War vets defy Mugabe ruling December 07 2004 at
12:46PM
Harare - The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans'
Association (ZNLWA) has defied the ruling Zanu-PF party by saying that
dismissed chairperson Jabulani Sibanda is still their leader.
President Robert Mugabe suspended Sibanda from the ruling Zanu-PF after he
attended a controversial and unauthorised meeting in Tsholotsho district in
the western province of Matabeleland.
Also suspended from the party
were six party provincial chairperson, while information minister Jonathan
Moyo, who allegedly called the meeting, has been reprimanded and faces
further censure.
The meeting signalled the worst fissure in Zanu-PF
in almost 25 years of power.
Still, ZNLWVA secretary-general
Alex Mudavanhu said on Monday that his organisation and Zanu-PF were
"separate entities".
"Our structure is still intact," he said.
"It remains intact until a congress is held with the required quorum. That
is when a new executive can be elected."
No comment was
available from Zanu-PF on the surprise announcement. - Sapa
EDITORIAL December 7, 2004 Posted to the web December 7,
2004
Harare
REPORTS that Air Zimbabwe was prejudiced of more than
$10 billion between January last year and October this year by current and
former employees through its 10 percent discount scheme for staff travel on
its flights makes very sad and shocking reading indeed.
Current
employees and former staffers at the national airline are understood to have
taken advantage of the scheme and organised several overseas trips for
relatives and friends to destinations across the world.
As a result of
the discovery of the scam, management at the national carrier has slapped a
temporary embargo on all passenger and cargo-discounted rates for both
serving staff and pensioners with the airline.
We would like to believe
that this is a case of simple fraud and we call upon management at Air
Zimbabwe to put in place effective monitoring mechanisms to check against
the abuse of a well-intentioned schemes, and one that is a standard perk on
all airlines.
Since it is a worldwide stipulation that for one to board
an international flight one requires full documentation of one's travel
status, why were relatives and friends of staff allowed on the planes in the
first place with discount tickets?
Management at the national carrier
should institute investigations and get to the bottom of the matter and fish
out these culprits and selfish individuals.
It is disheartening to
note that the actions of some greedy individuals have now resulted in the
temporary embargo of the discount scheme under which well-meaning and honest
individuals, as well as pensioners and dependants, have been
affected.
We would like to point out here that the embargo cannot be a
long-term solution in this case. It can only serve a stop-gap measure at the
most. The best solution, like we have said before, is to put in place
effective and foolproof checks against such abuse of staff
privilege.
But for this to take place and for the measures to be
effective, there has to be a substantive chief executive officer at the
national airline to take charge of the economic turnaround programme. There
also has to be an effective board of directors.
The discount scam has
surfaced at a time when Government has been working flat out to see the
national airline getting back on a sound financial base and return to
profitability.
Only recently, Transport and Commu-nications Minister
Chris Mushohwe announced that Cabinet had approved Government's takeover of
the airline's local and foreign debt, which stood at $117 billion and
US$13,9 million respectively.
Already, the airline has drawn up an
ambitious turnaround programme involving expansion of flight routes and
acquisition of new aircraft to modernise and increase the size of its fleet.
Last month, Government signed agreements with China to acquire three
50-seater aircraft for the national airline which has opened new routes to
Johannesburg from Victoria Falls and to China and the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
But all these efforts will come to nought if there are no
effective mechanisms to monitor abuse of benefits and other perks accorded
to staff and pensioners.
Air Zimbabwe should stop being a gravy train
for criminally-minded and inept individuals in its ranks. It should act as a
commercial airline.
It is quite possible for an airline to make money on
routes in Southern Africa. All it takes is good managers, efficient staff
and suitable planes flying the right routes.
Several private airlines
as well as some state-owned flag carriers now reap profits in the
region.
There is absolutely no reason why Air Zimbabwe cannot do the
same.
The $10 billion scam is a symptom of the deep-seated malaise
plaguing the airline, not the cause of the dire state of its finances.
By John
Askill Last updated: 12/08/2004 01:36:39 A ZIMBABWEAN man hauled his dying
wife from the passenger seat of their wrecked car - so he could blame her
for the crash, a British court heard on Monday.
Vimbai Chakudunga,
28, told passers-by his fatally injured wife Claire, 30, had been driving,
it was alleged.
