls for the construction of a provincial referral hospital in Matebeleland North province to cater for advanced medical care as well as , providing state registered nurse training facilities; - Applauds government for the establishment of the National Social Security Scheme and recommends the establishment ot a National Health Scheme; - Pays tribute to the Mlnl"-ry of Health and Child Welfare for its suc- cess in the Primary Health' Care Programme and the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign; - Calls upon government to enact legislation that would group together all medical personnel under a unified service; - Calls for a solution to the problem of shortage of ambulances in rural hospitals; - Urges government to reduce hospital and clinic fees for people who earn below $400 per month; - Urges government to quickly address the problem of shortage of essential drugs in clinics and hospitals: - Urges government to subsidise Family Planning Programmes; RESOLUTION EIGHT: "Congress urges government to put in place legislation which brings the indigenous people into the mainstream of the national economy and recommends government to formulate a comprehensive national youth policy as a matter of urgency." Sub-heads of resolution: - Call for equitable distribution of de- itional, Conferenc velopment resources to all t provinces proportionate to the s of the province's population; Commends government for its forts in creating a conducive E vironment for investment; - Applauds government for its ado tion and implementation of the Ec nomic Structural Adjustmei Programme (ESAP); - Urges government to review 0i Mines and Minerals Act in order fi local people to benefit frontmini operations carried out in the areas; - Urges government to establis Youth Training Centres so as topr vide much needed skills; -- Calls for a reconsideration of poi cy on subsidies with a view to riri troducing them on selected basji and essential commodities; - Calls upon Party and Governmen to increase the people's access t( credit facilities, with long tern benefits with low interest rates; Continued on next page Immediate steps should be taken to further intensify the provision of prinary health care by district hospitals. constructing war cinics ZIMBABWE-NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 nferenceresolutions adopted by National Conference Ci tinued from previous page - Urges government to reduce its public expenditure,/in order also to reduce the current high level of taxation; Calls for the provision of law interest loans to indigenous businesses i1vorder to capitalise them and there must be an equitable distribution' of those loan facilities among Provinces; Ihmplores government to control inflation and reduce high interest rates which have stifled economic growth; Calls for positive discrimination in favour of Party cadres in the appointment of members to Boards of Parastatals; RESOLUTION NINE: "Congress urges government to make the teaching of the two main indigenous subjects, Ndebele and Shona, compulsory at all schools to foster a commonality of identity and incalculate in the young the concept and values of public duty and patriotism." Sub-heads of the resolution: - Calls for the introduction of technical vocational and agricultural education in all schools in order to brighten the employment prospects of school leavers and career guidance and counselling be made mandatory in every secondary school; - Calls for the -teaching, in local primary schools up to Grade 3 of some local dialects such as Kalanga, Nambiya, Tongaf Chibunii and many others; - Calls for a re-examination of government policy on boarding schools subsidy; - Uijrges government to nurture, through our educational system, a social individual with a distinct Zimbabwean character within the mainstream of African culture; - Calls for the establishment of at least one "A" Level high school in each admistrative district; - Calls for the decentralisation of scholarship administration; - Recommends improvements in conditions of service including accommodation and supply of teaching resources for all teachers; - Demand that an Education Commission be established to review our educational system as a matter of urgency. RESOLUTION TEN: "Congress urges government to work out a comprehensive social welfare policy to cater more effectively for the needs of the destitute, the old, the handicapped and the disadvantage in our society." Sub-heads of the resolution: - Urges government to continue as- sisting families whose monthly income is less than $600 per month by paying tuition and examination fees for primary and secondary schools in both urban and rural, areas; Urges government to continue paying for medical treatment for families whose income is less than $600 per month. RESOLUTION ELEVEN: "Congress congratulates govemment for the provision of mobile services for the registration of births and deaths and urges government to increase these services; Congress implores government to invest in massive housing programmes in order to provide shelter for all." Sub-heads of the resolution: - Urges government to ensure that civil servants do not make their own personal interpretation of regulations governing the issuing of birth and death certificates; - Urges government to take urgent steps to redress the problem of inefficiency in the Civil Service and other government agencies; - Urges government to review - allowances payable to Rural District Councillors and consider paying some allowances to Village Development Committees (VIDCO) and Ward Development Committees (WADCO) members; RESOLUTION TWELVE: "Congress urges government to review its policy on sound management of Provincial and District Heroes Acres." RESOLUTION THIRTEEN: "Congress compliments the government in its efforts to improve the role of women in our society and urges government to constantly examine laws and mechanisms to enable women to contribute ful. ly in the Zimbabwe national life." Sub-heads of the resolution: Urges government to take steps to ensure the appointments of a substantial number of women in decision-making in both elected and appointed positions for example Parliament, Public Service, Parastatal Boards et cetera. - Urges government to enact a law that will protect women and chilMassive housing programmes are needed in order to provide shelter for all. Continued on next page ZIMB 0.1 9

Politicalprogramme 'for 1996 unfolding .*"e political programme (1996) in this article was written by the editors of the Zimbabwe News' in an effort to promote discussion on party policy among our members. It represents the views and opinions of the editors. Congress resolutions adopted by National Conference Continued from previous page dren from all forms of violence and abuse; Urges government further to.review all marriage and inheritance laws in order to remove duality, discrimination and unfair practices against women; Calls for a review of the Adult literacy Curriculum in order to include civil, legal and consitutional rights for women. RESOLUTION FOURTEEN: "Congress urges government to re-establish the Youth Revolving Fund to finance youth projects and access loan facilities earmarked for small business development and urges government further to provide pension to all ex-combatants and find a lasting solution to the problem of street kids." RESOLUTION FIFTEEN: "Congress recommends that Zimbabwe's foreign policy continue to be based on commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the peaceful resolution of regional and international conflicts." Sub-heads ot the resolution: - Welcomes the eradication of Apartheid in South Africa and the establishment of democracy in other parts of Southern Africa; Calls for the demonstraon of'tlu United Nations; Calls for the normalisation of relations between Cuba and other nations of the world. 0 he President and First Secretary, Comrade R.G. Mugabe, has been elected by a popular vote at the National People's Conference as the Party's candidate, and standard bearer, at the forthcoming Presidential elections in March 1996. He accepted the nomination amidst wide acclamation by all the delegates present. Very early in the new year he will be hitting the campaign trail to reach Zimbabweans in every province, and district, and the media should reach every village, surburb, and township. Our two million members should reach every household in an intensive door-to-door campaign explaining patiently, and in a friendly manner, to every person the policies and programmes of the Party. That is the duty of all our members now - persuasion, explanation, and education. The central issues *The political programme (1996) of the Party is unfolding, step b ytep. At the National People's C6fp yzke national leader, Comrade R.G. Mugabe, unveiled some of the centrarsigSues in the programme: OParty re-restructuring - The registration of Party members is now in full swing in every province. Teams have been set up and forms supplied to each province to register every member. The National Chairman, Comrade Joseph Msika, is personally supervising this mammoth task. All provincial and district organs of the Party should work flat out on this programme. It should be completed in February, 1996.,The President and First Secretary, Comrade R.G. Mugabe, said on re-structuring: "As we tackle this assignment, cognisance should be taken of the fundamental role played by the key organs of the Party such as the main wing, the Women's League, the Youth League, and the War Veterans Association. The people in these organs have a stake in the wellbeing of the Party, for they have invested most of their lives in it. We should always solicit their views as I am sure they would make tremendous contributions towards the successful operations Cde. President R. G. Mugabe of the Party. In addition, we should consider undertaking an indepth study of thelcauses of problems encountered i the restructuring exercise, possibly irv volying independent analysts (scholars) we ghould also observe how sister parties in other countries have handled similar exercises." *Indigenisation: Much lip service has been paid to the concept of indigenostion. The Victoria Falls Retreat early ii 1994 threw much needed light on some issues, but we need to know more and to do more. The national leader, Comrade Mugabe, has been quite categorical on this issue. He told'the delegates last month that: "We have to pursue a deliberate policy of indigenisation of ou economy by empowering the majority of our people, and giving opportunities to the new entrepreneurs who have the capability to run larger enterprises. Indigenisation must therefore be a major platform of our 1996 political programme. But, it must be tempered with realism, and integrity. Let us democratise the economy in the same way as we have democritised politics. There is no contradiction between ourl drive for foreign investment and the commitment to indigenisation. infact, in digenisation will broaden the domestic economic base for foreign investors. We should also encourage the establish ment of joint ventures between our bus iness community and the foreign inves toy . . " 0 Land reform and resettlement- ThL, remains a key problem area for the Government, the Party, and the peop Continued on next page ZIMBR W, io0.1

JFice-President, Dr. Joshua Nkotno Continued from previous page . We need more land for resettling mo of our people so that land distributi can be equitable. The necessity for th course of action was acknowledged ar accepted by the Lancaster House Co Ference back in 1979. Wemay not ha all the money that is needed to purcha all the land required, but we have ti legal power in the Land Acquisition A to take the land that we need. No or is going to be indiscriminate or u reasonable about land aquisition, b the framework for a final settleme should now be put in place. The natio al leader, Comrade Mugabe, says: "A must make strenunous efforts to reac -finality on the question of land and i distribution, both in urban and rur areas. We should step up the resettl ment programme, with emphasis on ti general improvement of methods agriculture, and land utilisation." Th frustration of our people on the land sue was echoed in the resolutior presented to the conference. In reply the resolutions. Comrade Mugabe cor mitted the Party to a policy of acqui ing, distributing, and resettling our pe pIe on the land. The Vice-President, Cor rade Joshua M.N. Nkomo, has spoke loudly and clearly on this issue, sayir "we must get the land first and for most". He was referring to both rur and urban land. "What do you ow here, tell me what have you got - a solutely nothing", he said pointing to t, huge and shiny buildings in the city Harare. OCombating urban poverty: Comrac Mugabe has said: "Specific measurn X"_C,6r1 he of he s is to TI ir 0 nT en e al n b he of le es should be taken to eradicate poverty, i peciilly in the urban areas where thE is a sharp increase in the number of L employed people; and a growing acu ness of social problems such as strE kids, squatters, and beggars. There a also large pockets of poverty on co: mercial farms, and mining compounc A sustained attack on poverty must made", he said. He noted that a succe ful attack on poverty must aim removing the causes of that poverty. this context the Party is going to enL dlate policies of generating income, a] lowering prices of basic commoditii and increasing basic skills among c people. OGood and affordable housir Although much has been done in rece years in the construction of urban hot ing, a lot more still remains to be dot The queues and the waiting lists are g ting longer and longer in every muni pality throughout the land. The buildi re societies, pension funds, and other F n vate companies are playing their pa Iis and we encourage them to continue, 1 id it is not still enough. The Party shoi n- commit itself to the construction ve 100 000 housing units over the next se years. It should commit itself to ass he peasant farmers in their efforts to bu ct better dwelling houses. The villages ne roundavels are a feature of the past. \ n- lagisation and paddocking of cat ut should continue to be encouraged. nt n- 0Rural growth points: Again, much Ii Ve service has been paid to the concept ch rural growth points but very few ts these points.have actually grown. TI al majority of them have remained sm e- shopping centres with a few genet The Party should coininit itself to construc.t 100 000 housing units over mhe Me'XI ix years. ZlMB .VrtwN: I1 X/"6 aw4" as- dealer stores. What is conceived is a !re thriving industrial centre, with new inin- dustries to produce goods for the local te- population, and an infrastructure for eet grain depots, storage space et cetera. -in ire order to get these growth points to realm- ly grow, we need to put electricity in all Is. of them. ZESA should be assisted to be complete the rural electrification ss- programme they had started working at on several years ago. After that, governIn ment should establish "industrial esin- tates", or simply "shells" consisting of nd a large hall sub-divided into several as, smaller units rented out to business eniur trepreneurs. Each unit is supplied with electricity and water which forms part ,g: of the rent. These shells facilitate the es*nt tablishment of small businesses because ,s- each entrepreneur does not have to ,e. spend his hard-earned money on putting et- up the necessary buildings. That is all ci- provided for in the industrial shell ng described above. No doubt, such infrasPri- tructure would stimulate phenomenal rt, growth in these 55 growth points, and Put that in turn would transform the lives ild of our people in the rural areas where of most of them live. 6 * Social services (education and ist health) - one of the immediate and ild direct advantages of independence unof der a ZANU-PF govemment was the Vii- sharp increase in the expenditures on tIe social service, especially the key services of Education and Health. The Party was committed to the education of every p Zimbabwean child, and the provision of of reasonably good clinics and hospitals of of (including Mission hospitals) throughout ae the land all -al Continued on next page

Continued from previous page ______Not only should the commitment be kept but it should be expanded to increase technical and vocational educa'tion, and to improve the quality of our education generally. 0 Economic growth with equity Maintenance of our commitments in any field, will of course depend on our ability to pay. In the economic field we have been pursuing with vigour the attainment of, the goal of economic growth, at least on an average of five percent per annum. But it has eluded us because of the severe droughts of 1991 and again in 1995; and the general recession in international trade which has reduced the prices of our mineral and agricultural products on the international markets. When the ESAP programme was inttodfbced in 1990, it was on the understanding that the economy would attract foreign investment, and thereby generate economic activity that would lead to economic growth. As the products of the expanded school system were pouring out of Form Four in increasing numbers, unemployment had reached proportions that were unacceptable. But, the five years of ESAP have npt turned the economic tide, because unemployment has increased and foreigh investment has not come. In the meantime inflation has continued to be high; as well as interest rates. It Events elsewhere have proved that this is possible. A look at how the countries of South-East Asia, and the Pacific Rim have advanced, which not so long ago were in the same situation as we, opens new horizons for us. They have put aside all forms of discriminatory tendencies, racial or otherwise, and focussed their attention on achieving economic growth as a way of raising the standard of living of their people. Today, the performance of their economies compete That commitment to better education and better health has been kept, inspite of the fact that these two items alone consume nearly 40 percent of the total budget. A lot of criticism has been made of this commitment, especially during the era of ESAP. The Government has been advised again and again to reduce the expenditure on social services. But, we have stuck to our guns and our policy because it gives maximum benefit to our people. is important that interest rates be lo- favourably with that of economic giants wered so that money supply on the mar- in the West. ket can be increased. All these econom- We too, can do the same provided we ic matters are very important for the fu- commit ourselves to addressing the limi ture of our nation and our government. tations currently affecting our econom Wi 1'heed to review them thoroughly, ic relations..." he observed. Indeed, the rftdffy the ESAP poliies, and adopt countries of South-East Asia, the so measures that will help our people. We called Asian "tigers" have transformed need a clearly defined economic policy, themselves in the short space of time Speaking on this issue at the Conference, of a couple of decades, from being un Comrade Mugabe said: "That derdeveloped to join the developed programme (the economic programme) countries. Given the right policies and should consolidate what our people programmes that focus on indigenising have gained in the last 15 years, and our economy, and drawing the best ol open new opportunities and prospects efforts out of our people, we can do it for the next century. Our people must too. look forward to, and must get, and be *Culture and identity - Comrade assured of a better life. Zimbabwe is a Mugabe has advised us "to always up country which has great potential, if hold our culture, for culture is like a only its nationals would work as one. torch that lights the way for the people and for individuals within the nation. Always in times of stress people return to their roots, to their culture, to look for the right path. Zimbabweans are no exception. As we face the AIDS epidemic, we can also draw heavily upon our cultural traditions which place a heavy emphasis on morality and good behaviour of both individuals and families." Zimbabwe has people of different ethnic groups, but all owing allegiance to one nationhood. Cultural diversity can be a source of much strength and not weakness. It can also have a commercial and monetary value. For example, pieces of Shona sculpture are sold in many cities in the whole world. The rich cultures of all our different peoples should be encouraged and given full expression. * Peace and unity - The theme of the statements made by our leaders everyday, and the central focus of all their work, is the unity of the people of Zimbabwe. The Unity Accord between the two liberation movements, ZANU and ZAPU, signed in December, 1987, set the stage for the unity of all our people. The maintenance of that most valuable accord is a major political objective for our Party and government. There are maniy countries that envy the peace and tranquility enjoyed by Zimbabweans. We are also deeply involved in collaborative diplomatic efforts to bring about and maintain peace and stability in our region of Southern Africa. Under the general framework of SADC, and the Frontline States, Zimbabwe continues to play a significant peace-making role in the region ZIMBABIV"MAR, - 110 ON Ed^ A 19,96 Wwez The Party is committed to the education of every Zimbabwean child. National News-,, , II f lihe Manjinji Sanctuary Pan at 'T-Mabalauta is an "island of water" Kin the dry part of southern Zimbabwe that has been an important protected area of the local community of Mwenezi. For the locals, the pan is a gift from the ancestors. Although there is a geographic explanation to the origins of the pan, indigenous knowledge here strongly. links the availability of water with the mood of ancestral spirits. The chief spirit medium, widely believed in the area to be looking after the sanctuary pan, is that of a long past local traditional leader, Sibalaboyi Mazoche, who lived and died here. His grave is near the pan. Geographically, this is an ox-bow lake cut-off from the now much distanced Mwenezi River. This was the deepest bend of the river, and it was very rich with aquatic life. 1 Although this physical change of the river actually happened years ago, the belief among the locals sidelines any geographical reasoning preferring respect of the ancestors who "give us dew", according to a local leader. There was a time government wanted to develop the place and perhaps conserve more water in the early 1960s, but the plan fell through as the pan almost dried up. The locals were upset and blamed the "strangers", that is the government officials, for the lack of respect and consequently having tam- pered with their "ancestral water squrce". Indigenous knowledge is best, foreign experts are always advised in many development projects. People, their livestock and wildlife, suffered as a result of the water shortage. Even the good rains that came afterwards did not fill up the pan, says a local leader, Albert Ndlovu. If the traditional beliefs are anything to go by, they have hepled in enhan~cing conservation of this water-point for many kilometres. Fresh traditional ceremonies were organised to appease the upset spirit to restore the water. A black goat is slaughtered at such ceremonies in line with traditional celebrations. Then things would change for the better. Water would gradually fill up the pan, and this is still happening. The locals realise that no one should disturb nature. Let nature take care of itself, they say. The local community also feels that this pan should be run under the Communal Area Management Programme br Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE). CAMPFIRE is a programme for local communities under which they use natural resources sustainably. This indudes wildlife. The Manjinji Pan, with its thrust towards inheritance of a gift from arcestors, more than qualifies as an indigenous project in many ways. Those who do not believe in ancestors brush aside this view but they will not have access to the local community who value this fact. The secretary ofthe CAMPFIRE in the area, Ndlovu, foresees a great future in the project. And who can better manage it than the locals? "For us this is a sacred place in honour of our traditional leader Mazoche. That is why trees here have not been cut and the pan never dries up, even in years of drought," says Ndlovu. A number of proposed developmental' projects are expected to spring up around this only water-hole, according to Ndlovu. One such project being considered is opening up the area for a tourist resort. An expert on tourism and natural resources has been looking at the possibility of setting up a viable tourism project taking advantage of the nearby Gonarezhou Game Reserve. This is an already established tourist destinationwith quite a big number of elephant.' Such developments have, however, caused some concern among the community who are worried that their livestock will loose access to the water at the ox-bow lake once the area is fenced off and opened to tourism. There are plans to drill boreholes for water for the livestock and people so that they do not interfere with the oxbow lake. The German Technical Cooperation officials who visited the Sanctuary Pan have also considered the idea of seeking funds for drilling boreholes. And more plans are still on the cards around this water point. ' The "island of water" is also a bir(4 paradise for viewers. Dozens of different ,types of birds come and/or live here only for the water in this dry part .of. Zimbabwe. Four huge crocodiles are known to live, in this pan, according to the local expert of the Sanctuary Pan, Ndlovu, who keeps record of all noticeable wild animals coming to drink here. Ndlovu also says the pan is rich with various forms of aquatic life and more .could be done to improve the diversity of the water-nlans and animals at the, ox-bow lake SARDC E), 7INO. I so don'dea maka rs fo if.l! N111tional NeNs

