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ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE
Edition: #24 1 August 1997
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A fortnightly update of news from Zambia!
ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE is written by Zambian journalists in Zambia and brings you the news from their point of view. It is assembled and edited by South Africa Contact, the former anti-apartheid movement in Denmark, publishers of i'Afrika, a quarterly magazine concentrating on Southern Africa.
ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE joins MALAWI NEWS ONLINE, MOZAMBIQUE NEWS ONLINE, ZIMBABWE NEWS ONLINE and TANZANIA NEWS ONLINE in providing up to date news 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.
ZAMBIA 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:
ZAMBIA JOINS ANTI-LANDMINE CAMPAIGN
Stories:
1. POLICE CRUSH OPPOSITION PARTIES CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MARCH
2. OPPOSITION ALLIANCE LOSES KEY MEMBER
3. TREMOR ROCKS MAJOR MINE
4. a. MAIZE CRISIS LOOMS...
4. b. ...AS FARMERS CONDEMN DECISION TO IMPORT THE GRAIN
5. NEW WAVE OF CRIME HITS LUSAKA
6. MERIDIAN BANK DIRECTORS SUED
7. ANTI-POLIO DRIVE SURVIVES ADVERSE RUMOURS
8. ZAMBIA JOINS ANTI-LANDMINE CAMPAIGN
At the height of liberation struggles in some of Zambia's neighbouring countries, Zambia was a target of military attacks from the then Rhodesia and from apartheid South Africa. Those wars which raged from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s, have long since ended but the ripples of those attacks continue to threaten the lives of hundreds of Zambians. Ironically, the threat is largely self-inflicted. Landmines, mostly planted by Zambian soldiers in volatile border areas to deter attacks, are now the cause of major concern to the security of people living in or near these areas.
Zambia drew the wrath of the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) and South African military forces, largely because it haboured guerrillas fighting for the independence and equal rights of these countries. Frequently, Rhodesian soldiers crossed the common border and entered Zambia, ostensibly to attack bases of the freedom fighters. Zambian forces were compelled to protect their territory but the border between the two countries is too wide to be ably manned.Landmines were than decided on as an option to deter Rhodesia's and South Africa's troops from stepping onto Zambian soil through the southern border.
A similar dilemma prevailed for Zambia at the western and the south-eastern borders through which South African forces attacked the country. The South Africans entered Zambia through the then politically split Mozambique in the south-east and Angola in the west. Angola and Mozambique are two of Africa's most landmine infested countries. There are an estimated 9-15 million landmines in Angola and about 2 million in Mozambique.
Again Zambia was compelled to protect its territory from the incursions by using landmines because soldiers could not adequately patrol the vast border region. It is also believed that the Rhodesian and South African troops also planted landmines in some territories they briefly over ran.The result has been large tracts of land along Zambia's southern and western borders being infested with landmines and subsequently turning into no-go areas. The then Zambia Army commander, General Kinsley Chinkuli, has pointed out that the circumstances at the time made it necessary for such measures be taken by Zambia. He has also pointed out that much of the border area still has landmines and should be considered dangerous.
For many years, however, this danger has not been evident. Apart from occasional reported cases of some villagers in these areas being killed or maimed after stepping on these mines, there has been very little information provided about the extent of this constantly lurking danger.A non-governmental organisation has, however, been formed to spearhead an awareness campaign to ban landmines. The NGOs, including the Red Cross, students, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and civic education organisations, hope to stir up awareness and concern among Zambians on the need not only to ban the use of mines but also defuse those already planted.
As General Chinkuli has stated, the landmines in the border areas still pose a threat to the lives of Zambians who live in these regions. He says that he regrets, though, that although these explosives were meant for military personnel, it is civilians who were now most threatened by them. The Catholic archbishop of Lusaka, Medado Muzombwe, has also said that a campaign against the use of landmines should be intensified, not only in Zambia but more so in the industrialised countries which manufacture these devices. He said that power-hungry people should not be given room to threaten the lives of innocent people.
Zambia's efforts to rid its land of the mines is faced with one key hurdle: There are no statistics to even estimate how many landmines are planted in Zambia. Even General Chinkuli could not be more specific than merely stating that the border areas are not entirely safe. Another major hurdle is that Zambia's relatively weak economy cannot sustain a major campaign to defuse the mines. With the cost of diffusing one mine estimated at US1,000, Zambia cannot afford even a minor exercise. Zambia Red Cross president Professor Alan Howarth concedes that the cost of demining the infested areas was insurmountable.
The high cost of demining has, however, not discouraged the recently formed Zambia Campaign to Ban Land Mines, so says its spokesman Alfred Zulu. The group hopes in September to send representatives to Norway to an international NGO-Forum on the banning of landmines. Zulu says the new Zambian body should learn new strategies on how to deal with the problem at home while at the same time lend a voice to the international call for a ban on the making of the explosives. A starting point the group would like to effect is that of compiling records of victims. Soon a team is to be sent to an area near the southern border to talk to victims and try to ascertain the exact expanse of land covered by the mines.
