President Mugabe ends Cuba visit saying he won't meet with white farmers in
Zimbabwe
Fri Jul 19, 8:46 PM ET

HAVANA - President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe wrapped up his visit to Cuba on
Friday saying he won't meet with white farmers who have had lands seized in his
country's plan to redistribute property to landless blacks.



"The white farmers have channels" they can use without sitting down with their
nation's president, Mugabe told a news conference. They can continue their talks
about land redistribution with the nation's vice president, he said.

"They are not satisfied with that level of authority," said Mugabe. "They think
that by virtue of their being British and white they are more divine than anyone
else." But the white farmers "are not super human beings," he added.

Zimbabwe's government has targeted about 95 percent of farms owned by the
country's white minority for seizure, saying it wants to redistribute them among
landless blacks. The often violent program of seizures has been condemned by
Western governments and has contributed to widespread food shortages.

Mugabe has been increasingly the subject of international criticism and
sanctions after his disputed re-election in March. As his popularity has waned,
he has imposed curbs on journalists and opposition parties, and many critics
have been attacked or threatened with prosecution.

Mugabe, 78, has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in
1980.

After March elections that independent observers said were riddled with
irregularities, the 15-nation European Union ( news - web sites) imposed an
embargo against Mugabe's government. The United States also has leveled
sanctions.

At Friday's news conference here, Mugabe insisted the elections were free and
clean and saw no need to have his nation's courts validate the results.

"These days, I don't know if Mr. (George W.) Bush won the elections at all,"
said Mugabe. "Who voted for him? Only the Supreme Court. In my case it was our
voters."

During Mugabe's four-day stay here, Cuban authorities agreed to continue
providing medical personnel to Zimbabwe and to eventually provide the African
country with any AIDS ( news - web sites) treatments successfully developed in
Cuba in ongoing research.

President Mugabe ends Cuba visit saying he won't meet with white farmers in
Zimbabwe
Fri Jul 19, 8:46 PM ET

HAVANA - President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe wrapped up his visit to Cuba on
Friday saying he won't meet with white farmers who have had lands seized in his
country's plan to redistribute property to landless blacks.



"The white farmers have channels" they can use without sitting down with their
nation's president, Mugabe told a news conference. They can continue their talks
about land redistribution with the nation's vice president, he said.

"They are not satisfied with that level of authority," said Mugabe. "They think
that by virtue of their being British and white they are more divine than anyone
else." But the white farmers "are not super human beings," he added.

Zimbabwe's government has targeted about 95 percent of farms owned by the
country's white minority for seizure, saying it wants to redistribute them among
landless blacks. The often violent program of seizures has been condemned by
Western governments and has contributed to widespread food shortages.

Mugabe has been increasingly the subject of international criticism and
sanctions after his disputed re-election in March. As his popularity has waned,
he has imposed curbs on journalists and opposition parties, and many critics
have been attacked or threatened with prosecution.

Mugabe, 78, has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in
1980.

After March elections that independent observers said were riddled with
irregularities, the 15-nation European Union imposed an embargo against Mugabe's
government. The United States also has leveled sanctions.

At Friday's news conference here, Mugabe insisted the elections were free and
clean and saw no need to have his nation's courts validate the results.

"These days, I don't know if Mr. (George W.) Bush won the elections at all,"
said Mugabe. "Who voted for him? Only the Supreme Court. In my case it was our
voters."

During Mugabe's four-day stay here, Cuban authorities agreed to continue
providing medical personnel to Zimbabwe and to eventually provide the African
country with any AIDS treatments successfully developed in Cuba in ongoing
research.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From the New York Times
Across the Two Karoos by Train
By PAUL THEROUX


  USED to think it was axiomatic that the worst trains traveled on the greatest
routes - horrible choo-choos through the wonderful African bush, iron roosters
across ancient Xinjiang - and that the converse was true too: from comfortable
trains all you got were disappointing glimpses of Bridgeport or Clapham
Junction.

But I spent most of last year in Africa, traveling overland from Cairo to Cape
Town for the purposes of a book, and acquired a new favorite, the Trans-Karoo
Express, from Pretoria to Cape Town, a great train on a great route. In Park
Station in Johannesburg, as I was standing in line for a ticket, a woman ahead
of me said: "I heard on the radio that the best way to Cape Town is the premier
class on the Trans-Karoo. It's a lot less for you because you're using dollars."

The next day, for $140, I traveled 1,100 miles in a comfortable compartment,
with delicious meals, wonderful service and the companionship of friendly South
Africans; a day and a half of bliss. I crossed the high deserts known as the
Great Karoo and the Little Karoo, and saw the prettiest, as well as the
grimmest, places in the country: the wine-growing dorps, the mining towns, the
squatter camps. This is the Blue Train route but without the butlers and the
fuss, not so luxurious or self-conscious.

In Cape Town, I bought a return ticket. Before leaving the country, I traveled
the route five more times, the ticket price decreasing each ride, as the value
of the South African rand slipped against the dollar.

At one end of the line are the cities of Pretoria and Jo'burg; at the other end,
the slow approach to Cape Town, still townlike and easily negotiable, tucked at
the foot of a glittering mountain. In between, all the pleasures afforded by a
great train - reading, writing, solitude, socializing, good food and sound
sleep.

Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari: Overland From Cairo to Cape Town" will be
published next year by Houghton Mifflin.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Zimbabwe FA bans 'muti'


The fear of 'juju' has been pervasive in Zimbabwe



       By Steve Vickers
       in Harare



Zimbabwe's football league is clamping down on superstitious beliefs.

Teams in the Premier Soccer League have been known to avoid changing rooms and
designated stadium entrances, for fear of being put under a 'losing spell' as
they walk past.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has been trying for years to stop these
outlandish practices.

They hope that a competition for the league's most disciplined team will bring
about a change.

"We've been hammering teams with fines all season, and we hope that this
competition will discourage them further," said PSL executive member Chris
Sambo.

"We have to run the league professionally and instil discipline in our clubs.

"It's time to eradicate this thinking in the minds of administrators and
players. We must move on from the medieval days," said Sambo.

It is common to see teams holding their half-time talk in a corner of the pitch
rather than using the visiting team's dressing room, for fear of juju.

The PSL said that teams that refuse to adhere to the new regulations would be
heavily sanctioned.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Australia May Impose Sanctions on Zimbabwe
Tue Jul 16,12:03 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia said on Tuesday it may impose sanctions on
Zimbabwe if the southern African country, where white farmers face a government
deadline to leave their land, does not improve its democratic practices.



Prime Minister John Howard said he would discuss the issue in the next week with
the leaders of South Africa and Nigeria -- fellow members of a three-nation
committee that has suspended Zimbabwe from the group of Commonwealth nations.

Zimbabwe, ruled by 78-year-old President Robert Mugabe since independence from
Britain in 1980, plunged into turmoil over two years ago when self-styled war
veterans invaded white-owned farms to back government redistribution of land to
landless blacks.

Mugabe is also accused by Zimbabwe's opposition and many Western countries of
cheating and using violence and food as campaign weapons to win presidential
polls in March.

The three-nation committee suspended Zimbabwe after the election and a range of
countries have imposed so-called "smart sanctions" on Zimbabwe's leaders.

"If we don't get some response from what the Commonwealth troika decided earlier
this year from Zimbabwe, then countries like Australia have no alternative other
than to look at some action on the sanctions front," Howard told Sydney radio
2GB.

Smart sanctions, such as travel and sports bans, freezing officials' financial
assets or withdrawing government funding, have been imposed on Zimbabwe by
Canada, the European Union ( news - web sites), United States, New Zealand, and
Switzerland.

But international pressure on Mugabe has eased as other issues, such as the
Middle East and India-Pakistan tension, dominated the international agenda.

However with nearly 3,000 white farmers ordered to vacate their Zimbabwean farms
by August 10, the issue was coming back into the spotlight.

Howard said he personally opposed sanctions because they harmed those at the
bottom of the economic ladder.

"But unless there's some response then the rest of the world has no alternative
but to look at this kind of action," he said.

The country now faces a severe economic and political crisis, with about six
million Zimbabweans -- nearly half of the population -- needing food aid after a
drought and the farm invasions.

Mugabe shrugged aside the largely symbolic suspension from the Commonwealth
group of 54 mainly former British colonies. He has accused the West of bias and
said he won the election fairly.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Passengers come down to earth with Mugabe
By Neil Tweedie and Peta Thornycroft
(Filed: 16/07/2002)

There are three basic rules of modern air travel: dress smartly for an upgrade,
bag the seats next to the escape doors for more legroom, and don't fly with
Robert Mugabe.