Fight against m alaria lthough it is one of the diseases which can be prevented and cured if correct measures are taken in time, malaria still kills many people in Zimbabwe every year. In this regard, CAPS Holdings Ltd is sponsoring a community health initiative, Mission Malaria with the aim of providing basic anti-malaria information to as many people as possible throughout the country. In keeping with this aim, Mission Malaria has joined forces with the local Malaria Self Help-Project, a non- profit making organisation, to assist with a mail order project. The Malaria Self Help project supplies health education and anti-malaria products to malaria danger areas in the country. Through this project, approximately 3 000mosquito nets have been sold to people living in areas where malaria is a problem. The co-ordinators or the project have now embarked on a mail order system of distribution for the nets. The nets are ready-impregnated with deltimethrin, the same chemical used by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare for house spraying. Worldwide research has shown this insecticide to be one of the safest for people yet it is highly toxic to mosquitoes and has a long lasting residual action of over one year on an unwashed net. According to a press statement, Mission Malaria is assisting the project's mail order system by making available malaria fact sheets. which are printed in English and contain extensive tacts, presented in a simple format about the deadly disease. "The fact sheets contain information about how to help prevent malaria, what the symptoms of malaria are, how malaria is caused and how it is transmitted. The emphasis is on the fact that 'prevention is better than cure' and it is hoped that anyone reading the fact sheet will pay attention to the many ways in which malaria can be avoided," the statement said. 0 Zimbabwe News Subscription Form (Please Tick a box to select your term) Zimbabwe 0312 issues (1 year) $30.00 E3 6 issues (6 months) $15.00 Regional El 12 issues (1 year) US$37.00 El 6 issues (6 months) US$18.00 Overseas (Europe) El 12 issues US$57.60 El 6 issues (6 months) US$28.80 N a m e : ...... A dd ress: ...... ; ...... S ignature: ...... I ...... THE RATES INCLUDE POSTAGE AND HANDLING I enclose my cheque 0 Postal Order 0 for the amount indicated above reet kids should be off the streets and at school or in the fields By Our Bulawayo Correspondent for Youth Affairs |,e are told that the Ministry for their parents or relatives, would cost the the job could be done. In Bulawayo an the Public Services, Labour and Ministries concerned a sum of $5 mil- inter- agency committee was formed. In -Social Welfare rehabilitated lion. But, a paltry sum of only $500 000 Mutare, a committee similar to the 3000 youths in 1994. The figures was set aside for street kids in 1994. Bulawayo one was also formed. In Mas995 are not yet out. But, the number This is not en moneyto do any- vingo, a well known NGO - Terre Des reet kids is increasing rapidly in all thing' about this ad social phenome- Homes - is putting up a home for desine urban centres in the country, and non. Again in 1995/96 financial y7ear no titute children, foremost of whom would .so in Harare. This is a serious and specific allocation was made for dealing be street kids. In Harare, the City Countig problem which should be tack- with the problem of street kids. cil and theDepartmentof Social Welfare, Vith vigour and imagination. M.... r% .. 1 nno A n ^Z teamed up to form a Harare Street Kids 1995, numerous rounds of removing nain problem is a critical shortage children from the street and rehabilitatiance. To round up all the street ing street kids were made. The inadeand to place in suitable rehabilita- quacy of screening centres, and the very centres, or to return them to their limited accommodation in children's es and place them irf the hands of homes, also limited the pace at which Organisation, which was registered as a welfare organisation. There is not enough -space for screening, let alone housing the many street kids in Harare. A half-way house has been set up in Luck Street, but it is not enough. More than 300 street kids are being given a meal, and some are re-united with, their families. The non- governmental organisation from Denmark, the DAPP (Danish Aid From People To People) has taken a large number of kids to a school they run near Shamva. It is called "Ponisayi Vanhu" (help people to survive or live). 'All this voluntary work is commendable, but it cannot provide a solution to the problem. Zimbabweans have to provide that themselves. Former retugee camps now available The five refugee camps that used to house the refugees from Mozambique have now been turned over to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare for use in the rehabilitation of street kids and other matters related to social welfare. There are five camps in all at Nyamatikiti, and Mazowe River Bridge in Mashonaland Central; Nyangombe near Nyanga and Tongogara near Sabi, in Manicaland; and the Chainbuta camp. These camps have the necessary infrastructure of schools, clinics, water, and accommodation. Already some street kids are in those camps. The first convoy started in September last year; and they have been going each month. Sixteen training centres The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, has sixteen training centres throughout the country. These should be used fully for rehabilitating street kids. Their training should form an important part of the programme of teaching in those institutions. What these kids need more than anything else is that type of training which will impart skills they can use to earn a living, such as building, carpentry, metal work, centres throughout leather work, bookkeeping, typing and various forms of agriculture et cetera. [] number of street kids is increasing rapidly in the Country.

Angola's 20th anniversarl !ooking back.., and ahe fBy David Gonzalez UNITA leader Dr. Jonas Savimbi ngolans celebrated the twentieth anniversary of independence on 11 November 1995 with their fingers crossed. People held their breath, hoping that peace ... and, wift it, development . . . might finally consolidate. Reputedly a very peaceful people, Angolans nevertheless staged a long military conflict and signed countless cease. -flte - with little success. This repeatVldfailure was blamed on most negotiaitions and agreements being imposed from outside (as war has also been, to a certain extent), whereas not all Angolans were ready to go along with them. But now Angolans begin to look forward, cautiously, to peace. An impressive reconstruction programme, presented to a donors' conference in Brussels In September, should upgrade production capacities in rural areas and improve the standards of living of the rural and urban poor. The government hopes to inject US$280 million into agriculture, fisheries, cattle raising and small and medium enterprises. Another 178 million will be assigned to education, primary health care and the vast requirements of social integration - a vital area to avoid instability and conflict. President Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola Twenty years ago, as the first government of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was sworn in, the inhabitants of Luanda could hear the awesome sounds of nearby battles. Heavily armed columns of the Front for the National Liberation of Angola (FLNA), reinforced by Zairean troops, closed in from the north while South African units, accompanying soldiers of the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), advanced from the South. Portuguese colonialism bequeathed few examples of democratic behaviour to Angolans - in fact, it was Portugal's intransigence that pushed Angolans to take up arms as the only alternative to achieve independence. Three separate political- military movements emerged in the 1960s - the MPLA, the FNLA and UNITA- but antagonism brewed between them, even after the military coup of April 1974 in Portugal paved the way for a quick independence. A transitional coalition government involving Portugal, the MPLA, the FLNA and UNITA - set up by the Alvor Agreements of January 1975 to steer the country towards elections And independence, was virtually defunct by mid- year. The agreements collapsed am increasing hostilities and Angola destined to a troubled birth as ar dependent nation. Civil war Daily life continued to be as dram for Angolans ever sin~ce. Through thf cesse Agreements, signed by the gov ment and UNITA in 1991, the civil was expected to end. But a$ soon a lost the September 1992 electionE declared free and fair by the United tions - UNITA plunged the cow back into war. However, by - 1994, 'severe mit defeats again pushed UNITA to negotiating table - on this occasiori sign the Lusaka Protocol. There i hope that, being internally motiva this time, peace had a better chai Confidence was reinforced after the A 1995 meeting between the Anrc President, Cde. lose Eduardo dos San and UNITA leader, Dr. Jonas Savin when the latter made unpreceder statements that acknowledged the f er's legitimacy as head of statei vowed never to return to war. After that meeting, despite occasic hiccups, the gradual implementatoi the agreements gives reason to at what now seems an irreversile process. When President Dos Sai Dr. Savimbi jointly addressd donors' conference in BruS ticipating states and oras pledged over US$990 million - by raising hopes of imprt dividends. The European Union's Deve Commissioner, Joao de Deus Ph said he could riot recall any ference ,thiat has yielded such su or such an amount of aid." Those figures give an idea of the financial needs for reconstruction. outbreak of war since late 1992 foi down the nation's GDP by 25 per in 1993, as agriculture, indusl production and construction drop dramatically, and war absorbed a Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 mr la's 20th anmversar : looking back.., and ahead Continued from previous page able portion offnational income. The national debt increased from US$2.8 bill*ni! 1986 to $11.2 billion in late 1994. But even-fT h Angolan government has i ated material destruction to be considerably higher than the figure. pledged. in Briussels, this major financial commitment opens the way for reconstruction, and will certainly attract more capital to the country. With Angola's vast potential, a recovery of the economy - and of money invested in reconstruction - can be achieved quicker than elsewhere. Reconciliation Another important aspect of the Brussels meeting was that it appeared to mark, at last, total reconciliation - not only between the Angolan government and its former internal enemy, but also with some of its external ideological adversaries of the past. For a variety of reasons, many experts agreed that, in 1975, the MPLA was poised to win free and fair elections. Aware of this fact, the FLNA placed its bets on a quick military victory with Zairean military support, igniting the pre- independence war that made elections impossible. The conflict was further internationalised when South African forces supporting UNITA also invaded the country. Military contingents from Cuba, with logistical assistance from the Soviet Un- V ion, allowed the MPLA to resist and to counter-attack, repelling the invaders beyond Angolan borders by early 1976. Progressively, the MPLA government achieved international recognition, except by one country - the United States of America. Although US companies continued to make profit from Angola's oil, successive administrations in Washington viewed the MPLA government as a "communist" adversary, and actively joined South Africa's support of UNITA. The world increasingly disagreed with that interpretation of the nature of both the, Aolan government and the Cuban presence. Even inside the US, Andrew Young, Washington's representative to the United Nations at the time, praised Cuban military presence as "a stabilising factor". Domination A majority of Atricans and AfroAmericans saw the defense of Angola's independent government as a part of the struggle against repeated attempts by apartheid South Africa to dominate its neighbours. That is why the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), meeting in Johannesburg in August of this year, awarded the "Seretse Khama" Order to Angola's late first president, Agostinho Neto, "for his Thoiusanas of lives Were lost in the Angolan civil war. contribution to the cause of regional liberation." This also explains why, at a recent CubaSouthern Africa Solidarity Conference in Johannesburg, official delegations from most governments of the region commended Cuba's contribution to the preservation of the sovereignty of Angola, the independence of Namibia and the eradication of apartheid. Opening the conference, South African president, Cde. Nelson Mandela, paid tribute to Cuba's sharing "the same trenches with us in the struggle against colonialism, underdeVelopment, and apartheid." He rejected calls by."some powerful countries" to isolate Cuba, because, in his words, "to renounce the Cuban people now would be the greatest insult". When replying to those "powerful countries", Cde. Mandela added, "we hqvp reminded them that they have av short memory. That, when we were fighting against apartheid, against racial oppression, the same countries were supporting the apartheid regime." Ideological confrontation with Angola survived the Cold War. Well after Cuban troops withdrew from that country, as provided for in the agreements on South Western Africa signed in late 1988, Washington refused'to recognis the Angolan government. When the MPLA renounced its Marxist ideology in 1990 - arguing that the circumstances of 1975 had forced the party to deviate from its original programme - the US still continued to witnhold official recognition. Market economy Angola had been evolving in the dcilrtion of a market economy since the late 1 980s, and towards closer relationships with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Most recently, the government agreed with the IMF on a structural adjustment programme aimed at reducing inflation from 970 percent in 1994 to 80 percent by 1996, and public expenditure from 60 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 10.5 percent by 1996. 'Nevertheless, the US government continued to drag its feet even after the 1992 elections confirmed what many knew since 1975 - that the MPLA commanded a majority- support among Angolans. Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I

Angola's 20th anniversary: Lookng back..and ahead Continued from previous page Now, with Washington's association to a firm commitment to support peaceful reconstruction, the legacy of ideological antagonism obstructing Angola's recovgry seems to be ebbing at last. MItbla is already showing signs of Mcbvery. In early 1995, one third of Angolans were depending on humanitarian assistance to survive. But the situation was already much better than a few months before, when continued conflict and the threat of landmines kept roads insecure and prevented food relief from getting through. Regardless of occasional skirmishes, or landrmine-related incidents such as the one that killed over 50 people in early November in Lunda Norte :province, peace extends steadily throughout AnI ola. Even in the tiny but oil-rich ince of Cabinda - where a splinter 16ip from the Front for the Liberation & binda (FLEC) is still up in arms the levels of conflict have decreased. negotiations that resulted in the Alvor Agreements of 1975, nor to any of the peace talks that were held ever since. Lately, however, the government promised to grant the province a greater degree of autonomy - and a larger share of the incomes Arpithe oil that It produces. I9191ni rMol As the destruction ofwarTut a stop to most economic activities, Oil production became the only source of hard currency for the nation. With peace and investment; Angola will be able to put to profit its vast natural and human potential in various sectors of the economy. Recovery Angola's recovery will hinge, to a large extent on the success of social integration - the resettlement of millions of refugees and displaced persons, and the return of tens of thousands of demobilised soldiers to peaceful civilian occupations through Whiki t'hey can meet their essential human, needs. ,Peace will also require reconciliation, Savimbi insists that concrete functions grant him. Although he joined hands with president Dos Santos in Brussels, he has not travelled to Luanda since 1992, allegedly "for security reasons." Furthermore, there have been recent reports that some Unita troops have been infiltrated into Cabinda, hoping to get a foothold in the strategically rich but still unpacified province, in order to escape the demobilisation exercise pursued in the rest of the country Savimbi's strategic wait for the result of elections in Portugal last month was rewarded with the return to power of his log-time supporters in the Socialist Party of former president Mario Soares. Angolans have, however, reason for some optimism. The donors' meeting in Brussels provided the nation with an excellent present for its twentieth birthday, as it seemed to confirm that they are, at last, firmly on the road to peace and development. 0(David Gonzalez, Deputy Directpr f the Centre for Studies on Afica and the Middle East - CEAMO - in Cuba, and Because of its secessionist nature, FLEC be assigned to the vice-presidency ofthUe 1-urrnuy :u--udr r Waon ur m. Wraltiot invited to the pre-independence republic that the government agreed to El SA and SADC: balancing global and regional interests Bfy Professor Willie Breytenbach, Department of Political Studies, University of Stellenboch e first-ever summit meeting on sions increased to just under 100, in- Against this background, South Africa South African soil, of the Southern cluding missions in Dar es Salaam, Ad- must on an ongoing basis reconcile the £ African Development Community dis Ababa (the headquarters of the OAU) need for globalisation and interdepen(SADC), took place during August last and Gaborone, where the SADC dance with the need for regional reconyear- one year after South Africa had secretariat is based. Api from estab- struction and development. joined SADC, as its 11 th member. In addition to the adoption of new policies on the sharing of watercourse systems and the creation of a power pool, SADC also admitted Mauritius, as 12th member. Since the April 1994 elections, South Africa resumed or joined, for the first time, a host of multilateral organisations. From an African point of view, these included the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonweath (both have a large number of African members), the Organisation of African Unity and SADC, and very recently, South Africa also joined the African Development Bank, but with major reservations. Bilaterally, South African foreign mis- lishing official relationS, interactions in almost all spheres deepened, ranging from trade and transportation to tourism and cooperation in technical fields such as electricity and water supplies. Whereas the nature of interaction in the past fitted the pattern of increasing Africa's trade, transportation and technical dependence on South Africa, significant reversals can now ba.noted, especially in terms of infrastructural projects: the Cabora Bassa hydro-electric project, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, and the planned Zairianhhyplrqrectric power supplies into South ,ip& tare cases in point. , Issues It is significant to note that two important issues on SADC's recent agenda, remained unresolved: progress on political cooperation, peace and security, and the reaffirmation by SADC that the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) should be split Into the Preferential Trade Area (PTA), North and the PTA South, with tl)e latter comprising SADC. This is unnecessary duplication. The SADC proposal touches on some interesting issues: first, two important SADC members are not members of Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL 27 NO. 1

SA and SADC: ba Continued from previous page PTA/COMESA, namely South Africa and Botswana - it says something about the unattractiveness of the PTA; second, will the membership of Mauritius not redirect priorities away from Africa towards the Indian Ocean Rim?; third, given the growing bilateralism (ie trade, transport and tourism) between South Africa and countries outside the Customs Union (eg with Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zaire, Tanzania and Kenya), the question may be asked whether there is a future for the further deepening of multilateralism (especially trade integration) in the sub-continent?; and finally, one and a half years after South Africa's democratic elections, South Africa's national priorities have become quite dear: domestic reconstruction and development take precedence over about everything else, with perhaps the biggest foreign priority the need to secure direct foreign investments as an engine of growth, job creation and development in South Africa. The pre-eminence of trade relations, the debate about foreign investments, involilng the states and markets of Europi, North American and Southeast Asia - especially the roles of their transnational corporations - are cases in point. In fact, President Mandela and Deputy President Mbeld have both become unrelenting campaigners for foreign investments at a time when bilateral negotiations between the Euro-Union and South Africa on economic and trade relations have become one of the biggest foreign relations issues in South Africa today. While this is understandable and makes perfect common sense from the point of South Africa's national intprests, it does implicate that these interests must be balanced with the declared policy of Southern Africa being a priority in our foreign relations. Challenges If there is a South African predicament in foreign affairs then it is this: South Africa as a leading member of the "South", i.e., being a regional superpower and Africa's only so-called Emerging Market, cannot divorce itself from its African commitments of regional cooperation and reconstruction including its responsibilities of bargaining on behalf of "outh" interests in Northern forums; yet, much of South Africa's development needs - eg finance, credit, overseas markets, investment and the ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I lancing global and transfer of technology - with the possible exception of markets and labour, cannot be produced by either Africa or the South. These can only be obtained from the North and Southeast Asia. And this is where the challenge lies: how to play the global game without sacrificing southern interests; how best to relate to the dominant institutions of the multilateral financial world, without fall. ing into the same dependency traps as other semi-developed and developing countries; how to integrate best into the Euro-Market without de-industrialising South Africa's motor, clothing, textile and agricultural and other sensitive sectors - the same argument applies to other Customs Union countries in the region; hoW to deal best with new conflicts which go much further than the reaches.of the state and the military, i.e., those modem-day problems related to ethnicity, nati plisim, separatism, refugees, environmental degradation, etc; and how best to promote human development, democracy and human rights in South Africa's foreign policy, also on the African continent? Therefore, the challenge is really how to reconcile the need for globalisation and interdependence with the needs for, regional reconstruction and development, i.e., how the simultaneous lifting of sanctions, trade liberalisation through the Uruguay Round and the anticipated trade Integration between the EuroMarket and South Africa (a = plus the Customs Union countries) will impact upon the SADC region, including Mauritius. Is Mauritius merely the 12th SADC member or the first of the Indian Ocean Rim states linking Smh Africa and the Customs Union st with another region outside Africa, in, the same way South Africa and the Customs Union countries are now being locked into a long-term free trade agreement with Europe? Differently put. would the proposed multilateral links with the Indian Ocean Rim represent another trendbreaking event in the affairs of Southern Africa, just as the talks in Brussels and Pretoria, are also doing?. Prognosis South Africa's .demnocratisation had taken place at the same time as the finalisation of: GATr's Uruguay Round with its implications for far-reaching trade liberatit.4This,- together with the lifting of sancwt* s an important, postapartheid dividend, will thrust South regional interests Africa ruthlessly into the competitive world of modem international economics. On top of that comes the im-pact-of South Africa's and the Customs Union's growing deepening relations with the Euro-Market. As things stand now, this is to result in a free trade arrangement between Southern Africa and Eurff coming into full fruition within a dec4il4 or slightly later. A similar trend is reflected in the initiatives focused on the Indian Ocean Rim, pointing towards greater cooperation and trade Integration with countries such as Mauritius, India, Malaysia and Australia. Although these trends do not necessarily implicate a trend away from Africa, it does mean that these diverging interests must be reconciled in the process of the conduct of foreign relations. South Africa and Botswana's reluct to consider PTA/COMESA membersh ; seems to underline the prognosis ab the unlikeliness of further multilaterk deepening of interactions with the rest of Africa. South Africa's highly conditional membership of the African DeveWN ment Bank falls into the same category of trends. , South African business nevertheless finds Africa an important market despite the absence of trade integration outside the Customs Union. Through infrastructural cooperation on hydro-electric power supplies, ties with Mozambique and Zaire are set to go. As we know; Zaire is not a member of SADC. This relationship, therefore, is essentially bilateral. And this seems to be the dominant emerging pattern; bilateralism growing deeper than multilateralism. With the exception of the Customs Union - whkM) the common external tariffs are setFW drop as a result of the Uruguay rules;i leading to a new revenue sharing formuz* la - free trade will continue, but will, hardly expand further afield. Other states will also want to protect their industries against South African competitors. This protectionist trend is likely to grow rather than subside in the wider region. Within this scenario, SADC may continue to remain the most significant cooperation bloc outside the Customs Union.. This stature is established at the expense of PTA/COMESA South Africa's membership is also likely to revitalise. SADC's financial and infrastructuralj Continued on next page

Southern Africa investment .sun By President Nelson Mandela hen the International Herald W Tribune informed us, earlier last year, of its intention to host a Sdthern Africa investment Summit in our country, we were pleasantly surprised. After all, is the Fourth Estate not meant to be a distant cousin of government, concerned only with a critique of what, politicians do, and not with soiling its hands in practical matters! This summit and a few others on investment and trade opportunities in South and Southern Africa, organised by publications of such high repute, attest otherwise, It is a demonstration of the truism that those who keep tabs on polit6l and economic developments world-wide are better placed than most, not only to detect weaknesses, but also to identify opportunities that beckon. 'That the International Herald Tribune has chosen South Africa as the venue, SA, and SADC: Balancing, global and regional interests Continued from previous page agen-das, and inject new urgency into the debate about future collective security designs. However, success here, will depend as always on whether the major role players in the region, South Africa art imbabwe, can find a common way forward. But despite rivalries, there is nothing suggesting that SADC itself is under threat. The focus on other regions such as Europe and the Indian Ocean Rim, must clearly not be interpreted as a trend away from Africa - the historic, symbolic and organic links are simply too many. But institutionally and mainly through the imperatives of globalisation and interdependence with those blocs where credit, finance, trade, technology and investments will be forthcoming, South Africa may increasingly -be developing outwardly into different directions. As the priorities change, the challenges are related to critical choice. PFesident. Nelson Mandela of South Aft speaks to the confidence you have in our young and robust democracy, as it crawls out of the cradle to attain prosperity and a better life. That you have elected to focus on this region, when, we afe told, there are more exciting prospects elsewhere, manifests the confidence you have in the new era that has dawned in Southern Africa. Therefore, we thank you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this enterprising initiative. The presence at this summit of the distinguished heads of state, the government and business delegations in attendance and what can-be appropriately described as the doyen of international media,.underline the significance of this endeavour. At the same time, the pulse of Southern Africa's common approach to challenges of our age, is captured by the fact that we were only a few days ago together at the historic 15th Summit of SADC. Yet the magnitude of this Summit will be measured in years to come by the practical results in respect of investments in infrastructure, agriculture and communications, so as to help Southern Africa help itself. It will be judged by the joint efforts in massive projects in housing, water supply, health provision and human resources development. In appealing for greater investments in this region, we also wish to reiterate that you will find here government cooperation in the buildingof an integrated regional economy whose potential -ica can barery be equalled. You will fir industrious people and an enthusi local investor community ready to, le the challenges. Perhaps we are better placed than to value peace and look towards ti ture with such confidence. For we I war and destabilisation; and hi ascended to the era of peace late 'day, we can learn from the experii of others. But in saying all this, we do apprE the responsibility we have. in ea our countries @nd in the region whole, it is for the governments an( pie t9 defend and deepen the cult democracy and humanr'rights. It responsibility to .convince investi the many benefits we, fferthrou tion and not merely in words. If the briefings I received from Dt President Mbeki and Minister M are anything to go by, this surnm gone a long way in cementing the al confidence between our regioi the world community of invest therefore thank you once again f vast opportunities you have ope Chairperson; We agreed as early as February J the International Herald Tribund creative endeavour. Difficult as garies of fate may have made it,, sured that the slightest opportun got, we shared with you. For, in efforts such as this Summpi the future of our region. ZIMBABWE NEWt VOL. 27 F