Until then, however, the villagers in these areas can only guess at which areas are safe. However, instincts can so often be incorrect, as has been proved by the injuries to people from these weapons of war.
STORIES
1. POLICE CRUSH OPPOSITION PARTIES CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MARCH
An attempt by some opposition parties, led by UNIP president Kenneth Kaunda, to stage a protest march against a recent supreme court ruling, ended in fracas and the arrest of several of the protestors recently. Kaunda reportedly evaded arrest by sneaking away through a back door of UNIP head-quarters. The protestors, mostly UNIP cadres, were pushed back, beaten and some of them arrested by police who went on red-alert hours before the July 30 march started and manned several key installation in the capital in case of violence.
The protest was against a ruling by the supreme court that President Chiluba cannot be compelled to under-go a DNA test to ascertain whether or not a man claiming to be his father is indeed his. The opposition had demanded that President Chiluba and the man, Kafupi Chabala, undergo the test which could help rest the case on whether or not President Chiluba is a Zambian by origin. Chabala said he is a Zairean (Congo) and the opposition contends that if he is Chiluba's father, then he - Chiluba - does not qualify to be president.
The Supreme court ruling has, however, pleased thousands of MMD members who broke into wild cheering and celebration after the verdict was passed.
2. OPPOSITION ALLIANCE LOSES KEY MEMBER
A loose alliance of 14 opposition parties has suffered a setback through the withdrawal of the National Lima Party (NLP) which had been considered a key member. The party's co-presidents, Dr Guy Scott and Ben Kapita, said their party was pulling out of the National Patriotic Coalition because it did not agree with the campaign on civil disobedience.
Some members of the Zambia Democratic Congress (ZDC) have also called on their party leader's to pull out of the alliance, but party national secretary Derrick Chitala says the ZDC would stick with the coalition. Other parties have also said they would stay on in the alliance and hope the NLP would rejoin the group.
3. TREMOR ROCKS MAJOR MINE
Close to 2,000 miners at one of Zambia's major mines survived a near disaster when a tremor ripped through Mufulira Mine. Some sections of the under-ground mine suffered severe damage as the ground opened up and rocks fell. No casualties were reported but hundreds of miners were left in deep shock.
The Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) authorities could not ascertain the cause of the tremors but observers expressed concern that such serious earth movements were not detected in good time. In 1970, a mine accident at the mine resulted in the deaths of 89 miners.
4. a. MAIZE CRISIS LOOMS...
A shortage of Zambia's major staple, maize, is looming as government efforts to import enough to avert hunger has ran into a hitch. The government had hoped to avert famine by importing the shortfall from either neighbouring Zimbabwe or South Africa. This hope has been shattered because both countries now say they cannot meet this request for the supply of 120,000 metric tonnes of the grain.
The Zimbabwean government has indicated that it can only spare 50,000 metric tonnes. The problem has been worsened by the Finance ministry's delays in releasing K19 billion needed for the importation of the maize.
4. b. ...AS FARMERS CONDEMN DECISION TO IMPORT THE GRAIN
Zambian farmers in rural areas of the country have condemned government decisions to import maize when large quantities of the product still remains uncollected from rural areas.
Peasant farmers, who contribute about 75 percent of the national stock of the maize, are incensed by the government move which they claim has left them without a market. Most rural farmers are unable to sell their maize and other farm produce because of the lack of transport to the market. A poor state of roads has also contributed to poor marketing of the crop.
5. NEW WAVE OF CRIME HITS LUSAKA
A new wave of crime has hit Lusaka's high density townships with gunmen robbing helpless residents. The bandits, often armed with military weapons, smash their way into houses and grab whatever goods they can lay their hands on.
Many of the residents have also lost faith in the police because they rarely come to their assistance when required. Police spokesman Stanwell Lungu says, however, that the police have intensified patrols in the most affected areas and assures residents that the crime wave would soon ebb. Recently, seven suspected bandits were arrested and three AK47 automatic rifles confiscated.
6. MERIDIAN BANK DIRECTORS SUED
Former chairman of the defunct Meridian Bank, Andrew Sardanis, together with five of his former directors, have been sued for alleged criminal offences. A Lusaka magistrate's Court has allowed criminal prosecution to commence against the five following a complaint lodged by a Lusaka lawyer.
Sardanis and the five directors are to be prosecuted for criminal charges amounting to 134 counts. They are alleged to have received, between January 1, 1994 and May 19, 1995, deposits from Simeza Sangwa and Associates amounting to almost K140 million whilst knowing that the bank was insolvent.The bank had several branches around Africa.
7. ANTI-POLIO DRIVE SURVIVES ADVERSE RUMOURS
Several parents in some parts of the country have refused to take their children for polio vaccinations because they believe that the dosages have adverse side effects. Believing rumours that the vaccine caused impotence, dysentery or AIDS, some parents have decided against exposing their children to the dosage.
Health Minister Dr Katele Kalumba said the exercise, however, was generally well received and that the previous year's record of reaching 86 per cent of the targeted children was surpassed.
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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 1997 14:10:01 +0200 Subject: ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE #24 Message-ID: <1262325663.16073406@inform-bbs.dk>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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