Passengers on Air Zimbabwe flight UM 9726 from Harare to Gatwick discovered the
Mugabe rule yesterday when they were stranded in Madrid after Zimbabwe's
president ordered a diversion so he could catch a flight to Havana.

More than 200 passengers on the Boeing 767 were kept in their seats for five
hours in baking heat after the flight was diverted for the convenience of Mr
Mugabe and his wife, Grace, who were visiting Cuba as guests of President
Castro.

Robert Massey, a computer contractor from London, who had paid £580 for his
ticket, only learned of the diversion when he checked in at Harare.

"They said 'we're going to Madrid', almost as if we were a charter flight. Then,
as the captain was preparing for take off, he said 'we would like to welcome Mr
Mugabe and his wife'.

"We got to Madrid and Mr Mugabe got off. Then there was a problem with the
currency they were using to pay for the fuel. We were stranded. It was like
being held hostage.

"The Spanish wouldn't let us off, even to catch other flights. People were
trying to get connections to London, many were going to the US. It was scorching
hot. I was supposed to be at work. We suffered for Mr Mugabe."

The flight, due into Gatwick at 9.15am yesterday, finally touched down at 2.52pm

Mr Mugabe has regularly diverted local and international flights, often forcing
first class passengers from their seats.

Earlier this year passengers bound for Gatwick were taken to Libya so he could
meet Colonel Gaddafi. He also diverted a London-bound flight to attend an
international food conference in Rome.

Under sanctions on his regime, Mr Mugabe is banned from entering the European
Union. But he is allowed to attend international conferences on EU territory and
transit through EU airports - a loophole he uses to the full.

Christopher Kwenda, UK manager for Air Zimbabwe, said yesterday's passengers
might be compensated.


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

President Mugabe of Zimbabwe to visit Cuba
Mon Jul 15,10:05 AM ET

HAVANA - Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, was to arrive in Cuba later
Monday for a five-day official visit, the government announced.



Mugabe, increasingly the subject of international criticism and sanctions
following his disputed re-election in March, was to hold official talks Tuesday
with President Fidel Castro ( news - web sites). He also was to tour numerous
educational and scientific centers during his stay.

The visit was announced Monday morning in the Communist Party daily Granma, in a
story entitled: "Mugabe: Teacher, Anti-colonialist, Friend of Cuba"

Mugabe last visited Cuba in April 2000, when he headed his country's delegation
at the summit of the Group of 77 developing nations held in Havana.

Mugabe, 78, has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in
1980. As his popularity has waned, he has imposed curbs on journalists and
opposition parties, and many of his critics have been attacked or threatened
with prosecution.

After March elections that independent observers said were riddled with
irregularities, the 15-nation European Union ( news - web sites) imposed an
embargo against Mugabe's government. The United States also has imposed
sanctions.

Zimbabwe's government has targeted about 95 percent of farms owned by the
country's white minority for seizure, saying it wants to redistribute them among
landless blacks. The often violent program of seizures has been condemned by
Western governments and has contributed to widespread food shortages.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Zimbabwe Tells Acquitted U.S. Journalist to Leave
Mon Jul 15, 5:09 AM ET

HARARE (Reuters) - A U.S. journalist was ordered Monday to leave Zimbabwe within
24 hours after he was found not guilty of publishing a false story under
President Robert Mugabe's harsh new media laws, a defense lawyer said.



"The Department of Immigration has come and said he must leave the country
within 24 hours. They gave us no reasons," said Beatrice Mtetwa, a lawyer for
journalist Andrew Meldrum.

Meldrum, the Zimbabwe correspondent of Britain's Guardian newspaper, was the
first of a dozen journalists facing charges of publishing falsehoods to go on
trial.

Meldrum was ordered to leave the country shortly after Judge Godfrey Macheyo
delivered his ruling in a Harare court.

"It is the court's view that the accused is found not guilty and is therefore
acquitted," Macheyo said.

Meldrum -- a 50-year-old native of Hudson, Ohio -- smiled broadly after the
ruling. Some of his supporters in the Harare courtroom cheered.

Meldrum was accused of reproducing a story first published in Zimbabwe's
privately-owned Daily News that Mugabe's militant supporters had beheaded a
woman earlier this year.

The charge carried a heavy fine and up to two years in jail.

The newspaper later said the story was false and apologized to Mugabe's ruling
ZANU-PF party.

But the government pressed charges against Meldrum and his editor under new
media laws that penalize the publication of false stories as an "abuse of
journalistic privilege."

Mugabe introduced new media laws after his re-election in March, a poll the
opposition and Western powers say was rigged.

Critics say the law is designed to curb press freedom. The government says it is
aimed at introducing "ethical behavior" in the media.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Guard, 69, clings to
bonnet for 40km

Liela Magnus

Pretoria - Move over, Rambo, here comes Nienaber. Jan Nienaber of Pretoria.

Nienaber (69), a car guard at the Pick'n Pay centre in Sinoville to the north of
the city, had a rough ride of 40km through traffic, potholes and dirt roads at
the weekend when he clung for dear life to the bonnet of a stolen car, while the
thief tried his best to get rid of his unwanted passenger.

His hair-raising ride started when he pointed to a suspected thief in a stolen
car to stop.

"The driver drove right up to my legs. I thought he was going to run me over, so
I jumped on the bonnet," Nienaber said. He broke three ribs and his entire body
aches following his ride.

He says he thought the man would stop if he jumped on the bonnet. But the
villain smashed his foot down on the pedal, high-tailing it to Mabopane, outside
Pretoria.

Nienaber managed to squeeze his fingers under the bonnet and held on for dear
life as the man sped away.

"I tried to indicate to the man to stop, but he only shook his head."

Several times the car thief tried to shake him off by braking suddenly, even
using the handbrake. He wove through traffic and charged through potholes. But
Nienaber hung on.

'Only happens in movies'

"I was flung into the air and broke my ribs," Nienaber said. "I realised that I
would be killed if I let go and jump off at that speed."

At times the car thief travelled at 170 km/h, chased by police reservists,
policemen and metro policemen.

In Mabopane the thief lost his way and charged through a hedge. He jumped out
and fled.

Nienaber said his body ached too badly to even think about his lucky escape. It
only struck him once he got home. "I was praying all the time that God would
help me. And he did."

He is recovering at home after being discharged from a Pretoria clinic.

The owner of the car, a Pick 'n Pay employee, visited him at home. "I was very
worried about him and I thought he would be thrown from the car," she said. "He
could have been killed.

"It seemed like a James Bond film. Until now I thought these things only
happened in the movies."






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Zimbabwe: Oh dear, no beer, no cheer
Staff Reporter, Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe
HARARE, 9 July 2002
The current maize shortage, largely as a result of the combined effects of the
drought and the government's land grab, has hit the country's brewing and
stockfeed sectors.

HARARE: Zimbabwe's brewing and stockfeed industries are the latest casualties of
a shortage of maize that has also threatened to decimate the country's milling
industry, raising fears of mass starvation.

Chibuku Breweries, one of the country's largest producers of traditional beer,
this week said its operations had been affected by the shortage of maize and
that production was being sustained through imports from South Africa and
erratic allocations from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). The company, a major
industrial user of maize, requires about 50 000 tons of the commodity a year.

"In order to sustain our operations, we have been directly importing maize,
principally from South Africa," Chibuku managing director Pearson Gowero told
the Financial Gazette. He however, warned that the import program was not
sustainable due to foreign currency shortages in Zimbabwe.

The country is currently in the throes of a crushing hard cash crisis, blamed on
poor economic policies and the sluggish performance of exports.

The foreign currency shortages have forced the government to control the usage
of the available cash through allocation to priority sectors.

Noting that to date Chibuku has not experienced any stoppages, Gowero said the
company had been receiving small quantities of maize from the GMB but this has
not been enough to enable the firm to operate at full capacity.

Not enough to go around

"This has taken cognisance of the GMB's primary focus of feeding the nation and
has therefore meant that the allocations cannot meet our full requirements," he
said.

The maize shortage has also affected the operations of some stockfeed producers,
which have been operating below capacity since last year.

Premier Milling, one of Zimbabwe's largest stockfeed manufacturers, this week
said it was getting limited quantities of maize from the GMB which are not
enough to meet its production requirements.

"Until the end of May, the situation was very tight but over the past few weeks
we have been getting limited quantities from the GMB, just enough to keep the
production line running," Premier managing director Steven Hardy said.

The shortage of maize and stockfeed is likely to affect efforts to boost the
national herd, which has been depleted by the disruptions on commercial farms in
the past two years.

The state-run GMB is the sole importer and exporter of grain in Zimbabwe and is
the only organisation allowed to buy or sell maize locally under laws introduced
by the government last year.

Zimbabwe faces a critical maize shortage this year, which has been partly blamed
on the government's controversial land reform and a drought which hit Southern
Africa last year.





(Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe)

Zimbabwe: Oh dear, no beer, no cheer
Staff Reporter, Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe
HARARE, 9 July 2002

The current maize shortage, largely as a result of the combined effects of the
drought and the government's land grab, has hit the country's brewing and
stockfeed sectors.

HARARE: Zimbabwe's brewing and stockfeed industries are the latest casualties of
a shortage of maize that has also threatened to decimate the country's milling
industry, raising fears of mass starvation.

Chibuku Breweries, one of the country's largest producers of traditional beer,
this week said its operations had been affected by the shortage of maize and
that production was being sustained through imports from South Africa and
erratic allocations from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). The company, a major
industrial user of maize, requires about 50 000 tons of the commodity a year.

"In order to sustain our operations, we have been directly importing maize,
principally from South Africa," Chibuku managing director Pearson Gowero told
the Financial Gazette. He however, warned that the import program was not
sustainable due to foreign currency shortages in Zimbabwe.

The country is currently in the throes of a crushing hard cash crisis, blamed on
poor economic policies and the sluggish performance of exports.

The foreign currency shortages have forced the government to control the usage
of the available cash through allocation to priority sectors.

Noting that to date Chibuku has not experienced any stoppages, Gowero said the
company had been receiving small quantities of maize from the GMB but this has
not been enough to enable the firm to operate at full capacity.

Not enough to go around

"This has taken cognisance of the GMB's primary focus of feeding the nation and
has therefore meant that the allocations cannot meet our full requirements," he
said.

The maize shortage has also affected the operations of some stockfeed producers,
which have been operating below capacity since last year.

Premier Milling, one of Zimbabwe's largest stockfeed manufacturers, this week
said it was getting limited quantities of maize from the GMB which are not
enough to meet its production requirements.

"Until the end of May, the situation was very tight but over the past few weeks
we have been getting limited quantities from the GMB, just enough to keep the
production line running," Premier managing director Steven Hardy said.

The shortage of maize and stockfeed is likely to affect efforts to boost the
national herd, which has been depleted by the disruptions on commercial farms in
the past two years.

The state-run GMB is the sole importer and exporter of grain in Zimbabwe and is
the only organisation allowed to buy or sell maize locally under laws introduced
by the government last year.

Zimbabwe faces a critical maize shortage this year, which has been partly blamed
on the government's controversial land reform and a drought which hit Southern
Africa last year.





(Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe)



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

news.telegraph.co.uk - Mugabe opponents' children 'starving'

Mugabe opponents' children 'starving'



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F07%2F12%2Fwzim12\
.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F07%2F12%2Fixworld.html



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             Mugabe opponents' children 'starving'
             By Tim Butcher in Johannesburg
             (Filed: 12/07/2002)


             President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is denying food aid to starving
children living in areas known to oppose his rule, America said yesterday.

             A State Department spokesman, Colin Furst, said a charity, the
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, had been prevented from giving food
to malnourished children in Binga, Matabeleland, for more than a month.

             He said senior local officials had helped to block the aid and
police had refused to intervene.

             "We have reports that children have fainted from hunger during
school hours and that some are too weak even to attend classes," Mr Furst said.
"We are calling on the government of Zimbabwe to rectify the situation in Binga
at once and ensure that food is distributed on a non-partisan basis
countrywide."

             Jim Morris, the executive director of the United Nations World Food
Programme, said he had spoken to Mr Mugabe three times in the last month to
ensure that WFP food deliveries in Zimbabwe were not stolen by the ruling
Zanu-PF party for distribution only to its political supporters.

             The US allegation came as even Ethiopia, the African nation most
commonly seen as a victim of famine, was approached to help to provide grain
supplies for southern Africa.

             The government in Addis Ababa has made available up to 30,000 tons
of surplus grain to help alleviate the worsening food situation in the south of
the continent.

             With almost 13 million people at risk from starvation in six
countries, Mr Morris said relief supplies would come from wherever surpluses
were found. "Throughout the region people are walking a thin tightrope between
life and death," he told a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday.

             "The combination of widespread hunger, chronic poverty and the
HIV/Aids pandemic is devastating and may soon lead to a catastrophe.

             "This has developed into the most serious humanitarian crisis taking
place in the world today." His warning came as the inaugural summit of the
African Union, the new continent's political grouping, broke up without any
apparent willingness from the participants to address the food crisis.

             The issue was not even discussed at the heads of state committee
meeting even though the food crisis is largely created by the inefficiency and
corruption of some members of the AU.

             Mr Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe has led his country to the brink of
famine largely because of his policy of land seizures of white-owned commercial
farms which used to produce enough food for the country to be a net food
exporter. South of Zimbabwe's border, where the same dry weather conditions were
recorded this summer, South African commercial farms have had a good year,
growing a large surplus of food.

             Questions also hang over Malawi's decision to sell off its entire
grain reserve last year. It claims it acted on the advice of the International
Monetary Fund.

             While there is anecdotal evidence of people dying from hunger as a
result of the crisis, Mr Morris admitted that there were no definitive reports
of deaths on a large scale.

             But he added that bureaucracy and inefficient reporting systems
across the region meant a clear picture of the human suffering involved in the
crisis was unlikely immediately.

             The estimate of victims could increase after another assessment is
completed next month.

             Six countries are affected by the crisis: Zimbababwe, Malawi,
Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. It has been created by poor rains
exacerbated by other, often man-made, considerations.

             Official estimates used by the WFP suggest that 12.8 million people
are at risk from starving in the six countries.

             The WFP has appealed for £300 million and so far has generated about
£80 million including £60 million from America and £18 million from Britain.

                  6 July 2002: White farmers celebrate as Mugabe loses in court
                  2 July 2002: Food crisis hits Harare as bread runs out
                  1 July 2002: Mugabe threatens to seize food company over
national salt shortage
                  25 June 2002: Farmers fight for right to grow food as people
starve


             Previous story: Israeli army to reduce presence in West Bank
             Next story: Burma dismisses allegations of mass rape

              External links

                  Zimbabwe Government Online

                  US Departmet of State

                  Movement for Democratic Change

                  Zanu PF

                  Zimbabwe Daily News













© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002. Terms & Conditions of reading.
Commercial information.   Privacy Policy.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mugabe's time has come

Tyrone Seale

Johannesburg - There can hardly be a more melodious or cheerful way to send
someone to blazes than co-opting South Africa's international music star Hugh
Masekela to do the job.

While singing and trumpeting, Masekela sent Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe a
farewell message, during the African Union (AU) concert at the Sandton
conference centre.

The concert, held in conjunction with the AU's official launch in Durban, was
sponsored by the South African government.

"Mugage should have gone long ago. What is he still doing there? Charlie Taylor
[of Liberia] must also go. Thank you Daniel Arap Moi [Kenya] for deciding it's
time to go," Masekela declared in his song, Everything Must Change.

Following President Thabo Mbeki's explanation of the aims of the new African
organisation - without identifying problem countries by name - Masekela
liberally laid on the diplomacy.

And in the process unsettled a number of Zimbabweans dancing in the concert
halls.

A few Zimbabweans (probably arse-kissers) yelled, "Leave him [Mugabe] alone!"
and "Why are you singing about these issues?"






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

08/07/2002 08:28  - (SA)    E-mail story to a friend



Joburg is the cheapest city


Singapore - It is now official. Johannesburg is the world's cheapest city.

According to a global survey released on Monday, Johannesburg is now the
cheapest, while Hong Kong has replaced Tokyo as the world's most expensive city.

Asia is the most expensive region, the survey by multi-national firm Mercer
Human Resource Consulting shows.

Higher prices in the basket of goods belonging to the personal care, domestic
supplies and transport categories, contributed to Hong Kong's ascent to the most
expensive city rank.

Moscow is now considered the second most expensive place to live in, followed by
Tokyo which has fallen from first position last year, the survey showed.

Using New York as the base city at 100 points on the index, Hong Kong scored
124.2 and was three-and-a-half times costlier than Johannesburg at the bottom of
the table with 34.4 points. New York moved up from 8th to 7th place.

Chinese cities were also seen to be climbing the scale, with Beijing and
Shanghai ranked fourth and fifth, ahead of Osaka in Japan which was sixth with
an index of 103.2.

Of the world's 15 most costly cities, 11 are located in Asia with Singapore,
long touted as southeast Asia's most affluent venue, not among them.

Singapore has dropped to 24 on the scale from number 16 world-wide last year,
with a decline in retail prices and a 4.7% depreciation of the dollar, compared
to the US dollar, contributing to the fall.

The survey found that the gap between the world's most and least expensive
cities was reduced by nearly 15% in the past year.

"Increasing globalisation means that international companies are now producing
more high-quality items locally, reducing the need for imports," Mercer senior
research Marie-Laurence Sepede said in a statement from Geneva.