I11P ;eof a c mation has od as the stronpat weapon qpidem, it Ris very imporor- tha fi information be inatoiy, arnl encpurage Iloe. POf Hv~i~4ttus by NatonsJV)Isy$ that the' last AIDS I ih ~Iaain~t projudice ao apainst irrabmt of Ignrf. For !auses f sq* of the most ions of h rm i rights." Thus "nur datannimatinrw iM that AIDS represernsa challonte witlh social cultue, economic, poitical, ethical and legal dimensions. it hasinvariably been liniked to humlan rights, not W~ly of those infected b~ut OMsoft thosewbo might be at riskof benginfeted. .Intrnational agencies have set up meas4res to actively protect the rit$ of per,Sons infe-teo with HIV to prevent their being ;Uscriininated aqainht., The World N1ealth, Organisqn (WHO) urges member states-to "ptotect the human rights and dignity of Wiv- Infected peopled people jwitb AIDS; and of popuitJon groups, and to avoi discrimnatory action against and -Stgmatlpation of them in the provision 0( seice, emp t ,ad travel". The aim is to create such anenvironment where infected people or those suspected to be infected do not fear dis.closing their state and freely seek informaion, health andi gcal services. WHO, says discrimination m~ny endanger publc health through the nulfication of programmes to prewpt and control HI V/AIDS. Ways in which I c44 be opread: Before talking ploot pyop's rilhts it is necessary to urirtn hiow the virus is spread ZIMBABWE NE$~ Y01. 27 NO. I Learaing about AIDS in Uganda: Boys like these need to learn their responsibilties so that they play a role in preventing AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. HIV is spread mainly through: 0sexual contact Othe exchange of blood with an infected person through ,1kin piercing instruments that have not been sterilised, such as blood transfusion and intravenous drug abuse. Owhere an infected mother passes the virus on-to her baby during childbirth. There is no conclusive evidence that HIV can be spread through casual contact. AIDS, therefore, cannot be contracted in settings such as the household, social, Common areas where the rights. ot HIV-infected people may be abused: WHO reports that explicit consent should be sought before any testing is carried out and there should be counselling before and after people are tested. The following rights have been identified: *good health: despite having a terminal illness, all efforts should be made to enable HIV victims to have the best health care possible. Oliberty and security: national policies should ensure that there is no arbitrary work, school or prison through touching, sharing the same toilet or living with an infected person. Beliefs that HIV can be spread through a handshake, through riding the bus with an infected person or even just working together have been dispu!ed by medical experts. At the 1989 World Conference on AIDS, which was held in Geneva, it was decided that there would be no international convention particularly focussed on AIDS because it was felt that AIDS is covered under other specific international codes such as theuniversal Declaration of Human' Rg1hI the International Labour Organiisatonii (ILO) Code of Employment of the WHO guidelines. detention or isolation of AIDS carriers. O freedom from inhuman/degrading treatment or punishment: other people should be discouraged from treating HIV- infected people as if they have no rights. Ofreedom of movement: being a carrier of HIV should not justify any restrictions to anyone's movement. *privacy: there should be no forced disclosure of test results to third parties. This, however, becomes controversial where sexual partners are involved e.g. spouses. Continued on next page I !1 AIDS "is a ight against fear, against prejudice and against ih;o. rational action born out of ignorance. For these are the causes.,1 of some of the most critical violations of human rights."

AIDS and humar Continued from previous page Gwork: policies should be put in place to prevent discrimination regarding this right. Some initiatives include backing up the International Labour Organisa0n (ILO) convention with nondiscriminatory codes of employment as some countries in Southern Africa have done. *education: since HIV is not passed through social contact, there is no basis for denying children education on the basis of their being sero-positive. *social security, assistance and welfare: a person's HIV-stand does not justify denial of these rights, in fact, those benefits become more valuable in such instances. use in controlling or slowing down the tutes that support speific AIDS epidemic. victims. These include: AIDS and human rights: in the past, reactions to similar epidemics were fear and the stigmatisoof those afflicted. In extreme cases, peopl were killed because they had a fatal or contagious disease. In others, they were ostracised, detained or quarantined. In the 18th century, during the days of "Black Death", people were required to carry certificates of good health. AIDS has resulted in these responses being revisited except that with AIDS, there is the unfortunate assumption that the disease is self-inflicted. HIV has a major impact on certain "HIV has a major impact on certain minorities who already suffer -marginalisatfon and discrimination and for some, legal sanctions F commercial sex workers, homosexuals, drug users." According to WHO, routine screening of minorities who already suffer marginaihigh-risk groups (homosexuals and het- sation and discrimination and for some, erosexuals with multiple sexual contacts legal sanctions - commercial sex wor4W intravenous druusers) of-other kers, homosexuals, drug users. gups (Military personnel, internation- Human rights bodies that can help in al travellers and hospital patients) and the removal of discrimination: There as a prerequisite for marriage is of little are a number of legal international sta- I arRepublic --a a-Mycountrymenhavedevelopedawe ulation of 1.1 million people deserved reputation for the successful nd covers 1 860 square management of our national affairs. We kilometres. Its main languages are En- can bring all this experience and experglish, French, Creole, Hindi, Urdu and tise of our people as our contribution to -n~hoipuri. Mauritians have their origins our SADC partners," said lugnaufh. yni' n three continents: Europe, Asia and A former British colony, Mauritius has Africa.------...... The state became a republic on 12 March 1992. The Prime Minister, Anerood Jugnauth, heads the four-party coalition government comprising his party, the Socialist Mauritian Movement (SMM), Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), Democratic Workers' Movement (DWM) and the Organisation of the Rqdrigian People (ORP). Prime Minister Jugnauth attended the last meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) when Mauritius was accepted as the 12th member. He told his colleagues that his country will bring to the Community its experience as a thriving and dynamic economy. a cunstiuuon written at the time ot independence on 12 March 1968. The constitution established a multi-party democracy based largely on the British model. Power lies within the elected National Assembly, the supreme lawmaking body of the island. The assembly comprises of 62 elected representatives and the maximum parliamentary term is five years. Although several amendments have been made to the constitution since independence, the executive, legislative and judicial powei bases have remained almost unchanged. The last elections Were held in September 1991 (national) and October 1991 (local) and the next elections will be held- Othe UN International Bill of Rights *the African Charter on Hum People's Rights. *the international Covenant i nomic, Social and Cultural Rigi *International Covenant on Ci Political Rights, *the International Convention Elimination of Racial Discrimin Othe Convention on the Elimini Discrimination against Women. Othe ILO statute concerning A] the Workplace. At national level, governments ar to ensure measures that comply ternational human rights stand protect the rights of people s from HIV. Some governments ha come up with national AIDS programmes through which info on the epidemic can be dissemir all people. M -ap, uvw I Vo anu U"0[ respectively. France nled the is] 1810 when they lost to the Br ing the Anglo-French War. The c for the transfer of political r Mauritians was spearheaded Labour Movement in the lat, Negotiations for political auton by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolai the 1960s, led to the independence. Mauritius does not have an ant cial Mobile Force (SMF) was cr ter independence to assist the containing riots and controlinE A defence agreement was sig the United Kingdom at indep granting Britain the use of MaL defence purposes in exchangE tection against external threat. be terminated by either side at notice. ". 1 Until recently Mauritius was t extent a monocrop economy, Continued on next page ZIMBABWE

I'df*p URITI evious page ed y sugar production. Sugar cane still li occupies over 90 percent of the arable area and accounts for about 70 percent of the contribution of the agricultural etor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). S .ugar also accounts for about 30 perIi cent of export earnings. Tourism brings in MR 3 billiori (Z$1,3 billion) a year in export earnings, and is the country's third largest earner of foreign currency. France and South Africa re the largest markets accounting for 28 percent and 19 percent of the total 2! number of visitors respectively. The island became one of the first couni tries in Africa to implement the International Monetary Fund- (IMF) sponsored economic structural adjustment programme in 1979. During the 1976-1982 period, the Mauritian economy grew at an average annual rate of 2.6 percent. The country experienced balance of payments problems, growing debt and severe fiscal budget deficits, which increased from Mauritian Rupee (MR) 234 million in 1978 to MR 1160 million in 1982. The Mauritian rupee was devalued twice by 30 percent in 1979 and by 20 percent in 1981L The economic situation was worsened by political instability as the government had to take measures to restrict spending. The year 1994 established a landmark in the financial landscape of Mauritius. For the first time, non citizens were free; to invest in shares traded on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM). The SEM is a new creation, although trading in shares has existed for a long 'time. Over the same period, new funds have been launched by local promoters, providing individuals with a diversified investment choice. The Mauritius Fund was launched in 1933. It is the first investment company owned and controlled by non-citizens, which was allowed to invest freely in local shares. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The economy grew in real terms by five percent during 1994. GDP growth was constrained by the poor performance of the sugar sector. Growth in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) sector, slowed considerably to 4 percent in 1994, compared with 6 percent in 1992/3. Mauritius is serviced by a welldeveloped network of local and foreign banks and a growing number of nonZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 US: C try profile banking financial institutions. Both the Declaration ot Human Rights. in government and the private sector bor- Mauritius, a rate of over 80 percent of row on a substantial scale on the for- enrolments in basic education has been eign capital market, but the government achieved in the past decade. Free has also been very successful in raising primary and secondary services have capital locally through the issue of been in place since 1976. bonds, stocks and securities. The Bank of 'lauritius, which started operations i August 1967, is the central bank. Commercial banks are major mobilisers. of savings in the economy. There are 12 commercial banks, of ,hch eight are foreign owned, with over 110 branches in the country. There also exists a well developed network of other financial institutions and the three largest commercial banks are the State Commercial Bank, Barclays and the Mauritius Commercial Bank. Education has been declared a basic right of every person in The Universal or those who live far away from Luanda, and listen to the daily news broadcasts, Angola is at peace, and the Lusaka Accord (signed and delivered by the leaders last year) is now being implemented. For those of us who live in Luanda, the peace process is not working, and the tensions are gathering again like clouds before a storm. People here are very pleased that President Eduardo Dos Santos, the head of, state of Angola, has completed a successful visit to the United States. He was received at the White House by president Bill Clinton of the USA. His visit and reception at the White House brings to an end the boycott of Angola because it was alleged to be a communist country. This emanated from the support Angola received from the Soviet Union at the height of the civil war with UNITA in the seventies and the eighties. President Dos.Santos was also able to speak tothepro-Angola lobby in Congress which for many years was supporting Dr. Jonas Savirnmbi, the UNITA leader. These two meetings did put the relations between the USA and Angola on a new footing. In his discussions in Washington, and in the meetings he had with the press, he stressed the commitments of the government to the Lusaka Accord, Mauritius has a good distribution of Health Care Services within easy reac l of everyone. Primary Health Care Services are provided free of charge through a wide network of 26 Area Health Centres, 105 Community Health Centres and 16 Family Health Service Points. Previously Mauritius used to export to Europe by- passing Africa, but the opening of six trade effices in Africa and its active participation in Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) countries and the various buyers and sellers meetings are proof that the country is serious about regional cooperation and integration. - SARDC. but admitted that the peace process was still very fragile. Dr. Savimbi; for his part, has completed a tour to regional capitals in Southern Africa. He went to Lusaka, Dar-esSalaam, Harare, Pretoria, and Windhoek. In Harare, not only did he have a meeting with President R.G. Mugabe, but he was given the rare opportunity to address the Politburo, the top organ of the ruling Party. According to press reports he promised that war was over and gone, and he personally would not contemplate to start it again. He madevery solemn commitments which looked to be serious. EEPHNE 790148/ ALWAYS THERE TO EA N D SA E YOU ADVETISE Ala pec

Zambian s elect nel leaders at 4-day C( The ruling Party in neighbouring Zambia - the MMD - held a 4-day convention from December 18 to 22,1995, at which they elected a new crop of leaders at the top. The results were summed up by "The Sunday Times of Zambia" op Sunday December 24, with the headline: Big guns' tumble". Indeed, a number of wellknown Zambian politicians were defeated, such as Vernon Mwaanga, former Foreign Ministerand foundermember of the MMD, Elias Chipimo, the first national chairman of the MMD, and Newsstead Zimba, the Minister Of Labour and close associate of President F. Chiluba in the trade union movement. ,The winners who now join the MMD at the top are: Brigadier-General Godfrey Miyanda who becomes vice-president; Mr Michael Sata who becomes the secretary-general; the *mllionaire businessman, Mr. Enoch Kavindele who 1ecomes treasurer-general; andfthe veteran politician, Sikota Wina, who becomes Chairman of the Party. His wife, Princes Nakatindi, retained her-post as chairwoman of the Women's League. Chiluba vs Mwanawasa The seats were hotly contested. The conestants used the media to the full, public meetings,and pamphlets (some of them very dirty), to try and discredit their opponents. Every top post was contested. For the presidency there were two candidates: president F. Chiluba himself. His challenger was his vicepresident, Mr. Levy Mwanawasa. The 'loud and prolonged applause that greeted President Chiluba's address was an early indication of who the delegates favoured. The vice-president was cheered only once when he said he *Anted to increase the number of delegates who come to future conventions. President Chiluba won by a wide margin. In the presentation of their manifestos to the convention, the two men differed in their assessment of MMD's performance during its first term of office. Mwanawasa thought the party had not fulfilled its election promises, and had fared badly. He said: "It has become abundantly clear that one would either be burying his head in the sand as UNIP did before 1991, or would be knowingly cheat oneself to stand and make categorical statements that we have fared well in fulfilling or even sractching on the fulfillment of otir promises". President Chiluba disagreed. He said Presndent Frederick Ghiluba of Zambia was retained ai the Moen ripaty Democracy leader MMD was a unged force that had done much for Zam]bla, and its people. That work must contiAte. He admitted that it had not been easy to secure resources for the party since the time it was delinked from government resources. He said people like Mwanawasa who wrote the MMD constitution were to blame for some weaknesses and shortcomings of that document, especially with respect to taking disciplinary actions. *For treasut . fhoch Kai Ronald Penza (375). And, thirteen Other posts. Free and fair elections The Foundatlio for Democ (FODEP), an inddpanent b Zambian pritst, which was nitor the eietidni Oeclar wore frea and fl_ PFbD5 Some results at a glance annoucement ofhardshlp alloi The convention was very peaceful, ex- for delogste, whid* Wa made b, cept in one occasion when ayoung man didate t n l wearing a Mwanawasa T-shirt had his w 'nt i-n p4 foet O n t lr e clothing torn after he had made some intiiaioh. rude remarks about president Chiluba. . The convention was generally a success, MWhl. d 9 *andshowedZambiandemocracya-AfterCh ofthe work. Vern Mfv4anua ,ongrat In a nutshell, the elction results were as Mich*el Sai i tt on tdl 0 follows (with votes of the candidate in that h defeat ddsnqt'at all mE brackets): his pott at *For vice-president: Godfrey Miyanda Setba'k$ dcd~u i pbltis, but h( (901), Dr. Shimaporlda (255) Lt-General contirl.tb iz 4 Wii r 6 Christon Tembo (82). for the ctt4 f 4MMDlrfM OFor national secretary: Michael Sata general I ie said "the'n (606), Vernon Mwaanga (470), Frederick national &&t*l#e Is 6 fbrmidob Hubunda (136), and Newstead Zimba I will woa essy wlth 0411 (16).leaders tbi* tI lose tanuk (16).wour O rri *For national chairman: ikota Wifla eve s, Ni Mat* (1 066), Elias Chipimo (159). tally eatddet4 *For chairwoman of the League: Prin- of thO r10ar btet cess Nyakatindi (918), Matilda Chakulya I n t (323). togethdr eoi 0foiT*ieO ZIMBABWE,~ N*W VOL.27 ye a Xga S s Mkapa is a.i 6ot, to the r6egiCon j By ou ow coresonen ldugu Benjamin W. Mkapa, the newly-elected president of Tanzania is a good friend of Zimbabwe, and mare importantly, an asset to the region of Southern Africa. He has very deep feelings and progressive ideas about our region. He also has a lot of experience and knowledge of the region and its problems. As a journalist in DarEs-Salaam in the sixties, and as foreign minister in Julius Nyerere's government in the seventies and eighties, he took par in major decisions about the affairs of the region, and interacted with the key players at many fora. He is one of' the most experienced diplomats in Africa. He personally took part in all stagesof the diplomatic and political work* relating to the liberation of all the countries of Southern Africa. Ndugu Mkapa comes to power at a crucial time in the political development of Tanzania. The one-party state constitution, and the policy of Ujamaa (or Tanzania socialism), has been scrapped, and replaced by a multi-party constitution. He is the first Tanzanian to be elected president under the new system. Although the organisation of the presidential elections last October (1995) was chaotic, no one doubts or disputes the fact that Ben Mkapa was the popular choice of a large majority of Tanzanias, and even Zanzibarians. Although he faced an array of 16 challengers at the beginning, including three former prime ministers, the voters concluded early that he was the best man for the job. We agree with them. The revion Book your space now for the 1996 period in the' Zimbabwe News Magazine ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I m bwaliru Juw us Nyerere -7 There wi-s hardly any talk of corruption in Tanzania during his presidency. needs powerful figures like him in order to develop the economic links of SADC (Southern African Development Community), and the political and security links of the former Front-line States ASAS (Association of Southern African States). In a recent interview with the well known journalist, David Martin, the new president, commented as follows on regibnal issues: *"Economic integration; we are members of several economic institutions.We will continue and I hope we will put emphasis more, not so much on treaty writing and treaty adoption, but the building of trust and confidence, and the internal stability that encourages crossborder trade, cross-border investment, a crucible of !multilateral institutions. The kind of trust and confidence that does that, both in terms of public investments as well as the private sector ones. I hope to revitalise relations between political parties in this region. They could also be an engine of trust and confidencebuilding. Certainly our party has had very traditional and historic relations, very important relations, sometimes with ruling parties, sometimes with nonruling parties, in this whole region. I do not say those relations have elapsed but I think I want to strengthen them very vigorously". *The president spoke about a little more assertiveness on the independence of TanzariliihHhis commitment to South-South co-operation. ",_Or president Ali Hassan Mwino.f stamp out corruption. On the question of tax collection which generated much justified criticism for the previous government of Ali Hassan Mwinyt,-12. said: "I agree with the criticism (that the Tanzanian tax net is highly inefficient, haphazard and partial). we have already passed legislation to establish the tax authority very much like the Ugandans bave done. It has not got off the ground yet but we are going to make sure that it gets off the ground quickly because certainly its a very effective way of tax collection. ... One of the things We will do, is have a proper register of people who have tax liabilities, who have tax obligations to the country, and we don't know all of them because they don't pay ... And, I want to insist on the pete ties being applied when those who hav# defaulted or whatever it is have been found out. I am going to insist, no mer'cy, more penalties, and if necessary we will look at those penalties again, and see if by strengthening them we can encourage more people to pay their taxes." , There was hardly any corruption to talk about in Tanzania during the long presidency of Mwalimu Nyerere. But in recent years it had increased and was eating at the very heart of the government, especially in the area of tax collection. The retired but respected Mwalmu lambasted the government for this, trend. In a way, the new president is promising to return to the cleanliness The new president is determined to Continued on next page