Prosecutor Grace Hale said a couple in another car drove
up after the Chakudungas' Vauxhall Corsa hit a tree.
She said: "They
saw the man in the driver's seat lean across to push open the passenger
door. It opened, and a female fell out of the car."
Miss Hale said Mrs
Chakudunga was left half-out of the car until her husband climbed over to
finish the job.
She added: "He climbed out and dragged her out of the car
before placing her on the ground, with her head next to the
wheel.
"One of the couple told him to stop because he may damage her. But
the advice was ignored."
Chakadunga escaped last November's crash in
Ravenshead, Notts, with minor injuries.
He failed a breath test and
refused a blood test claiming he had not been driving.
He insisted to
police his wife had picked him up from the pub, where he had drunk three
pints.
Chakudunga told another passer-by that his wife had swerved to
avoid a woman in the road.
But Nottingham Crown Court heard that CCTV
footage showed him at the wheel.
Miss Hale said: "When asked about the
pictures he changed his story and admitted he was driving at that stage -
but said they then swapped seats."
Experts later found "severe impact
damage" down the passenger side - consistent with his wife's
injuries.
And strands of hair found on the tree that the car smashed into
matched with Claire, who never regained consciousness.
Claire died in
hospital 10 days later from her injuries, including a fractured
skull.
Chakudunga denies causing death by careless driving and failing to
provide a blood sample. The trial continues. The Sun
MISA Concerned Over Legal Vacuum in Broadcast Licencing
Process
Media Institute of Southern Africa
(Windhoek)
PRESS RELEASE December 6, 2004 Posted to the web
December 7, 2004
Government and Broadcasting Authority not sincere on
Opening the Airwaves
The Media Institute of Southern Africa
(MISA)-Zimbabwe, which continues to campaign for broadcasting diversity
under its Open the Airwaves Campaign, welcomes as a step in the right
direction announcements by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) that
it is ready to receive applications for licenses for 15 private radio
stations and one television station.
Of concern to MISA-Zimbabwe is the
fact that while the BAZ is calling for the applications it is not the
licensing authority as was defined by the Broadcasting Services Act
(BSA).
The Supreme Court in the Capital Radio judgment struck down
Section 6 of the BSA, which made the minister the licensing authority, while
the BAZ processes the applications for a broadcaster's licence.
This
means that while the BAZ is calling for interested parties to apply for
licenses, there is no legal instrument to facilitate the registration of
licenses in Zimbabwe. So far, the concerned Ministry has not come up with
any new set of regulations or amendments to the law that would facilitate
the granting of licenses.
In other words, there is a legal vacuum
that is yet to be filled following the Supreme Court ruling.
The call
by BAZ in the Government Gazette of 5 September 2004 providing the requisite
application and licence fees for the respective classes of broadcasting
licensees will amount to nothing in the absence of the enabling legal
instruments.
We note that in March 2004, the same BAZ made another call
for applications and the results of such a call have not been made public.
MISA-Zimbabwe is concerned with the setting up of deadlines for application
licensees, a matter which we believe must be determined by the frequencies
available.
While questions regarding
their fate need answering, the pachyderms have major champions in game guide
Bashi Patane and ecologist Jeanetta Selier.
Jeanetta Selier
laughs in embarrassment. "No, I'm not an elephant whisperer," she says. "But
I do talk to them. I talk to them all the time."
We're in a
game-viewing vehicle in a dry river bed in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in
eastern Botswana, and a group of about 15 elephants are going about their
business just 20m away.
An adult female kicks a hole in the gravel
river bed, and has soon created a small drinking pool. A young elephant,
four or five years old, wanders over and pushes his trunk into the pool, to
the irritation of the female. Using her trunk she gives him a push, but he
stands firm. Now she gives him a good shove, and he lurches away. Then he's
back. She seems to shrug, and they share the water.
Slightly
apart stand two young bulls, perhaps 13 or 14 years old. They're only
tolerated by the rest of the group, says Jeanetta. "Young bulls have raging
hormones, and no logic."
The elephants glance over at us from time
to time, but are totally unfazed. They're drinking, rubbing against each
other, constantly touching. After about 20 minutes or so, they wander off
down the river bed.
The Tuli elephants are famous in South Africa
as the group of 30 youngsters who were exported from their home in
Botswana's Tuli Block to South Africa where they were mistreated and
eventually sold to private game parks and zoos.