"This particularly affects the living costs for expatriates in developing
countries who often pay a premium for imported food and household goods from the
West."

The annual Mercer survey, which covers 144 cities, measures the comparative cost
of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, food, clothing,
household goods, transport and entertainment.

The data is used to assist multinational companies in determining compensation
allowances for expatriate workers.

Worldwide, New Zealand and Australian cities are still the cheapest, with the
highest quality of living. Most Australian and New Zealand cities have indexes
under half those of the world's costliest cities, while ranking amongst the top
30 for quality of life.

Sydney is the only Australian city amongst the world's 100 most expensive cities
at 95, while Auckland is 140th of the 144 cities reviewed.

London remains by far the most expensive city in the European Union, pushed up
to 10th from 12th last year by high accommodation and transport costs as well as
high duty on items such as alcohol and tobacco.

After London, Copenhagen is the next most expensive EU city at position 62,
followed by Milan, ranked 63rd, Dublin in 73rd place and Paris at position 74.

Behind New York in north and south America is Los Angeles at 19th position,
directly followed by Chicago and San Francisco.

The most expensive Canadian city is Toronto which ranks 104th, while in South
America the political turmoil and economic crisis plummeted Buenos Aires from
23rd last year to 133rd.

Caracas in Venezuela is the most expensive city in Latin America, ranked at
number 55 while Asuncion in Paraguay is the cheapest city in the region, at
143th spot with 41.6 points.

The cost of living in the Middle East has been stable, with Beirut in 18th
position and Dubai in 45th place, showing little movement from last year. -
Sapa-AFP




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tuesday, 2 July, 2002, 18:04 GMT 19:04 UK
Mugabe loses US court case


Mr Mugabe is barred from entering the United Sates

A US magistrate has ruled that Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF, should pay more
than $73m in damages for violence against political opponents in the run-up to
the country's June 2000 parliamentary election.


       When we have a judgment, we will proceed from there

       Bill Bowman, plaintiffs' lawyer
The plaintiffs - all citizens of Zimbabwe - filed the suit in the southern
district of New York under a federal law that allows foreign nationals to claim
compensation in the United States for injuries suffered in violation of
international law.

They claim that Zanu-PF organized a campaign of terror designed to intimidate
its political opposition through harassment, physical attacks and the
assassination of targeted individuals.

The BBC's Barnaby Phillips says the case may embarrass the Zimbabwean Government
and increase its sense of international isolation.

Stand-off

Robert Mugabe was controversially re-elected as president for Zanu-PF in
separate elections earlier this year.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) again accused Zanu-PF of
using violence in the presidential elections, and the United States and the
European Union imposed a travel ban on Mr Mugabe and his closest associates, and
froze their assets abroad.

The Zimbabwean Government has not reacted to the recommendation, but has in the
past dismissed the legal action as a waste of time.

According to US law, a federal judge must approve the final figure, and the
parties in the case have 10 days to file written objections to the magistrate's
findings.


       Opposition supporters accused the ruling party of harassment and
intimidation


In his ruling, magistrate Judge James Francis said he was recommending Zanu-PF
pay $53m in punitive damages and about $20m in compensatory damages.

The suit also claimed Zanu-PF members unlawfully seized and destroyed property.

Bill Bowman, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers, would not comment on whether the
damages could be collected.

"When we have a judgment, we will proceed from there," Mr Bowman, a Washington
DC lawyer with Hogan & Hartson, told Reuters news agency.

Torture claims

One of the plaintiffs, who says his brother was murdered by Zanu-PF supporters,
told the BBC that he was more interested in justice than money.

However, he said his lawyers were now investigating the possibility of seizing
Zanu-PF assets, either in the United States or in other countries.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was served with court papers while he was
attending a UN millennium summit in New York in September 2000.

But he and other Zanu-PF officials failed to appear in court to answer the
allegations.

In April, the plaintiffs testified that their relatives had been beaten,
tortured and killed by Zanu-PF members.

They included Adella Chiminya, whose husband, an activist with the MDC was
allegedly doused with fuel and burned before the parliamentary election in June
2000.

Elliot Pfebve, who stood as an MDC candidate in the same election, testified
that his brother was assassinated by Zanu-PF supporters in a case of mistaken
identity.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

'White men still on top'

Johannesburg - White males still dominate the top management posts in the
country, but on middle management level there has been a noticeable shift to
more non-whites.

The number of black general managers has increased only slightly, while the
number of Indian and coloureds in senior management positions has declined.

According to a survey on equality in the workplace by Deloitte & Touche Human
Capital Corporation, men still fill more than 85% of top management posts. In
senior management positions, there was a slight increase in the number of white,
Indian and black managers, but the number of coloureds decreased.

There was a noticeable shift on middle management level. In these posts, there
were more black, Indian and coloured managers, while the number of whites
declined.

According to the survey, this is an indication that many companies are
appointing people to these posts so as to train them for management positions
later, rather than appointing people from outside.

Terry Brindle, who carried out the survey, said he was disappointed at the slow
progress being made by companies in the field of equal employment, because 74%
of the respondents indicated that equal employment was one of their five top
priorities.

"Less than a third have achieved the targets they set in the equal employment
strategy, and only a few more have reached their affirmative action targets," he
said.

One of the reasons given for companies failing to reach these targets is that
there is a shortage of people with suitable qualifications and experience,
especially in top and senior management positions. There is also a massive
problem with workers being poached by other companies, as well as managers who
are not really committed to reaching their targets.

From the number of companies which have introduced specific programmes to
overcome the hurdles, it is clear they are aware of the problems on the path to
equal employment. These are recruitment and selection, training and development,
as well as follow-up planning.

Half the companies which took part in the survey have a strategy for retaining
black workers, and a third offer accelerated training programmes. About 40% have
drawn up mentorship programmes, and 48% have introduced an informal career
development programme.

A significant number of companies are giving preference to people from
previously disadvantaged communities in recruitment, training and career
development, but black employees say they are still being discriminated against
in these fields. Whites in general see the situation as reverse discrimination.

Only 32% of all companies have introduced a programme to help workers accept and
deal with the variety of cultures.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mugabe's even f@@ked up the rugby!

RWCQ - Africa Round 3 [Results]

Results from last weekend in South Zone Round 3:

29/06/02   Zimbabwe 30 Namibia 42   (Bulawayo)


South Zone:
                 P  W  D  L   Pts    F     A
NAMIBIA         2  2  0  0     6   158    30
-------------------------------------------------
Zimbabwe        2  1  0  1     4    82    45
Madagascar      2  0  0  2     2     3   168



North Zone:
                 P  W  D  L   Pts    F     A
TUNISIA         2  2  0  0     6    40    34
-------------------------------------------------
Morocco         2  1  0  1     4    49    48
Cote d'Ivoire   2  0  0  2     2    29    36



N.B. Pool winners Namibia and Tunisia play off home and away for a
place in the Rugby World Cup finals. Loser of the playoff qualifies
for the repecharge rounds.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mugabe threatens Anglo

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe threatened on Saturday to take over
a major local food company partly owned by London-based Anglo American Plc,
which he blamed for the country's shortage of salt.

Zimbabwe, in the midst of its worst economic crisis since independence from
Britain in 1980, has seen supplies of salt for domestic and industrial use dry
up in recent weeks.

State media reported this week the government had raided some National Foods'
warehouses across the country last week, finding about 200 tons of salt in
storage.

"I want to say this to National Foods, and this is an Anglo American company of
Nicky Oppenheimer. We want them to come out in the open and tell this nation why
they have been hoarding salt," Mugabe said in comments to ruling party members
broadcast on state television on Saturday.

"Do they still want to operate in partnership with our government? With our
people? If not, we will take over their enterprises," Mugabe added.

"They want people on the streets against our government. What kind of behaviour
is this? What kind of mischief is this?"

'Price controls'

It is the latest confrontation between Mugabe and Nicky Oppenheimer, heir to the
wealthy South African family that built Anglo American into one of Africa's
biggest companies, and a major player in Zimbabwe's economy.

Since the government launched its drive to seize white-owned farms for black
resettlement two years ago, vast tracts of land owned by the Oppenheimer family
have been listed for compulsory acquisition.

Anglo American said two years ago that it had put a new platinum mining project
and other new investments in Zimbabwe on hold until political and economic
stability returned.

Mugabe won a disputed presidential election in March that was condemned as
fraudulent by the opposition and many Western governments.

Company officials were not available to comment, but state media last week
quoted a National Foods manager as saying it had suspended salt imports until
the government lifted price controls.

'We will cut off their tails'

Mugabe also continued his attacks on white farmers who are resisting his
government's land reform programme.

