Britain Gives Malawi 41 Million Dollars Under
HIPC

Panafrican News Agency
December 6, 2000

Blantyre

Britain is to release at least 41 million US dollars to Malawi
following London's decision to forgive debt for 41 heavily indebted
countries in the world.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown made the
announcement in London, ahead of a similar announcement to
relieve poor countries of their indebtedness under the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) by the World Bank and
the IMF.

Malawi finance minister Mathews Chikaonda told journalists
Wednesday the news of the debt relief was delivered by visiting
British Financial Secretary of the Treasury, Stephen Timms.

"This shows a measure of trust in the expenditure control
measures which the Malawi government has put in place," he
said.

Chikaonda also said the Malawi government has submitted an
Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper to the board of the
World Bank and the IMF, a pre-condition for the Bretton Wood
institutions will use to certify the eligibility of heavily indebted
countries for debt relief.

He said the board would meet later in December to consider
Malawi's position.

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper contains an outline on how
the government intends to utilise the money saved from servicing
the debt.

Chikaonda said if approved, up to 56 percent of Malawi's debt will
be forgiven.

The finance minister said Malawi would have been spending
between 100 and 130 million dollars annually to service its debt.

Timms said in a statement in Lilongwe at the end of his visit that
he had discussed the need for expenditure control in government
with Malawi officials, including President Bakili Muluzi, finance
minister Chikaonda and the director of the Anti-corruption Bureau
Gilton Chiwaula.

*****

8 Million Live in Sub-standard Housing

Panafrican News Agency
December 7, 2000

Blantyre, Malawi

Four out of every five Malawians currently live in very
substandard housing with little hope of ever being able to afford a
decent home, a recent report has revealed.

This translates that eight million of Malawi's 10-million population
live in poor housing with little or no sanitation facilities.

According to the Christian-based NGO - Habitat for Humanity
Malawi - decent housing in Malawi is a serious problem because
most Malawian families, living on a monthly income of less than 20
US dollars, have no hope of accumulating capital to rent a decent
house, let alone build one.

The NGO says that since it started operation in Malawi in 1986, it
has built 4,400 low-cost houses, housing more than 26,000
people in 11 of the country's 27 districts.

"Habitat for Humanity Malawi is the largest (housing) programme
in Africa, and with our new project we intend to double the 4,400
more houses in the next 10 years," the report says.

Under the new project, called 'Blitz Build', a single house or an
apartment costing 428 dollar is built within five days.

Previously, it took three to four weeks to build Habitat for
Humanity houses.

"Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate housing problems from
the face of the earth and to make decent shelter a matter of
conscious and action," the founder of Habitat, Milland Fuller, said.

Fuller said the NGO regarded the housing problem in Malawi as
unacceptable, adding "that's why we are providing simple, decent
and affordable houses all over Malawi so as to abate the
situation."

However, the 428-dollar Habitat for Humanity-sponsored houses
are not for free as beneficiary families must repay the amount in
bags of cement over a period of ten years.

"Habitat for Humanity is not a handout programme; it is a hand up
programme; that's why a family that has benefited from the
organisation repays the house over a period of ten years," Muller
pointed out.

In Africa, Habitat for Humanity, which operates in 70 countries in
the world, was founded 25 years ago in the Democratic Republic
of Congo.

The organisation executes its programmes through volunteers
from schools and colleges, churches as well as habitat
homeowners.

*****

                   Zimbabwe Militants Abduct Farmer

                   By Angus Shaw
                   Associated Press Writer
                   Thursday, Dec. 7, 2000; 6:20 a.m. EST

                   HARARE, Zimbabwe ** Militants from Zimbabwe's ruling party
abducted
                   a white farmer and forced him to drive them to President
Robert Mugabe's
                   office during a dispute about land they seized, the union that
represents the
                   country's white farmers said Thursday.

                   The militants said they wanted Mugabe to intervene to stop
farmer Lance
                   Kennedy from planting crops on land they claimed for
themselves, said
                   Malcolm Vowles, a spokesman for the Commercial Farmers Union.

                   Armed troops and police guarding Mugabe's complex of offices
and
                   meeting rooms refused to let the group of 20 militants in
Wednesday. The
                   militants forced Kennedy to sit in his truck outside the gate
for two hours.

                   The abduction on Mugabe's doorstep and in front of police was
another sign
                   of increasing lawlessness in the southern African nation,
where order
                   started breaking down in February in a racially tinged land
dispute.

                   Several thousand whites own about one-third of the productive
land in
                   Zimbabwe, which also supports 2 million farm workers and their
families.
                   About 7.5 million blacks live on the remaining two-thirds.
Since February,
                   though, ruling party militants have illegally and violently
occupied about
                   1,700 white-owned farms, squatting on the land and disrupting
farm
                   production.

                   In Wednesday's incident, police persuaded the militants to
return to
                   Kennedy's farm about 20 miles northwest of Harare and escorted
them
                   there, freeing the farmer to enter his homestead.

