Independent (UK)
Mugabe men 'shot white farmer and drank his blood'
By
Basildon Peta Southern Africa Correspondent
25 October 2002
Rampaging war
veterans killed a white farmer, David Stevens, and drank his
blood mixed with
alcohol, the Zimbabwe High Court has been told. The
accusation was made by a
witness testifying against four militants from the
ruling Zanu-PF party,
charged with the murder in April 2000 of Mr Stevens, a
farmer and opposition
political activist.
The militants are the first to face trial over the
deaths of 12 white
farmers - and 200 black activists - at the hands of
President Robert
Mugabe's supporters after the Zimbabwe government unleashed
a violent
campaign to seize and occupy white farms.
The High Court
heard that war veterans occupying Mr Stevens' Arizona Farm,
in Macheke, 100
miles east of the capital, Harare, frogmarched him to their
office in the
nearby Murehwa district. He was beaten and then dragged to a
burial shrine
for heroes of the 1970s independence war, where he was shot.
"One of them
knelt over Stevens' body and brought a container filled with
blood, which
they mixed with alcohol and shared among themselves," the
witness, who cannot
be named for his own protection, told the High Court
judge, Benjamin
Paradza.
The four accused - Richard Svisviro, Muyengwa Munyuki, Charles
Matanda and
Douglas Chitekuteku - were arrested and remanded shortly after
the murder. A
fifth suspect, Banda Katsvamudanga, has
disappeared.
This month, Jocyline Chiwenga, the wife of Zimbabwe's army
commander,
threatened to kill a white farmer, saying she had not "tasted
white blood"
for a long time. The farmer is taking legal step to recover
money for his
produce, which was soldafter Mrs Chiwenga forcibly evicted
him.
In a separate development Geoffrey Nyarota, editor of the Daily
News,
Zimbabwe's only independent newspaper, has been charged with
"undermining
confidence" in the police by publishing claims of police torture
made in
court by an opposition activist.
ABC News
Zimbabwe Newspaper Editor Charged
Police Charge Zimbabwe
Newspaper Editor With Violating Stringent New
Security Laws
The
Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe Oct. 24 - Police have
charged the editor of
Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper with
violating stringent new
security laws, his newspaper reported
Thursday.
Daily News editor Geoff Nyarota was charged Wednesday
with
"undermining confidence" in the police by publishing allegations of
police
torture given by an opposition activist in court.
The
51-year-old Nyarota was not held, and no court date has been set
for the
case. If convicted, he could face 10 years in prison.
The charge
the latest move in a government crackdown on the media
stemmed from a Daily
News story about Thomas Spicer, 18, who testified
police tortured him last
month with beatings and electric shocks.
Police Inspector Charles
Mavhangira said the story was, "either wholly
or materially
false."
Nyarota stood by the Daily News story.
"The
statements published were on the basis of firsthand information
and the
source of information was disclosed. Publication was in the public
interest,"
he said, according to the Daily News.
Spicer's mother, filmmaker
Edwina Spicer, said medical reports backed
up her son's case.
"Tom could hardly walk and his mouth was lacerated from electric
shocks they
applied on him," she said. Her son is out on bail and being
treated in South
Africa.
Nyarota has won awards for his work from the United
Nations, the World
Newspaper Congress, and Human Rights Watch. In recent
months, he has been
repeatedly charged with violating Zimbabwe's new security
and media laws.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.
POACHING: Snares continue to kill and injure many thousands of wild
animals in National Parks and throughout Zimbabwe. On the game count, observers
saw a number of animals with apparent snare injuries, including a number of
elephant with injuries to the legs and trunk. Two young elephant with leg
injuries have been immobilized and treated by volunteers from the research teams
in the park. This month, Sharon Pincott of the elephant research project, in her
newsletter "LETTERS FROM ZIMBABWE" gives us a touching story about one such
animal. It shows that many people care deeply about our animals, and are willing
to take substantial personal risks to help them.
"LETTERS FROM ZIMBABWE" (No. 28) - 18 September 2002 by Sharon
Pincott
The day dawned like any other, but today we would change a life - an
elephant’s life. With all of the permissions now in place, we prepared to remove
the tight wire embedded deep in the right back leg of a little 4-year-old calf.
For the last few weeks the snared elephant family had been drinking regularly at
Kanondo pan on the ‘Touch the Wild’ estate. A small family of only 8, with 3
adult females, they hadn’t wandered far from the pan, the snared calf clearly
unable to walk long distances. Today I would go to Kanondo pan earlier than
normal to await their arrival. Would today be the day that they didn’t arrive? I
felt somewhat nervous and uneasy. The head Painted Hunting Dog researcher soon
joined me. With dangerous drugs license and extensive darting experience, he was
key to the operation. Both mother and baby would need to be immobilised, and he
would be the one to do this.
There were now ‘plenty plus’ elephants around the pan. There were many
different family groups present. Too many, I feared, although I knew that some
would soon move off. Through binoculars, I sighted the snared elephant family.