A 45-day countdown for up to 3 000 white farmers to leave their land began last
Tuesday, but many farmers have vowed to stay put. Two white farmers have also
launched a lawsuit to block the government's eviction order.

"I believe that it is also necessary to caution those white farmers who are
still bent on disrupting our land reforms. That confrontation with the
government will not yield any benefits to them," Mugabe said.

"If anything it will make us angrier than we have been before. We will cut off
their tails. We will bring them down to size," he said.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks, DonB

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

'Baby Boks wear the crown'Something the news didn't mention, unless you looked
really hard!








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                               News


                         Baby Boks wear the crown
                         South Africa withstood a furious Australian onslaught in
the second half to run out 24-21 winners and lift the IRB Under-21 World Cup
trophy at Ellis Park on Friday.

                         Seeded seventh, the Boks had dumped the top seeded All
Blacks out of the tournament in the semi-finals to win through to a final that
Australia was expected to dominate.

                         Midway through the second period, it looked as if the
all-conquering Australians would indeed storm to victory.

                         Trailing 19-9 at the break and 24-9 shortly thereafter,
Australia capitalised on the yellow carding of Roland Bernard to mount their
fighback.

                         The second seeds had clawed their way to 24-21 and had
placed the Baby Boks under enormous pressure. With 11 minutes to play though the
hosts somehow managed to cling on to the lead through frenzied defence and
courageous break-outs.

                         Although South Africa led at the break by ten points,
the difference should have been far greater.

                         Tellingly, South Africa failed to convert an
overwhelming dominance of territory and possession into tries. Each time South
Africa looked likely to dot down, they would either break down or an Australian
appeared to infringe.

                         Instead of a possible seven points, the hosts had to
make do with another Francois Swart penalty. Swart had booted the Boks to a 9-3
lead when skipper Clyde Rathbone broke powerfully through the midfield before
offloading to Jorrie Kruger.

                         The Lions fullback did well to pop the ball, following a
heavy tackle, to Ashwin Willemse who skipped over for the opening try.

                         Down 19-6 with just six minutes of the half remaining,
Australia was fortunate to close the gap when South Africa was unfairly
penalised in front of the up rights.

                         The homeside had defended well whenever the Wallabies
had broken out and Gurthro Steenkamp appeared to have made a legitimate but
bone-crunching tackle on flanker Matthew Hodgson. The result, however, was
another Brock James penalty.

                         The Baby Boks though extended that lead to 24-9 shortly
after the break when Rathbone (pictured) was on hand to finish off Jean de
Villiers' blistering break down the left wing.

                         It was then though that Roland Bernard was sin-binned
for tackling Australian scrumhalf Mathew Henjak without retreating the required
10 metres.

                         The Australians almost immediately took advantage of
their numerical supremacy, creating an enormous overlap to allow tighthead
Anthony Mathison to score.

                         Bernard's return though did not seem to matter much to
the visitors. They had absorbed some sustained South African pressure before
turning it around to dot down through Peter Hynes.

                         New Zealand, who lost in extra time to South Africa in
the semis on Tuesday, took third place with a one-sided 59-7 win over Wales.

                         Scorers:

                         South Africa - Tries: Ashwin Willemse, Clyde Rathbone;
Conversion: Francois Swart; Penalties: Francois Swart (3).

                         Australia - Tries: Anthony Mathison, Peter Hynes;
Conversion: Brock James; Penalties: Brock James (2) - Sapa
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                                 a.. South Africa () vs Argentina ()

                                 a.. South Africa 'A' (42) vs (36) Argentina

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                                 a.. Wales (7) vs (43) Australia

                                 a.. England (15) vs Ireland (28)













                                 Butch James
                                 Butch James is back after a long absence due to
injury.







                                          Who was the best of the Boks 'Young
Brigade' in the series against Wales?  Johannes Conradie
                                   Daan Human
                                   Marius Joubert
                                   Andre Pretorius
                                   Brent Russell











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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

South African youths die during rituals

  Five teenage boys have died and 51 others have been injured during initiation
rituals in South Africa.
Police found the youths when a boy died on his way to hospital on Monday, after
rituals involving circumcision and beatings.

Four instructors have been arrested and are being questioned by police.

The BBC's Barnaby Phillips in Johannesburg says that although the South African
authorities have tried to regulate initiation schools to avoid such incidents,
some provinces keep practising the rituals.

In this latest incident, the boys, aged between 13 and 18, had been attending
several so-called "bush schools", including one outside the towship of Ratanda,
in the Heidelberg hills, near Johannesburg.

Police say the initiates, of the Sotho and Xhosa ethnic groups, were exposed
naked to sub-freezing temperatures, and that many had circumcision-related
infections and bruised backs.

The survivors are now being treated in hospital. Eighteen of them are in a
critical condition.




"They have been diagnosed with pneumonia, lung infections, bronchitis," police
spokeswoman Anneline Prinsloo said.

The chief of emergency services in Heidelberg, Terrance Niemach, was critical.

"They should not be circumcised under these conditions and come out here in this
cold," he said.

Lack of hygiene

The boys were apparently provided with no shelter, little water and no toilet
facilities.

One local newspaper quotes one of the instructors as saying the ceremonies were
intended to turn the boys into strong men.

In South Africa, the operations are usually performed in June and December,
during school holidays.

Young men in many African societies traditionally undergo training involving
rituals and circumcision to mark the transition to manhood.

They rejoin society with a man's status once their wounds have healed.

Our correspondent says that while some traditional leaders have accepted new
regulations to make the rituals safer, others have resisted and accused the
government of interfering in cultural affairs.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Monday, 24 June, 2002, 13:06 GMT 14:06 UK
Zimbabwe whites ignore farming ban


Many of the 2,900 white farmers in Zimbabwe affected by a ban on farming their
land, which comes into force at midnight on Monday, are carrying on work as
usual.
The Commercial Farmers' Union says that most of its members appear to have
ignored the legislation which requires them to stop working and then give up
their land.

A spokeswoman for the union said her impression was that most of the CFU members
subject to the law do not intend going anywhere.



A farmers' representative in the central province of Masvingo said he and his
colleagues are aware of the legal situation but prefer to "sit it out".

Any farmer who carries on working their land 45 days after receiving an
acquisition notice could face two years in prison.

Seizures

In some areas of Zimbabwe, the ban will come into effect when white farmers are
still harvesting sugarcane.




The CFU says its members have financial commitments and crops in the ground that
make them unwilling to stop work and leave their farms.

The number of farmers affected represents about 60% of the total of white
farmers who were in Zimbabwe at the time that land seizures began two years ago.

One farmer has been quoted as saying that you cannot wind up 50 years' work in
45 days.

Leave

The policy of confiscating white-owned farms was begun by President Robert
Mugabe over two years ago, and his critics say it is partly to blame for the
food shortages affecting millions of Zimbabweans.



Last month the government passed the legislation, giving farmers 45 days to stop
working land which has been listed for acquisition and redistribution.

In theory the farmers now have another 45 days, at the end of which they must
leave their properties for good.

The government was not available for comment, but a state controlled newspaper
said the authorities had rejected requests from farmers that they be allowed to
stay on.

'Man-made crisis'

Zimbabwe is facing severe food shortages as a result of a drought and a crippled
economy.

Since the beginning of June almost all domestic grain stocks have been
exhausted, and nearly two-thirds of the country's needs are not being supplied.

For a country that was once the breadbasket of southern Africa this is nothing
short of a disaster.

International aid agencies - including World Food Programme - say the food
shortages are directly linked to the often chaotic redistribution of land.

They warn that about half of the country's 14 million might be in need of food
assistance by the end of the of the year.

Farmers in Zimbabwe also say the food crisis in mainly man-made.

"When one looks at it, the drought was a minor drought - it was nothing compared
to the 1991-92 drought," Mac Crawford, cattle farmer in Matabeleland, said.

"But yet we're facing a major disaster... for the simple reason of politics."

But the government says that by taking land from white farmers and giving it to
landless black peasants, it is ensuring greater self-sufficiency in the future.


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Focus-Zimbabwe crisis deepens
       By Cris Chinaka

       HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis is deepening
as President Robert Mugabe cranks up pressure against the opposition, and
continues his controversial land-seizure drive, political analysts say.


       They argue that Mugabe has compounded Zimbabwe's gloomy outlook with a
swoop of arrests and warnings to his opponents that he will not tolerate any
protests against his rule, and another vow that his land reforms are
irreversible.


       "If you look at all the things that are happening...if you add it up in
any manner you want, what you will find is a situation that is getting worse and
worse," said Masipula Sithole, professor of political science at the University
of Zimbabwe.


       "There is more repression, a more repressive atmosphere and there are no
new ideas coming from the government. It is behaving as if everything is normal
and that is what is making the situation really bad."