                   Kennedy was shaken by the incident. He reported it to the
union, but
                   refused to discuss it with reporters out of fear of reprisals.

                   "It's dangerous," he told The Associated Press.

                   Six white farmers have been murdered since the occupations
began.

                   It was not clear whether the militant group that abducted
Kennedy was
                   armed. But the ruling party militants and farm squatters *
many veterans of
                   the bush war that ended white rule here in 1980 * are usually
armed with
                   knives, clubs and sometimes guns.

                   Wednesday's incident heightened tension in the Nyabira wheat,
corn and
                   tobacco district where militants led by Mugabe's sister,
Sabina, have been
                   active, Vowles said.

                   Mugabe's sister, a ruling party lawmaker for the neighboring
Zvimba district,
                   has been exhorting followers to seize private land she has
toured in her
                   luxury Mercedes. Last month, she led a group of 30 militants
who disrupted
                   work and seized 900 acres on a nearby farm partly owned by
Kennedy's
                   father.

                   Mugabe has described the illegal occupation of white-owned
land as a
                   justified protest against disparities in land ownership in the
former British
                   colony of Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was known before independence.

                   The government has also begun confiscating some of the 3,000
                   white-owned farms, which it says it will carve up and hand
over to landless
                   blacks. It has ignored two court orders to clear militants and
squatters from
                   private land and end the violent disruptions of farm
production.

                   The nation's Supreme Court has declared the government land
resettlement
                   program illegal because its "fast track" seizures do not
follow legal
                   procedures on land reform passed by Mugabe's ruling party in
April.

Just a quick FYI...

I have been dealing with the ideas of financial planning and IRAs and the
like lately. The big mainstream companies like PainWebber, etc. have left me
wanting more in terms of social responsibility and even basic financial
education.

If anyone finds themselves in a similar boat, I found a great
website/Nonprofit called CoopAmerica (www.coopamerica.org). Check it out.
Also if anyone has any other suggestions I, for one, would really like to
hear them.

Hope everyone is well.
Luz
________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Pax World Fund, Domini Social Equity and Vanguard Calvert Social Index are
the ones I've heard the most about in my own investigations.  All are
considered quite good, both in terms of social responsibility and in
returns.

Morningstar has a piece on socially responsible funds:

http://news.morningstar.com/news/MS/Article/0,1299,3991,00.html

Liz

-----Original Message-----
From: Luz Huntington [mailto:luzhunt@...]
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2000 11:37 AM
To: ujeni@egroups.com
Subject: [ujeni] Money


Just a quick FYI...

I have been dealing with the ideas of financial planning and IRAs and the
like lately. The big mainstream companies like PainWebber, etc. have left me

wanting more in terms of social responsibility and even basic financial
education.

If anyone finds themselves in a similar boat, I found a great
website/Nonprofit called CoopAmerica (www.coopamerica.org). Check it out.
Also if anyone has any other suggestions I, for one, would really like to
hear them.

Hope everyone is well.
Luz
____________________________________________________________________________
_________
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Kirk Dohne [mailto:kdohne@...]
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2000 9:40 AM
To: Emaillist
Subject: OFDA Program Officer S. Sudan


OFDA currently has a need for ONE person for the position of Program Officer
for Southern Sudan based in Nairobi, Kenya. This is initially a 2-YEAR
contract. This position is at the GS-13 equivalent level ($55,837 to
$72,586 Per
Year). The solicitation closes December 20, 2000.

If you are interested in this position and consider yourself suitable to the
tasks and qualifications of the position please contact XL Associates by
replying to this email or calling Kirk Dohne (202) 661-9369 or Jesse Freese
at
(202) 661-9366. The full solicitation can be seen below. You can view the
complete solicitation and get more information on how to apply at
http://www.globalcorps.com

Please send the following materials:
- Resume (possibly tailored to the position)
- Cover letter (stating why you are the best candidate)
- OF612 (downloadable from our web page at
http://www.globalcorps.com/of612.html)
- References (we ask for 5, we check references during the interview stage
of
the process and seek your permission first)

Referrals of qualified candidates are welcome and encouraged.

NOTE: If you do not want to receive position announcements in the future
please
reply to this email with the phrase "Unsubscribe" or go to
http://www.globalcorps.com/email

Best regards,
Kirk Dohne
GlobalCorps Division Manager
A Division of XL Associates, Inc.
---------------------------------------------
Solicitation
---------------------------------------------
Program Officer for Southern Sudan

ISSUANCE DATE: December 6, 2000
CLOSING DATE: December 20, 2000

Gentlemen/Ladies:

SUBJECT: Solicitation for Personal Services Contractor (PSC) The United
States
Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), Bureau for Humanitarian Response (BHR), Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is seeking applications (Standard Form 171 or OF
612) from persons interested in providing the PSC services described in the
attached. Submissions shall be in accordance with the attached information
at
the place and time specified.