The horrific snare wound was getting worse by the day. The little snared
elephant kept his foot in the air and swung it backwards and forwards at every
opportunity. It was very swollen, very infected and clearly very painful. I
radioed for backup. ‘Touch the Wild’ armed support and National Parks
representatives quickly arrived. We positioned ourselves. From the back of open
4WD, the head Painted Hunting Dog researcher took aim with the first dart. It
was a tranquiliser, and it was directed at the snared calf’s mother. She would
potentially cause us the biggest threat. Rather than bring her completely down
it was agreed that she would instead be tranquilised so that she would continue
to stand, albeit in a sedated state.
The dart hit. A pink-feathered dart now protruded from her rump. Shocked by
the sting of the dart she ran a few paces, and then continued to move off. More
tranquiliser was needed. A second dart had already been prepared. It was a
perfect hit once again, and now she had two pink-feathered darts in her rump.
She moved off further into the bush, while we did some 4WD ‘bush bashing’ to
keep up with her. The family group moved with her, the snared calf at her heels.
We waited. Although she was clearly feeling the effects of the tranquiliser, a
third tranquiliser dart was fired from ground level, with armed support, just to
be sure that she was properly sedated. Although she was vocalising, the other
family members stayed a short distance away. A big old bull came to harass her,
and us, but thankfully he soon moved off.
It was time now to administer the immobilising drug to the calf. Fired again
from ground level, with armed support, it was another perfect hit. In no time at
all, the calf was down. Now the family group moved in. One adult female stayed
longer than the rest, but she too soon ran off. It was a different, much better
scenario than we all had expected. Why didn’t the family group stay with the
tranquilised mother and the immobilised calf? Was it because the mother (who is
also the matriarch) was still standing, and appeared to still be in control? Was
it because she communicated in infrasound, a vocalisation that we could not
hear, and warned the other family members of perceived danger? Was she in such a
tranquilised state that she was not capable of communicating properly, and this
scared the family group more than anything else? So many questions will remain
unanswered.
Whatever the reasons, we were soon presented with the ideal environment - the
calf down on his side, the mother in a ‘standing immobilised’ position close by,
and no family members in the immediate vicinity. It was a little disconcerting
working on a calf with mum standing just metres away. Everything continued to go
like clockwork however. Armed support kept guard while multiple strands of
ridiculously thick twisted wire was removed from the snared leg. Massive amounts
of antibiotics were injected. Water was continuously sprayed on and under the
calf’s ear to keep him cool. Working quickly, the reversal was soon administered
and the calf, after a long deep snort, scrambled to his feet and walked straight
on over to his mother’s side. Joy. Relief. Pride. We smiled. We hugged. The
sweet smell of success. The head Painted Hunting Dog researcher walking up to
the ‘standing immobilised’ mother to remove the three pink darts from her rump
and to administer a reversal, all by hand, definitely wasn’t in the original
game plan. Thankfully he’s still around to tell the story!
Next day, I sighted the family of 8 drinking again at Kanondo pan. It was
confirmation of a job well done. The family unit was back together. The calf was
putting more weight on his little injured leg. The family showed no signs of
agitation at my close presence, despite their recent ordeal. I said a quiet
thank you. The antibiotics will help the horrific wound to heal. If needs be,
more antibiotics will be administered using a dart gun, without the need for a
second immobilization. Kind donations of monies for drugs help make everything
possible. It’s true. We can all help to make a difference.
CTV Canada
Zimbabwe speeding toward catastrophic famine
By Sandra
Dimitrakopoulos, CTV News Staff
Zimbabwe was once called the bread basket of
Africa. Today, it is a place
where millions are facing starvation and the
hope of food is fading as white
farmers are forced off their land.
"In our
community, we don't have anything to help us," says one woman
from
Marambinda, Zimbabwe. "And there is not enough sufficient
food."
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, a total of
14.4
million people are starving in southern Africa -- a whopping 6.7 million
in
Zimbabwe alone.
Zimbabwe's government blames a 20-year drought, but it
is clear the
controversial land reform program that calls for the
redistribution of land
owned by white farmers to blacks -- many of whom are
President Robert
Mugabe's supporters -- has played a part.
In many
regions, the farmland has been divided up into plots to be given to
landless
blacks.
However, it seems as if much of the land goes to supporters of
Mugabe's
Zanu-PF party. Turning the land into plots could also mean the end
of
commercial farming.
The UN already feeds six million people in the
country, but international
experts are warning Zimbabwe is moving past the
brink. Its next harvest
could be so meagre, the famine could become
catastrophic. Even aid agencies
may be powerless to help.
"UNICEF is
supporting supplementary feeding programs in the five districts
totalling
189,000 children under five," says Mayke Hurgbregts Elfving
of
UNICEF.