       The government arrested and took to court nearly 100 members of the main
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) this week for illegal rallies.


       The ruling ZANU-PF party says the rallies are being called to plot a
national revolt to overturn Mugabe's re-election earlier this year in a disputed
poll.


       MDC leader Tsvangirai accused the police of brutality in dispersing the
rallies, but said he would not give up his efforts to organise anti-government
protests.


       While Mugabe's government kept its eyes and guns on its opponents, the
crisis in Zimbabwe's economy, in its fourth year of recession, appeared to be
worsening.


       FOOD CRISIS DEEPENS


       Food shortages -- blamed on drought and Mugabe's seizures of white-owned
commercial farms -- are spreading, the Zimbabwean dollar continues to crumble in
value and the price of critical health drugs has risen by over 200 percent since
December.


       "The economy has become a hostage of our politics and there is nothing in
our politics to liberate the economy," said private economic consultant John
Robertson.


       Increasing numbers of farmers whose land has been designated for seizure
by Mugabe's government for redistribution to landless blacks are leaving their
land following government orders, raising the spectre of an even wider food
crisis.


       Many of the farms' new occupants have little or no farming experience and
Zimbabwean farmers are emigrating in droves, with some neighbours like
Mozambique snapping up their expertise.


       The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), which represents about 4,500 white
farmers, says up to 90 percent of its members are likely to lose their land
under the government's "fast-track" land-reform programme.


       Agricultural authorities in Mozambique said on Sunday some of the 150
Zimbabwean commercial farmers who had applied for land in the central province
of Manica would soon be operating there, having paid their taxes and consulted
local communities.


       Besides the staple maize meal, Zimbabwean media said this week sugar was
in short supply because millers had had no coal deliveries from a state railway
service, commandeered by the government to move food aid around the southern
Africa country where a quarter of its 14 million people are facing starvation.


       International aid agencies -- including the World Food Programme (WFP) --
say about half the population might be in need of food assistance by the end of
the year and that Zimbabwe's current food crisis is mainly man-made.


       The country's key farming sector used to be breadbasket of the region.


       But Mugabe, whose March presidential election was condemned as fraudulent
by many Western powers, blames this year's food shortage on drought.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Print story
             21/06/2002 22:25  - (SA)    E-mail story to a friend



       US cops hunt SA Hell's Angel

       Pierre Steyn

       Washington - Arizona police have uncovered an international drug smuggling
ring involving US and South African Hell's Angels. The ring was allegedly
established in November 1999.

       The amphetamine "South African Brown", hidden in stuffed toys, was speed
mailed to Flagstaff in Arizona, from where it was distributed to other US
states.

       South Africans Michael "Jethro" Hall, former president, and Peter Conway,
vice-president of the Nomad Chapter of the South African Hell's Angels, and a
number of American members of the gang have been charged with the alleged
smuggling.

       American Hell's Angel Greg Surdukan this week admitted guilt and was
sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Phoenix judge. The US authorities had less
success prosecuting the South Africans.

       Phoenix assistant prosecutor Patrick Schneider said he was informed that
Hall was recently murdered in his house in South Africa during a burglary.

       Members of the gang in Johannesburg confirmed that Hall was shot dead in
his Johannesburg home about a month ago. It was not clear whether he was the
president of the gang at the time.

       May be extradited

       Although Schneider did not want to divulge information about American
attempts to have Conway extradited, he said there was still a chance that he
could be tried in America. Conway's present whereabouts is unknown.

       The gangs allegedly mostly made use of telephones, cellular phones, e-mail
and snail mail to communicate with each other. Code language was used when
discussing the purchase and distribution of the drugs. The drugs were put in
stuffed toys and speed mailed to the US.

       Arizona police watched the Hell's Angels for months, and apparently also
bugged their phones.

       The charge sheet shows that Surdukan, for example, phoned Hall on February
12, 2001, and wanted to know who the money should be handed to. Hall told him to
give it to "Pete".

       Surdukan and his wife Diane, also an accused, sold some amphetamine
shortly afterwards.

       Peter Conway returned from the USA to Johannesburg via London on March 1.
He had US dollars worth R140 000 with him.

       Members of American motorcycle gangs could in the past easily move from
one community to another to side-step prosecution, thanks to an extensive,
countrywide network. In some cases, as is the case in South Africa, the network
even stretched over national borders.

       The American justice department recently announced that one of its top
priorities would be to clamp down on criminal motorcycle gangs.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

BBC News | AFRICA | New mercenaries 'off to Madagascar'

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       Low Graphics  Friday, 21 June, 2002, 17:11 GMT 18:11 UK
       New mercenaries 'off to Madagascar'


       The standoff has divided Madagascar

       Madagascar's new government says 36 mercenaries have been flown from South
Africa in what it says is a new bid to assassinate the new President, Marc
Ravalomana.
       The allegations came as half of capital Antananarivo was left without
power after three electricity pylons were blown up on Friday.

       Mr Ravalomanana's government blamed the attack on supporters of
presidential rival, Didier Ratsiraka, who is in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abba
for a special summit on the crisis in his country.

       Earlier, Madagascar's State Radio in Antananarivo said Mr Ravalomanana had
left for the Addis gathering "out of respect for the OAU (Organisation of
African Unity) and its unceasing efforts to find a solution".

       But the BBC's Nita Bhalla in Addis says OAU officials hosting the meeting
have confirmed that Mr Ravalomanana will not be attending the meeting.

       Dogs of war

       A statement issued on Friday by the government said the mercenaries flew
from East London, along South Africa's eastern coast, and had instructions to
try to assasinate Ravalomanana.

       It said the mercenaries were being co-funded by the rival government and
an anonymous African head of state.

       But South African aviation authorities denied any knowledge that there was
any such operation out of East London.


             The leader of the new government says he will not attend the OAU
summit


       On Wednesday, Tanzanian authorities turned back a plane carrying 12
suspected French mercenaries to Madagascar.

       The Ravalomanana government statement issued on Wednesday said that Didier
Ratsiraka was behind efforts to send the mercenaries into the country.

       It said it would take legal action against Mr Ratsiraka if he returned to
Madagascar.

       OAU plan

       According to correspondents, the Friday power cut crippled the capital
Antananarivo, which is Ravalomanana's stronghold.

       They said the power line that blew up exploded in the city of Andekaleka,
in Ratsiraka's provincial stronghold of Tamatave, about 150 kilometers (93
miles) east of the capital.

       In Addis Ababa, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade was joined at the
summit by the leaders of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, as well as
the deputy president of South Africa and foreign ministers from Togo, Namibia,
Egypt, and Gabon.

       Diplomats say the meeting will focus on an OAU plan put forward on 9 June.


             Ratsiraka's camp denies links with the alleged mercenaries


       It envisages a transitional government with an equal number of
representatives from both the Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana camps to lead the
country to early general elections.

       The diplomats called for an immediate solution, although previous
diplomatic mediation has failed.

       Mr Ravalomanana was declared president by a Madagascan court last month
after a disputed election in December, but the verdict has not been accepted by
Mr Ratsiraka and his supporters.

       The stand-off between the two men has led to violence that has cost about
70 lives.

       The BBC's Jonny Donovan in Antananarivo says that for many people in
Madagascar, the latest breakdown in relations between the two camps means that
Mr Ratsiraka's time is over.


             Divided island


             Key stories
             Power struggle hots up
             Humanitarian crisis
             Illegal fuel trail
             Ethnic strife
             Q&A: Political turmoil


             Profiles
             Marc Ravalomanana
             Didier Ratsiraka


             Background
             Biodiversity threat
             Country profile
             Timeline


       See also:


       21 Jun 02 | Africa
       Drive to end Madagascar crisis
       20 Jun 02 | Africa
       'No amnesty' for Ratsiraka
       20 Jun 02 | Africa
       'Mercenaries' back in France
       17 Jun 02 | Africa
       Troops clash in Madagascar
       Internet links:


       Marc Ravalomanana's website
       Madagascar Government facts
       BBC Focus on Africa

       The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

       Top Africa stories now:


       OAU freezes Madagascar's seat
       Confusion over Kenya poll date
       Senegal expects
       Angolan rebels flood into camps
       Obasanjo survives public cash debate
       Stigma keeps S Africans from Aids drugs
       Jewish group ticks off Tutu
       Bush plans Africa trip

       Links to more Africa stories are at the foot of the page.