Questions may be directed to Kirk Dohne (202) 661-9369 or Jesse C. Freese
(202)
661-9366, or Fax at (240) 465-0244 or via e-mail at ofda@....
Applicants should retain copies of all enclosures that accompany their
proposals.

Sincerely,
Mercedes Eugenia
Contracting Officer

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: M/OP-00-191
2. ISSUANCE DATE: December 6, 2000
3. CLOSING DATE/TIME SPECIFIED /FOR
RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: December 20, 2000 at 4:30 p.m.
4. POSITION TITLE: Program Officer for Southern Sudan
5. MARKET VALUE: $55,837 to $72,586 Per Year (GS-13 Equivalent)
6. INITIAL PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: January 15, 2001 to January 14, 2003
7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Nairobi, Kenya
8. JOB DESCRIPTION (TO INCLUDE EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
FOR
Position):

Program Officer for Southern Sudan

The Program Officer for southern Sudan assists in the monitoring of the
humanitarian situation and management of OFDA-funded programs in southern
Sudan. Primary duties include program development, management and
monitoring;
reporting; coordination; and implementation of the U.S. Government
Integrated
Strategic Plan (ISP) for Sudan.

The Program Officer will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and will travel, as
security permits, extensively in southern Sudan. The Program Officer's
responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:
· Assess, evaluate, recommend responses to, and monitor emergency conditions
and
OFDA- funded programs.
· Assist in the development and implementation of disaster preparedness and
mitigation
programs.
· Act as the main point of contact for all OFDA programs in Sudan:
the ARO Program Officer covering northern Sudan will report through the
southern Sudan
Program Officer to the ARO Senior Regional Advisor (SRA).
· Work with NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies to develop programs.
· Meet with U.S. government personnel, Sudanese officials, foreign
diplomats,
and other
donor representatives on humanitarian issues.
· Collect information and reports regularly, through official cables and
other
means, on
humanitarian related issues such as the humanitarian situation and the
ability
of
local communities, local organizations, government officials, relief
agencies
and
donor countries to address assessed needs.
· Coordinate closely with the OFDA Disaster Operations Specialist for Sudan
in
Washington on all aspects of the portfolio, and also liaise closely with
other
members
of the ARO, the USAID/REDSO Non-Presence Countries Office, USAID/REDSO/FFP
Office and
U.S. Embassy representatives.

QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree with advanced training in international relations,
economics,
public health and food policy or related field. An advanced degree is
preferable but not required.

Experience in emergency relief and humanitarian assistance for minimally
three
years.

Experience in overseas project management with special emphasis in working
under civil strife situations.

Experience working with humanitarian assistance programs in Africa.
Experience
in Sudan highly preferred.

Experience in health/nutrition, agriculture, food policy, as well as relief
and
development issues.

Demonstrated ability to work with USG agencies, UN, NGOs and other
humanitarian
organizations/agencies.

Knowledge of USAID/OFDA operating procedures.

Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills and experience with
Microsoft Office computer programs.

Demonstrated leadership and management abilities, teamwork and interpersonal
skills.

Must be able to obtain an USAID secret security clearance.
US Citizen.

To apply or obtain further information, please use the following contact:
Kirk Dohne or Jesse C. Freese
GlobalCorps
1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-661-9369 (Kirk Dohne) or 202-661-9366 (Jesse C. Freese)
Fax: 240-465-0244
Email: ofda@...
Web: http://www.globalcorps.com

AS A MATTER OF POLICY, AND AS APPROPRIATE, A PSC IS NORMALLY AUTHORIZED THE
FOLLOWING BENEFITS:
1. BENEFITS
Employee's FICA Contribution
Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance
Pay Comparability Adjustment
Annual Increase
Eligibility for Worker's Compensation
Annual & Sick Leave
2. ALLOWANCES (if Applicable).
* (A) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120).
(B) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130).
(C) Post Allowance (Section 220).
(D) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230).
(E) Separate Maintenance Allowances (Section 260).
(F) Education Allowance (Section 270).
(G) Education Travel (Section 280).
(H) Post Differential (Chapter 500).
(I) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600), and
(J) Danger Pay (Section 650).
3. CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs) PERTAINING TO PSCs
00-03 2000 FICA and Medicare Tax Rates for Personal Services Contracts
(PSCs)
99-9 Personal Services Contracts (PSCs) Annual Health Insurance
99-7 Contractual Coverage for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Services
98-25 Defense Base Act (DBA) Coverage and DBA Waiver List
98-24 Use of Compensatory (Comp) Time by PSCs
98-23 Guidance Regarding Classified Contract Security and Contractor
Personnel
Security
Requirements
98-16 Annual Salary Increase for USPSCs
98-14 Change in Required Application Form for USPSCs
98-12 Advertisement of and Requirements for Evaluating Applications for PSCs