Meanwhile, food aid from foreign countries has become scarce
amid reports
that Mugabe is denying food to regions supporting the opposition
political
parties. Last week, the UN stopped delivering food to one area
where
political intimidation had become intolerable.
Jongwe's Death Sparks Debate
The Herald
(Harare)
EDITORIAL
October 23, 2002
Posted to the web October 23,
2002
Harare
THE tragic death of Learnmore Jongwe is the latest
high profile incident
which has sparked fresh debate about 'ngozi' (avenging
spirits) in
Zimbabwe's social and political circles.
And already
sociologists say the death of one of Zimbabwe's youngest
lawmakers in a
prison cell could be related to the 'ngozi' of his wife,
Rutendo, who died
after being allegedly stabbed by Jongwe at their home
in
Harare.
"When you do strange things they also lead you into
strange things," says
University of Zimbabwe sociologist, Mr Claude Mararike.
"Strange deeds lead
into strange deeds."
"Mukadzi wake apfuka.
Ndozvazvinoita, ingozi iyi," he says. "All Africans
will give you that
interpretation."
Jongwe (28), an MDC Member of Parliament for Kuwadzana
was facing charges of
murdering his wife in July.
He was denied bail
several times on the grounds that he was likely to
abscond or harm
himself.
A post-mortem report revealed that there was a savage and brutal
attack on
Rutendo with a formidable weapon, a kitchen knife.
"You
don't spill blood and get away with it in our African culture,"
Mararike
says. "This is instant revenge on the part of the aggrieved spirit.
The white
Roman Dutch Law does not help to handle such matters."
He says even if
one goes to court, pays bail and is freed, blood spilt is
too sacred to set
one free.
"These are not matters that can be dealt through the white
man's court," he
argues. "You will never be free even if the white man's
court sets you
free."
He says the Jongwe tragedy should send a frisson
of alarm to all young
people.
"Young people must learn that if you do
such a thing you will never be
free," he says. "The ngozi will eventually
catch up with you."
Other sociologists say this is the beginning of a big
scale of trouble for
the Jongwe family.
"The Jongwe family never
attended the burial of Rutendo nor did we hear of
moves to appease their
in-laws," says a sociologist who declined to be
named.
"A pall of
gloom will continue to hang over the Jongwe family unless they
take the
traditional route to appease the Muushas."
At her burial, Rutendo's
father Mr Chino Muusha deplored Jongwe's violent
behaviour and said he wished
Jongwe could die in the same manner his
daughter had died.
"My
daughter died violently and painfully. I am not a judge but if I were
one, I
would have ordered that Learnmore should die in the same manner that
my
daughter died so that he felt the pain," said Mr Muusha emotionally.
"God
is for us all and judges will do their job."
Some commentators say the
Jongwe tragedy will rock future hopes of the two
remaining MDC legislators,
Tafadzwa Musekiwa and Job Sikhala and the party's
youth.
"When they
came in they were branded as the new breed of young Turks," said
a
commentator who declined to be named. "They made history but I think
there
was a lot of pressure on them."
The trio made history in the
June 2000 parliamentary election by beating
seasoned politicians to win
tickets to Parliament.
But, just as they climbed the mountain,
commentators say the trio was
overwhelmed by the vertigo's
standing.
"Student politics is different from real national politics,"
says one
analyst. "This partly explains the Jongwe tragedy - a case of one
being
overwhelmed by success at a tender age."
Mr Mararike strongly
denies this.
"It's not success," he says. "It's just that he did not
manage his social
life properly."
Dr Vimbai Chivaura, a UZ social
commentator says people should not make
mileage on the misfortune of the
Jongwe family.
"People should be sympathetic and help the two families to
come together,"
he says. "My sympathy is with the baby (the couple's baby).
We engage in
politics to build the nation, not to celebrate other people's
misery."
Already, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is now using the death of
Jongwe to
evoke political support from his western backers by blaming
President Mugabe
for the death of Jongwe despite pending investigations by
the police.
"We hold the Mugabe regime accountable for the death of
Jongwe," he said.
Jongwe was born on April 28 1974 in Zhombe in the
Midlands province.
He did his primary education at Samambwa Primary
School from 1982 to 1989
and his secondary education at Nyaradzo High
School.
He did his 'A' levels at Gweru Adventist High
School.
After completing his 'A' levels, he enrolled at the University of
Zimbabwe
in 1995 for a Bachelor of Laws Honours degree.
Between 1995
and 1996, he was an executive member of Zimbabwe Law Students
Association and
was UZ's Student Union president between 1996 and 1997.
He was elected
president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union during the
same
period.
Jongwe graduated in 1999 and joined a Harare-based legal firm
before he went
into politics full-time when the MDC was formed.
He
contested and won the Kuwadzana seat in the June 2000
parliamentary
elections.
His demise started in July when he stabbed
his wife several times after a
dispute.
He was arrested for the murder
of his wife and the courts denied him bail on
several occasions arguing that
Jongwe was likely to abscond or harm himself.