But there are
hundreds more Tuli elephants, living in freedom in the largest privately
owned game park in southern Africa. They no longer fear humans and tolerate
game vehicles.
But only 20 or so years ago the Tuli elephants were
feared as among the most aggressive in Africa. After two centuries of being
hunted and poached, they were hostile and impatient of humans, who were
advised to keep their distance.
This has changed, says Selier,
a Pretoria University masters student, thanks of course to the fact they are
no longer hunted, but also to the efforts of game guides like Bashi Patane,
his brother Fish, and other guides who, with Selier, are attached to
Mashatu, one of the handful of private estates that make up the
reserve.
The elephants have learnt that humans are not a threat. A
key element to this new relationship is the understanding on the part of
people like Selier and Patane that the animals must be treated with
respect.
"The question we ask ourselves is how would we want to be
treated to make us comfortable in the presence of our worst enemy - and
humans have been elephants' worst enemies. So we have learnt from the
elephants and they from us.
"We never, for example, chase them
from behind, never follow them in forested areas because they don't have
room to manoeuvre, we never box them in.
"We never crowd them,
and we restrict the number of vehicles in the field."
The
drivers also switch off their engines when encountering a group of
elephants, because the elephants have made it clear they don't like revving
engines - but the drivers always park so the vehicles can't be boxed
in.
Sitting in the front of the game vehicle, Selier and Patane
take turns in telling the wide-eyed visitors about the elephants. As the sun
soars over the horizon and the animals get on with their early morning
routine, we listen fascinated to the tales. They read the elephants' body
language, and Selier demonstrates with her hands just how expressive the
elephants' ears can be.
Patane has worked at Mashatu for 14
years, but been a guide and driver there for about half that. Although he
doesn't read or write, he passed the mandatory Botswana government game
guide's exam orally, and has a driver's licence.
When he first
came, he says, the elephants would get angry when they saw a car. "But then
we got to know them, and they got to know us. Eventually they became more
relaxed."
He tells of the time when a one-tusked matriarch with a
blue eye charged his vehicle which contained a client and a tracker. "When
she was just 2m away from us I realised she was not stopping. I put my foot
down and we drove off at 40km/h, but after 300m my tracker said Bashi, she
is coming. She was pounding right over 1.5m high acacia trees. We just
drove. Luckily she had a calf with her who was screaming, and eventually she
turned back to her baby.
"When we got back to the camp the
client went to bed for the rest of the day." Patane laughs. "Two days later
I saw her again, and I was very frightened. But I knew I could get away
be-cause I had an escape route. I think she came from Zimbabwe, that's why
she was a mad elephant because of the trouble there. I last saw her in
March, heading towards the Zimbabwean border."
Selier's
master's thesis is on the distribution, size and demographics of the
elephant population in the central Limpopo valley, but her day job is
ecologist for Mashatu and adventure co-ordinator for visitors.
Among the questions she needs to answer are also the movement of the
elephants - some never leave Tuli, while others range into Zimbabwe and
South Africa - as well as the co-existence of the elephants and vegetation.
The big question is whether there are too many elephants for the land to
support.
Selier believes elephants will not continue breeding
to the detriment of their environment, and that eventually they and the
vegetation will reach a balance. She also fears culling will set back the
excellent relationship between elephants and the reserve guests, causing the
elephants to become shy and remote at best and aggressive at
worst.
"The economy of this area is built on what we can show
guests, and the fact that we can get so close and even interact with the
animals means that people want to come here.
"If we started
culling we'd set our relationship with the elephants back by 20
years."
But others believe that if an elephant population explosion
damages the environment so badly that it becomes a desert, then the
elephants will leave and the visitors will stay away.
But
before the big question can be answered, accurate figures are needed. Selier
believes between 200 and 300 are permanent residents, with numbers rising to
1 400 in summer.
"In winter they move off looking for water and
food, but in summer families are reunited. Just like we get together at
Christmas, so do the elephants!"
While the big questions are
investigated, the Tuli elephants have major cham-pions in Selier and
Patane.
Zanu PF has put on a spectacular display
this past few weeks. They have fought each other, gathered in large numbers
and feasted on the carcass of what was once a proud, liberation movement
engaged in the process of securing freedom for the people they
represented.