98-11 Determining a Market Value for PSCs
98-3 Class Deviation to 31.205-6(g)(3), Foreign National Severance Pay Under
Professional
Services Contracts
97-17 PSCs with U.S. Citizens or U.S. Resident Aliens Recruited from the
U.S.
97-16 Class Justification for Use of Other Than Full & Open Competition for
Personal Services
Contracts with U.S. Citizens Contracted locally with CCNs and TCNs Subject
to
the Local
Compensation Plan, and for Overseas Contracts of $250,000 or Less
97-3 New USAID Contractor Employee Physical Examination
96-23 Unauthorized Provision in Personal Services Contract
96-19 U. S. Personal Services Contract (USPSC) - Leave
94-9 Sunday Pay for U.S. Personal Services Contractors (PSCs)
93-17 Financial Disclosure Requirements Under a Personal Services Contractor
(PSC)

LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs
1. Standard Form 171 or Optional Form 612.
**2. Contractor Physical Examination (AID Form 1420-62).
**3. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86),
or
**4. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85).
**5. Finger Print Card (FD-258).

NOTE: Form 5 is available from the requirements office.
* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).
** The forms listed 2 through 5 shall only be completed upon the advice of
the
Contracting

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe please go to http://www.globalcorps.com/email and enter your
name and email address in the appropriate blanks.

Not that this is totally on the same subjet, but our local consumer guru
(Clark Howard) has a nifty little website that covers all sorts of money
matters and offers bits of advice on a variety of topics. Ths site is
clarkhoward.com  check it out it you're looking for ways to cut corners,
find cheap travel, avoid scams, etc...


as long as i'm writing, i thought i'd let you all know that Benjamin is
eating real (baby) food now.  He loves sweet potatoes!  He is still just a
whole  bundle of love.  he's doing great!  We'll have the newest batch of
pix on his website soon soon. you won't believe how he's grown.  d

__________________________________________________________________________
Rand, Deb & Benjamin Wise
2784 Mt. Olive Drive
Decatur, GA  30033

Email: wiserd@...
(404) 327-5765

See Benjamin at http://sites.netscape.net/randwise/benjamin
_______________________________________________________________________

"There is no situation that is not transfigurable."
						 - Desmond Tutu

> A Zimbabwe politician was quoted as saying that
> children should study the US election event closely
> because it shows that election fraud is not only
> a third world phenomena.  To illustrate the
> point, he made the following comments;
>
> "Imagine that we read of an election occurring
> anywhere in the third world in which the
self-declared
> winner was the son of the former prime minister
> and that former prime minister was himself the
> former head of that nation's secret
police/intelligence agency.
>
> Imagine that the self-declared winner lost the
> popular vote but won based on some old colonial
holdover from
> the nation's pre-democracy past (the electoral
college).
> Imagine that the self-declared winner's 'victory'
turned on
> disputed votes cast in a province governed by his
brother!
> Imagine that the poorly drafted ballots of one
> district, a district heavily favoring the
self-declared winner's
> opponent, led thousands of voters to vote for the
wrong candidate.
> Imagine that members of that nation's most
> despised caste, fearing for their livelihoods,
turned out in record
> numbers to vote in near-universal opposition to the
self-declared
> winner's candidacy.
>
> Imagine that hundreds of members of that
> most-despised caste were intercepted on their way to
the polls by
> state police operating under the authority of the
self-declared
winner's
> brother.
> Imagine that six million people voted in the
disputed province
> and that the self-declared winner's 'lead' was only
327 votes.
Fewer,

> certainly, than the vote counting machines' margin
of error.
> Imagine that the self-declared winner and his
> political party opposed a more careful by-hand
inspection and
> re-counting of the ballots in the disputed province
or in its most
> hotly disputed district.
> Imagine that the self-declared winner, himself
> a governor of a major province, had the worst human
rights record
> of any province in his nation and actually led the
nation in
executions.
>
> Imagine that a major campaign promise of the
self-declared winner
> was to appoint like-minded human rights violators to
> lifetime positions on the high court of that nation.
> None of us would deem such an election to be
representative of
> anything other than the self-declared winner's
will-to-power.  All of
> us,
> I imagine, would wearily turn the page thinking that
it was another
sad
> tale of pitiful pre- or anti-democracy peoples in
some strange
elsewhere."


=====
"Hunter, Call Immeediately.  Time is running out.  We both
need to do something monstrous before we die."
-message to Hunter S. Thompson form his Lawyer Nov 25 1985-

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.
http://shopping.yahoo.com/

Howdy folks.  Just thought I'd let you know that the latest and greatest
photos are up on Benjamin's website.  Click on the little thingee below.
__________________________________________________________________________
Rand, Deb & Benjamin Wise
2784 Mt. Olive Drive
Decatur, GA  30033

Email: wiserd@...
(404) 327-5765

See Benjamin at http://sites.netscape.net/randwise/benjamin
_______________________________________________________________________

"There is no situation that is not transfigurable."
						 - Desmond Tutu

I wouldm say that Zimbabwe is well-placed to comment on this, as is: Malawi,
Ivory Coast, Zambia, Kenya, etc.

Prior expereince always give people ideas...