His death closes a sad
chapter in the career of one of the youngest
lawmakers in the country.
Group Seeks Intervention on Zim Situation
World Organisation
Against Torture (Geneva)
PRESS RELEASE
October 23, 2002
Posted to
the web October 23, 2002
Geneva
The International Secretariat of
OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in
the following situation in
Zimbabwe.
New Information
The International Secretariat of OMCT
has been informed by the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU), a member of the OMCT network, of
the release of Raymond Majongwe,
the secretary- general of the Progressive
Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ).
According to the information received, Raymond Majongwe has been
arrested
two times by the police. His first arrest on October 9 was followed
by a
48-hours in police custody during which he was reportedly ill-treated.
In
this respect, it is reported that Mr. Majongwe appeared before the
court
with a torn shirt and injuries to one eye and an arm. After his release
on
bail on October 11, Mr. Majongwe has been re-arrested by the police
on
October 16 2002 and released on October 21, after the court found that
the
state had failed to make its case against him. It is reported that he
is
nevertheless due to appear in court again on October 25, after being
charged
under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), an act that makes it
an
offence for "any person who, acting in concert with one or more
other
persons, forcibly invades the rights of other people".
Brief
reminder of the situation
According to the information received, Raymond
Majongwe was a leader of a
strike launched by the PTUZ on October 8, and was
arrested for his picket
action, allegedly for threatening teachers who were
not involved in the
strike at two schools in the capital, Harare. Two other
leaders of the PTUZ,
Innocent Moyo and Enock Paradzayi were allegedly
arrested as a result of the
strike, and 627 teachers were
dismissed.
It is reported that the teachers went on strike to demand a
100% pay rise
that would compensate their loss of purchasing power following
the inflation
of the Zimbabwean currency, the Zimbabwean dollar (Z$), which
is currently
running at 135%. In this context, a high school teacher in
Zimbabwe
allegedly earn 20'000 Z$ (US$364) a month, which is much less than
other
civil servants.
Action Requested
Please write to the
Zimbabwean authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee that Raymond Majongwe
be given a fair trial before an impartial
and independent civil
tribunal;
ii. guarantee an immediate investigation into the circumstances
of these
events, identify those responsible, bring them before a competent
and
impartial civil tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or
administrative
sanctions provided by law;
iii. call for the immediate
reinstatement of the 627 dismissed teachers;
iv. guarantee the respect
for economic, social and cultural rights and
labour rights of the workers,
including the right to work, the right to fair
wages guaranteeing a decent
living for the workers and their families, the
right to form and join trade
unions and the right to strike.
Addresses
. President Robert
Mugabe Fax: 263 4 79 03 16 / 263 4 73 46 44.
. Home Affairs Ministry Mr.
Dumiso Dabenjwa Fax: 263 4 72 67 16.
Please also write to the embassies
of Zimbabwe in your respective country
The Herald
Zanu-PF intensifies campaign for Insiza
From Bulawayo
Bureau
ZANU-PF yesterday intensified its onslaught in Insiza constituency
with a
trail-blazing campaign spearheaded by at least seven cabinet ministers
and
other senior party and Government officials as the ruling party prepares
to
wrest the vacant seat during a by-election set for this
weekend.
With a day left before the crucial poll, Zanu-PF has emerged as
the
favourites to win the election following the ruling party's inroads into
the
constituency.
Cabinet ministers, Professor Jonathan Moyo, Dr
Ignatius Chombo, Cde Elliot
Manyika, Cde Kembo Mohadi, Dr Joseph Made, Cde
Nicholas Goche and Cde
Sithembiso Nyoni yesterday descended on Insiza and
addressed separate
rallies at different parts of the
constituency.
Speaking at a meeting with chiefs, headmen and village
heads at Avoca
Business Centre, the Minister of Local Government, Public
Works and National
Housing, Dr Chombo said the ruling party had made
tremendous gains in
Matabeleland since the June 2000 parliamentary elections
and had effectively
wrapped up the Insiza seat.
Zanu-PF won all but
two seats during the recent rural council elections in
Insiza
district.
"I was in my home area in Zvimba when the results of the
council elections
were announced. I could not believe it. We wish to
congratulate you for
showing MDC the door.
"Where I come from
(Zvimba), we had 28 wards and we won in all of them. MDC
failed to field a
single candidate because we said our boundaries were
closed to that party,"
he said.
Dr Chombo said MDC had lied to the electorate during the 2000
parliamentary
elections.
"I am glad you later realised that they were
fooling you. When we took land
from whites, they said no . . . don't give
land to blacks . . . they are
lazy, they cannot farm.
"They (MDC) were
saying that because they are puppets for whites. They could
not say take land
from whites when they are working for them.
"Therefore, your Government
and President Mugabe saw it fit to give you back
your land . . . you are the
rightful owners," he said.