              E-mail this story to a friend


       Links to more Africa stories

          In This Section OAU freezes Madagascar's seat Confusion over Kenya poll
date Senegal expects Angolan rebels flood into camps Obasanjo survives public
cash debate Stigma keeps S Africans from Aids drugs Jewish group ticks off Tutu
Bush plans Africa trip Eritreans to open up over war dead Africa Media Watch
Faye attacks Turkey's tactics Senegal warning for Turkey Mbeki hails SA's heroes
South African banks face Aids crisis Nigerian public spending under
investigation Mauritania granted debt relief Thirty feared dead in Tanzania mine
Ugandan rebels abduct 24 civilians Tunisian web journalist jailed President's
guard kills child in Liberia Human smuggling eclipses drugs trade New refugee
crisis in Liberia French soldiers of fortune still roam Africa Uganda pushes on
with controversial dam Spotted: After 70 years Rwandans embrace genocide justice
Ice-bound crew ration food Kenya warned not to postpone poll Ivorians queue up
to leave Apartheid victims file suit



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SA is smiling again

Hennie Brandt


Cape Town - South African rugby is smiling again after the Springboks did not
give their supporters much to hope for under Harry Viljoen.

SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd managing director Rian Oberholzer was the one person who was
pleased with what Rudolf Straeuli has achieved in his first two Tests as coach
after the 19-8 victory over Wales on a wet Newlands in here on Saturday.

"I am very pleased. Many people say Wales are not a strong team and we should
have beaten them by a bigger margin. But what was very encouraging to me was the
way in which the guys came together and performed.

"I also think we now have the core of a fantastic team. Name the names. Brent
Russell, André Pretorius and Bolla Conradie... they are all skilful, we just
have to use them correctly. We are very excited and Springbok rugby is on its
way to the top," Oberholzer said after the Boks won the Test series against the
Red Dragons at Newlands 2-0.

But Oberholzer is also too much of an old hand to fly off the handle about the
national team's chance in the World Cup tournament in Australia next year.

"It is too soon to talk about the World Cup now," Oberholzer said. "We have only
played two of 18 matches. Another 16 matches are left before the World Cup
tournament starts and that is why we cannot risk predictions now.

"But all I can tell you is that I feel much more comfortable than I did when we
returned from the tour at the end of last year. There is another spirit in the
team.

"I think to the whole thing of back to basics that was started by Rudolf, is
also working for the players. It is simply another team, and it's very nice."

A sense of optimism prevails ever since Straeuli said he would return to basic
things and values with the national team, and due to the fact that he held a
national trial match.

Oberholzer is also aware of this. "The whole of South Africa is pleased and that
makes it much easier for everyone. And if everyone in the country continues
supporting the team like they are doing now, it will also give the players
confidence to play harder and better," Oberholzer says.

The next hurdle for the Boks awaits them at the Pam Brink Stadium in Springs on
June 29, against Argentina. Straeuli will announce his 22-man squad for the
match on Wednesday, after which the group will get together in Johannesburg on
Sunday to start their preparations.

Straeuli will on Tuesday also select the South African A team, which will meet
the Pumas in Nelspruit on June 26. He said after the victory over Wales, that
the A team would be the strongest squad that could be composed apart from the
Bok team.

"It cannot be any different, it is the A team, after all."

And it is doubtful whether he will select Bok contenders who were injured, and
could therefore not play before now. They might get the chance to show their
mettle as substitutes later.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dozens charged in Zimbabwe after rally


Anti-government demonstrations have been repressed

Dozens of Zimbabwean opposition activists arrested at a rally on Sunday have
been charged with violating strict new public order legislation.
A police spokesman told the BBC that 62 members of the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) had been charged at a court in Harare and later released on bail.


       Mugabe has tightened public order and media legislation

Several of those arrested said they had been tortured by the police.

The detainees included three journalists who work for the independent Daily
News.

The newspaper says police broke the arm of one of the journalists, but officials
have not confirmed this.

Also among the detainees was an opposition member of parliament, Munyaradzi
Gwisai.

He told the BBC that women had been beaten up by police in MCD premises on
Sunday, and that they had been made to crawl on the ground.

He said that people had been blindfolded and tortured in the police cells,
describing the conditions as "savage".

'Humane police'

But a police spokesman told the BBC that he was not aware that any opposition
activists had been injured.

He said the opposition was prone to exaggeration and that Zimbabwe has a "very
humane" police force.

All 62 people released on Tuesday will go back to court for a remand hearing on
Thursday.

Meanwhile, another magistrates' court in Harare has deferred until early July a
decision on whether to proceed with charges against an American journalist who
works for a British newspaper, The Guardian.

Andrew Meldrum is charged with publishing falsehoods under drastic new press
laws.

He could face a hefty fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.


       Meldrum's trial will resume in July


Last week, state-run media reported that President Mugabe had put security
forces on high alert to crush any mass demonstrations calling for a re-run of
the March presidential elections.

At the weekend, the Zimbabwean Government introduced more restrictions to the
work of national and international reporters in what critics see as an attempt
to limit foreign media in the country.

An amendment to the new media law says that foreign media companies will need to
pay the equivalent of a total of $12,000 US to be registered.

Dozens charged in Zimbabwe after rally


Anti-government demonstrations have been repressed

Dozens of Zimbabwean opposition activists arrested at a rally on Sunday have
been charged with violating strict new public order legislation.
A police spokesman told the BBC that 62 members of the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) had been charged at a court in Harare and later released on bail.


       Mugabe has tightened public order and media legislation

Several of those arrested said they had been tortured by the police.

The detainees included three journalists who work for the independent Daily
News.

The newspaper says police broke the arm of one of the journalists, but officials
have not confirmed this.

Also among the detainees was an opposition member of parliament, Munyaradzi
Gwisai.

He told the BBC that women had been beaten up by police in MCD premises on
Sunday, and that they had been made to crawl on the ground.

He said that people had been blindfolded and tortured in the police cells,
describing the conditions as "savage".

'Humane police'

But a police spokesman told the BBC that he was not aware that any opposition
activists had been injured.

He said the opposition was prone to exaggeration and that Zimbabwe has a "very
humane" police force.

All 62 people released on Tuesday will go back to court for a remand hearing on
Thursday.

Meanwhile, another magistrates' court in Harare has deferred until early July a
decision on whether to proceed with charges against an American journalist who
works for a British newspaper, The Guardian.

Andrew Meldrum is charged with publishing falsehoods under drastic new press
laws.

He could face a hefty fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.


       Meldrum's trial will resume in July


Last week, state-run media reported that President Mugabe had put security
forces on high alert to crush any mass demonstrations calling for a re-run of
the March presidential elections.

At the weekend, the Zimbabwean Government introduced more restrictions to the
work of national and international reporters in what critics see as an attempt
to limit foreign media in the country.

An amendment to the new media law says that foreign media companies will need to
pay the equivalent of a total of $12,000 US to be registered.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

First Liposuction, Then Lions
Low-Cost Plastic Surgery Draws Tourists to S. Africa
By Jon Jeter
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, June 8, 2002; Page A01


JOHANNESBURG -- The surgeon's scalpel had left Peter Kaufman's face swollen and
his midsection sore, but his spirits were high as he sipped orange juice and
downed scrambled eggs by the hotel's glistening pool.

The operation had gone well, and for less than half what it would have cost him
back home in Dallas, Kaufman had parted with his jowls and his love handles. Now
it was on to the South African bush, where Kaufman's telltale scars could heal
far from his neighbors and co-workers' accusatory stares, his secret safe with
the safari guide and any elephants or rhinos he came across.

"I made the decision that by my 50th birthday I was going to reclaim my life,"
Kaufman said. "I really wanted to have a facelift, but it's so incredibly
expensive in the States. Here I can get everything I want done, go on safari,
[and] spend three weeks recuperating for the same price as just the surgical
procedure back home. The swelling will be down by the time I return, so I can go
back as a new person and it won't look so obvious. And I feel safer here than I
do in the U.S. right now. This is just ideal."

Kaufman needed to get his groove back and headed east, here to South Africa,
where the plastic surgeons are first-rate, the animals are exotic and the dollar
goes a long way. The odd combination of lions and liposuction are at the center
of this country's growing "medical tourism" industry, which has in turn helped
fuel a surge in international travel here since Sept. 11.

"We tell them to come for the surgery," said Lionel Jedeikin, a Cape Town
physician who specializes in breasts and chins. "Stay for the scenery."

Nearly 19,000 more tourists visited South Africa in January than did a year
earlier, and travel agents, hotel managers, car rental agencies and restaurants
have all reported dramatic increases in business since the end of last year.

Visitors from Europe account for the bulk of the increase; overseas arrivals
from Britain and Germany have risen by more than 14 percent this year. Arrivals
from the United States were climbing last year until the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks discouraged overseas travel. Still, the 2 percent overall decline in
American visits to South Africa in the aftermath of Sept. 11 has been slight
compared with the nearly 25 percent decrease in U.S. visitors to countries in
East Africa.