We were visiting a large cattle farm in the midlands
for a weekend. The previous night a cow had died giving birth to a calf and
the carcass was lying out in a vlei some distance from the homestead. The
farmer said he would leave it there to see what the vultures did. The first
bird appeared about 11.00 hrs. We saw it high in the sky, just a small dot
amongst the clouds. By 15.00 hrs there were close to 300 birds on the carcass
and by evening there was little left except a bit of skin and the larger
bones.
I was told that the vultures have very acute eyesight and
that when a single bird sees a possible prey, its behavior is immediately
communicated to others in the vicinity. The 300 birds we saw probably came
from an area covering hundreds of square kilometers.
They are
a spectacular bird in flight - there are few who can compare, but on the
ground they are ugly, savage creatures with little regard for each other and
no respect for the animals they feed on - and anything is fair game to
them.
The leadership of Zanu has an uncanny resemblance to these
predators in the veldt. They can see that the present leadership is on its
last legs and will soon go - so they fly down and sit in trees near the dying
animal, waiting for their time to come. When the animal dies - or is nearly
dead, they gather in their hundreds to feed on the carcass. The fact that
there will be nothing left after they have finished is of little consequence
to them - it is the feast that counts while it lasts. Then when it is over,
they will rest for a while with full bellies before flying to distance places
to hunt again.
The old Zanu is dead - has been for years.
Zimbabwe is dying and all we have to show for life is a collection of
vultures who seek to reap what they can before flying away to distant lands
where they can enjoy the fruits of their savagery. These vultures are also
splendid in flight - Gucci shoes and handbags, luxury cars and Saville Row
suits. But think for a while about the carcass; once proud and committed, now
simply a pile of rotting meat and bones.
This has not been a
good week for Africa. At the UN the African block prevented the General
Assembly from debating human and political rights in Zimbabwe and Sudan. The
EU tabled the Zimbabwe resolution and this was blocked by South Africa on
behalf of the African group at the UN. The same strategy was followed on the
Sudan resolution - much more difficult to understand because of the genocide
aspects of the situation in the Darfur region.
To say that the
international community was angry at this display of African tolerance of the
blatant disregard by African States such as Zimbabwe and Sudan for the rights
of their people is to put it mildly. Mbeki needs to be careful in such
matters, as there are limits to his "diplomatic and political capital" as a
consequence of his status as the President of the most important African
State and regional superpower.
It now looks unlikely that
Zimbabwe will comply with the SADC rules for free and fair elections.
Certainly, compliance in the three months that remain before we are supposed
to go to the polls is now impossible. So the MDC has a tough decision to make
- do we contest the elections? Go through the trauma of a violent electoral
process with many people being beaten, traumatized, imprisoned and even
killed for their political views. Do we allow the State to starve our
supporters into submission and to use the threat of expulsion from their
communities and homes if they support the MDC?
Go thorough all
of that again - for the third time in 4 years, just to see the electoral
process completely subverted and a false result emerge which Zanu will crow
was a victory for the "people" and to hear many other African States welcome
the outcome and demand that the rest of the world "respect the outcome". To
argue that if we were then unhappy with the process we can do what the people
of the Ukraine have done is just patent nonsense. Mugabe would never allow
mass demonstrations in support of democracy in Zimbabwe. The Courts are
simply a sick joke - we have been waiting for 4 years for the results of the
cases we launched after the 2000 elections and for nearly three years for the
presidential election challenge to be heard.
Then to have our
tiny group of elected Members of Parliament insulted, abused, poisoned and
beaten or imprisoned, and simply swamped in Parliament by the votes of the
majority appointed by Mugabe under the present constitution. We cannot stop
or even influence legislation and in any new Parliament, Zanu is almost
certain to have a clear two-thirds majority with which to change the
constitution.
Once again an African country is faced with the
choice - use violence and illegal means to overthrow a government that cannot
be removed democratically because the whole system is so completely subverted
or simply continue to suffer under a regime that looks increasingly like the
Burmese Junta or the North Korean autocracy. Most will simply choose to slip
away and go to live in other countries where they do not have to face
such choices. Perhaps we are on our way to a country where "we have 6
million rural people left who support Zanu PF." (D Mutasa in
2002).