Dr Chombo disclosed that before the end of the
year, chiefs would have large
areas under their jurisdiction because of the
land reform programme.
"We are taking the land that was rightfully under
your (Chiefs) territory
and giving it back to you. (Mr) Tony Blair of Britain
says we should give
land back to his children . . . the whites in Zimbabwe.
But there is not
even a single black person who owns one acre of land in
Britain.
"That is why Cde Mugabe says 'Blair keep your England, I will
keep my
Zimbabwe'," he said.
Cde Andrew Langa, the Zanu-PF candidate,
locks horns with MDC's Mr Siyabonga
Ncube during the election which begins on
Saturday.
Dr Chombo was accompanied by the Zanu-PF Women's League
national chairman,
Cde Thenjiwe Lesabe, the deputy Minister of Local
Government, Public Works
and national Housing, Chief Fortune Charumbira,
Zanu-PF Matabeleland South
provincial chairman, Cde Lloyd Siyoka and Chief
Maduna of Insiza.
It was unfair, he said, for white farmers in
Matabeleland to own large
tracts of ranches while blacks wallow in
unproductive land.
"Here you have the likes of the Goddards and his
children who gave each
other land totalling 52 000 hectares. All of you here
under Chief Maduna,
your land does not even add up to this. Even Christianity
and democracy do
not allow for that kind of selfishness.
"To a white
man, democracy is said to be well and alive when the black man
is suffering
and poor. They (whites) have corrupted our minds.
"They think they are
eternally privileged. We want equality. We want to see
more blacks living
alongside whites in the leafy suburbs of Bulawayo," Dr
Chombo
said.
MDC had no wish to see blacks empowered. It is a white-funded party
created
to serve its masters and perpetuate white supremacy and
dominance.
Government will review the allowances for village heads
currently pegged at
$1 000 per month.
"Although this is little, it is
a gesture from Government in appreciation of
your sterling work. By the end
of the year, we will review your allowances
because of the high cost of
living," said Dr Chombo.
The people of Insiza had been given a second
opportunity to redeem
themselves and vote overwhelmingly for Zanu-PF in the
weekend by-election.
"Lets forget about what happened in June 2 000. This
time I know we are not
going to fail. You are going to vote for your child
(Cde Langa). When you
have voted him in, I know I am going to come back for
the victory
celebrations party," he said.
The
whole country and parts of the world were keenly watching events in
Insiza as
it is a crucial test for both MDC and Zanu-PF.
"The whole world.that
includes Britain and the United States are watching
closely what is happening
here. You cannot betray us. We will be with you
for the whole week," Dr
Chombo said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Chief Charumbira said
Government was
committed to assisting traditional leaders.
"Don't lead
people astray.Lead them in the right direction.where there is
light," he
said.
Today, (Thursday) the ZANU (PF) juggernaut rolls into Chief
Sibasa's
homestead to witness the ceremony to switch on electricity at the
chief's
home to mark the launch the district's rural electrification
programme.
Government announced earlier this year that it would electrify
homes of all
chiefs under the expanded rural electrification
programme.
Vice President Joseph Msika will officiate at the ceremony,
which will be
attended by thousands of people.
ZANU (PF) secretary for
the commissariat, Cde Manyika will thereafter
address rallies at Lochard
resettlement scheme.
Meanwhile police in Matabeleland South, yesterday
issued a provisional order
banning the carrying of weapons in Insiza
constituency, where a
parliamentary by-election will be held at the
weekend.
The Officer Commanding Gwanda District whose area of
jurisdiction also
covers Filabusi and Fort Rixon, Superintendent Lameck Tsoka
said after
having considered the security and public order situation, he had
decided to
ban the villagers from carrying weapons, which included catapults,
machetes,
axes knobkerries, swords, knives and daggers.
"Being a
police officer and regulating authority for Gwanda District which
covers
Filabusi and Fort Rixon areas that are in Insiza constituency, after
having
considered the security and public order situation in the
constituency I do
hereby declare that the carrying in public or display in
public the said
weapons is prohibited from 23 October to 5 November," said
Sup
Tsoka.
The order to ban the carrying of weapons came in the wake of an
outbreak of
violent incidents in the constituency last week and at the
weekend.
On Saturday police recovered offensive weapons allegedly from
some MDC
officials, while six opposition party youths and an official were
arrested
for sparking violence at Silalatshani Business Centre.
The
weapons included four home-made petrol bombs, two one litre containers
of
petrol, several catapults, stones and a two-pound hammer.
On Wednesday
last week, 14 MDC activists including Bulawayo councillor,
Alderman Charles
Mpofu, were arrested when they attacked the house of ZANU
(PF) candidate, Cde
Andrew Langa.
The 14 have since appeared in court facing charges of
contravening sections
of the Public Order and Security Act. They were
remanded out of custody to 6
November on $5 000 bail each.
At the
weekend a ruling party youth, Cde Mkhululi Ncube was struck with an
axe on
the head at Inyozani Business Centre.
