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MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE/MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE/MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE
Edition #1 9 June 1997
A complimentary first edition!
MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE
The fortnightly update of news from Mozambique
MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE is written by Mozambican journalists living in Mozambique and brings you the news from their point of view. It is assembled and edited by Africa News Network, part of South Africa Contact, the former anti-apartheid movement in Denmark and publishers of i'Afrika, a quarterly magazine concentrating on Southern Africa.
MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE joins ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE, MALAWI NEWS ONLINE, and TANZANIA NEWS ONLINE in providing up to date news, at very reasonable subscription rates, from our established network of journalists in Southern Africa. These newsletters will be followed, in the very near future, by individual news updates from other countries in the region.
MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE is brought to you through a co-operation between South Africa Contact and Inform, Denmark's leading alternative information network.
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In this edition:
Feature:
HAVOC OF LANDMINES IN MOZAMBIQUE
Stories:
1. ROBBERIES ENDANGER MAPUTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
2. GOVERNMENT CONTROL ON RENAMO USE OF MILITARY RADIO UNITS
3. PREGNANCY STILL HIGH RISK FOR WOMEN OF MOZAMBIQUE
4. HOPES RISE FOR IMPROVED COTTON PRODUCTION
5. NIGHT SHELTER FOR STREET CHILDREN
6. HEALTH MINISTER: NO MONEY AVAILABLE TO IMPORT MEDICINE
7. HIV ASSOCIATION FOR MANICA PROVINCE
Feature: HAVOC OF LANDMINES IN MOZAMBIQUE
The clearing of landmines in Mozambique, where it is estimated there are still about two million of the devices, is still very much a long term programme. However, with so many lives at risk, much has to be done in the short and medium term to reduce at least some of the nightmare caused by these instruments of war.
Mozambique is among the countries worst affected by landmines in Southern Africa, along with Angola and Zimbabwe. Angola is estimated to have 10 million landmines and Zimbabwe approximately 1.5 million. To clear the landmines in these three countries will require about US$13 billion, far more than their combined national budgets .
"Our short term goals are to provide people, especially those in the rural areas where most of the landmines are, with enough information about their localization to avoid more deaths or injuries," said Philipe Dicqueremane, the representative in Mozambique of Handicap International. The organization assists the government with the technical and the methodology for the awareness programmes throughout the country aimed at educating people on the danger of landmines. Dicqueremane says clearing landmines is a long process needing time and large amounts of money. Mozambique lacks the money, being among the poorest countries in Africa. He said, however, that even without the money, there is still much that can be done to minimize the problems.
Handicap International is working with about 80 other organizations involved in the awareness and demining programmes. These include government departments, such as education, health, social welfare, agriculture and water affairs and also includes some national and international NGOs. "We assist the National Education Service in the awareness campaign through lectures in the classrooms with the participation of hundreds of teachers throughout the country. The same work is being carried out by NGOs, including churches in the communities," said Dicqueremane.
According to Dicqueremane, the situation has been improving since "we started with the awareness programmes". He said that in 1995, an average of 40 victims of landmines were reported every month, but the figure had fallen to about 20 cases each month so far this year, though these figures are the official ones. "There might have been other cases which were not reported to the police or other organizations involved," he said. He stressed the importance of warning information for the most affected areas to increase awareness in the communities and help those people who have returned from exile, in order to avoid new accidents.
The Mozambican government is making good progress in its demining programmes, said Philippe Dicqueremane. "Unfortunately, this is not something that can be completed in a very short time, but a lot is being done by the government through the national Demining Commission. NGOs also play a vital role in the education of people on what they should do if they are faced with landmine problems," he added. The Mozambican provinces with the most mined areas, and where both government and NGOs concentrate their efforts to avoid occurrence of more accidents, are Maputo, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane and Tete. As part of the campaign, a radio drama serial comprising 16 stories on landmines is to be launched soon. The original program will be in Portuguese, and then translated into 17 other languages spoken in the different regions of Mozambique.
The next step will be the setting up of a follow-up and qualitative evaluation of all the work being done. To help the victims of landmines, Handicap International assisted in the creation of five orthopaedic units and The Red Cross has about 400 orthopaedic agents throughout the country to help in the rehabilitation of people disabled by landmines. Victims are not treated as victims but as individuals: a disabled person needing the assistance which will enable him or her to live a normal life, both on the economic and the social side.
Stories: 1. ROBBERIES ENDANGER MAPUTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The Maputo International Airport almost had to close to night traffic recently. This was due to the fact that most of the of the main runway's lamps and armature had been stolen.
The robbery wave at the Maputo International Airport started some months ago and has now become so serious as to reach almost fantastic limits: two months ago, a power generator unit with a weight of several tons was stolen from the airport yard, and discovered some hours later as the thieves were trying to sell it. The power generator unit supplies the airport, the air traffic control room and the runways, in case of power failure to Maputo's power supply system.
Felismino Charas, director of the airport, recently said that the systematic robbery of lamps endangers airport security. "I think that these thefts are organized intentionally to create conditions for closing the airport to night traffic, meaning many airlines companies will disregard our route and airport as an alternative airport in cases of emergency," he said.
In an attempt to solve the problem, a high wall is being built to protect the airport from robberies. Mozambique's national police are also working on a strategy to find the robbers, while at the same time reorganizing and moving to other areas some of its staff working in the police stations near the airport. Allegedly the robberies are being made in connivance with some of the policemen in the area. Maputo International Airport is located only about 7km from the city centre.
These robberies of lamps and their armature are probably linked to the smuggling of aluminium and copper to neighbouring South Africa. The armature of the lamps contains aluminium and, as with telephone and electricity cables, they are stolen to be sold in South Africa.