South Africa alone has the power and the legitimate right
to insist on a free and fair election in Zimbabwe. They are not going to
deliver and will, like us, have to live with the consequences. No matter how
they dress this decision up, no one who supported the struggle in South
Africa for justice and change will be able to accept this blatant subversion,
like the vote on Sudan, of the most fundamental principles and values that
the new South Africa stands for in the world.
President Tsvangirai's Tuesday message to the
people of Zimbabwe
When your opponent has been in power for close
to a quarter of a century, runs a minority party dependant on state
institutions for that party's continued existence and sustenance, it becomes
inevitable for the nation to follow his political
behaviour.
A retiring chief executive officer naturally attracts
attention if he openly interferes with the selection and appointment of his
successor, especially when the governance record of that potential pensioner
led to a near demise of the organization he has led for 27
years.
Though the process, the internal succession mechanisms,
the management of political transitions within political parties remains a
private affair, the bigger picture shows potential dangers at a national
level should a similar style and practice be applied when handling a
national leadership transition for a country in as deep a crisis as that in
Zimbabwe today.
Granted, what happened in Zanu PF last week set
in motion an agenda for a political evolution of that party's internal
leadership? But by extension the event opened up debate on the broad
national question regarding the pending national changeover of the current
political leadership to a new Zimbabwe. If the chaos and the circus we all
witnessed last week, in particular the manner in which that process was
handled replicates itself at a national level, Zimbabwe faces a serious
catastrophe in the near future.
Beyond political parties, we need
to harness our collective energies and confront the reality on the ground.
We have passed the stage when succession is merely a question of who garners
the largest numbers of votes. We are far beyond the issue of winning or
losing power. We have passed the stage when the crisis can be wished away
through references to history, the liberation war, the usual camaraderie and
nostalgic oldies.
After the stolen Presidential election in 2002,
we counselled for a political solution. We maintain that position today. We
risk an implosion, given what lies ahead. Mudding a political opponent in a
polarized nation leaves everybody muddied. And, there are no winners.
Defence requires a combination of offence, trade-offs and flexibility to
translate into political progress, creating space for human
development.
Consider the events of the last few days and you
will see that the political climate is actually deteriorating. Parliament
sits for 16 hours. Repressive legislation is rushed through. Chimanimani MP
Roy Bennet languishes at a prison in Mutoko. New controls on the media.
These are paper crowns which never bring about a better Zimbabwe. Nor do
they raise our standing within the international community? Are our people
developing greater confidence in our systems, confidence in our country as a
democratic model?
We cautioned against excessive reliance on a
legislative formula as a governance tool. We advised against intolerance,
emotion, unchecked love for power and partisanship in national affairs. We
have been vindicated. But we remain deeply concerned that the grass is now
so dry that any form of carelessness, in particular within the next two to
three months, could lead to an inferno.
The key issues
confronting us in the next 90 days are election management, the unending
humanitarian emergency and a looming constitutional disaster. In my travels
in the SADC region, in West Africa and in Europe, it became clear to me that
if one political party forces a victory through a flawed electoral process,
the crisis of legitimacy shall remain with us, at least for another five
years. It further dawned on me that if we participate in the election in
March, regardless of the conditions, and win, that victory shall ignite a
serious constitutional firestorm, pitting the incumbency against the people.
The country risks running aground; the political setting will quiver
significantly towards a dangerous direction if the people are denied the
opportunity to participate in the forthcoming Parliamentary
election.
These matters require sensitive political
management, a patriotic analysis and insightful leadership beyond political
parties and individuals. We have been thrust into a mess that requires all
stakeholders to tackle without bias, vengeance and political emotions. We
must think deeper at the implications of our actions. We must caution
against our personal egos - stroked by hired crowds, inconsequential praise
singers, unlimited Press and television coverage and
deceit.
To the new Zanu PF leadership, I welcome you with the
same old message: I am still holding out that olive branch. An opportunity
for a rapid turnaround of our fortunes is still possible. Zimbabwe requires
a soft landing. May I call, once again, for a search for a political
solution before it is too late? We check our national transition in order to
realize a win-win situation. There is no other way out of the
crisis.
The grim reality around us can never disappear unless we
all put our heads together. At the end of the temporary and phony cheers,
beyond the fake whispers and mislaid bravado, we must remember that the
people still have to pick up the pieces. Soon after leaving our convention
centre, we face the same long fuel queues, hungry children and food
shortages, a runaway HIV/Aids pandemic, collapsing infrastructure,
unmanageable unemployment and a dying economy.