The Insiza seat, which will be
contested by Cde Langa and MDC's Mr Siyabonga
Ncube, fell vacant following
the death of the opposition legislator, Mr
George Joe Ndlovu in August.
Reuters
U.N. Warns of Danger of Ethnic Massacres in
Congo
October 23, 2002 09:13 PM
ET
By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS
(Reuters) - A senior U.N. official warned on Wednesday
of the possibility of
ethnic massacres in a remote corner of eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo,
where clashes have been reported after
incitement of ethnic
hatred.
"We already have some reports of violent killings, where
estimates of
the number of dead range from 200 to a thousand," said U.N.
Deputy Emergency
Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie.
There have
also been reports of children showing up at hospitals with
machete wounds,
she told reporters after a visit to the region to assess
humanitarian
needs.
The reports center on mineral-rich Ituri province in
northeastern
Congo, near the Ugandan border. The area is near Congo's border
with Rwanda
where an estimated 800,000 people were butchered during a 1994
genocide
stemming from ethnic hatred.
The rapid departure of
tens of thousands of Rwandan and Ugandan troops
from eastern Congo in recent
weeks, fulfilling agreements intended to end
the civil war, has instead
created a dangerous power vacuum in the region,
fueling fresh
fighting.
An estimated two million people have already died and
massive human
rights abuses have occurred in Congo's four-year civil war. The
conflict,
Africa's biggest war, erupted in 1998 when rebels backed by Uganda
and
Rwanda tried to topple Congo's Kinshasa government, which was propped up
by
troops from Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia.
Human rights group
Amnesty International urged the U.N. Security
Council last week to prevent
"genocide" in Ituri province and accused the
Ugandan army of involvement in
mass killings and targeted rape.
Amnesty International
Secretary-General Irene Khan said in a letter to
the United Nations that the
area was increasingly seeing "extremist calls
for ethnically pure towns and
villages."
EXTREMIST HATRED ESCALATING
"Extremists who
were once on the margins of the ethnic groups are now
in leading positions.
As extreme hatred is escalating, Amnesty International
fears that deliberate
incitement could lead to the possibility of genocide,"
Khan
said.
She urged the Security Council to increase the number of
U.N.
observers in the region to prevent further attacks against civilians and
to
ensure that attacks against civilians are investigated and
monitored.
McAskie said the council had asked the U.N. peacekeeping
mission in
Congo, known as MONUC, for advice on how to handle the
situation.
"But pure and simple this is beyond MONUC's current
mandate," McAskie
said.
"We have to get the information out,"
she said. "We have to put
pressure on anybody who might be inciting
this."
Armed clashes between members of the Hema and Lendu ethnic
groups have
killed an estimated 50,000 people, mainly civilians, since June
1999 and
forced around 500,000 people to flee Ituri province, Amnesty
International
said.
Residents fleeing the town of Nyankunde in
Ituri province told U.N.
observers in nearby Bunia last month that their
village was attacked by
tribal warriors and fighters from one of several
Ugandan-backed rebel
factions.
Church groups say more than 100
people were killed at Nyankunde town
in Ituri province and 110 others, mostly
women and children, were hacked to
death at nearby Bunia in August.
MSNBC
Mugabe heads for Congo to discuss troop
pullout
HARARE, Oct. 23 - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe left
for Congo on
Wednesday to discuss withdrawing troops deployed to help
Kinshasa fight a
four-year war against rebels and foreign armies, state radio
reported.
Mugabe will meet the leaders of Angola and Namibia,
which along with
Zimbabwe, sent thousands of troops to prop up the Congo
government in 1998
when Uganda and Rwanda invaded in support of rebel
forces.
Many of the foreign troops have now withdrawn under a series
of
accords to end a conflict that has killed two million people.
''During the meeting the countries will formalise the withdrawal
process of
their forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo,'' the
radio
said.
Harare says it will complete its pullout by the end of
October. At
the peak of the war Zimbabwe had 11,000 troops -- a third of its
army -- in
Congo.
The costly war was unpopular in Zimbabwe and
partly blamed for a deep
recession. Critics accuse Mugabe and his top
commanders of using the war to
enrich themselves.
On Monday a
United Nations panel said Zimbabwe, Uganda and Rwanda
were still plundering
Congo's vast mineral wealth even after announcing
troop
withdrawals.
But Zimbabwe's top general, Vitalis Zvinavashe, rejected
the charges
on Tuesday, saying the U.N report was the work Zimbabwe's critics
in the
West and others opposed to Harare's support for the Congo
government.
Mugabe's government has become internationally isolated
over its
policy of seizing white-owned farms for distribution among the
landless
black majority.
GLOBAL: UNHCR facing shortfall of US $80 million
ABIDJAN, 23 October
(IRIN) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is facing a shortfall
of US $80 million to enable it maintain at "least minimum standards for
refugees".