Benjamin VN Mkapa 0erjamin William Mkapa was born. on In 1957, Mkapa won-'alac'8t the pres12 November 1938, in Ndanda, Masasi tigiousMakerere University in Uganda district, Mtwara region of what is now and graduated with 4 B (Hons) degree. southern Tanzania, the fourth-and last in English Literature. Thigwas one of the child of Mwalimu William Matwani and formative periods of his life, and he reStephania Nambanga Mkapa. He is mar- tains his passion for reading and literaried to Anna Shauri Joseph Mkapa and ture. He received a Diploma in Intemathey have two sons. tional Relations from Columbia UniverEducation sity, New York, USA, 1962-63. He cornpleted six- months basic training in the Sanational service, Tekeleza company. Mkapa attended prirary school at Lu- Ruvu, 1971. paso in his home area from 1945-48, and got his secondary education at Career In government MgOlisera Seminary, Ndanda, and St. Mkapa's first job, in 962 was as Francis College, Pugu, between 1949-56. a district administrative a in Dodo.4 ?ugu, on the outskirts of Dar es ma, now Tanzania's capital. He joined galaam, one of his teachers was the foreign ministry four months later, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, then a relative- and spent the following school year ly unknown man who was to play the 1962-63 at Columbia University. on a &flft ' role in gaining independence for special study programme in internationhis country and, as president, in shap- al relations for young foreign service ing the post- independence thinking of its officers from newly independent people countries. Continued from previous page in govemmeit, arid the high level of integrity reached during Mwalimu's time at the helm. That is a future development that all Tanzanians will welcome. Although Mkapa may follow closely seine of Nyerere's policies, he jettisoned afhe old politicians who worked in that Miand appointed into the cabinet his own team of young Tanzanians. He appointed a young prime minister, and then ordered the members of the new cabinet to declare all their assets. He ofcourse declared his own assets, immediately showing his determination to stamp out corruption. Whither Zanzibar? One of the critical issues Mkapa has to address is the question of role and place of the islands of Zanzibar in the union called the United Republic of Tanzania. There are misgivings and reservations about the role and place of Zanzibar, h in Zanzibar itself, and on the mainIV of Tanzania (formerly known as Tanganyika). Nyerere nursed the 1964 union Oy giying zanzibarians alot of ad- vantages, and treated -then almost as equal partners, although their population of barely one-million is infinitesimal when compared with the 25 million mainlanders. Many mainlanders now say Zanzibar should be shown the door out if it does not coopre .fully. There is also a lot of tension jpOE00greement on a number of key issue p.teen the three islands that constitute Zanzibar. But, Mkapa thinks he ,can heal those wounds. But, the wider qpestion of the union itself will have to be addressed during his term of office. Foundation for tust and confidence Of course, president Mkapa is no' stranger to his colleagues in the region. As Tanzania's foreign minister he met all of them, and knows 'them well. As a person, and as a spdkesman for Tanzania at many meetings, he was well liked and respected. Now coming as head of state he will be very well received. Ndugu Mkp peJs well and convincingly in commigA. e is a likeable personality, with,kpn sense of humour. IE In July 1974, he became press to president Nyerere, ap two years. This was another O period. President Nyerere wv0, committed to the liberation o: Africa,'and this period saw thie i dence of Angola and Mozambk well as flurry of international acti then Rhodesia and Namibia, mi two visits to the region by US Se of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger. N' pa moved to establish the govei news agency, and was first dire the Tanzania news agency, Shlih a brief period in 1976, before pointment as high commissio Nigeria in November. This was a difficult assignment calling foi diplomacy to repair relations s during civil war in Nigeria when nia and a namber of other Africa tries had recognised the sece. Biafra. Mission accomplished, he rE home in February 1977 to a n pointment as Minister of Foreign a recognition of his diplomatic tellectual skills, and a post he he the general elections in 1980. TI a period which put these skills most rigorous test. Ugandan dict Amin invaded Tanzania in 1978,1 -ifg a response which finally dri Ugandan despot into exile and e Libya's cynical support for Ami, name of Islamic solidarity. 1979also the period of delicate negot transition and independence babwe, in which the Tanzanian nent was 'deeply involved. From 1970-77, Mkapa was pediamentarian, representing Ti in the East African LegislativeAs (Yenya, Tanzania and Uganda). rargerea reregwn as a transit point jor arugs e manjuana wnh h East Asia, the Indian sub-continent, South America destined for teenage girl was recently placed in solitary confinement at. Malawi hospital. She was recovering after reportedly being given an overdose of mandrax drugs at a party in the cbmmercial capital, olantyre. Malawian police immediately launched * a manhunt for the man who gave the girl the drugs. They believed that the man was part of a big cartel that is giving drugs to young people to get them addicted in the hope of drawing them into the drug traffickirg trade. Abuse of dangerous drugs Is not unique to Malawi. But the practice, together with illicit drug trafficking, is on the increase in th- Southern African Development Community (SADb, considered by dru'gksyndicates as a conduit for drugs deguned for international markets. The extent of drug menace, say'experts in the SADC region, is accentuated by the fact that, of the 136 known drug syndicates operating in and from South Africa, 76 operate internationally, 38 in Africa and the problem is exacerbated by Sopth Afqca's accessibility via land, sea arid ait frotes, especially since its re-dinri into- the international arenai Drug lords see South Africa not only as an open door to the rest of Southern ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL 27NO. 1 Africa, but also as a growing profitable market. It was in recognition of the pandemic nature of drug trafficking and drug abuse in the region that the SADC and the European Union jointly convened a regional conference in Mmabatho, South Africa, early in November 1995, to discuss ways and means of combating the menace. The Mmabatho cbrference is a result of the Berlinft~k% L- launched by SADC and EU ari~iif" in 1994 - which called upon the two regions to cooperate in the rea' of combating drug trafficking "aci'ss national boundaries. Drug trafficking Attended by senior government officials from the SADC and EU countries as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the conference established that the traffic in iicit drugs was on the increase and.,Int Wq cases, getting out of control.,: . Furthermore, it was established that the traffickers had targeted the region as a transit point- fbdrugs coming from South E,.& AMiflK, the Indian subcontinent i&uti8iAmerica to Europe and North America. The M reasons for targetting tM SiDC states as a transit area were idehtified as the following: " Weaker entry points in form of lack of adequate control measures in most SADC states; (there is a feeling within SADC that there is need to create a better basis for control that does not restrict honest trivellers). * Lack-of technical expertise. in the identification of illicit drugs; " Heavy traffic of aircraft or trucl%9p certair) points of entry; -1I " Weaker legislation (worth takirij risk by the traffickers); " the existence of corrupt pract es that facilitate smwggling in $@Mtp member states. The region has also seen an upsurge fif dhe cases of smuggling of drugs by stuffing the product in body cavities and swallowing, which has already recorded a few deaths. The methods of taking drugs in the region vary, depending on the drug of abuse, but the methods include eating, drinking, chewing, smoking or inhalation, sniffing as well as injection. Most of the SADC member states have no clear drug policies concerning treatment and rehabilitation of drug addictre T1his is evident by the fact that theriat s no treatment and rehabilitation centm in most SADC states. The Mmabatho conference called for measures to publicise the dangers associated with drug abuse to be put in placm, Dangers of drugs Although South Africa and Zambia were identified as disseminating information on drug trafficking, most of the SADC states needed coordinated government and non-governmental organisation programmes at school or youth level. it was observed that the media has not been utilised to disseminate information, on the dangers of dr trafficking a drug abuse. Confinued on next page

-i SADC grapples with increasing People march through the city of Harare commemorating June 26, the International Day on Drug Abuse and illicit i Continued from previous page Most member states are not signatories of the UN Conventions on drugs and some of the member states which are signatories have not ratified them. It is of crucial importance that the states ratify the Conventions because cooperationr among drug law enforcement agencies gy not be possible without having unim legislation. This will make it possiMe to track dtug, traffickers across borders and to have. mutual legal assistance in areas like money laundering investigations and controlled delivery operations. Establishing similar legislation on drugs should ngt be very difficult for most SADC stqtes since they have a similar legal system which is based on the Roman/Dutch system. One of jthe issues that came up during the Mmabatho Conference that most of the dri law enforcement officers in the *on lock the necessary training which *ould make them effective. Apart from lack of training, these officers are illequipp*d to detect illicit drugs. But one of the main reasons cited for the apparent inability to stop the flow of drugs through the region is the fact that the countries of SADC have not sought to address the problem collectively. "The SADC region lacks extradition arrangements and a framework for cooperation. This has often led to the manipulation of these weaknesses by drug traffickers, thereby allowing many criminals to Ret away with light sentences or scot-free," said CM Lekaukau, chairman of the SADC Standing Commit- i tee of Officials. Human tragedy Perhaps the greatest cost arising out of illicit cross-border drug trafficking is the human tragedy. These include the lives lost to drugs, violence, the prevalence of the sense of hopelessness, prostitution and moral decay. This has been especially evident in Europe and United States which have been trying to deal with the problem for more than 30 years. The Mmabatho Conference heard that Cannabis, or itself in combination with alcohol and psychotropic substances like mandrax, continues t( abused substance and among younger age group that continue to be abusec include cocaine, khat an( According to a psychiatrist from Jamaica - a country bean region where drug pri been confronted for decadi of drugs by young people lar concern, as teenagers vulnerable stage of their d "Each decision can have i impadt on their quality of li identity issues are being di it is a time when peer pre! intense and experimentati ed and sometimes demanc It has also been suggested that dn in adolescence impair normal m tion and development in a wide than that of formal education. F ample, when alcohol and other are used, young people find it d to acquire healthy skills for overc, Continued on next page NEWS VOL. 27 NO

Continued from previous page socal awkwardness, or for tolerating aniety and boredom. Many studies have found variables that are associated with the use of drugs and the development of psycho-social conequences. Among these variables are the following: * knowledge of drugs and attitudes promoting use; " low self-esteem; * imipulsivity and sensation seeking " childhood stress and trauma; " children who feel alienated and are at odds with the dominant social values; * antisocial havinur duirrio arlv Addiction The conference also established that individuals experiencing addiction live with regular disruption in their lives. They often experience accidents, injuries, illness, loss ime, strained relationships an= nt in crim'e. Drug trafficking does not only impact negatively on interstate relations in Southern Africa, but also on the political and economic stability, especially as far as the successful implementation of reconstruction programmes and economic reforms is concerned. The drug menace has negative effect on the community structure where drug abuse necessitates stricter border and visa control which affects the freedom of both trade and individuals, which the SADC is currently promoting. adolescence and failure or lack of It was also established that there is no interest in school, quick solution to drug trafficking and abuse. The factors leading to this menace will have to be addressed in such a way that the vicious spiral of drug-related crime can be checked. And it was ,in the same spirit that the Mmabatho Conference adopted the SADC Draft Protocol on Combating Illikit Drug Trafficking in the region aid recommended that it be processed by the Community in accordance with its procedures for the approval of Protocols. In the words of South African Major General CID Venter, the problem of drug abuse comprises two main components, namely supply and demand. "The main goals of any strategy to address this problem must be to reduce the supply of and diminish the demand for drugs. To combat drug related crime effectively, a multi-dimensional approach, demanding multi-professiorpl assistance, may be the answer," ofserved Venter. - SARDC. A Nigerian passenger was detained at the Sheremetyet A-ir ort in Russia when 66.2 kg of marijuana were discovered in his luggage in 1990 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 29

Motoring forthe less abh *By Stuart Birch, European editor "Automotive Engineering" hen you next step into a car, shut the door, buckle your seat belt and prepare to drive away, just spare a thought for how you might have managed that simple operation if you had been elderly or disabled. s your car really user-iriendly for people with limited physical capability? The chances are that if it is a modern design it will be a great deal better in that respect than would have been the case even 10 years ago. Motor and accessory designers and manufacturers are increasingly aware of the need to input the needs of the elderly - and to some extent the disabled - when designing cars. Power steering Advances in technology and the expectations of the car buying public are making meaningful contributions to improving the situation. Power steering, once found only on relatively large or expensive European and Japanese cars, is now commonplace even on little hatchbacks, taking much of the effort out of parking and improving overall manoeuvrability. Similarly, automatic transmission is also available on a very wide range of car types and sizes. Other improvements on today's cars include seat adjustment, which now often covers vertical as well as fore and aft and backrest movement, and some seats have lumbar adjustment. Increasingly, there is adjustment of steering wheel height - and sometimes reach to provide further driving position flexibility. Wide use of powered-window lifts and external mirror adjustment has also proved a boon for elderly and disabled drivers. Scant regard But some manufacturers still need to focus on general aspects of design. "It is important that doors open really wide," says David Griffiths, president of Britain's Disabled Motorists' Federation. "I question whether most manufacturers really understand this need; some do, others do not. And sometimes there is regression in this area. Car designs have also generally become lower to the ground and seating is subsequently low- Control boxes such as this use electronic technology to help disabled to! drive cars er, w-hich causes problems. Headroom can also be limited. Some manufacturers do produce designs which are helpful for the disabled but I have to say that others pay scant regard to their needs." A problem for any car manufacturer is that design must always be a matter of compromise to meet the desparate needs of buyers and their different shapes, sizes and weights. However, with the rising average age of popula'tions in the developed countries, added consideration is given to elderly car buyers because they are an increasingly important part of the market. plex matter for manutacturers. Some linked to an organisation called M( bility, established in 1977 as a Bril government initiative. A registered c ift it deals with various elements of aBled drivers' needs, and manufactu may offer preferential pricing or su dies and advice on fitting of spe controls. Some manufacturers support it finan ly via subsidised vehicles. But it is feasible for a volume manufacture offer vehicles straight from the pro( tion line which meet the requirem Coping for the disabled is a more crxn- Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWSVOL 27 NO.

Featuires m. s''I .F 1 0I fle 1 Teholg aid th disabledi Almost ten years ago, Mike Topping, a Keele University student in northern England, spent a month at a local special school on an observation project as he planned to teach children with special needs after completing his studies. During the lunch breaks- he watched the carers feeding the more handicapped pupils, and noticed how difficult the process was for both carer and child. Two years later, Topping started to research and design a robotic aid to eating for severely handcapped people as part of a BA degree in computer science and mathematics. Topping's development, kiown as Handy 1, is now a commercially available product and is marketed by Rehab Robotics, Keee University spin-off. Topping is now working for instead of with people with- special, needs. Motoririg for the less Continued from previous page of the disabled as part bf the general model range. In fact a majority of disabled drivers are able to use a standard car but take advantage of such equipment as automatic transmission. Specialist equipment Additional requirements are met by various specialist equipment and accessory companies - and again it is technology which is providing ever-improving facilities. Usually, special .equipment to help a disabled driver can be fitted relatively easily and removed if the vehicle is to be sold, returning it to its original, ex-factory specification. One specialist company is Brian Page Controls, which supplies equipment to many countries. The company retains the car's standard cgntrols and adds those for the disabled driver, allowing it also to be driven easily by those who are not disabled. The systems range from simple linkage mechanisms to -sophisticated, electronically operated types. The linkage mechanisms are used to adapt floor pedals for hand operation or to transfer an operation to the opposite foot. If an automatic clutch linked to a manual gearbox is preferred to a fully automatic gearbox, it can be installed. infra-red signals For disabled people whose only limb use is of one hand, an electronic control box can be attached to the steering wheel. To avoid the use of wires, infra-red (IR) signals are used to connect the box to a receiver; the driver's hands then remain on the wheel at all times. ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I The system gives fingertip control of indicators, main/dip headlight beam, horn, windscreen wipers and washers, windscreen/rear window heater and rear wiper. The system has nine functions. The IR signals are transmitted to a receiver above the door and then to the main switching unit connected to the vehicle's wiring loom. For even more severely disabled people, a single button application has been developed. "Technology offers great opportunities to help disabled drivers," says Brian Page, "and some systems have been developed from those found in aerospace engineering, including small joysticks for directional control similar to those in aircraft." Oral commands Recent research work has included direct voice input, whereby a system will recognise and obey oral commands; however, there is caution about some applications to safety-critical operations, says Page. in-car ambient noise may cause problems but the technique shows some promise for certain tasks. Cost is always an important element in add-on sophisticated equipment, says David Griffiths, but with a wide choice on the market, buyers can often tailor their needs to what they can afford. Budgetingis helped by manufacturers' awareness of the need to offer driver aids such as power steering and automatic transmission on base models. Increasingly, disabled drivers are able to integrate easily into today's traffic. And as technology - particularly electronics - advances further, they will do so ever more effectively and safely. - LPS. 11 Revolutionising fives His talent for robotics is revolutionising the lives of dozens of people with such conditions as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and celebral palsy. Technology is now increasingly used to help disabled people regain more independence as well as for more therapeutic purposes. A Welsh company has even designed an adaption of the familiar multi-gym found in sports centres. Even very disabled people can now exercise without leaving the security of their wheelchair. This improves muscles tone, and more importantly, gives a real sense of achievement to people who might otherwise be completely dependent on others for all their essential needs. Topping's first prototype of Handy 1 was developed especiayfor his 12-yearold next-door neighbour Peter Higginbottom, who suffers from celebral palsy. The earliest models were based on a cyber 310 robotic arm with five degrees of freedom, commonly used for educational applications. The robot is fitted with a gripper device which holds a specially-designed spoon. Eyelid Control The key to the Handy 1 is the control system. By using a custom-designed - light control switch which can be activated by a tiny movement of the head, a limb or even an eyelid, the user can ask the robot to scoop up a mouthful of food and bring it up to his or her mouth. The system does not feed the user, it simply offers a spoonful of food. The user can take his/her time to swallow each mouthful; there is a no busy care assistant to hurry things along. Users and carers say that mealtimes are more enjoyable and less rushed. The food has to be arranged in several lines on a standard-sized glass tray, so that the robot can be programmed to lift just one type of food at each spoonful. For a hot meal the dish can be prewarmed in an oven. Handy 1 allows people such as Peter to eat with more dignity. instead of their food being mashed up together as an unappetising mess, the user has the chance to savour the different tastes of each part of the meal. The only criterion is that the food must be cut into small dice. Handy 1 uses optical scanning technolContinued on next page

Technology aids the disabled Cpnfinued from previous page Another UK innovation, developed by Welsh business partners Huw )ones and Mike Gavan, is also giving a real boost in confidence to wheelchair-bound patients as well as allowing them to tone up muscles in their arms and legs. The invention, called Trimchair, has the sleek black upholstery of a standard gym fitness system, but instead incorporates a wheelchair. Especially-designed hydraulics connected to arm and leg levels allow progressive exercise, even for very disabled users. Child users Already adult and child users are praising the system. "When you have multiple scelorosis it is difficult to exercise but if you don't the muscles tend to wither. The chair makes it much easier," says Christina Hedges of Barry in Wales. Her local MS society has purchased a Trimchair for its members. Many users claim benefits after just a week of regular exer@pje, according to V&A Marketing of C(;rff, the company marketing the chair. ogy to allow users to select what they wish to eat. The glass dish of food is placed onto the tray section of robot. At this point the LED indicator strip behind the dish begins to scan from left to right along the length of the dish. The users then simply waits for the light to be lit behind the section of food they want to eat. They then activate the switch and the robot arm proceeds to the dish, scoops up a section of food and'brngs it back to a pre-set position close to the mouth. At this point the user then takes the food from the spoon. He or she can repeat the process at their own speed. Flat-bottomed spoon: The design of the special spoon is also important. Handy 1 uses a spoon with a very flat bottom which maximises scooping and minimises spillage. It is also ideal for use by people who have difficulty in closing their lips. The flat shape allows the lips to meet and the food to be removed cleanly. This raises confidence and gives another skill to the user. The People's Voice Subscription Rates (Please tick a box to select your term) Zimbabwe 0 52 issues (1 year) $78.00 E3 26 issues (6 months) $39.00 Regional 1 52 issues (1 year) US$88.40 0 26 issues (6 months) US$44.20 Overseas (Europe) 0 52 issues US$135.40 0 26 issues (6 months) US$67.70 N am e : ...... (Please print) Address:...... Signature: ...... THE RATES INCLUDE POSTAGE AND HANDLING I enclose my cheque [] Postal Order D for the amount indicated above Mail to: The Cicu/vtion Manager, The People's Voice, 144 Union A venue, Haa01 Te" 790148/9 ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 The Trimchair is especially valuable becuse it can be used without intervention by a carer or physiotherapist. The only time the user may require assistance is in getting in and out of the chair. The chair is easly adjustable to suit all fitness levels. Velcro straps will, if necessary, keep the user's ankles in place. The arm units can be gripped from any position and will not fall if released. There is little resistance on the return stroke. The hydraulic dampers which provide the resistance are adjustable. With the upper body exercise using the arm levers, resistance can be applied either on the upward or the downward stroke. Right and left arm exercise are controlled by independent dampers and the resistance to each can be applied independently. This means that people who have one arm which is stronger than the other can vary their efforts accordingly. The range of weights available means that even very small children can use the machine to gain confidehce in their abilities. 0