2. GOVERNMENT CONTROL ON RENAMO USE OF MILITARY RADIO UNITS
Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique, said last week that the powerful military radio unit found at Renamo headquarters in Nampula city in northern Mozambique must fall under the control of the government. The powerful military radio unit is, evidently, interfering with government telecommunications, including those of the police.
For Renamo and its leader Afonso Dlakama, the confiscation of the radio equipment is regarded as a provocation by the Frelimo Government. Dlakama said that there was a gentlemen's agreement between him and President Chissano concerning the military radio units of Renamo, after the signing of the Rome Peace Accord on 4 October 1994, which brought peace to Mozambique.
Dlakama said that they did not have money to pay for other methods to contact their people in the provinces and this was the only reason they were still using military telecommunications equipment.
3. PREGNANCY STILL HIGH RISK FOR WOMEN OF MOZAMBIQUE
About nine thousand women die each year in Mozambique due to causes related to pregnancy. The reasons for the very high death rate is linked to illegal abortions, delivery of babies in unsanitary conditions in the rural areas, and the lack of access to primary health care for pregnant women.
Mozambique has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world and provides health care to only 10% of women in the country. This information was given by Dr Zulma Reccini de Lattes, the representative of the UN Fund for Population Activities for Mozambique, during a press conference on the occasion of the launch of the Annual Report on World Population for 1997.
Since independence, the government of Mozambique has been trying to provide primary health care to all. Child and maternal health care are free but this is still not enough, especially in the rural areas, where the infrastructure is not always there to provide what is needed. Hundreds of rural hospitals were destroyed during the civil war and the government budget for health care has not been enough to cope with the rebuilding. Most institutions only survive because of the support of donors and humanitarian organizations operating in Mozambique.
4. HOPES RISE FOR IMPROVED COTTON PRODUCTION
Mozambique can improve its cotton production this year, reaching 55.000 tonnes against 20.300 tonnes produced and exported last year. This was said during the national meeting of the cotton sector held in Maputo last week.
Cotton fibre is one of Mozambique's most important export products. However, since 1973 when production was at its highest at 144.000 tonnes, the production levels have dropped steadily each year. Some of the reasons for this situation, pointed out during the national meeting, are linked to government policies for the sector.
Representatives from the private sector say they are not satisfied with the price fixed by government to be paid to peasant farmers for cotton production. The price is very low and probably serves as a barrier, discouraging instead of encouraging production. They also blame the system of loans to the farmers, considering the amounts available not enough to fill the necessary requirements. These farmers play a very important part in the cotton industry in Mozambique, producing almost 50% of the total production. The cotton sector also provides direct employment to about 10,000 people, which in turn lends support to more than 200,000 families involved in the sector.
To deal with and improve cotton production, an association of cotton producers is to be created in the near future. "We want to regain our place as one of the major cotton producers in the Sub-Saharan region," said Mr. Carlos Henriques of LOMACO, a joint-venture LONRHO-MOZAMBIQUE. Henriques also said that the aims of the association would be to promote cotton production and to establish a dialogue and negotiation platform with government, to form a joint strategy for developing the cotton sector.
5. NIGHT SHELTER FOR STREET CHILDREN
Around twenty young girls, average age 10 years, who used to live on the streets of Maputo, now have a night shelter. The shelter has been provided by "MÈdecins du Monde," an NGO operating in the Mozambique capital.
According to Mr. Abdul Faquir, who manages "MÈdecins du Monde," the shelter will protect the girls from sexual violence and keep them away from prostitution, into which they are often forced in order to eat. At night the shelter has a "mother educator" who takes care of the girls and also a watchman who stands guard. During the day, the girls are given the opportunity to attend an educational programme geared towards preparing them for integration in formal schools.
"Nothing is forced, they come here when they want. This is very important as they like their freedom," said Faquir. Girls living the street life in Mozambique are a new phenomenon. There are hundreds of boys living on the street, especially in the larger cities, guarding or washing cars, doing odd jobs like carrying goods for shoppers, often earning only enough for a sandwich, and often, therefore, turning to begging or picking pockets in order to survive. Living this life leads many street kids to drugs and alcohol. A very unique situation is the one of a very young street kids couple in Maputo, with a new born baby, living their life on the streets, with the support of "MÈdecins du Monde".
6. HEALTH MINISTER: NO MONEY AVAILABLE TO IMPORT MEDICINE
The Minister of Health, Dr. Aurelio Zilhao, said on 7 June in Maputo that Mozambique needs USD$50 million every year to pay for medicine.
This year there is only USD$26.6 million available, about USD$2,00 for each citizen. "$2,00 is the cost of two sandwiches. It is nothing," said Mr. Zilhao during a debate on the health care situation in the country. The debate was organized by Radio Mozambique, the national public radio. Zilhao also said that the government has the capacity to give health care to the entire population, but that presently only 40% of the population is covered by the national health care system.
7. HIV ASSOCIATION FOR MANICA PROVINCE
An association for HIV positive people is to be created in Manica province in central Mozambique. The provinces of Manica and Tete are those most affected by the HIV virus in Mozambique. These provinces share their borders with Zimbabwe and Zambia, both countries with a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS.
The creation of such an association is to be backed by MONASU, a network of NGOs working on programmes for the prevention of HIV in Mozambique. According to Mrs.Valeriana Rufino of MONASU, the association will give people with HIV a chance to earn money to support themselves. More associations of this kind will be created in other provinces of the country, in order to help fight the discrimination that sometimes exists against those with HIV/AIDS.
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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 15:44:07 +0200 Subject: MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE #1 Message-ID: <1032191999.32424656@inform-bbs.dk>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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