South Africa was largely scorned by tourists when its white minority ruled
through the oppressive system of apartheid, but its fortunes changed when a
black-led government took office in 1994 eager to attract cash from overseas.

The country's reputation for carjackings, rape and other violent crime
discouraged tourism in the new South Africa, but tourism officials say that last
year's terrorist attack on the United States did what police and public
relations could not: dispel South Africa's image as unsafe.

"We had been saying for years that South Africa was really a safe place and that
visitors from overseas were statistically in no more danger here than they were
back in their home countries," said Phindile Makwakwa, a spokeswoman for Tourism
Minister Valli Moosa. "But it was like the world woke up September 12th and
heard us for the first time. We're seeing more foreign tourists, as well as our
own domestic tourists, who are now leery of traveling abroad."

Recognizing that South Africa was uniquely qualified to capitalize on a niche
market, Lorraine Melvill started her company, Surgery and Safari, two years ago.
Working with local plastic surgeons, she put up a Web site and now organizes
vacation packages and surgical consultations for five or six well-off
professionals from the United States and Europe each week. Several competitors
have followed.

"I knew we had fantastic surgeons and an exchange rate that was only going to
get better for anyone with dollars," said Melvill, a former marketing executive.
"I wanted to share Africa with the world, and this just seemed the perfect fit."

South Africa has sub-Saharan Africa's most industrialized economy. South African
doctors, often educated abroad, are widely regarded as among the world's finest
-- South African Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first successful human
heart transplant in 1967 -- and many of the safari camps that ring Kruger
National Park are the equivalent of four- and five-star hotels in the bush,
offering customers single-malt Scotch, manicures and gourmet meals.

Moreover, South Africa's currency, the rand, lost more than a third of its value
last year, partly because of civil unrest and political instability in
neighboring Zimbabwe. Trading at roughly 6 to the U.S. dollar when Nelson
Mandela stepped down in 1999 as the country's first democratically elected
president, the rand fell below 12 to the dollar in December before gradually
rebounding. It now trades at about 10 to the dollar, but South Africa remains
one of only two places in the world where a Big Mac costs less than a dollar,
according to the Economist, a British magazine.

Price is what initially piqued the interest of Regina Housley of Southern
California. Forty-seven and divorced, the graying biologist was beginning to
notice loose shards of fat on her legs and arms -- "I had batwings" -- but
couldn't bring herself to spend the $10,000 that a surgeon back home estimated
it would cost for a facelift and liposuction.

Housley read about Melvill's company in a travel magazine and went online to do
research. She picked up the phone. Melvill put her in touch with a cosmetic
surgeon here and Housley e-mailed him some photographs of herself.

For about $11,000, Housley got the facelift and liposuction she wanted, plus
airfare, two days on safari and nearly a week of shopping and relaxation, all
the while staying at one of Johannesburg's most exclusive hotels.

"It was all first-rate," she said while sitting in the hotel bar here recently,
showing off the bruising that she was confident would heal before she returned.
"I'm a little sore, but overall I feel great. The doctors really took their time
and explained everything to me, and Lorraine caters to your every need. I'm
really looking forward to going home. I really want to wear a swimsuit this
summer."

Jedeikin, the Cape Town surgeon, said that 50 percent of his patients are from
abroad now, compared with less than 10 percent four years ago. "It used to be
mainly women, but we're seeing a lot more men now," Jedeikin said. He said he
had just smoothed the wrinkles and strengthened the chin of a Colorado banker
for about half of what it would have cost in the United States.

"The quality of work is just as good, but the one advantage we have over the
U.S. is the exchange rate," he said.

A buyer for a major department store, Kaufman decided to travel to South Africa
for his touch-up after a friend reminded him that the first successful heart
transplant was performed in Cape Town.

About to turn 50, Kaufman had love handles that he just didn't think he could
get rid of by exercising, and loose folds of skin around his neck that bothered
him every time he looked in a mirror.

"Everybody said it looked okay, but of course that didn't matter," he said. "I
didn't think it looked okay. I decided I really wanted to do this."

And so he did, spending nearly two weeks in southern Africa after his surgery,
traveling to Cape Town in a luxurious colonial-era train, discovering a great
merlot in the wine lands, standing at the edge of Victoria Falls, staring at a
lion so close he swore he could feel its breath.

"I did all that for just a few thousand dollars more than what the facelift
alone would have cost me in the States," he said, beaming like a lottery winner
as a hotel waiter poured him another glass of orange juice.

"And when I go back home," he said between sips, "I'll have my mojo back."



© 2002 The Washington Post Company


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Apartheid claim lawyer heckled

Zurich - US attorney Ed Fagan was heckled and booed by a crowd in the heart of
Zurich's financial centre on Monday, forcing him to retreat from presenting a
lawsuit against Switzerland's two biggest banks on behalf of victims of South
Africa's former apartheid regime.

Fagan, who was planning to outline his case to the media outside the
headquarters of several banks, was confronted by a crowd of angry onlookers.

The leading US corporate affairs lawyer got into a taxi and drove off, amid
shouts of "Fagan, Go Home" from several dozen, mainly elderly, onlookers.

The media presentation was re-scheduled later in a Zurich hotel.

Fagan played a leading role during the late 1990s in pressing compensation
claims against Swiss banks by Holocaust survivors, triggering international
pressure on Switzerland to account for its record during World War II.

He was expected to outline a new class action lawsuit for reparations from UBS,
Credit Suisse and US bank Citibank on behalf of six South African victims of
apartheid, which is due to be filed in a US court in Manhattan later on Monday.

Another press conference was due to take place in Soweto at the same time as
Fagan's appearance in Zurich.

On Sunday, Fagan declined to specify the amount being sought in reparations, but
Swiss newspapers reported that the two Swiss banks faced a claim of 80 billion
Swiss francs (R536 billion).

He said that further class action lawsuits were planned against other US and
European based financial institutions and companies.

The current lawsuit involved six lead plaintiffs, he added, saying however that
he expected more to join.

The banks are accused of "profiteering" under the apartheid regime. They have
also been accused by anti-apartheid campaigners of helping to prop up white-only
rule in South Africa by continuing to do business with the authorities there
after 1985.

Fagan is being supported by South African human rights lawyer Dumisa Ntsebeza,
who will lead the international team in the fight for reparations, the legal
team said in a statement.

"The targets are the private US and European based multi-national industries
that profiteered from their business dealings in South Africa during the period
from 1948 to 1993," the statement said.

UBS said on Sunday there was no basis for the lawsuit, while Credit Suisse said
there was no legal basis for the claims, which it dismissed as unsubstantiated.

"Credit Suisse Group operated at all times according to all applicable laws and
the Swiss government's regulations for doing business with South Africa,"
spokeswoman Claudia Kraaz added.

Switzerland, which is due to join the United Nations in September, did not take
part in UN economic sanctions against South Africa's apartheid regime.

Fagan played a key role in forcing Swiss banks into a $1.25 billion settlement
in the United States with Jewish groups, Holocaust victims and their heirs in
1998, following a similar class action lawsuit.

Several thousand Holocaust victims have been trying for several decades to
recover money held in bank accounts in Switzerland after World War II. -
Sapa-AFP







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Swiss banks face 'apartheid lawsuit'


South Africa's first all-race elections were held in 1994

A leading American lawyer is planning to file a class action lawsuit against
Switzerland's two biggest banks and US bank Citibank on behalf of victims of
South Africa's former apartheid regime.
Ed Fagan, who played a key role in securing compensation for Holocaust survivors
from Swiss banks, told the French news agency AFP he would begin proceedings at
a New York court on Monday.

He declined to specify the amount being sought, but Swiss newspaper
SonntagsZeitung said UBS and Credit Suisse face demands for 80bn Swiss francs
($51.3bn; 60bn euros).

The banks are accused of profiting from loans to the white South African
government while a United Nations embargo was in force.

The banks say they have no knowledge of a lawsuit, but a Credit Suisse
spokeswoman said that to blame them for the injustices of apartheid would be
preposterous and unsubstantiated by the facts.

Complicated case

The case will be coordinated by South African human rights lawyer Dumisa
Ntsebeza.

"The regime would never have survived so long if it had not gone on being
supported ... by firms whose only goal was profit," SonntagsZeitung quoted Mr
Ntsebeza as saying.

The case is being pursued in the American courts under laws permitting non-US
citizens to file human rights claims against companies doing business in the
United States.

But the suit is likely to be complicated by jurisdictional issues.

Switzerland did not take part in a United Nations-led round of trade sanctions
against South Africa, although it did observe an arms embargo.

In 1998, a group of Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25bn to settle legal action
arising from the alleged hoarding of holocaust victims' bank accounts after
World War II.


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But; I'm fascinated with it's history be interested to here anyones stories.

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