Cathedral t was a very Anglican way to make history. There was no great excitement and little drama on the day. But history was quietly made in the'United Kingdom when 35-year-old Eileen Lake became the first black woman priest to be ordained in the Church of England. She was among a group of women admitted into the priesthood in April last year at St. Paul's Cathedral in central London, bringing the total of women clergy to about 600 and ending more than 20 years of heated debate on the issue that often threatened to split the Church irreparably. At another service in Canterbury Cathedral in May where the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, welcomed them to the priesthood, he urged, them to pray for strength to rise above the opposition from traditiehalists. Unrelenting crusade Considering the history of the campaign for women priests, their achievement was a great feat achieved with the support of a determined church members whose unrelenting crusade helped to break the male domination in the priesthood. Eileen Lake's own quest to enter the ministry began in 1982 while she was already active within her local Christ Church on the Mead in Hackney in east London. She says: "For five years, I taught in the ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 ,a Boardman awaiting their ordination at St. Paul's Sunday School and was on the church council. I did a lot of voluntary youth work and in the course of that I shared my Christian faith with the kids on an, informal basis. It was during this time that I felt the call to do more full-time Christian work." Parishioners' encouragement However, the lack of black role models set her wondering whether she would Child health LONDON - Babies whose mothers have eaten peanuts during pregnancy are more likely to develop a serious allergy. in later life, believes Professor John Warner after allergy research at Southampton University. He believes the ingestion of peanuts can trigger a reaction in the womb. "The sensible thing is to stop," said Professor Warner, whose team of researchers has been investigating peanut allergy for a year. Unlike eggs and cow's milk, people allergic to peanuts do not generally grow out of the condition. "Whether it's just pregnancy, or specifically breast feeding, we can't yet say. It fits in with other work linking allergies and environmen- be accepted for ministry. "I had no experience of meeting any black priest at that time," she says. After thinking about it for two years, and with much qncouragement from fellow parishioners in her, church, she finally decided to go forward to be selected for the training. Eileen was admitted for a two-year part time pre-Theology course on the Aston Training Scheme - similar in many ways to a correspondence course - but she had the opportunity of meeting other students on the same course at summer school and residential weekend sessions. A three-year full-time courser followed at' Salisbury and Wells in southern E1gan. In July 1988 Eileen was fihally ordained deacon, laying the ground for her eventual ordination as a priest nearly six years later. Little further training was actually required because deacons p~e9 form almost all the functions of priesf,: such as conducting marriages, funerMf and baptisms. But they cannot give a blessing or absolution after confessions and cannot celebrate the Holy Communion. But she admits that training is never over as "I need to keep abreast with theological thinking within the Church." After her ordination as a deacon she had to do three years of post-ordination training. [Continued on next page expert issues tal factors during pregancy," said Profes sor Warner. Eight hundred peanut-allergic volunteers, mainly from the Southampton area, are taking part in the research funded by the United Kingdom Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the peanut industry itself. The initial results were unveiled for the first time at the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology's annual conference held late last year. Professor Warner said he was confident that his team would develop treatment to "desensitise" people with peanut allergy within three or four years. But he added: "There's still a question mark over whether we will be able to develop it to the point where it can be given safely." . peanut warning lInternational Ne,*is

Eileen Lake, first black woman Anglican vicar Continued from previous page Eileen says being a priest makes little practical differenceto her work- "It's my function that changes, really. i actually feel more complete now as a minister because it means I can do all the things that men do. I actually feel more at ease because God has called me to do his work and he will give me the strength to carry it out." She currently works in Homerton Hospital, east London, where she ministers to the ill. Her official role is to look after the religious and spiritual needs of the patients and staff. Among other duties are Sunday and some weekday services, daily noon prayers, hospital visiting, counselling of patients and staff, and comforting terminally ill patients. I On cal Although her hospital work officially starts at 09.00 hours and ends at 17.00 hours, Eileen is on call most of the time as she is occasionally summoned to perform emergency services such as baptism of babies born prematurely. "I am sort of a friend to the whole hospital," she explains. Apart from her diocesan and hospital work, she is a member of the central religious committee which advises the BBC on religious broadcasting. She is also the chairperson of the Black Anglican Concerns Committee, a group which monitors the affairs of black Anglicans in the diocese. Aitiguan-born parents Eileen was born and brought up in Hackney, east London by her Antiguan-born parents. Her first job after leaving school at 18 was as a supervisor in the chain store group British Home Stores. After this she held a series of jobs, including writing up manufacturing specifications for medical products and acting as cook/housekeeper in a hostel for homeless men. On the ordination of women into the priesthood she says: 'I think it was all part of God's plan. He does share out gifts to people in different measures, but i think in terms of humanity when Christ came, he made sure women were in. cluded in his plan. "We must not forget that he first revealed himself to women after the resurrection. They were, in effect, the first apostles, the first bringers of good news to the world and especially at a time when wometi were very much second class citizens." 0 THE CAUSES OF EPIDEMICS IN AFRICA &These diseases are no monkey business By Malachia M. Basvi Madimuta As the twentieth century comes to a dose, Third World regions are getting gripped by an array of diseases such as cholera, AIDS, Ebola, tuberculosis, bu-" bonic plague, yellow fever, Lassa fever and many others Most of these diseases are becoming resistant to modern medicines. Disease epidemics are frequently breaking out in Third World countries, though not particularly confined to these regions. The occurance of these epidemics is not without case. The main reason for their occurance is the biological inability of people in these regions to offer natural resistance to them. The human body has its own defensive mechanisms for the resistance to diseases. The defence mechanisms are the various forms of immunity resistance. Any type of immunity resistance is built inside the body through a process of nutritional absorRption of chemical properties that keep particular diseases at bay. Nutritional nourishments are built up in human bodies by the process of eating the kind of foodstuffs that contain the required vitamins for protection against the diseases. The last 50 years have witnessed a dramastic destruction of sources of vitamins for all Third World peoples. This systematic destruction has compelled Third World peoples to feed on junk foods and other canned concotions that are manufactured in factories. Environment The pre-colonial environment in Third World regions was one that proliferated in countless wild fruits, vegetables and herbs. These nutritious fruits, vegetables and herbs contained the needed vitamins for protecting the body against diseases. These fruits, vegetables and herbs were destroyed by the enchroachment of Western civilisation. Millions of square llometres of African, Latin American and Asian forests were privatised as purchased estates of foreign land owners. Trees were cut down to clear the land for plantations of comtnercial crops like tobacco, tea, coffee and cotton. The indigenous owners of the lands were driven away from their homes to make way for the expansion' of Western commerce. The natural fruits which had been the source of vitamins for the indigenous inhabitants were replaced with sweets and soft drinks containing chemical addictives. These new commercialised manufactures are not substitutes for the natural fresh fruits. They lack the vitamin quality of natural fruits, vegetables and herbs. Over the yearsi the biological constitution of the people of Third World regions became less and less resistant to diseases. The introduction of anti-biotics brought with it more problems than remedies. New disease strains came into being through mutations that became resistant to anti-biotics. The environment in which people breathe fresh air became polluted by emissions and effluents from industries in urban centres. The combined effects of lack of the right nutrition and exposure to pollutants transformed healthy people of Third World Nations into perennial patients famished by hunger and weakened by disease. Coninued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL, 27 NO. 1

The introduction of modern medicines brought with it more problems than remedies Continued from previous page According to the World Health'Organisation (WHO), there are six disease types that havere-emerged with a prevalence widely more dispearsed than before. Between 1990-1993, tuberculosis increased by 27,8 percent compared with the 1984-1986 period. Diptheria rose by 141 percent from 1990 to 1994. For the first time in 50 years, a disease called "dengue" was reported in Latin America and Caribbean. In the same region, yellow fever was also reported to have broken out. From 1990 to 1994, cholera cases increased by 454 percent. More than 2 000 cases, of bubonic plague were recorded by WHO which later said this figure is the highest since the beginning of data collection in 1954. Mr Rogelio A. Maduro, an American ZIMBABWENEWS'VOL. 27 NO. 1 journalist ha~vritten, "One of the most serious problems posed by these new and emerging diseases is the fact 'that most of them are increasingly resistant to ant- biotics. Some of these diseases that have a grd ng resistance to antibiotics include gonorrhea, enterococal and staphylococcal infections, dysentery, tuberclosis and malaria." Dr. David Heymann of WHO says "the more worrisome aspect of these new diseases is their rate of increase: at least 29 new diseases have emerged during the past 20 years ... (their) anti-biotic resistance has emerged as a public health problem, making effective treatment of even some of the simpliest infections diffftit." The World Health Organisation Tesolved to establish an entirely new department, Zhe Division of Emerging Diseases, which started work at the beginning of October this year. Soon after the establishment of this new department, international experts in the field of medicine met in Washington, D.C., 'to com, memorate the 25th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine of the US National Academy of Sciences. It is sighlificant that the gathering focused discussions on the theme: Emerging and Re emerging Infections. The WHO director-general, Mr. Hiroshi Nakajtna, summarised the global scenario of this emerging threat to pub, lic health: "The recent outbreaks 1havel shown that the potential of epiderifer is now vastly increased by the sla"d with which they are able to spread and 'by their unprecedented size of popia-, tion concentration and mobility." culprits It is horrifying to remember that mr epidemics are, as before, -ausB some culprits purporting to be advancing the cause of western ciVilisatiqMI! has been stated by progressive scentiS s that the plague that decimated the population of Europe in the Middle Ages was triggered by concentratiqn of pqpulations along coastal areas and the We use of newly invented gun powder. Similarly, the hitherto unprecendented use of bombs and ammunitions was followed by a wave of world-wide influence at the end of World War I. The years following the end of World War II, witnessed a generalised spreadof all sortsof human ailments culminating in today's AIDS, Ebola and a variety of haemorrhagic fevers. Some scientists h vn1 advanced the theory that AIDS and similar diseases are the offshoot of eko l-, ments in biological warfare from Wh IWi the deadly viruses escaped and enter&t into the human circulatory systern 91 Culprit nations have suppressed the, truth by their constant racist lies that incurable diseases such as AIDS and, Ebola originated from the jungles of Africa and are associated with the velvet monkey, which is found only in Africa. these diseases are no monkey business. If they are truly of African origin, the slave traders would have found no one alive to sell as a slave. The first known case of AIDS was reported about ten years ago in the USA. From there the disease\ pread with tourists to cover evContinud on next page

Need for an African lingua By Nhamo A. Mhiripiri In The Herald of November 14 1195 Tny eye was caught by a front-page headnag: "Winnie wanted instant riches, S.A court told." A case involving the firebrand controversial estranged wife of Cde. Nelson Madiba Mandela will always make interesting reading for different reasons, even if on this ihstaht the heading had a sensational side to it. The story involved the alleged diamond deal that'fell through due to communication breakdown between Cde. Winnie and the Angolan President, Cde. Eduardo dos Santos. Despite the generally unfortunate nature of the story, what made a lasting poignant impressipn on me was that there was a communication gap between Winnie and dos Santos because she couldn't speak Portuguese. It just struck me how many of our promi nent leaders cannot understand each other just because they cannot converse Continued from previous page ery area of the earth. The West is now saying AIDS is most prevalent in Africa. Their estimates are not based on actual statistical data but on racist conclusions that if the disease is deliberately spread in Africa through contaminated imported medicines, then African minds will have been prepared to accept their own genocide as self-inflicted. If one examines the pre-colonial map of Africa, one notices the existence of large cities such as the Great Zimbabwe, KhaMi, Dlodlo, Naletale, Mapungubwe, Ingombe Ilade, Chitako Chagonyo and others that formed the Rozvi Empire of the Mambos; the city of Kwanza in the Ndongo Kingdom of Angola; the Karagwe city of Asania in East Africa; Nilotio cities in the Kingdom of Nubia in Sudan; the city of Songayi, Oagadougou, Ghana and Mali in West Africa. The inhabitants of these large cities were known for their admirable health and franca Cde. Winnie Mandela fluently in the respective colonial lingua ,franca they have leamt. For instance, .,how many African, leaders who spea English can speak Portuguese, French or Italian. which is used-in other parts of Africa? A typical problem on the continent today is that leaders do not always understand each other as they will be Using differnt lingua franca. They may be fortunate to have a translator between them, but the fact remains that the available major languages in use areinot successfully serving their prupose. W9e have English, Portuguese and French bo ing the most important interational guages used for conducting business,scial, cultural, scientific and diplOpai activities by people of African dscen when communicating amongst theselves within the continent or whent Mli ing to the outside world. The partition of Africa in the nineteenth century did not end only with the creation of new boundaries and colonial administration, but there was a simultaneous lingukist partition as well. Every colonial power saw to it that its mother-tonguIe became the official language in its colonial do main. This is the reason why some oourttries are now classified as Anglophone (English-speaking) Francophone (Frenchspeaking) and Lusophone (Portuguese speaking). There is still need for Africans to develop a lingua franca that goes beyond the limitations of the colonial boundaries or languages adopted in different regions of Africa. Since the 1960s and 1970s when the spirit of Pan Africanism was still vibrant African scholars and writers have championed for KlSwallil to be the universal African lingua franrzh. Several. factors have militated against the adoption of KiSwahili and its implemenitation as an African universal language. One of the reasons is that most Africans were thoroughly brainwashed and colonised mentally that they cannot envisage a World in whiclh an African language takes precedence over, or is given the same status as -,English, French or Portuguese. ColWlal lnguages It is true tha" the colonial languages have lhelp d to-bring relative understanding among Africans of different eth Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. i they did not know of epidemics. The reason for the admirable health of lkficans in ancient times was their nutritious diet through unrestrifted access to natural diets. The strong constitution of the bodies of pre-colonial Africans has been replaced by the weakened version of their dependents in present day AfricaWith large tracts of their lands privatised for the cultivation of tobacco, bananas, tea, cotton; cacao, sisal, coffee, etc., today's Africans die in 'il wars and some live as refugees in and outside' their motherlands. Others are overcrowded in urban, areas with nq proper food diet and no safe water to 'drink. People of other regions of the Third World live-under similar squalid conditions and share the sanr.e destiny of mysery. It is not surprising that epidemic diseases have been breaking out with disturbing frequency in these times which privatisation of land and natural resources is the fashionable policy of rulfng diseatpsfl The causes of epidemics in Africa Continued from previous page

Africa'should adopt a lingua franca that is sympathetic to its needs Continued from previous page nic and -linguistic backgrounds given that the continent has more than 900 African languages..ealing with English, French'or Portuguese malt The situation relatively easy, but that should not be the ideal or the end in itself given the intrinsic divisive nature of colonialism as a system. It is also that the existing-lingua franca ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I represent the dominant ecqnomies in the world, and they also arel languages of business. The secret is that a strong national/continental economy automatically means that the language spoken by builders of that economy becomes strong too. For instance, the Japanese economy has been a great success story. In the past, very few people were interested in learning Japanese, but with Japan's current economic boom, most people, especially Europeans and Americans, are beginning to learn it in order to benefit most from it. Some are learning it to have a business advantage by penetrating the Japanese culture and business mechanism enshrined in the languhge. Yet others are interested in the language as they benefit as translaators, teachers, etc. This means that if Continued on next page

Need for an African lingua franca Continued from previous page Africa as a whole becomes a viable economic powerhouse that can challenge and compete lucratively with the rest of the world, there will be a great neca to penetrate or understand the African world through its own most respected language of languages. Kt the moment it may be unreasonable to try to develop every single of the hundreds of African languages into universal languages. That is too utopian and defeats the whole purpose of what I am calling for. It makes sense for a situation like ours to start developing KiSwahili as our lingua franca. I chose it as it is a language widely spoken across national boundaries in the whole East and Central African region. It also is devoid of ethnic/tribal associations like Zulu, Hausa, Arabic, et cetera. People will be willing to learn the language knowing quite well that it developed from the African environment, stimulated by the needs of trade and social int rcourse by people of different origins. If Africa as a whole ever dreams of ever going to dictate its own terms of trade at a future time, it should now be serious about developing the expressive capacity of its own lingua franca. Unless we are a continent of disillusioned pessimists we may not give a fathom to this demanding possibility. A purely African lingua franca would certainly be a milestone in the development of the African personality, and an essential tool in the cementing of continental unity. The present foreign languages usually used during important intra-state and inter-state occasions do not always manage to give an exclusive African sensibility. For instance, it is difficult to explain in detail African relations of kinship. Concepts like babamunini, mukoma, hanzvad, muninina, et cetera, always prove difficult to explain in European languages the moment one ceases to talk about the 'nucleus' family. It does not need much acumen to realise how ridiculous it is to use contrived concepts like "my junior-father", "my cousin-brother" or my "cousinsister" for such relations as I have pointed out above. Simple translations from indigenous languages to European languages always sound absurb, and this then brings a grave feelings of inadequacy, a bitter feeling of failing to get understood: This feeling can make an African despise his mother language for its supposed inadequacy, an inadequacy he/she fails to accredit to its real colonial source. Unfortunately, despising one's mother-tongue also entails a hatred of one's own being and culture which leads into aping foreign behaviours and accents amongst many other things which reveal psychological inferiority. Choosing an African language as a tingua franca will not only instil into us a sense of cultural pride and dignity, but also suggests to us that we will be taking decisive strides in the road to selfassertion, mental and economic decolonisation, and genuine African unity. At the moment colonial hangovers like defining African couaitries and their people as Francophone, Lusophone or Anglophone defeat the spirit of Pan Africanism and African unity as a whole. This system of labelling which was derived from the legacy of colonial rule is cunning and intentionally divisive because it makes sure Africans identify first with their respective former colonial masters before their own kith and kin. This perpetuates the dependency syndrome as Africans do no become men in themselves, but only acquire recognition through reference to other people. The late great Walter Rodney had this to say about this kind of dependency; "At the social and cultural level, there are many features which aid in keeping underdeveloped countries integrated into the capitalist system and at the same time hanging on the apron strings of the matropoles ... Something as basic as language has come to serve as one of the mechanisms of integration and dependence. The French and English that is so widely used in Africa is more for the purpose of African communicating with the exploiters rather than African with African." (Walter Rodney: 1972: 351 Such a structure of relations is designed to see that African cultural and other wealth will always go to the "mothercountry" first, thereby sustaining the exploitative master-servant relations started during colonial rule. It is therefore not surprising that works by leading African cultural ambassadors like Soyinka, Mapfumo, Ousmane, Neto, et cetera, then become classified as Anglophone, et cetera. Choosing an appropriate lingua firancawill thus entail " emancipating ourselves from mental slavery" and unreasonable dependency. A universaT African language will definitely cut the costs involved in translating information amongst Africans. However, translators will not necessarily lose jobs as they have to face new demands and translate to/for foreigners. The African lingua franca also has the potential to build a huge viable cultural industry within the continent as people interact and understand each other across borders. Music, film and all art will be appreciated more by a wider African audience - afterall they are the ones meant to enjoy their cultural creations first. The African ingua franca can never become an economic liability as long as the African has finally severed all chains of dependency upon other people. African diplomats may even start having a diplomatic advantage over their foreign colleagues like what the former Soviet Union Foreign Minister, Eduardo Shevardnaze, used to have. He is reputed to know several European languages, but at conferences he always insisted to be spoken to in Russian. This gave him some time to think ahead or listen carefully to a missed point whilst the translator was still trying to "translate" the information for him. KiSwahili in particular has a sentimental importance for most Africans. It has had significant influences on political development especially when liberation movements were clamouring for political freedom. An example which quickly comes to mind is that of Zanla Freedom fighters. when most of them were just returning from war they used to use KiSwahili words to explain local situations. This is when words like "Mzee' "Uhuru" and "Ujamaa" were used freely to show people's socialist aspirations. soon after independence KiSwahil's acceptance in this country could not be ipder- estimted if one is to consider Kasongo Bands popular songs in that language, as well as his songs like Asante Sana. Arguments have been put across that no African language can convincingly express scientific concepts. At best we say this observation is simply mischievous, and at worst it is unashamedly racist. Why should African languages only have this deficiency yet all the hundreds of European languages are supposed to be inherently capable of dealing with scientific jargon? This assertion comes from the racist view that Africans can only feel and not think or arrange ideas rationally, objectively or empirically. The field of science thus becomes the domain of Europeans and those of sport and music should be the domains of Africans. Cintinued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1

The nation state rendered irrelevant Members of sociely dmed acces it rm f productwn end up offering their labour power for an underpaid wage r1 erei-sa saying to the effect that the strength of a chain is determined by its weakest link. The chain of humanity has always had a weak link which, over the centuries, has been growing weaker and weaker. The coming 21st century is going to witness a catastrophic breaking down of the chain of humanity owing to the weakest link having given in. The links that form the chain of humanity are: the individual, the, family, the ethnicity, the nation-state, the region Need for an African lingua francS3 Continued from previous page It is interesting to note that KiSwahili is a tested African language which has successfully been used to express scientifc thought as well as empirical observations. For example, Julius Nyerere made translations of Marxist literature into KiSwahili. In conclusion, I need to say that there is a lot involved in the use of a particular language. There may be a dialectic relationship between the use of a foreign language and the dependence on an-xploitative foreign economy. As Africa strives to discard underdevelopment it should as well adopt a lingua franca that is sympathetic to its own needs. El ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 and the world. There are two weak links in this chain. These are: the family and the nation-state. These two links are being eroded by the rust of modern socioeconomic developments. The individual is the building block of humanity. The last half of the twentieth century has seen the individual increasingly deserting his role of being humanity's building block and turning himself into a selfish beast bent on seeking wealth for personal consumption and gratification at the expense of family and nation. individualism As the buidn block of humanity the individual fin& the ft dftn of his or her identity in association with other individuals in the social circles of family, ethnicity, nation and the international community. When the individualism of the individual is found in the pursuit for the amassment of personal wealth, the social usefulness of the individual' is negated to the detriment of the wbple chain of humanity. The self-aggrandisement of the individual leads him or her to causing the breakdown of the family unit. When the family unit breaks down, the rippling effects are reflected in the fading out of patriotic nationalism and the rise of the bourgeoisification of society. Since society is another name for the nation, the bourgeoisification process spreads throughout the nation. The process starts with the psychological alienation of the individual from his social obligations by creating fertile conditions for the justification of individual purWW. One finds individuals or groups oindividuals laying claim to one or the other aspect of means of production. In the end, a definite class of individuals start monopolising all basic means of production. The majority of other members of society are then denied access to means of livelihood and end up offering their labour power for an underpaid wage.Once society is divided into haves and have- nots in relation to means of production, means of livelihood of those who have been dispossessed becomes nce society is divided into haves ana flave-nots in relation to means of production, Ineans of livelihood of those who have been dispossessed becomes a matter for the caprices of those who have