----Original Message Follows----
From: Matthew McNulty <mcnurty@...>
Reply-To: ujeni@egroups.com
To: mcnurty@...
Subject: [ujeni] "dub dub dub a couple crooks in a tub"
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 23:41:25 -0800 (PST)

________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Daring Daylight Robbery Shocks Asians In
Malawi

Panafrican News Agency
December 7, 2000

Blantyre

The Asian business community in the commercial city of Blantyre
is in shock following a daring day- light heist on one of their
members at lunch-hour Thursday, reportedly executed by a shop
assistant at an Asian business.

Businessman, Farida Malida, who owns a retail business in down
town Blantyre, told PANA while visibly still in shock, he was
preparing to close down for lunch when lights went off.

A lone assistant in the shop went out to fetch some water and
came back twiddling a rope.

"He was acting funny so I casually asked him what he was doing
with the rope but before answering he jumped on me and tried to
strangle me with the rope," he said.

Malida said he struggled with the shop assistant whom he
suspected wanted to strangle him to death. He somehow kicked a
TV set on display to attract attention but the person who came into
the shop turned out to be an accomplice of the shop assistant.

While the shop assistant was still struggling with his boss, his
accomplice, a vendor selling an assortment of wares outside the
shop, forced open a cash chest and dashed out with all the
morning's sales proceeds - estimated at just over 15,000 Malawi
kwacha (about 193 US dollars).

When the shop assistant saw his accomplice had made away with
the loot he let loose his now-breathless boss and dashed out.

The operation lasted exactly 10 minutes but Malida said it
appeared like a life-time to him.

"I have been with this boy for over a year now but I never
suspected he would one day rob me," he said.

He showed PANA correspondent three bloody dents around his
neck where the twine rope had scraped.

During the struggle the shop assistant had also beaten one of
Malida's fingers which was still dripping with blood.

A southern region police spokesman said a team of investigators
went to search the shop assistant's house in one of Blantyre's
high density areas but found he had bolted.

He suspected that the shop assistant had moved to another house
after knowing his residence was well known.

Thursday's incident highlighted the love-hate relationship Asian
merchants have with their workers.

Asian shop workers have always complained that they work long
hours for little pay.

Several strikes had not helped to solve the situation.

A shop assistant near Malida's shop said he was not surprised his
colleague had resorted to robbing his boss.

"These people mistreat us," he said. "My friend was simply trying
to make ends meet."

Another Asian shop owner said incidents of theft by servants are
on the rise.

He said whenever a shop assistant wants to leave his job he
always steals.

He, however, said violent incidents similar to Thursday's robbery
were very rare.

*****

Clamp Down Has Little Effect On Male
Prostitution

African Eye News Service (South
Africa)
December 8, 2000

Brian Ligomeka
BLANTYRE (Malawi)

A Presidential directive ordering the arrest of male prostitutes has
had little effect in Malawi. President Bakili Muluzi issued the
directive in August for both male and female prostitutes to be
nabbed in a bid to curb the spread of HIV/Aids.

But police spokesman Oliver Soko, says that although "hundreds"
of women had been arrested since August, not a single man has
been brought to book.

He couldn't explain the discrepancy, which has long outraged
human rights activists in the country. They say its unfair for women
to be singled out in what is the oldest form of trade in the world.

Some of the charges female prostitutes face, include living on the
earnings of prostitution, as well as rogue and vagabond charges.

But Soko says the Penal Code allows for the arrest of men too. It
states: "No male persons in any public place can persistently
solicit or importune for immoral purposes."

*****

Blantyre Gets New Mayor After Six Years

Panafrican News Agency
December 8, 2000

Blantyre, Malawi

Malawi entrepreneur, John Chikakwiya, has been chosen as
Mayor of the country's commercial capital, Blantyre, after six
years.

In a largely one-sided election, Anna Kachikho, a Human
Resources Manager with Malawi's State-run Agriculture Marketing
Board, was also returned as Deputy Mayoress.

"I can't promise anything just yet, give me a chance so that I can
learn first," an elated Chikakwiya said at a post- election press
briefing.

But his Deputy Kachikho told journalists her major task will be to
improve the city's problematic tax collection.

"I will work to achieve a lot of good things and my first priority will
be to improve the road network and sanitation," she said.

Both Councillors from the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF),
were unopposed in the poll, which followed the 21 November
nation-wide local government elections characterised by voter
apathy.

According to the Electoral Commission, only 14 percent of the
over five million registered voters cast their ballots in the municipal
poll, in which the ruling UDF scored a landslide.

*****

Human Rights Activists Criticised By Crime
Victims

African Eye News Service (South
Africa)
December 8, 2000

BY Brian Ligomeka, Hobbs Gama &
Justin Arenstein
BLANTYRE (Malawi)

Human rights activists in Malawi are under fire from an unexpected
quarter -- the very people they are trying to protect.

An increasingly critical media and general public have blamed
human rights activists for the country's soaring violent crime after
a series of highly successful programmes to curb illegal arrests
and police brutality.