"Unless we get more money by the end of this month, we'll be
forced to in November to halt a number of our operations," UNHCR spokesperson
Ron Redmond said in Geneva on Tuesday.
Noting that the agency's budget
had increased this year primarily because of the huge needs in Afghanistan,
whose programme was now fully funded, others, particularly in Africa - were
suffering. "To get through the remainder of this year, we still need $80 million
to maintain at least minimum standards for refugees," he said.
At the
start of the year, the agency needed to raise $802 million for its 2002 annual
programmes, but when it became apparent that contributions were not matching
needs, it reduced that budget to $726 million in July and then again last week
to $710 million. "In all, some $92 million in cuts have already been made this
year, affecting both headquarters and the field," he said.
In a letter to
top donor governments last week, UNHCR warned that if no new contributions were
received by the end of October, the agency would be unable to provide its field
offices with the necessary funds they need to carry out their work for November
and December, Redmond said.
This could mean a further reduction still in
operations, he said, adding that planning for field operations in specific
countries required substantial lead time.
"Currently, however, the
unpredictable cash flow means we are unable to conform to field offices that
they will be able to carry out their plans. This 'hand-to-mouth' situation has
led to frustration among field staff and leaves UNHCR with little or no cushion
to deal with any new emergencies," he added.
According to Redmond, the
agency's most pressing needs "right now" are in Africa, "where we have numerous
protracted refugee situations". "But the shortfall is being felt globally," he
said.
The affected programmes range from water, health, education and
agricultural projects for Eritrean refugees and a reduction in security in
Tanzanian camps to cuts in the provision of winter clothes for children in the
Caucasus and the cancellation of a planned relocation of refugees in Thailand
and Papua New Guinea currently staying in insecure border
regions.
Further details available at: http://www.unhcr.ch
[ENDS]
Business Report
Zimbabwe power firm to privatise
operations
Independent Foreign Service
October 24 2002 at
08:14AM
Harare - Zimbabwe's sole electricity provider, the state-owned
Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), was set to commercialise all
its
operations by the end of this year, the state-controlled Herald has
said.
The commercialisation process intended to reduce the utility
company's debt
would be followed by the break-up of Zesa into five separate
businesses.
The paper said the new companies
would be the National
Power Company, the National Generation Company, the
National Transmission
Company, the National Distribution Company and the
Information Technology
Centre, or Powertel-Telecommunications Company.
All five companies would
be owned by Zesa Holdings, which would manage and
service government debt,
the paper said.
Zesa's executive chairman, Sidney Gata, said the
Powertel-Telecommunications
Company would provide unlimited opportunities to
benefit disadvantaged
communities in rural areas.
He said services
such as telephone, data communications and the internet
would become a
possibility in all places where power infrastructure was
installed in rural
areas.
The company had plans to extend its network into the Southern
Africa
Development Community, he said. - Independent Foreign Service
BBC
Thursday, 24 October, 2002, 16:14 GMT 17:14 UK
Zimbabwe tobacco
crop 'to halve'
Zimbabwe is the world's second largest tobacco
exporter
Zimbabwe's tobacco harvest is expected to have next year due to
the difficulties facing farmers.
We're going to miss the boat
on a lot of potential if we can't get the seedlings out there
Chris Molam, Tobacco Association
Farm disruptions caused by the land
seizures have already reduced this year's tobacco crop to about 162 million kg,
from 202 million kg last year.
Now that figure is expected to halve
again, with many farmers unable to transplant their seedlings during the
critical pre-rain season between 15 October and 15 November.
"We're
falling behind," Chris Molam, chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tobacco
Association told BBC News Online.
"Farmers haven't been able to get onto
the land. November is looming and we really need to get the crop out."
Economists say the reduction of tobacco output could be devastating to
the country's ailing economy.
Restrained
"Tobacco has been
earning over 30% of our foreign exchange, and it is the largest employer of
labour, so this is going to have quite a dramatic impact," Mr Molam explained.
Dwindling tobacco harvest
2000 - 237m kg
2001
- 202m kg
2002 - 162m kg
2003 forecast -
70-80m
kg
"It will make a very scarce foreign currency situation pretty dire,
especially as we need to import food and fuel."
Farmers are facing other
restraints as well as the land reform programme.
Banks are reluctant to
lend to farmers due to the increased risks, fertilizer is in short supply and
the overall cost of production has increased by 150% over the past year.
Hoping for change
The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association made a
presentation about the outlook to the Parliamentary committee on agriculture
earlier this month.
The association is now hoping the government will
make some changes to help the farmers before the country's Budget is announced
on 14 November.
"We're going to miss the boat on a lot of potential if
we can't get the seedlings out there," Mr Molam said.
Zimbabwe has been
the world's second largest tobacco exporter after Brazil.
But its
current plight is likely to see it fall behind China and the US.