The nation state rendered irrelevar Continued from previous page a matter for the caprices of those who have. Gradually, the fact of having had first access to means of production turns the possessor into claiming inalienable rights over that chancy possession. When the majority in society is denied free access to means of livelihood, their fight for a share in the ownership of the nation's resources is a practical call for socialism. Instead of taking socialism as everyone's birth right, those who already possess begin to unfairly monopolise the means of livelihood and angrily regard this fight as illegitimate subversion of the lawful order of things. Human rights In terms of natural law and commonsense, ownership of means of livelihood or ownership of means of production is the primary and basic right of every national in every given nation-state. Those who already monopolise the means of prpduction, or the means of livelihood, L4,their enormous resources to detract away the majority of dispossessed countrymen from fighting for this basic right. Their detraction takes the form of propagating for the so-called human rights based on the theme that the individual has inaliable rights separate from his or her right to free access to means of livelihood or to means of production. The initiators of the so-called human Ownership of the means of livelihood is a basic right for every national in given nation-state rights conveniently avoid stating that there are BASIC human rights and nonbasic human rights. They single out nonbasic human rights and go to the length of splitting hairs harping upon the legal obligation to protect these "rights". This is like asking a homeless person to provide himself with shelter while prevent- When people fight to retain ownership of the means of production, those who unfairly monopolise the means of livelihood angrily regdrd the fight as illegitimate subversion of the lawful order of things ing him from access to the mear making this a reality. Basic human rights are the rigtt land, to employment, to a remuneration for one's labour, t decent accommodation, to fond clothing and to peace and security person. Non-basic rights are speech, of assembly and of r worship. One can have all the non-l rights without let or hinderance but are meaningless in the absence o ic rights. Basic rights come first in er to-realise the non-basic rights. Internationalisation Developments in the modem world resulted in the intemationalisation of the socio-economic life of all peoples globlly. In this globalisation process, dividual is forced to live under econom ic conditions over which he has no con trol. But, being a political aimal asJh is, he is fQrced to expect his or government to cushion himo O e againrt the negative effects of living u der uncontrollable socio-economic conditions. Yet the government of t nation-state in all Third World countrim is being prunned of its authority over the protection of the individual by the same forces that are bringing about the sodo. economic globalisation of peoples' way o life. Coltinued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27,NO. 1 III Lralking Point

The nation state rendered irrelevant Continuedfrom previous page resources for industrialisation tion in the developed countries of the programmes. In order to do this, Third West. t therefore follows that the individual world people should live simple ives has the urgent duty to prevent the wo pe d ive sim s The Americans are a good example of premature globalisation of his or her without being drawn into habits of con- ucsflslse ftergosi socio-economic life. How can this be suming non-essential luxuries like the successful salesmen of their goods in done? people do in industrialised countries. it Third World countries. They use bath the 1 1- ... A ... print and electronic media to advantaoe Our analysis of this problem'must start with the knowledge that the forces that are bringing about intenationalisation of socio-economic life are found in the present economic structures of industri, alised countries of the West including Japan.These countries arrived at their present stage of economic advancement after centuries of physically making Thir4 World regions their colonies or spheres of economic and political influence. The contemporary world is so structured that the advancement of Third World countries cannot follow the path used by the industrialised countries. Their path to industrialisation has to take another road since there are no longer any regions to colonise. The only path open to Third World countries is through self-reliance. Self-reliance requires the mobilisatlon of internal 'I u11y OuIt.U LIL irU )vuiu poUpe should not imitate the life-styles of those who are already developed. Markets The industrialised countries deliberately apply a number of Mafia-like tactics to secure markets in Third World countries. Among the tactics are the manipulation of loans and credit facilities, flood advertising, underselling, dumbing on the market, using the instrument of the IMF to force Third World countries to remove tariff walls, et cetera. By bombarding Third World peoples w ith variations of these tactics, a consumeristic culture is inculcated in which the possession of luxury goods manufactured in the West is a badge of respectability. Locally manufactured goods are frowned upon in favour of mported ones. This kills the development of local industries. xd. expands produc- and go further to mentally condition potential customers to think that any. thing American is the most superior thing to have. They use the symbol of the American flag on clothes, foot wear, baseball caps, jeans and other items meant for public consumption. In Zimbabwe, T-shirts are being sold bearing slogans depicting American baseball players and their teams, American boxers, American films, and American Universities. This trick conditions the mind to conjure fancy dreams about the American way of life. People's life styles take on an American aura through imi, tations. American manufactured goods sell like hot cakes as a result. Generally, all 1ihdustrialised countries use the same methods as the Americans in wooing Third World customers to buy their goods. Market competition among Continued on next page Third World countries can only survive through self-reliance whereby internal resources are mobilised for industrialisation ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I

The nation, state rend ered irrelevat Mt*ket competition anong indutralised countries has now been replaced by coaleive coopu, strategies Coinued from previous page .iridustralised countries has now been replaced -by. collective co-operation strategies. This collectivism in the domiration of Third' World markets is being caired out through international diviSion of labouramong the6 industrialised coultries. Investors from one industriased country buy shares in a comoany belonging to another to constitute an intemationabsed.equity townership In this way, industrialised countries minimise trade wars .among themselves. M collective internationalisation of eq~ares create an atmosphere for pocaft1flliances in the conduct of their reWin policies. This is how the 7 most re'loped countries formed the 'Paris Fl.l or Group of 7 (G- 7). The G=7 loins an enlarged grouping of all industrialised countries to form the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These two organisations, led by the G- 7, play the tWne and the rest of the world dances to that tune in economic management and political ideology. Punishment Third World countries seeking to follow an independent path of development face collective punishment by the combined forces of the G 7 and the OECD. To prevent any Third World country from attempting to follow an independent path of economic and political development, the G- 7 and the OECD act thrugh the instrumentality of the IMF to impose conditionalities. Inthe IMF conditionalities is the requiremerit that governments of Third World countries reduce their sizes and cut down on their defence and security forces. This requirement is.accompanied by, the further demand that these governments should cut taes, remove tariffs and do away'with subsidies on essential commodities. They further demand the privatisation of nationalised industries in order to-pave the way for foreigners to take over these industries. i In this way, governments of Third World countries are not only weakened through the reduction of their sources for revenues but also stripped of their defence readirfess by the reduction of defence and security budgets. These policies inevitably lead to wide-spread economic hardships among the general population while the government is bankrupt and powerless to render help. When thb'e is a general outcry against the hardships, the IMF turns around and blames the government formismanaging the economy. The IMF tikn joinsthe opposition to the government i promises opposition leaders techyt and financial assistance should t1 come to power. This adds fuel to-' forces of opposition parties until the cumbent government crumbles ani new one is formed. Thenewly bormed government inhe .the same problems left by the cruml one. The IMF again imposes more t ditionalities until the new governi is labelled worse than the previous c Zambia and Malawi are two exami: of this IMF scenario. Th" World governments are inreas ly being made irrelevant in the mana ment of their own national econorr as they are forced toappoint.IMF ionndi to decide on macro- econoi management policies while statiollnc the, ministries of finance, industjy i commerce, national planning and c tral bpnks, Nationals who may be minent Professionls in ,thir fields sidelined-and made 40 acquiesce tOa dictatorship of IMF officials. This trend is spreading throughout Third World with the effect that sovereignty Of national government being replaced by the capitli! ygere.ignty of the IMF, the global fis dtor of the modernm world. NEWS-VOL- 7 NO. 1

A car workiop in Bangladesh: industrial relations have-since t-he inception of trade unionism been regulated bv Rovernments through staturory controls. outhem Afriea, like other regions of the continent, had peculiar difficulties in the structural development of trade unions as a movement for workers protection and vehicle for advancement of social justice in society. Southern Africa's peculiarity stems from the region's geography, social, economic and political history - all of which combined to diminish the corporate character of trade unions consciousness. This limitaton prevented effectiveness as it enabled perpetuation of sub-servience, repression and unfavourable labour legislation. As shift in political activities began to occur with the need for economic integration, transport workers in particular and workers of other sectors in general realised the need for fair labour legislation, nationally and sub-regionally, as a means for-the development of effective trade union and for the creation of a conducive climate for good industrial relations. To acheve this objective, the ITF and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in 1990 and 1992 organised conferences on labour law a-d Industrial relations for transport workers of Southern Africa. Since the first meeting in 1990, there have been ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 dramatic changes in the region, not least, the removal of apartheid in South Africa - changes that are re-inforcing the pace of economic and social integration under the aegis of the SADC, making imperative the need for improvement and as far as possible, harmonisation of labour legislation including the aspects that would protect migrant and cross-border workers. This workshop is a further step in the attempt to achieve the desired change in labour legislation and practice generally in the sub region. The workshop The workshop was attended by twenty four (24) participants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Swaziland. Mr. Lovemore Madhuku of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Harare) was themain resource person and assisted by Mr. Munyaradzi Gwisai of the University of Zimbabwe. Broad objective of the workshop The main features (reflecting the objective) of the workshop were: - Approaches to industrial relations in Southern Africa - Dispute settlement systems in Southern Africa - Registration (regulation) of trade unions (membership qualification, registration, recognition by employersfor collective bargaining, etc). 1. Approaches to industrial relations in Southern Africa: The workshop widely reviewed the various industrial relations systems (law and practice) in Southern Africa and noted that: a) Industrial relations had, since the inception of trade unionism been regulated by governments through statutory controls; b) The regplated system' perpetuated discrimination between public and private sector employees with regard to scope and certa4fun, damental rights; c) Consultations between governments and social partners were seriously limited and in most cases, workers' views were not taken into consideration in the determination of labour laws and policies. d) The main focus seems to be the limitation of the rights of workers to ,organise and in particular the limitation of the right to strike. The workshop, therefore recommends that- serious and consistent effort be made to encourage voluntary regulation of industrial relations through collective bargaining; - law and discriminatory regulatiopi on the rights, vis-a-vis private aid public sector employees 'bj replaced with regulations that would guarantee equal rights to al workers and their trade unions,' - workers be given a meaningful right to strike. 2. Labour dispute settlement Labour dispute settlement in Southern African countries has traditionally involved the following: :a) Conciliation b) Mediation c) Arbitration d) Industrial courts e) Ordinary courts Continued on next page Workshop on industrial relations for nsport workers of Southern Africa Arlac, Harare 2 1-25 August 1995'

Workshop on industrial relations You transport workers of Southern Africa Continued from previous page 'f) Collective bargaining g) The right to strike The legislative provisions governing the application of the settlement system contain certain elements that tend to negate the spirit of the process and in some cases, are known to have become sources of conflicts. The Industrial courts for instance, where they exist are severely ill-equipped, therefore lack the ability to deliver justice to workers with minimum delay. Some of the Industrial corts are known to haye exhibited glaring bias in favour of government and employers to the disadvantage of workers. It was noted that methods (a), (b), (c)and (f) are more desirable for labour disputes. The workshop therefore recommends that (a) Conciliation, Mediation and/Atbitration provisions be made less cumbersome in order to speed up 11the process of settlement. More emfphasis should however be placed on them. (b) Industrial courts or Tribunals be adequately staffed by competent legal and have a tripartite composition inorder to represent the interests of all the social partners. (c) The workshop also recommends the establishment of a sub-regional Industrial Tribunal - to function as appellate Court to, in particular, deal with issues pertaining to violation of conventions and international labour standards. '3. Registration of Trade Unions The workshop observed that historically governments monopolised and exercised unchalleneable power in the deterImination of conditions that would give legal personality to trade unions. The workshop further observed that the main purpose of government monopoly of power on trade union registration was to:a) protect general economic interests, production and labour market b) protect state security and political status quo c) undermine trade unions as it takes away their fundamental rights. Although this trend persists in some countries in other regions of Africa, par- ticipants were of the firm view that absolutism in the exercise of this power was more persistent in Son, hem Africa where (except in the case of the yet unadopted proposals in South Africa) no attempt is being made by other countries in the region to liberalise the process. With strong evidence and conviction that the old order has become untenable in the age of modem and highly civilised approach to industrial relations, the workshop urges all governments of Southern Africa to review labour law provisions on trade union registration and introduce amendments ,that would :,i) Remove restrictions on trade union membership; ii) Guarantee trade union rights as enshrined in the ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98 and all other conventions and recommendations related to-labour; iii) Simplify the registration process. with requirements compatible with the Bill of Rights Provision in the national constitutions: iv) Ensure financial accountability, but without controls that would unduly constrain utilisation of trade union t is a pleasure and indeed a privilege for me to be able to address you at this workshop, subject of which is future land tenure systems in Zimbabwe. My Association has been specifically requested to present the organisation's viewpoint on the implications of the Commission findings and recommend on the smooth administration of local governance. This workshop has come at an opportune time when people are talking so much about land reforms and the com- mission report. Why? Because this is th, baseline for a human being and there fore those With powers like us here tc day should be serious and pragmatic ii our contributions for the good of Zir babwean Nation. My paper is detailed and I wish to sa our camp still holds the view that oL membership on the Commission shoul have been accommodated considerin our strategic and critical position as th Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. Presented by Solomon Chikate, Association of Rural District Councils chief executive officer funds for legitimate traue ur activities. Finally the workshop deliberate the activities of the ITF in At with particular emphasis on. new structures aimed at expanc the ITF's work on the continent der the objectives set out in a cial programme (Transport: worl beyond 2000) adopted at the 3 congress in 1994 and conside strategies for greater solidarity tween transport workers Southern Africa. The workshop places on record preciation to the Friedrich Ek Foundation and the lritematio Transport Workers Federation organising this workshop and the resource persons (Lovem Madhuku and Munyaradzi Gwi for their marvellous contribution the success of the workshop. The participants pledge to ens -that appropriate steps are taken their various unions, the JTF a other bodies for the implenientat of the recommendations of t workshop by governments Southern Africa and to monitor 1 progress so as to determine I need for follow-up strategy.

° mootn administration of rural district couccils ((ntiued from previous page rura landplanners and the custodians admanagers of all rural land on behalf of the state. However, that being water under the. bridge we feel that certain issues have got to be pointed out as far as the implicitions of the Commission's recommendations are concerned. Regardless of that, I would like to hail the Comnmission for the pragmatism with which they reported their findings. our few problems with the report therefore are more to do with some of the recommendations rather than the findings. 2 Introduction 2.1 The Association of Rural District Rural district councils act as the rural land planners and the custodians and managers CounCils of all rural land on behalf of the state The Association of Rural District Councils which came into being on Ist July, 1993 looks towards the enhancing of its initiative in promoting government policy in development programmes as witnessed by the success story of amalgamation of rural and district Councils. Before amalgamation, there were two associations namely - the A: sociation of District Councils which was specifically representing the district councils (communal areas) and the association of rural councils which was for the rural coundls (commercial farming areas). The government, having realised the long existence of two systems of rural local government - identified with racial and major economic differences, initiated the amalgamation of rural and district councils for the democratisation of the political decision making process as well as that of economic development. These principles are now enshrined in the Rural District Councils Act No. 8 of 1988 which paved the way for the coming info being of the 57 new amalgamated rural district councils which are all members of the association - hence the amalgamation.of the two associations had to be effected in line with the local authorities they serve. In reviewing the former Associations' two Constitutions respective,ly, the newly amalgamated Association improved phe new constitution in order to be in line with the government's policy on rural deZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 velopment. This was adopted at the Inauguial Congress in Gweru on 1 th November, 1993 which was officiated by His Excellency the horiourable President Cde. R.G. Mugabe. there is therefore need to promote meaningful and effective partnership between rural district councils (RDC) and central government. The planning process and the contribution towards formulation of development policies should be enhanced for effective output. The Association of Rural District Councils is there to promote a strong partnership that will result in meaningful development. 2.2 Rural district councils 2.2.1. RDC. Administrative system The administrative system within the districts is according to wards, each of which elects a councillor to the RDC. In addition to the elected councillors, there are several special councillors appointed by the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, to represent special interest groups, notably chiefs are also appointed to represent traditional leadership, and representatives of commercial and urban wards. There are different types of wards within the district, there are communal wards, large scale commercial farming wards, small scale commercial farming wards, reset- tlement wards and urban wards. The distribution of the different categories of wards varies considerably between RDCs thr I ghout the country. Established according to the President's 1984 directive and confirmed in the RDC Act, within each ward with its Ward Development Committee (WADCO), there are village Development Committees (VIDCOs), the smallest unit within the RDC administration. 2.2.2. RDC operations The RDCs are responsible for development and management of local infrastructure, particularly roads, water and sanitation projects for the provision and management of local health facil:ities and schools, for housing, for planning and co-ordinating dd-T velopment in the district, and ftgy local natural resource manage ment. The responsibilities of. thei RDCs cover both the rural areiI and the small urban centres and, growth points. 2.2.3. RDC funding To finance its operations, RDCs income is derived from local taxa tion, that is the development levy on land, from leases, licences and lWvies and from grants from central government. The present system of taxation in communal wards is still based on a poll tax of individuals. Funding policy is Continued on next page

Smooth administration of rural district councils ontinuedfrom previouspage facilities, schools and business shall elect members of currently being reviewed y premises. Dare/Inkundla with the kraal government to rationalise the sys- (vi) Enviromental management: As the as chairman of the Dare/Inkur tems inherited from the rural and responsible authority for the CAMP- 191. On dealing with issues of land district councils and to ensure FIRE programme and being in Inten- natural resources, that the RDCs are established sive Conservation Areas (ICAs), Dare/nkundla will be assistec from the outset on a sound finan- RDCs are the authority responsible any relevant civil servants who cial footing, moving away from for local environmental manage- have no vote, but provide tec the position of the district coun- ment, land tenure being one of the cal advice and assist with the cils which were heavily reliant on key issues in improving the sign and maintenance of re( funding from central government, environment, keeping systems. The Village .4. RDCs interests in land tenure 3. ARDC's view point on the adminis- sembly meets less frequentls The RDCs have fundamental in- trative reforms, deal with major policy issues ...... I .. ..- ..^ . l-,A land water and natural resour Leres, inll U IisL U LU an tenure. (i) Management pf resources: RDCs are the planning authority for the district, land being one of the main resources involved. (ii) Local taxation Land is the basis of local taxation and source of revenue for the RDC. This is common with most countries, whether it is through rates in urban areas or forms of land tax in the rural areas. (iii) Land administration: RDCs are responsible for land administration involving the allocation of land in communal areas, assisted by traditional leadership. (iv) Land development: RDCs are responsible for developing urban areas, once land has been acquired as state land. (v) Land nanagement: RDCs are aiso responsible for the management of land, involving managing the facilities in the district such as health Ladies and gentlemen my outline was specifically to relect the impact of local government structures in the discussion today. In this regard, my association has analysed the Commission's recommendations and noted areas of concern for the smooth running of councils viz: 3.1 Reference: 3.10.3 Administrative Institutions Volume 1, Page 51 Para 189-191 189. The Commission recommends that the administrative functions on land and natural resources be shifted from Village Development Committees (VIDCOs) to the traditional village where the structure of a village "Dare" (Shona) "Inkundla" (Ndebele is to be formalised to act as the local land, water and natural resources board. 190. All adult male and female members of a village should. be members of the Village Assembly ("Musha" in Shona, "Izakhamizi" in Ndebele). The.Village Assernbl In response to these recommendatic we have this to say. I am astounded the fact that our learned commission do suggest a system that goes ba even beyond the dark ages as son thing that can be promoted in c modem day local administration. It is important to assert that matters local administration are for the lo authorities, this is why local authoril are created, i.e. to extend the implem tation of central government policy the local level. However, it is recognised that even t local authority itself is also remov from the local unit i.e. the village a hence the need to create complimentt and not competing structures to the cal authoril.The suggested assembl have four features which distinguish a detach them from the local authoriti 1. The chairmanship of the headm or the Chief is permanently impo! on a democratically elected insti tion "till death do them part" a this is irrespective of whether I individual chief or headman progressive or not, some of th are known to be quite negative a unprogressive. 2. The local authority by its nati and set up is accountable both central government and to its c, stitueficy both for its decisions a resources, this is why the eni council can be voted out of of! after only one term of office. However, the same cannot be s of the proposed structures Wh because of a super imposed ch manship, can be defiant and un countable. In fact our traditio leaders are not known for acco ability. They are known for e4 ling people from the village on Continued on next page ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. Commercial farming areas are now existing as wards, along small scale farming wards and resettlement wards under the new rural district councils Co 2.2