To the people
of Zimbabwe, I am aware of what you have had to endure to reach this stage.
We are confident that nothing has no end, it is true. I recognize the
significant strides you are making every day, in spite of the personal
challenges you deal with. Let us continue to organize and debate the future.
With the SADC guidelines on the conduct of national elections at hand, let
us evaluate the political temperature in preparation for a comprehensive
review of our stance regarding participation in the March parliamentary
election.
A new beginning, a new Zimbabwe is only possible source
of food and jobs.
MUTARE - Tineyi
Chigudu, the permanent secretary for mines, appears set to take over the
leadership of Zanu PF in Manicaland after the unceremonious suspension of
Mike Madiro last week.
Zanu PF sources yesterday said consensus
within their party's upper ranks was that Chigudu should take over as the
provincial chairman ahead of Deputy Minister Kenneth Manyonda and
businessman Shadreck Beta.
Chigudu, who is the Zanu PF
provincial secretary for legal affairs, was not immediately available for
comment. It was also not clear when Chigudu would take over the reins of
power since Madiro's suspension elapses after six month.
Madiro and five other ruling party provincial chairmen were suspended by the
Politburo for allegedly convening an 'illegal' meeting in Tshlolotshlo were
they resolved to back the candidature of Emmerson Mnangagwa for the post of
second vice-president.
Mnangagwa, the Speaker of Parliament and
Zanu PF secretary for administration, lost the post to Joyce Mujuru, the
Minister of Water and Rural Development.
Mujuru had the
support of President Robert Mugabe, the influential women's league and
stalwarts such as her husband, Solomon, a retired army commander, Nicholas
Goche, Kumbirai Kangai Sydney Sekeremayi, and Saviour Kasukuwere among other
gurus.
Madiro's suspension was certainly painful. He initiated
several development programmes in Mutare South where he was hoping to stand
as the Zanu PF candidate in the March parliamentary
election.
This leaves rural businessman Clifford Piki and top
war veteran Levy Gwarada to battle it out in the contest to win the right to
stand in the election on a Zanu PF ticket.
Zanu PF sources
say Madiro paid dearly for failing to properly gauge the political
temperatures in the ruling party.
"Madiro does not really
understand Zanu PF politics and particularly the President," said one top
Zanu PF member from Manicaland. "You do not oppose Mugabe and expect not to
have bruises. Madiro should ask those who worked with the President during
the liberation struggle."
Madiro and the other five suspended
provincial chairmen vociferously campaigned for Mnangagwa even when Mugabe
had made his intentions known that he was for Mujuru, who was sworn in as
the country's second vice-president on Monday amid strong speculation she
will automatically be Mugabe's heir apparent.
Manicaland
province, where Madiro and his lieutenants, worked round the clock to secure
a Mnangagwa vote, went to Mujuru courtesy of last minute manoeuvres by
Kangai, Oppah Muchinguri and upcoming politicians such as Charles Pemhenayi,
a top tobacco farmer and lately a Zanu PF central committee
member.
"Madiro almost burst into tears after Mnangagwa lost
the vote," said a Zanu PF provincial member. "He `was shocked because he
thought it was already in the bag."
Meanwhile, seven Zanu
PF members from Manicaland were confirmed members of the influential central
committee at the just-ended ruling party congress.
The
seven are transport tycoon, Isau Mupfumi, Pemhenayi, businessmen Munacho
Mutezo and Enock Porusingazi, Stanley Shamido, John Kadzima and a Mr Mutomba
who upstaged Manyonda in Buhera.
Absence of Experienced Docs Blamed for Rise in TB Cases
The
Herald (Harare)
December 7, 2004 Posted to the web December 7,
2004
Harare
THE absence of experienced doctors at health
institutions in Chitungwiza has contributed to the high incidence of
tuberculosis (TB) and improper diagnosis, a council health committee's
report has revealed.
In its report, the committee noted that TB cases
were on the increase and that council clinics had attended to 3 243 TB cases
in October alone.
"The absence of experienced doctors at Chitungwiza
General Hospital has continued to affect the proper diagnosis of the
disease," the report said.
Cases of wrong diagnosis had increased, the
committee reported to the full council meeting last week.