Critics contend however that human rights organisations are
hampering the police fight against sophisticated crime gangs and
are according criminals better rights than their victims.

The Malawi Centre for Advice and Education (CARE), one of
Malawi's most prominent human rights organisations, tried to
refute the criticism in an unprecedented statement this week
defending its programmes to provide para-legal assistance to
prisoners.

CARE spokesman Shernard Mazengera said in the statement that
human rights activists were increasingly being used as scape
goats for government's inability to tackle or control crime.

"More and more people are questioning our pledge to ensure that
everyone's rights are protected. Malawi is a society that has little
real understanding of universal human rights and most people
believe that criminals should have no rights at all," said
Mazengera.

"Our mission is to ensure that all suspects are treated as innocent
until proven guilty in court, and that all prisoners are granted basic
rights protecting them from beatings, sexual and other abuse."

Malawi national police spokesman Oliver Soko stressed the
importance of CARE and other human rights work, but confirmed
growing opposition amongst policemen to what they viewed as
"meddling".

"The police and courts are increasingly releasing even dangerous
criminals on bail because of the pressure from these organisations
to recognise human rights. Often suspects are released because
officers are afraid of being labelled brutal or human rights
abusers," said Soko.

"The public backlash has included mob lynchings, protests against
police and a growing public belief in mob justice or jungle courts."

Police and human rights activists have also, he said, been
accused of accepting bribes from criminals in return for early
release.

"Public dissatisfaction has become so severe that suspects
released on bail now face a growing threat - summary execution
by angry mobs," Soko added.

A recent spate of mob killings prompted the Malawi government to
tighten its bail procedures in criminal or violent crime cases and
warn that it would charge anyone implicated in mob stonings,
burnings or assaults.

"Malawi lived under a brutal system of State repression by the
former dictatorial regime for decades and normal citizens therefore
have very little genuine understanding of the concepts of a fair
trial or institutional justice," said Mazengera.

"This is the reality, but it cannot be used as an excuse for giving
up. We have to fight popular sentiment if necessary to ensure that
Malawi develops the kind of human rights culture that will entrench
our democratic system."

CARE's core programmes attempt to entrench the concept that all
suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty, should be
informed of all charges against them, be allowed legal defence or
advise, and be granted a speedy and public trial.

Convicted criminals should, CARE contends, be allowed to appeal
their sentence, be granted the chance to rehabilitate themselves
and qualify for parole, and be treated humanely while in jail.

"Only once these safeguards are in place can we be sure that
people will not be wrongly imprisoned and that prisoners are not
mistreated," said Mazengera.

Southern African police and human rights lawyers meanwhile met
in Malawi two weeks ago to draft the region's first international
code-of-conduct for law enforcers.

The three-day Southern Africa Police Chiefs Corporation
Organisation (SARPCCO) conference in Malawi's Mangochi region
began drafting ethical guidelines to stop the use of undue physical
force, assault, torture and corruption within the region's national
law enforcement agencies.

The guideline will, it is hoped, finally be adopted as a Southern
African Development Community protocol to standardise policing
standards on the sub- continent.

The conference will also attempt to streamline regional extradition
laws and procedures, and create a regional database of known
criminals or syndicates to help police track their movements.

Malawi currently chairs SARPCCO, which was established
five-years ago to co- ordinate cross-border police investigations
and help police track international drug, weapons, contraband and
vehicle smuggling syndicates.

Malawi police legal advisor and country delegate on SARPCCO,
Tumalisye Ndovi, said the proposed guidelines would attempt to
instil better professional standards and a deeper understanding of
human rights amongst regional police officers.

"We are all carrying out vigorous campaigns to teach our officers
why human rights are important and how to handle suspects
properly," said Ndovi.

The review of regional extradition procedures may be incorporated
into a generalised regional extradition treaty, signed by all SADC
members.

The conference follows huge public outrage in South Africa,
Mozambique, Swaziland and Malawi about perceived police abuse
or torture of suspects.

South African police are still attempting to patch their public image
after leaked video footage showed rogue officers setting their
attack dogs on three hapless suspected illegal immigrants as
"training". The suspects were repeatedly savaged by dogs, and
beaten by their handlers, before being released without charge.

Mozambican police are fighting a Mozambican Human Rights
League report alleging that they sparked nationwide riots that left
41 dead and 200 injured last week. The police allegedly fired on
opposition party supporters without provocation, killing 11.

They also allegedly pursued and shot at least one more fleeing
demonstrator, and tortured many of those arrested during the
aftermath.

Swaziland police were condemned by international human rights
bodies this week for harassing, manhandling and deporting
foreign journalists, beating pro- democracy supporters and jailing
union leaders.

Malawi police heave meanwhile been grilled for a spate of torture
and assault cases, as well as for the illegal possession and use of
unregistered firearms. The weapons were allegedly used to kill
unco-operative suspects, when attempts to torture confessions
from them failed.