From The Daily Telegraph (UK), 24 October
EU talks moved so Zimbabwe
can attend
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels
European
Union foreign ministers came under harsh criticism yesterday for
moving a
meeting 5,500 miles so that a Zimbabwe minister can take part
without
breaching the "smart sanctions" travel ban. Euro-MPs are outraged
that the
venue was changed from Denmark to Mozambique to accommodate Stanley
Mudenge,
the Zimbabwean foreign minister. He is not allowed to enter EU
territory
under the sanctions, which target leading figures in President
Robert
Mugabe's regime. EU foreign ministers were supposed to hold a meeting
with
the Southern African Development Community in Copenhagen on Nov 7 and
8. But
several delegations from the 14-nation African bloc hinted that they
would
boycott the gathering unless the Zimbabwean government was included.
Rather
than cancelling the summit - or simply going ahead regardless - the
European
Union agreed to move the entire meeting to Mozambique's capital,
Maputo,
making a mockery of the travel ban. The decision to switch the
location is a
slap in the face of the European Parliament, which passed a
unanimous
resolution last month demanding that Mr Mudenge be banned from the
meeting.
Geoffrey Van Orden, a Tory MEP and author of the resolution, called
the move
"an absolute affront", saying it was yet another example of the
EU's "utter
hopelessness" in sticking to a clear line in foreign policy.
"We've agreed to
move a whole meeting to Africa to avoid an internal row
within the EU over
enforcement of our own sanctions policy. That's what it
amounts to," he said.
There have been repeated sightings of Zimbabwe
ministers and officials in
Europe even though they are on the visa
blacklist. Last month, it emerged
that the trade minister, Samuel
Mumbengegwi, was allowed to stay for a week
at a smart hotel in the Brussels
shopping district.
Business Day
UK to probe UN report on plunder of
Congo
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
State
will also examine claim that London-listed Anglo and De Beers violated
code
of conduct for multinational companies
International Affairs
Editor
THE UK government is to look into the United Nations (UN) Security
Council
report on resource pillaging in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
including
the claim that London-listed mining companies Anglo American and De
Beers
have violated a code of conduct for multinational
companies.
Anglo American and De Beers, as well as Anglovaal Mining, have
said that
they are mystified by the claim, particularly as they do not
operate in the
Congo.
No evidence is given in the report for listing
in an appendix 85 companies
considered to have violated Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational
companies.
The nonlegally binding OECD guidelines cover a wide range of
issues in
business ethics, including employment and labour relations,
environment,
information disclosure, competition, financing, taxation and
science and
technology practices.
The UK trade and industry department
says a process of "Whitehall
Consultation" among government departments will
look into all the
allegations made in the report.
If it comes out that
UK-registered companies did violate the OECD code, they
could be named and
shamed. This could result in increasing pressure from
nongovernmental
organisations and damage to the credibility of their
commitment to
sustainable development practices.
There is also no evidence presented
for the same claim against SA-based
mining companies Banro Corporation, Orion
and Zincor, traders AH Pong &
Sons, Carson Products, and Mercantile
CC.
While the report does not give a basis for its claim of violations of
the
guidelines, it does give extensive evidence for the pillaging activities
of
military-criminal syndicates linked to the Congolese, Rwandan, Ugandan
and
Zimbabwean armies. Rwandan, Ugandan and Zimbabwean officials have denied
the
claims in the report.
The SA foreign affairs department said it
was studying the report, but would
not respond with a course of action until
after today's Security Council
talks on the matter. At the panel's press
conference in New York today,
questions are likely to be asked about the
evidence for its claiming that
the 85 companies have violated the OECD
guidelines.
The publication of the list of companies said to have
violated OECD
guidelines could be an attempt by the panel to put pressure on
governments
to pursue their own investigations. It could also induce NGOs to
conduct
their own investigations.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe left Harare for Kinshasa
yesterday to attend a summit to
formalise the pullout of Zimbabwean troops
from the Congo, state media
reported.
Mugabe will be joined today by presidents Sam Nujoma of Namibia
and Jose
Eduardo dos Santos of Angola for the summit with President Joseph
Kabila of
the Congo, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
reported.
The three countries intervened militarily in 1998 to shore up
the government
of late president Laurent Kabila in a war against the Congo
and Ugandan and
Rwandanbacked rebels.
The UN secretary-general's
special envoy to the Congo had announced that
this resumption of
"interCongolese dialogue", hosted and mediated by SA,
would take place on
Friday through to Sunday.
Zimbabwe still has about 1500 troops in the
Congo, and an unspecified number
of Angolan soldiers remain in the country,
where they deployed in 1998 to
back Kinshasa against rebels supported by
Rwanda and Uganda.
Namibia pulled out all its soldiers from the Congo
last year, in line with a
peace accord for the vast central African
state.
The accord was initially signed by the belligerents in 1999, but
has taken a
long time to get off the ground. With Sapa-AFP
Oct 24 2002
12:00:00:000AM Jonathan Katzenellenbogen Business Day 1st
Edition