Iplications of the Land Commission findings and recommendations on the smooth administration of rural district councils Continued from previous page pretext of calling them witcheias soon as they dislike yourface . The traditional leaders are known for extending excessive land rights to their extended families at the expense of the other villagers. 3. The leadership of the new institutions is proposed to be the preserve of one clan amongst the many within the village, this is irrespective of the fact that today's vfage is made up of a mixed group of people because of the movements caused by the liberation war, resettlrnent, and other wilful relocation of people. 4 The proposed system will cause lack of uniformity of administration between the communal areas and the rest of the areas which are under the jurisdiction of the same local authority. The purpose of the tecent amalgamation of local governments, will therefore be defeated; since it will not be possible to achieve the same type of planning an developnment under different types Ofbistitutions within council area. Because of the proposed pending changes in local governance in Zimbabwe, the Parliament of Zimbabwe recently sent a Parliamentary delegation to four neighbouring countries to study their systems vis a vis the role of the traditional leaders in local governance. Management planning and allocation of land The planning management and allocation of land are matters which must be handled by one authority because of their interlinkage, and for purposes of accountability In its recommendations reference Page 132 Paragraph 544-545 the land tenure commission recommends as follows, 544: The Commission recommends strongly the creation of administrative divisions in the rural districts. The ward bounderies should be altered to coincide with headmen and chiefs' areas. This will allow each ward to be an electoral as well as administrative unit. On the electoral side, councillors are elected to sit on council. On the administrative side, ZIlARwE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I Rural district councils are also responsible for development and management of local infrastructure, particularly roads, water and sanitation projects chiefs, headmen, kraalheds and other civil servants take responsibilities for implementing council decisions and policy. 545: The Commission recommends that under this model of rural district governance, traditional leaders refrain from taking elected responsibility in council, and that some chiefs may sit in attendance only in council. Similarly, councillors cease to wield any administrative reponsibilities to do with land or project administration. Under the suggested system there is no direct linkage between the assemblies and the RDC. Again the question of the traditional authorities having to be subjected to the direct control of councils arises. This also goes together with the question of the institutions having to be accountable both for the decisions and the resources that they manage. After studying the problems being faced by our neighbouring countries on the question of land management and administration the parliamentary, delegation had this to recommend. That the present situation where in terms of the Communal Land Act, the district council us the land authority should be maintained with the under- standing though that as recommended above the chief shall now play a well defined role within council as the elected and the traditional structures would have been harmonised, or; Alternatively, that land control and management be transferred to system of national, provincial and district level land boaitls as proposed by the Land Tenure Commission. However, contrary to the Land Tenure Commission recommendation of land boards based purely on appointments, the delegation recommends that the land boards should be * sufficiently harmonised with other relevant structures and institutions by including in their membership representatives from all interested parties (traditional authorities, RDCs, women and youth, Ministries of Lands, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry). The land boards should also incorporate an elective process instead of being based on appointments alone. That members of any land authority, be it councils or land boards as recot'mended above, should be educated on issues of planning and allocating resources in a gender and age sensitive manner and be required at law to reflect such sensitivity in the exercise of their functions. 0

1. Introduction: 11. A few months ago the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) convened a workshop to review progress with the resettlement programme. At that workshop participants underscored the need for a comprehensive land reform programme. Such a programme was seen as having three interrelated components namely land distribution, communal area reorganisation, and the development of secure land tenure systems that enable farmers to invest and protect their land with the full knowledge and understanding that they and their future generations will benefit from such investments. 1.2 The government has taken reasonable measures to address the area of access of land through the resettling of smallholder farmers on newly acquired land and on former state land. Zimbabwe Farmers Union presidejt, Cde. Gary Magadzire This programme, despite its shortcomings has gone a long way to increasing the land resource base un- ter smalinolcer agncu areas that however rE standing is that of corr reorganisation and the tation of appropriate 1k systems within the cor resettlement areas. 1.3 Insecurity of tenure amo ious land users within holder farming sector is big problem that require solution. The widesprea tion of grazing land, ti destruction of trees and mon resources, the cul, unsuitable terrain and th soil loss from such lands investment and resultai productivity are all a rea our communal and re areas. These problems ca ly attributed to the inad nure systems within thi Continued on next page The ZFU has called for a comprehenszve land rejbrm programme and the of the 7 Programm, ds sustainable land tenure systems the smallholder farming areas 00 ed from previous page the strongly held view of the babwe Farmers Union that the existing land tenure systems in this . country are I'discriminatory in favour of the large scale commercial farming sector. Our land tenure systems do not accord smallholder farmers with the trust over land as that given to the commercial farm sector. It is our view that the present land tenure arrangements are a relic of the paternalistic approach that has dominated all spheres of smallholder agriculture over the past century. 1.6 It is regrettable to note that over 50 percent of the country's land within the communal and resettlement farming areas is valueless in terms of not being part of the land market. This removes the competitive edge out of smalholder agriculture which is a serious handicap under the present economic dispensation. H11.7 We need to attract adequate investment to the agricultural sector in general and to the smalholder farm sector in particular in order to generate employment, increase returns to land and to labour and enable agriculture to provide the much needed forward and backward linkages with the industrial sector. Addressing tenurial issuesi. will go a long way towards attractilg this much needed investment. 1.8 It is in this regard that we fully welcomed the establishment of a commission of enquiry into appropriate land tenure syst-tls for the various farming areas. The setting up of this Commission is a whole mark in the transformation and the land reform of this country, Its setting up is unique and remarkable in that it offered an opportunity for rural communities, in partnership with their government to shape their real future needs. The evidence collected, the findings and the subsequent recommendations will no doubt* revolutionalise land usage in smallholder agriculture and should see far reaching positive changes in the rural economies. 2. The ZFU submission to the Commission: 2.1 In making recommendations for a change in tenure system within the The communal area reorganisation and the implementation of appropriate land tenure systems within communal and resettlement areas remain outstanding small holder farming areas the ZFU had the following objectives in mind: - the development- of a land tenure system that can bring impetus to production growth within the smallholder farming areas through attracting adequate levels of resources from own resources and through access to credit. " - the development of a land tenure system that ensures accountability to resource utilisation and development and enables individuals to develop a long term perspective to land utilisation. Through such a perspective individuals will have an incentive to conserve and improve the productivity of the land for their own benefit and that of their future generations. In other words the Union advocates for land tenure systems that promotes investment and thus productivity as well as guarantees resource conservation. 2.2 Within the communal farming areas the ZFU recommended the individuation of title on both arable and residential land. Given the fact that communal farmers are heterogeneous mix of productive and unproductive farmers the union had recommended a Continued on next page 2IMBAWBWPM121 49

Towards sustainable land tenure systems within the smallholder farming are The ZFU strongly believes that the existing land tenure systems in the country are - discriminatory in favour of large scale commercial farming areas Continued from previous page selective titling process in favour of productive farmers. Due to the shortage of adequate grazing land in most communal farming areas the Union had recommended the individuation of rights on a community basis where each community has well defined territorial boundaries over which it has monopoly rights over resource utilisation under its control. The grazing land and other common resources were to be managed by a local land board whose membership would include the Vidco chairperson, Councillors and headed by the kraal head. 2.3 Within the resettlement subsector the Union had recommended the introduction of a leasehold system convertible to titles within a period of five years for those whose operations would have proved to be sustainably productive. 2.4 Within the small scale commercial farming areas the Union recommended the maintenance of current land tenure arrangements but a quick resolution to inheritance problems that seem to bedevil farmers within this subsector. 3. Commission findings and implications: The Commission has recommended the following changes: 3.1 Communal areas: * the maintenance of the'communal type of tenure * the allocation of land registration certificates to each household for arable and residential areas * the allocation of land registration certificates for grazing and all other common resources to the kraal-, head on behalf of the village * In the medium to long term transferring rights over state land to the village for those villages that would have fulfilled requirements for effective village level administration. * the allocation of administration rights to the traditional village leadership through the structure of village Dare. 3.2.1 The ZFU finds the Commission recommendations with respect to communal land tenure reform and administration as a step in the right direction. We find the recommendation to introduce individual registration certificates in line with our own thinking. This recommen- ;as dation however falls short recommending individual titles, would therefore hope that t registration certificates will be first step towards the grantin, full titles to deserving faro ... those that would have pro that their farming operations sustainable productive. Anything short of the even granting of titles will be considf to be unsatisfactory. We are however concerned learn that government intendl keep communal lands as st lands. We would like to empa that unless the tenure systen communal lands is comple revamped with a view to mat it attractive for investments, t our communal lands shall rer on the margin of this econon 3.1.3What we find most reassurin: the recognition of the critical . that traditional leadership canI in bringing back order in , munal area resource adminis tion. In our view this pro( should be expedited to ensure i the policing of land utflisatiGi adequately attended to. The ZFU also fully subscribes to view of the Commission that a quate decentralisation of gov ment systems is required for 1 tive reorganisation and invest* management in communal lai 3.2 Resettlement areas:, * the introduction of long term lei with an option to purchase Models A, B, and C permit holc the introduction of a 99 yearile hold system for those not optin title deeds. 3.2.1 The ZFU also welcomes the troduction of long term leases an option for titles within the n tlement subsector. This shouli a long way towards giving users the much required long i perspective to land utilisatioi well as enable them to moblis4 much needed resources for in ment. It is'however important adequate attention is given tc screening of those entering resettlement areas and those are to receive titles in order ti Continued on next page

,ards sustainable land tenure systems within the smallholder farming areas Continued from previous page sure that productivity is maintained. 3.3 Small scale commercial farming Areas: * The Commission has recommended maintaining the current system of leases convertible to titles. 3.3.1 An area that has remained vague is how to resolve the inheritance problems within the smallscale communal farming areas. The Commission has by and large recommended that this should be left to families to resolve ... which is basically what we currently have in place and which has led to serious productivity losses and anguish of many family households. We believe that adequate mechanisms should be put in place to protect the surviving spouse(s) and" other dependants from greedy sons/daughters or relatives. The ZFU had recommended the introduction of a family trust to safeguard the interests of all family members. 4. Implementation of tenure Reforms: 4.1 The Land Tenure Commission consulted widely to gather findings which form the basis of their recommendations. These recommendations are largely sound. What is required at this stage is to take back the findings to the people in order to initiate the much needed debate and acceptance of the recommendations which is critical for ease of implementation. The Zimbabwe Farmers Union has already started on such a process through organising workshops in each of the provinces and districts. We would like to see the Ministry of Lands join in such an exercise. 4.2 We also believe that a number of recommendations can be implemented, without further delay. Such recommendations include the following:the introduction of leases in the resettlement areas the change in the administration system away from the VIDCOS and WARDCOs to the traditional administrative system of kraalheads. establishment of appropriate departments under the Ministry of Lands 1to oversee implementationh of tenure reforms. 5. Conclusion: A change in the tenure system within the commI al and resettlement areas is Ilongerdue. Steps must be taken to ch ge the tenure systems in order to attract investments and to promote resource conservation. However, a change in the tenure system perse will not guarantee increased productivity. Measures still need to be taken to ensure that other requirements such as functional input and product markets, roads and communication itnfrastructure and water for irrigation are in place. E Harmonising traditional and elected structures in land matters at local levels: Experien ces of fcur SACIDC ccountri es By Ben Hlatshwayo, lecturer, Department of Public Law, University of Zimbabwe 1. Introduction his paper aims at critically reviewT ing the land administrative reform recommendations of the. Zimbabwe Commission of Inquiry into Appropriate Agricultural LandTenure Systems, 1994 (the "Land Tern Commission") In order to do so, the paper examines the interplay betweenelected and traditional structures at the local level in the control and management of land resources in four Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries; Botswana, Nanibia, '.Zambia and Zimbabwe. All the four countries are.jther constitutionally required to develop decentraUsed democratic systems of government or have adopted and evolved them. Thus, in all these countries, there are elected local government structures ZIMBA I" "id-i -restaent zam lNujoma of Namziba 's government subordinates traditional authority to the elected structures tasked with the controfiand/or manage. ment of resources, including land, and the provision of basic services to the communities. At the same time, all these countries have traditional institutions operating at the local level as well. Recently, there have been calls for, or policy changes aimed at, increasing or defining the role of traditional institutions in local governance, viz: (a) In Botswana, a recent review of the functions, responsibilities and structures of the Local Government Ministry recommended and govemment accepted that tribal administration should be an autonomous department with control over its own budget. Tribal administration is a traditional local level institution, at par with the elected district council. It is headed by the Kgosi or paramount chief, boasts a full complement and runs its own local police force. (b) This year, 1995, Namibia enacted Continued on next page liarnioni~~~sin rdtoa n lce tutrsi adrat tlcllvl Women an1 iouth constitute the majority of residents of rural areas Continued from previous page its Traditional Authorities Act which defines the functions, duties and powers of traditional leaders in general and specifically in relation to local authority institutions. tc) The Zambian government has promised to restore the honour and dignity of.traditional leaders. (d) In a speech at the opening of the Fourth Parliament of Zimbabwe on May 2, 1995, President Mugabe announced that the Rural District Councils Act and the Chiefs and Headmen Aft will be amended in order to provide for the restoration of administration and traditional powers to chiefs, headmen and village heads. These developments have brought to the fore the following questions which this paper examines: (a) what exactly should be the relationship between elected and tradition-. al structures in general and in the control and management of land resources in particular? What would be the implications for democratic local governance of different approaches? (b) what are the implications for women's participation in local government and access to land, of increasing the role of traditional leaders at local level? 2. Traditional leaders and elected councils Both traditional and elected authorities have an interest in developing the local community. However, if their functions and duties are not harmonised, especially in the control and management of land, the conflicts and overlapping of their activities can be extremely detrimental to the local community. The four SADC countries have adopted several approaches to the regulation of the traditional-elected authorities relationship. These approaches range from extreme "parallelism" to "nonregulated dualism". 2.1 Parallelism or regulated dualism "Parellilism" "regulated dualism" occurs where traditional structures and elected councils exist, by law, side by side and are equal to and independent of each other that is, they operate parallel to each other. For example, in Botswana the three local government structures, viz. Tribal administration, land board! and district councils are, in law equal in status and operate as in dependent entities. Thus, althougi in Botswana there are provisions fo the chiefs to be represented ii councils and on the land board communication and coordinitioi between chiefs, on the one hand and, on the other hand, council and boards, is not good. A study b the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FEE Botswana Office (February 199E found that "councillors do not hay a very good contact (sic) to chief (power -struggle)" ("Some Strength and weaknesses of Botswana's D( velopment Process at Local Author ty Level" Gaborone, 27/28 Febn ary 1995 p.6) Thus, although the law may requir co-ordination and consultation b( tween traditional and elected strul tures under "regulated dualism' the practice is likely to be for bot institutions to jealously guard the independence and emphasise the autonomy. This situation usual] leads to unhealthy competition fc Continued on next page z. 0.*-

Harmonising traditional and elected structures in land matters at local levels Continued from previous page power, duplication of effort and wastage of resources. 2.2 Non-regulated dualism The circumstances of "nonregulated dualism" in the interaction between traditional and elected structures exist where the actM. ties of neither institution are regu lated (very rare, possible in emergency situations, breakdown of law and order, et cetera.) or where only the activities of one institution (usually the elected structures) are governed by law and the activities of the other institution (usually traditional authorities) are not, the law being silent on-the matter. Such a situation usually leads to bitter struggles for legitimacy between the ignored and the legitimated institution. Sometimes the struggle for legitimacy takes subtle and delicately cunning forms. An example of the subtler forms of struggle for legitimacy comes from Namibia. It is said that to assert-theirright to continue to allocate land in the face of the- state's legislated control of all communal land in Namibia, the traditional leaders of the north, at a colourful ceremony on the occasion of the visit by the state president, gave a gift of a large tract of land to the ruling party SWAPO. The president had no choice but to accept the "gift" on behalf of his party! Sometimes, however, the struggle for legitimacy takes less subtle forms and may include deliberate sabotage of development projects of the other institution. Non-regulated dualism in land control existed in independent Zimbabwe until 1982 when the Communal Lands Act was passed forbidding traditional leaders'from allocating land without the prior approval of councils. It existed in Namibia generally until the passing of the Traditional Authorities Act in 1995. It will continue to exist specifically in land control, however, until Namibia enacts its proposed Communal Lands Act. The current situation in rural Zambia can, also be described as one of nonregulated dualism. As one Zambian scholar observed"Although both the local government and chiefs' affairs portfolios fall under the same government ministry, there is no relationship ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. 1 whatsoever between chiefs and local government under current law (Local Government Act of 1991). The immediate effect of this situation is constant overlap of leadership responsibilities between elected and traditional leaders (councillors and chiefs/headmen) in relation to local communities. The conflicts often adversely affect development in the communities concerned." (Chaponda, D.P. "Zambia: The Role of Chiefs in Local Government and Development" Paper presented to Zimbabwe Parliamentary Delegation to Zambia on the Role of Traditional Leaders in Local Government, 23 August 1995). 2.3 Subordination Under the "subordinataion" approach either the traditional authorities (usually) or elected local authority councils or organs (rarely) are made subordinate and answerable to the other institution. Namibia provides the clearest example of the subordination of traditional authority to the elected structures. Section 12 (2) of Namibia's Traditional Authorities Act, 1995 states that in case of conflict between traditional authori* ty and a local authority council (or state institutions of central government or regional council) the powers of the local authority (or state institutions) shall prevail. Perhaps, realising the potential danger of such subordination, the Act specifically requires the traditional authority to give support to the policies of the local authority council (and other state institutions) and to refrain from any acts which undermine the authority of those institutions as estiblished by law (S12 (1)). The Zimbabwean Comunal Land Act provides another example of subordination. It forbids traditional leaders from allocating land without prior permission of elected councils. The traditional leaders, however, have responded to this subordination by engaging in illegal allocation or even selling of land in communal areas. There are few examples of the subordination of elected structures to traditional ones. Therefore, the proposed changes in Zimbabwe where the village and ward assemblies (traditional structures) will superintend the work of village and rural committees (elected structures), if passed into law, would be unique in the whole sub-region. It would also be fraught with insurmountable problems including unforeseen ones due to the unprecedented nature of the proposal. If, however, it is strongly felt that village and ward assemblies should be instituted, then they probably should be made to operate along the lines of the Kgotla system in Botswana. The /gotla is a traditional forum through which traditional leaders used to, and still do, communicate with the community. It has .adapted to modern times and is ne. also used by central government, distrik councils and other local institutions for the purpose of communication and promotion of central and local government policies. 2.4 Integration "Integration" entails the merging of different institutions into a single structure. Zambia provides a salutary "whynot-to" example in its failed experiment in integration. In 1980 administrative refbrms were announced which were aimed at integrating the then ruling and only political party (UNIP -United National Independence Party), central government departments, traditional and local authorities. After ten years the envisaged integration had not taken place and the experiment was abandoned in a wave of multi-party democracy. The law which was passed to bring about this integration,- the Local Administration Act, 1980 met with a lot of opposition, right from the inception, as tending towards greater centralisation of political power in the country. One of the key objectives of the Act was to ensure an effective integration of the primary organs of the party and other organs of local administration in the district. The rationale behind the intergration of the party and other organs of local administration into one body (the district council) was officially presented as the need "to escape the problems of lack of coordination and duplication of effort and resources that characterfsed local administration before '1981." (Mukwena, R.M., 1992 P. 237)..But perhaps the real aim of the integration policy was to revive the demoralised and ineffective UNIP organisation at grass-roots level. (Mukwena, 1992). Continued on next page

F-onnnuea jrom previous page The district council as stipulated in the Act consisted of: a) the district governor as chairman; b) the district political Secretary; c) two district trustees appointed by the provisional committee and approved by th ,,entral committee; d) , all chairmen of ward committees in j the district; e) all Members of Parliament of *.e district; f) one representative from x.ri of the -itih~ass organisations orrating in the district (UNIP Yo ,"h and Women's League chai,1.ersons); g) one representative from each of the security forces, and i) one chief elected by all chiefs of the district" Thus, the district council was dominated by party functionaries, namely the district governor (a presidential appointee), district political secretary, two distTict party trustees, aD chairpersons of UNIF waras, tne UNIw yout cniairman, UNIP Women's League chairlady and UNIP Members of Parliament. As a result, diversion of council funds to party activities immediately followed, financial accountability declined, poor calibre of staff bloated local administration and delivery of services deteriorated. The experience of Zambia between 1980-1990 is, therefore, a classic example of how not to run local government. Thus, the task of the succeeding government was immediately to delink party structures and operations from those 'of the civil service and local authorities. 2.4 Harmonisation: The "harmonisation" approach recognises that whereas traditional and elected structures have distinctive and specialised roles which require their separate existence, they also have common roles and objectives which must be reconciled. Harmonisation is different from "integration" which seeks to completely merge different institutions tive and specialised roles. Integration is bound to fail as happened in the case of Zambia between 1980 and 1990. ks for the other approaches, it has .Iready been shown that parallelism is costly, inefficient and wasteful; non-regulated dualism is undesirable, leads to chaos and amounts to abdiction of responsibility and subordination is inequitable and leads to serious conflicts which undermine development' efforts. Harmonisation aims at involving all the role players in institutions which deal with areas of common interests so that the decisions made by the "harmonised" institutions would be binding on all concerned, i.e. binding both in law dnd in good conscience. Thus, traditional authorities would be represented in Continued on next page Resource management should be aimed at maximising production ZIMBABWE-EW VOL 27 NO. 1