"AIDS Drugs for Africa"
Scientific American (www.sciam.com) (11/00) Vol. 283, No. 5, P.
98; Ezzell, Carol
      The AIDS epidemic in Africa faces many obstacles, but the
chief one is finding affordable antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV
transmission to newborns and to treat those already infected.
Most developed nations now routinely offer antiviral therapies to
HIV-infected mothers; however, there are few clinics in Africa
that can offer the drugs to these women.  Cost is a determining
factor, as the drugs often cost more than many Africans'
salaries.  Five companies have agreed to cut their drug prices to
Africa by 80 percent, but that alone will not be a solution.
According to David Bloom, a professor at Harvard University
School of Public Health, AIDS is tied into poverty and a lack of
health infrastructure.  Lower drug costs must be accompanied by
testing to measure the drugs' success in each patient.  Rampant
poverty in South Africa makes the drug AZT unattainable.  With
the help of a discounted price, AZT costs 40 cents for each
100-milligram pill.  Nevirapine is another drug that offers hope
to prevent HIV transmission to infants.  It requires only three
doses and has been shown to reduce transmission to 14 percent for
a trial of 652 pregnant women.  AZT, by contrast, requires months
of treatment.  South Africa has not accepted an offer of
nevirapine from Boehringer Ingelheim, as Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang said they do not believe the only answer to
AIDS is antiretroviral therapy.  The government's plan to prevent
HIV is to treat AIDS-related infections, and form home-based
care, she said.  Tshabalala-Msimang noted that even an 80 percent
reduction in price would still not be affordable for the 4.2
million HIV-infected individuals in South Africa.  If the issue
of price is ever overcome, patients would then face the need for
resistance testing.  HIV's ability to mutate quickly requires
careful monitoring of a patient's therapy.  Testing CD4 cells and
viral load is expensive, however, and not stressed in places like
Thailand.  Christopher Ouma, a worker for Doctors Without Borders
in Nairobi, Kenya, believes Africa cannot wait for viral load
testing to become the norm, since they need the drugs now.  And
even after antivirals become widely available to Africa, the
trick will be adhering to the difficult therapy, which requires a
strict timetable and food requirements.

"U.N.'s Annan Demands War Against AIDS in Africa"
Reuters (www.reuters.com) (12/07/00); Murray, Kieran
      Speaking at a conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, United
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said African leaders must make
fighting AIDS their top priority.  Annan noted that the disease
has taken the lives of millions of people, and it is also a key
impediment to fighting poverty in the developing world and could
affect political stability.  The official called for concerted,
comprehensive action against AIDS; however, he pointed out that
while the world is prepared to spend billions of dollars battling
the disease, African officials must work to make sure the money
goes where it is needed most.  Annan also said that while the
majority of AIDS cases are in Africa, the disease is also
spreading rapidly in Eastern Europe, Russia, and India, and these
regions could face a situation like the one in Africa unless
aggressive steps are taken.

"More Evidence Supports Congo as the World's HIV-1 Epicenter"
Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com)
(12/05/00)
      A team of researchers from France, Congo, and the United
Kingdom has identified a high level of genetic diversity within
HIV-1 group M in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The scientists
studied 247 HIV-1 isolates from three parts of the country and
characterized them for diversity within the HIV-1 envelope
protein V3-V5 region.  According to their report in the Journal
of Virology (2000;74:10498-10507), the most common subtype was
subtype A; however, all known HIV-1 group M subtypes were
identified in the samples.  The researchers, noting a high level
of intrasubtype genetic diversity in the isolates and high levels
of possible recombinant viruses, said the findings lend support
to Congo being the epicenter of HIV-1 group M viruses.

"Bottled Up: As UNICEF Battles Baby-Formula Makers, African
Infants Sicken"
Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (12/05/00) P. A1; Freedman,
Alix M.; Stecklow, Steve
      Between 1.1 million and 1.7 million infants, mostly in Africa,
have contracted HIV from breast-feeding.  Often in the developing
world, HIV-infected mothers are not told that infant formula is
an alternative to breast-feeding that could help protect their
children from AIDS.  The issue has pitted the $3 billion
infant-formula industry, which says it is prepared to donate
loads of free formula to infected women, against UNICEF, which
will not approve the donations because it does not want to
support an industry that it has accused of abusive practices in
developing nations.  During the 1970s, Nestle SA and other
formula companies aggressively promoted formula in developing
nations; however, by the time the free samples were used up, the
women were often no longer producing their own milk and the
formula was too expensive for them to buy.  As some women diluted
the milk to make it last longer and some babies starved as a
result, a global boycott of Nestle was organized by activists and
UNICEF began to reject cash donations from any of the large
formula makers--something it has also done with land mine
producers and cigarette companies.  In the 1980s, UNICEF and the
World Health Organization developed a voluntary marketing code
for formula makers, one which restricted advertising and
virtually prohibited the distribution of free and low-cost
formula.  But that code was not developed with the AIDS epidemic
in mind, and many experts say UNICEF should look past previous
events to help poor mothers with HIV and their babies.  However,
UNICEF head Carol Bellamy asserts that "breast is best," and she
points out that the lack of adequate sanitation in many areas
poses its own risks for formula users, possibly exposing babies
to diarrhea and other deadly diseases, while antibodies in breast
milk could help prevent such illnesses.  Research indicates that
about 15 percent of HIV-infected pregnant women in Africa will
transmit the virus to their infants via breast-feeding.  UNICEF
officials have also voiced concerns that giving formula to
HIV-infected mothers could affect support for breast-feeding
among healthy mothers.  Two years ago, UNICEF and other United
Nations agencies modified their position on breast-feeding in the
developing world.  The "informed choice" policy holds that
infected women should be told about the benefits and risks of
breast-feeding and of alternatives like formula, but the
statement does not say how poor HIV-infected women who want to
use formula are supposed to obtain it.