An exodus
of health personnel to greener pastures has hit the country while some
joined private practice where remuneration and working conditions are
attractive.
Health services director, Dr Mike Simoyi attributed the
increase in the cases of TB to the ravaging HIV and Aids scourge.
The
report noted with concern, the high incidence of TB in children blamed on
overcrowding in homes and on HIV and Aids.
Dr Simoyi said TB accounted
for 80 percent of all HIV and Aids cases.
"This figure is an
underestimate as the contact systems that used to exist in the country are
no longer as strong as they used to be," said Dr Simoyi.
He said the
problem was "multi-faceted" and a community one.
Dr Simoyi said
intervention programmes such as the land reform programme had seen the
majority of people gaining access to land and improving food
security.
Chitungwiza council clinics, he said, had started training
relatives of people suffering from TB to administer the Direct Observed
Treatment System (DOTS) at home in a bid to mitigate the shortage of
staff.
Dr Simoyi hailed the Government for increasing accessibility of TB
drugs which patients get for free.
He said there was need for council
to educate residents on the disease but revealed that council was
constrained by limited financial and human resources
Wildlife anthrax epidemic looms over Southern Africa
December
07, 2004, 18:15
Hundreds of buffaloes and elephants continue to die in
the northern parts of Botswana as the country faces a second anthrax
outbreak in less than four months. The hardest hit is the Chobe Lodge which
was partially forced to closure during the first outbreak.
Wildlife
authorities have destroyed a total of 830 carcasses to date, of which 725
were buffaloes and 60 elephants. The disease is said to be spreading to
neighbouring Namibia and Zimbabwe. South African wildlife is also at risk of
contracting the disease in areas where Mozambique's Limpopo National Park
meets the Kruger National Park.
Sennye Neo-Mahupeleng of Botswana
Wildlife told the Botswana Press Association that disposal measures such as
burning and burying of carcasses have been instituted. She said all the
vehicles that enter or leave the national park are also sprayed with the
chemical, formalin, to reduce the spread of the disease. Due to limited
resources, the department of wildlife in Botswana could not dispose of 17
other carcasses, which were later taken by the Namibians, for disposal in
their country.
The first outbreak of anthrax was in September this year.
At that time, wildlife officials found 248 carcasses of buffalo and 12
elephants tested positive for anthrax. Anthrax is a fatal bacterial disease
that can also be transmitted to humans. In animals, it is characterised by
blood discharge from the mouth and nostrils leading to death. In humans the
symptoms are skin patches, lungs, vomiting, fever and ultimately death if
not treated.
The department of wildlife in Botswana has issued a warning
against eating meat of wild animals that have died in mysterious
circumstances.
Harare - Zimbabwe's Petroleum Marketers'
Association has opened tenders for the supply of petrol and
diesel.
The latest move comes as fuel queues snake through Harare's
streets while motorists wait patiently for fuel.
The PMA said
on Tuesday it was tendering for the monthly supply of 24 million litres of
petrol and 26 million litres of diesel, with supplies expected to flow from
January. The tender would close on December 16.
The tender is the
latest plan in a saga that has seen the country reel under sporadic fuel
shortages since economic decline began in 2000.
An official in the
PMA, who declined to be named, said: "The situation is such that come next
year there should be no periodic stock-outs as we are experiencing at the
moment."
Meanwhile, commuter taxi driver John Takawira told Sapa:
"We are tired of this nonsense. This week there is diesel but no petrol,
last week there was petrol but no diesel. It is impossible to plan and
impossible to make money."
Retired office worker Mishek
Mubaya, waiting on a roadside in Harare's Avondale suburb said: "It's
ridiculous and all the government does is tell us lies, promising that fuel
supplies will return to normal.
"We know now that when they return
to normal it will be for a week, no more, then it will run out again.
Thousands of us will be trying to go home to our villages for
Christmas. How are we going to get there if there is no fuel?"
Mubaya, waiting for a lift to a city centre bank, said a trip that normally
took him 20 minutes now took most of the morning because of the fuel
shortage.
"There are too few taxis," he said. "They're all in
petrol queues. Thank you (President Robert) Mugabe."
Zimbabwe's
national fuel bill has dropped to about $30-million a month, down from
$40-million a month before economic and political crisis hit the country in
2000, sparked by farm invasions and electoral violence. - Sapa