Harmonising trazditiona and elected strctur,-es inz lanid maitters a-t loecal levels Continued from previous page council and would argue'the traditional point of view in council but would be bound by the decisiorJs reached. Similarly, any specialised land allocation body would have representation from traditional leaders, elected councils and other interests and its decisions would be binding on all concerned. 2. Beyond harmonisation: Harmonisation alone is not sufficient. The harmonised institutions must also be qualitatively developed, and sometimes new ones created, to cope with the challenges at local level. Possible areas of improvement include gender balance in the composition, and professional and technical capacity in the operation, of the local level institutions. The dire need for affirmative action is illustrated by the following facts: In Zambia, for example, out of a total of 150 Members Parliament, only 7 or 5 percent are female, and out of 1 600 councillors only 14 or less tian 1 percent are female. Although the traditions of some Zambian ethnic groups allow for the appointment of feimale chiefs, the vast mAjority of Zambia's 280 chiefs are male as are their numerous advisers. in.zimbbwe the situation is a lot worse when one considers traditional structure. Out of the 264 chiefs in-,imbabwe only 3 or 1 percent are femalaand.they are Chieftainesses Charehwa from Mutoko, Chimukoko in Mudzi and Mathe from Gwanda South). All the 450 headmen are, of course, male. So are the many, many village heads. These statistics underline the need for affirmative action in respect of both the elected and the traditional structures: 2.1 elected structures & affirmative action for women: Women and -youth constitute the vast majority of residents of rural areas. Their active participation in. local government structures. is vital for development. 2.1,1 In Zimbabwe, in terms of the.Prime Minister's Directive of 1.984, a seat each (or approximately 10 percent of membership) was reserved for women and youth representatives in VIDCOs and WADCOs in addition to their general participation 'in the elections with everyone else. However, this provision was not included in the Rural District Councils Act of 1988. In practice, though, the 10 percent which was supposed to be the minimum was regarded as the, maximum. 2.1.2 The Namibian Local Authorities Act, 1992 provided for affirmative action for women in the election of the, first ocal authority councils held in terms of Article 137 (5) of the Namibian Constitution. Such elections were conducted on a party list basis and each party list was required to contain:(a) in the case of a local authority with 10 or fewer members, at least two; or (b) in the case ofa local authority con sisting of 11 or more members, at least three:names of female persons as candidates in respect of such election. (Section 6) But such a provision could easily by subverted by simply listing the female candidated at the very bottom of the party list. However, this provision must be noted, for it potentially reserved for women at least 20 percent to 30 percent of the seats in local authority councils, and did so in a way which also required a change of attitude in political party organisation, in a way which is self-sustining and is not dependent on passive administrativea allocation. 2.1.2 Recommendations The way to redress the above im balances would be to implement recoin mendations Along the following lines: a) That cognisant of women's historical and social disadvantages and in recognition of their great contribution to development, a quota of 20 percent be established for women in all local government structures so that if In elections in any council female councillors turn out to be les than 20 percent of the total, the Local Government Minister shall be required to use use the 25 percent special interest appointments pro. vision to appoint female councillors to at least make up the minimum 20 percent. b) -That the special interest appointment upper limit should be adjust. ed accordingly to allow the Minister to satisfy both the reqirement of appointment of the disenfranchised and the affirmative action appoint ments in these recommendations. c) That in exercising his powers of appointment the Local Government Minister shall ensure that there is at least a ten percent youth representation in local government structures. d) Thatthe women and youth appointees shall be made only on recommendation, or submission of names after elections, by the relevant women and youth organisation. 2.2 Traditional Authorities and Affirmative Action for Women It is pleasantly surprising to find that in some countries in the region gender sensitivity has made headway even in the unlikely domain of traditional leadership In terms ot the Namibian Traditional Authorities Act, traditional leaders in the exercise of their functions and duties, are required to "promote affirmative ac0on amongst the members of that community in particular by promoting women to positions of leadership". Most of the tribes of the North have agreed to, now habitually, appoint women as ad.viser to the chief a position ;quivalent to headman. Subheadmen in Namibia are chosen by the community. The Traition Authorities Act futher encourages this progressive development by removing any gender presumptions for the qualification for designation as chief. It stated that were there are no customary rules or there is uncertainty regarding the desgnation of a chief "the members of that tradition community in a general meeting, shall. elect their chief by a majority vote of all members present in -hat meeting who have attained the age If eighteen years". In Zambia some women have been appointed as indunas or chief's advisors i addition to those women who are chiefs in their own right. Of course, there is Still a need to change the terminology to make it gender neutral. But a beginning has been made in some of the SADC countries and those traditional leaders still lagging behind, ignore the pun, must now play catch up! It is, therefore, recommended that, where this is not yet the case, traditionl authorities must be required by law Continued on next pt.ge ZIMBABWENEWSVOL 27 No.1

Aend management at local level is that of low salaries and poor conditions of service of both traditional and elected leaders. They are then driven to corruption in the discharge of their responsibilities. It is, however, the weak and disadvantaged who end up bearing the burden of underpaid leaders through .paying bribes or being denied their due because somebody would have paid a higher, bribe. Low salaries also induce traditional to cling to outdated customs as long as those customs give them financial opportunities. In Namibia, for example, headmen charge a fee for allocating land and for any change of ownership or control. Thus, on the death -of the husband, they used to demand payment from the widows until government intervened and persuaded them not to.. But the practice is unlikely to die out altogether as long as the headmen remain unsalaried as they presently are ih Namibia. Table 1 below snows the monthil remunetation of traditional leaders in the four SADC countries reviewed and in some of South Africa's provinces. amounts indicated are those paid in the provinces listed above and the variations are due to policies of the past. 3. Traditional authorities and land matters: The findings on the role of traditional authorities in administration and control of land are discussed below on a country by country basis:3.3.1 Botswana: The power traditional leaders had of allocating land was taken away from them in 1968 and transferred to the land boards. The power over land was removed from the chiefs essentially to improve land administration (chiefs did not keep proper records and allocated land single handedly with no assistance or checks from anybody). But what is interesting is that land administration powers were not automatically' transferred to the elected political structures of district councils. It was felt that the administration of land should be shielded from over- politicisation. Thus, the b) Presence of members of institutions with special interest in land ad. ministration e.g. traditional leaders, district councils, agriculture and industry and commerce ministries' (which goes towards satisfying the need to harmonise the relevant institutions) c) Appointments by the minister which are biased in favour of per. sons with specialist skills relevantto the work of the land boards. On the negative side, however, the following points need to be noted: a) The special interest representation on the boards is not made full use of to automatically bind those who are represented on it. For example, although chiefs are represented on land boards, the chief's signature must be sought by the applicant for land before the application is submitted to the board. This appears. to be unnecessary duplication because since the chief is represent. ed on the Board, its decisions Monthly remuneration of chiefs in the SADC region in Z$ 'Paramount Chief Z$10 713.00 1 666.00 235.00 57 763.79 N/A 28 560.00 Chief Z$9 468.00 1 071.00 188.00 750.00 8 487.67 7 372.05 5 498.00 Notes: 1. All figures have been converted into Zimbabwe Dollars (Z$) but have not been adjusted to the cost of living in each country. 2. Not all the countries above use the designations of paramount chief, chief and headman. Where there are differences in designations, the remuneration of approximate land boards were created for every district as largely technical institutions. They comprise a representative of the chief, three representatives of the tribe (appointed from a list of six publicly elected persons), two members representing the district council, one member representing the Minister of Agriculture and one member representing the Minister of Commerce and Indus- , should be automatically.binding on the chief. in other words, the land boards operate essentially parallel to other local level institutions and they are not sufficiently harmonised with them. b) The objective of making 'land boards completely apolitical is both Continued on next page ZI n). NE WS VOL. 27 NO. I Pe iou ouet t f Country Botswana Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe Transkei KwaZulu.Natal Ciskei Headman Z$5 094.00 NIL 142.00 450.00 3 043.00 N/A 1 860.17 Harmonising traditional and elected structure in land matters at local levels.I Continued from previous page equivalents have been used. For try who only takes part on mattersre Botswana, deputy chief has been ing to commerce and industry. o promote affirmative action fc the equated to chief. In Namibia the ap- The composition of land boards in Bot historically and socially disadvantaged proximate equivalents of para- swana is notable for the following: h their comminities and in particular by mount chief, chief and headman are a) Selection of some members on the romoting women to positions of respectively, chief, senior headman basis of elections which satisfies the eadership. and sub-headman. And in Zambia, democratic principles even though the amounts listed under chief and the election onto the land board is headman are paid respectively to not direct (subject to ministerial ap. ne of the factors complicating the a senior chief and a chief. pointment from a list of those problem, associated with land control 3. For the Republic of South Africa, the elected).

Peius gjI. Documents ~ iiLe m 1mi 1 I~ 1 Hamnsn trdtoa 0 0 .lc Continued from priy ous page conceptually and practically untenable. But technical and professional bias in the appointments may go a long way in achieving a healthy balance between political acceptability and professional competence. The implementation of such a bias should not be left entirely to the minister's discretion as is currently the case in Botswana. ,egislative provisions should spedy the qualifications of members to beappointed by the minister. 3.3.2 Namibia: All communal land vests in the state. Traditional authorities, however, continue to administer and allocate land in the traditional manner. The proposed Communal Land Act will most likely address this issue headon. In so doing the legislature will have to take into account the cautions and highly pertinent (not only for Namibia, but for Zimbabwe and other countries as well) remarks of the Commission of Inquiry Into Matters Relating to traditional leaders, 1991. "9.2.3.3. The issue of Communal areas in which traditional leaders have jurisdiction is relevant to the determination of the extent of freedom of movement generally and in particular the right to reside and settle in any part of Namibia. Will the traditional leader be in a position to regulate the movement and settlement on land which is not legally owned by the community he represents?" 3.3.3. Zambia: In connection with land control and administration in Zambia it has been observed as follows: "All land in Zambia is vested in the president who holds it in "trust" for the people of Zambia. The land is basically divided into state land and trust (Native/tribal) land. Zambia has no freehold tenure system. Those wishing to hold title to any land can only do so on lease (up to 99 years) from the state. Most of the tribal villages are in trust areas. Chiefs have no say whatsoever on state land. The chiefs must, however, be consulted before a lease of trust land can be granted. "An application for title to land in a chiefs area must be supported by the chief of the area, then the district council, and finally submitted ZIMp A_ 97 MAn I to the state's commissioner of lands for approval. Applications for land in city and municipal council areas do not need a chief's support. "Chiefs have often been criticised for unfairly withholding their support for applications for title specially for people who do not belong to the chief's tribe. This has been cited as one of the reasons for lack of substantial investments in the tribal areas. However, some chiefs view the influx of outsiders as a threat to their peoples future". (emphasis added) (Chaponda D.P., 1995). On the granting of more powers to traditional leaders one critic has commented as follows: "One of the most serious issues that raises major concern about giving more powers to the chiefs is the issue of land ownership. Although women are the backbone of both cash crop and subsistence farming they mostly have limited access to control of land. None of our traditional chiefs has addressed the issue of giving women more direct control over land they till. The active/tacit support of our traditional systems for the exploitation, subordination and oppression of women makes us .worry about the negative impact giving more powers to the chiefs would have on the move for the advancement of women ... The traditional approach of giving a woman access (to resources) through her husband, father, brother or even son, (would) be institutionalised into the local government system" (Mutukwa G.M.N., "The Role of Chiefs vis-a-vis the Advancement of the Status of Woman in Zambia" (1995). She concludes, thereore, that any proposed increase in the powers of chiefs should be preceded by the education of chiefs in issues of "planning, allocating resources and programming in a gender sensitive manners". The role of traditional authorities in local government and development in Zambia has remained undefined since 1980. However, the chief had a key role to play at local level in terms 'of the Registration and Development of Villages Act of 1971 which provides for among other things: a) The registratibn of Villages and inhabitants; b) Institutional framework for planning and coordinating development at ward and village levels; c) Powers and duties of a chief, and d) Penalties for contravening the provisions of the Act (e.g. wilfully obstructing a chief or headman in the discharge of his or her functions under the Act) Section 18 of this Act lists the following, as powers and duties of a chief: a) to ensure that the Village Productivity Committees have been formed and are functioning effectively; b) to promote and foster the spirit of uni. ty among his/her subjects; c) to promote the spirit of self reliance among his/her people by rendering all possible assistance in the projects relating to higher productivity in agriculture and industry; d) to encourege such projects Which may improve the standard of living of his/her people; e)., to encourage educational and economic growth and to assist in the improvement of facilities necessary for the maintenance of health and sanitation in the villages; f) report to the Productivity Committees and Wards Development Committees the decisions reached in the House of Chiefs affecting or corT cerning his/her people; g) report to the district governor (this position has since 1991 been 'abolished) on all activities of Productivity Committees and Ward Development Committees. Although the Registration and development of Villages Act of 1971 is still in force it was rendered inoperative (as from 1980) with the enactment of the Local Administration Act of 1980. Un der this new Act, as already shown, local government was to be supported by political party structures of section and ward. Chiefs, in any given district, were required to elect one amongst themselves to represent them in the district council, as councillor. The Local Government Act of 1991 repealed the Local Administration Act of 1980, but remained silent on the position of chiefs, and government has not yet clarified its stand on the Registration and Development of Villages Act of 1971. Continued on next page

Harmonising traditional and elected structures in land matters at local levels Continued from previous page 3.3.4. Zimbabwe: All communal land vests in the President who can grant authority to any person to administer it. In terms of the Communal Lands Act, 1982 rural district councils were designated the land authorities for all communal land. Traditional authorities are not allowed to allocate such land without the specific prior permission of the councils. That is the law. The practice, however, is a lot different. Traditional authorities habitually allocate and even sell communal land without the knowledge and/or permission of the councils. Self- allocation and squatting on communal land also occur. The Land Tenure Commission Report, 1995 recommended: a) the setting up of a three-level land boards system consisting of a national land board to be appointed by the President with the task of "advising government on national land policy issues including water use", provincial and rural district land boards. Provincial land boards will be composed of "eminent and respected people in the province appointed by the provincial assembly" (an elected assembly chaired by the government), rural district land boards will be appointed by the rural district council. Below the district land boards would be "ward level land arbitration and appeals committees." - b) that communal land in future should be owned by village communities and not by the state. c) that village and ward boundaries should be altered coincide with the traditional villages headmen and chief's areas and that these entities be surveyed and registered. The following observations can be made on the Land Tenure Commission's recommendations above: i) the proposed land boards would stand a better chance of succeeding if they are conceived and constituted in the spirit in which the land boards were introduced in Botswana, i.e. over- politicisation of the land issue and ensuring efficient and transparent administration of land. In this regard the composition of the land boards should have representation from interested par- ties (traditional authonties, rural district councils, women and youth), include specified technical, professional and administrative expert, and incorporate an elective process (e.g. indirect election of special interest representatives). ii) The proposed ownership of communal land by communities may have serious implications of access to land and possible disctrimination against people who belong to a different totem from the dominant totem in the area. The Land Tenure Commission's recommendation reflects a failure to fully appreciate that land in the communal areas has become highly commoditised. To place such a scarce commodity in the hands of an ill-defined "traditional village community" is to invite endless land disputes and conflicts. it may also militate against investment in the communal areas. The present administration of land by councils with the necessary harmonisation with traditional authorities is most probably the best way forward. iii) The alteration of present village and ward boundaries to coincide with the smaller traditional villages and wards would be fraught with immense probles .of implementation (uncertain boundaries, boundary disputes, etc.) and administrative problems -thereafter (too many small entities can be a planning .nightmare). 3.3.5 Recommendations Therefore, it is recommended for Zimbabwe as follows:- That the present situation where in terms of the Communal Land Act, the district council as the land authority should be maintained with the understanding though that as recommended above the chief shall now play a well defined role within council as the elected and the traditional structures would have been harmonised, or b) Alternatively, that land control and, management be transferred to a system of national, provincial and district level land boards as proposed by the Land Tenure Commission. However, contrary to the land Tenure Commission recommendation of land boards based purely on appointments, the delegation recommends that the lands boards should be sufficiently harmonised with other relevant structures and institutions by including in their membership representatives from all interested parties (traditional authorities, RDCs, women and youth, Ministries of Lands, Agriculture, Commerce and industry). The land boards should also incorporate an elective process instead of being based on appointments :alone. c) That members of any land authorty, be it councils or land boards as recommended above, should be educated on issues of planning and allocating resources in a gender and age sensitive manner and be required at law to reflect such sensitivity in the exercise of their -func. tions. 0- Z I I, WS VOL 27 NO. 1 MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MISS ANY ISSUE OF Zimbabwe News Magazine

Workshop on future land tenure systems in Zimbabwe - implications on investment, resource conservation and productivity The proposed reforms involve, among other things, the surveying of all land to facilitate planning In thanking you for your invitation and request to present a paper at this workshop based on the topic under reference, I would wish to state at the outset for the benefit of all, that the Commission findings basically concluded for government's adoption, that there was no land tenure system which could be classified as good or bad in abstract terms, but it was noted that systems evolve over time in response to changing social, economic and political conditions, coupled with the needs of the people and/or society, at varying stages of development. It is very clear that the Commission's recommendations will have wide ranging and far reaching implications for the agricultural sub-sector in general and economy as a whole. As you may all be aware, the proposed reforms will involve:(1) Reviewing the legislation and administrative systems which govern all agricultural land in Zimbabwe. (2) Surveying of all land to facilitate planning (3) Reviewing of inheritance laws relating to agricultural land Z!MBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO. I (4) Relaxation of laws and regulations governing land sub division or consolidation of small holdings. In order to make an effective assessment of the proposed approaches to land tenure in relation to the Implication on Investment, Resource Conservation and productivity, I feel, it is important for you all to appreciate the diversity of the recommended systems on which I will briefly comment. Communal areas: (i) "Communal tenure" systems are to be maintained and strengthened by empowering local level institutions such as district councils, traditional Leaders etc to enable them to manage and utilise resources sustainably with regard to grazing. (ii) "Traditional Freehold" rights should be granted to households with respect to their residential and arable lands. (iii) It is imperative that state land in the Communal areas be surveyed as a starting point, in order to facilitate re- organisation, formalisation of Village Boundaries followed by subsequent granting of Land Registration Certificate to Households. (iv) Gainfully employed urban dwellers should not be denied land rights, given the weak "Social Security Systems" in Zimbabwe which is inadequate to cater for urbanfamilies food and financial requirements. These proposed changes will provide more secure tenure arrangements and the empowerment of local institutions - including traditional leaders in the management/administration of Land/Natural resources will without doubt, improve the current poor state of the environment in the communal areas and will in all probability attract investment into land conservation practices by donors, foreign investors, etc. 2.0 Resettlement areas: (i) Long term Leases with option to purchase should be awarded to current permit holders and future resettlement farmers, on Models A, B, and C with the ultimate objective Continued on next page

1 Continueajrom previous page of granting Title Deeds (Freehold rights) in order to encourage capital investment. (ii) Resettlement schemes suited to cattle ranching should be planned accordingly using a three - tier model with full participation of village committees in the management of their grazing. The anticipated changes and/or improvements to the existing resettlement "permit system" will certainly encourage long term capital investment by the farmers, who will naturally feel secure in the knowledge that they are potential owners of land, by virtue of the option to change "99 year" leases to freehold tenure. This will also reinforce farmers confidence in the management of their environment on a sustainable basis. 3.0 Small scale farming areas:Leases with options for freehold title should be retained with emphasis being placed on sustainable utilisation of land and natural resources. Natutral resources committees at rural district level should be strengthened and active participation of small scale farmers should be encouraged. Private and public sector investment is needed into economic infrastructure like roads, dams and communication networks. 40 Large scale farming areas:While the freehold tenure system which currently exists has been recommended, various other instruments have been put forward for more land to be released into the land market. These include relaxation of laws that prohibit agricultural land subdivision, and imposition of progressive land taxes based on potential productivity of the land and sizes. These measures will make more land available to many farmers Under intensive agricultural systems. This in essence will be a market driven form of land acquisition. 5.0 Financial implications:- In evaluating the possible implica- Traditional freehold rights should be granted to households with respect to thi tions of the aforesaid recommenda- residential and arable lands ZIMBABWE NEWS VOL. 27 NO, Wcrkshop on future land tenure systems in Zimbabwe I tions of the Land Tenure Commission, with respect to financing of the various farming sub-sectors under the various approaches, there is need to look at the basic criteria used by commercial banks in assessing loan applications for agricultural production. The following is a typical list of the pre-financing criteria used in loan application appraisals. a) (i) Banks need to know the clients background history. (ii) His past business track record. (iii) His personal reputation and financial position. b) The experience and proven management ability on the proposed type of farming enterprise. c) The programme has to be viable and ecologically suitable. d) The programme should be able to generate enough repayment capacity to service loans applied for as well as meeting outstanding commitments plus interest. e) The bank will also wish to have a good appreciation of the exogenous factors that will affect the proposed programme such as markets, competition, transport facilities and the necessary road infrastructure. f) The security on offer in respect of the proposed loan is also another essential aspect. From an analysis, of the foregong aspects, the bank will be able to arrive at a decision, and I would emphasise that each borrower will be assessed on his own merit, unless the approach is presented on a group basis. Finally, I believe that the propoged changes if implemented, in line with the Commission's recommendations, will go a long way in minimising some of the current difficulties and/or problems associated with lending to communal/small to medium scale farming operations. While banks should not be viewed as being totally risk averse, it is extremely important to note that, the money that is "on lend" to clients does belong to shareholders and/or depositors, who certainly need to be paid back at a given time/date inclusive of accrued interest and/or a divident as a return on investment. For reference purposes, I would like to conclude by mentioning that our agribusiness and small business services divisions can be contacted for information relating to agri-lending both on a small/medium to large scale commercial farming baisis. I thank you. 0

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