excellent quote, Matt.  i think it pretty much hits the nail on the head.
let's reform our antiquated voting rules...

sb

On Thu, 7 Dec 2000, Matthew McNulty wrote:

>_> A Zimbabwe politician was quoted as saying that
>_> children should study the US election event closely
>_> because it shows that election fraud is not only
>_> a third world phenomena.  To illustrate the
>_> point, he made the following comments;
>_>
>_> "Imagine that we read of an election occurring
>_> anywhere in the third world in which the
>_self-declared
>_> winner was the son of the former prime minister
>_> and that former prime minister was himself the
>_> former head of that nation's secret
>_police/intelligence agency.
>_>
>_> Imagine that the self-declared winner lost the
>_> popular vote but won based on some old colonial
>_holdover from
>_> the nation's pre-democracy past (the electoral
>_college).
>_> Imagine that the self-declared winner's 'victory'
>_turned on
>_> disputed votes cast in a province governed by his
>_brother!
>_> Imagine that the poorly drafted ballots of one
>_> district, a district heavily favoring the
>_self-declared winner's
>_> opponent, led thousands of voters to vote for the
>_wrong candidate.
>_> Imagine that members of that nation's most
>_> despised caste, fearing for their livelihoods,
>_turned out in record
>_> numbers to vote in near-universal opposition to the
>_self-declared
>_> winner's candidacy.
>_>
>_> Imagine that hundreds of members of that
>_> most-despised caste were intercepted on their way to
>_the polls by
>_> state police operating under the authority of the
>_self-declared
>_winner's
>_> brother.
>_> Imagine that six million people voted in the
>_disputed province
>_> and that the self-declared winner's 'lead' was only
>_327 votes.
>_Fewer,
>_
>_> certainly, than the vote counting machines' margin
>_of error.
>_> Imagine that the self-declared winner and his
>_> political party opposed a more careful by-hand
>_inspection and
>_> re-counting of the ballots in the disputed province
>_or in its most
>_> hotly disputed district.
>_> Imagine that the self-declared winner, himself
>_> a governor of a major province, had the worst human
>_rights record
>_> of any province in his nation and actually led the
>_nation in
>_executions.
>_>
>_> Imagine that a major campaign promise of the
>_self-declared winner
>_> was to appoint like-minded human rights violators to
>_> lifetime positions on the high court of that nation.
>_> None of us would deem such an election to be
>_representative of
>_> anything other than the self-declared winner's
>_will-to-power.  All of
>_> us,
>_> I imagine, would wearily turn the page thinking that
>_it was another
>_sad
>_> tale of pitiful pre- or anti-democracy peoples in
>_some strange
>_elsewhere."
>_
>_
>_=====
>_"Hunter, Call Immeediately.  Time is running out.  We both
>_need to do something monstrous before we die."
>_-message to Hunter S. Thompson form his Lawyer Nov 25 1985-
>_
>___________________________________________________
>_Do You Yahoo!?
>_Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.
>_http://shopping.yahoo.com/
>_
>_
>_
>_

You know, in Hawaii, I was told, the locals have a "Kill Howlie (whitey)"
day once a year, or used to...
________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

>From: IRIN <IRIN-SA@...>
>To: Southern Africa Readers <subs@...>
>Subject: AFRICA: Wanted - leadership on AIDS [2001209]
>Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 19:10:34 +0200
>
>
>
>
>
>
>AFRICA: Wanted - leadership on AIDS
>
>JOHANNESBURG, 8 December (IRIN) - African leaders are to assemble in the
>Nigerian capital Abuja in April next year as the next step in a process of
>building continent-wide political commitment to action against HIV/AIDS.
>
>The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit, to be organised by Nigerian
>President Olusegun Obasanjo, follows on from this week's African
>Development
>Forum 2000 (ADF-2000) in Ethiopia, hosted by the UN's Economic Commission
>for Africa (ECA). The theme of the ADF meeting was 'AIDS - The greatest
>leadership challenge'. Attended by some 1,500 delegates, the five day forum
>attempted to address roles and responsibilities for leaders at all levels
>in
>society to galvanise an African-led response to the epidemic.
>
>The realisation that African leadership has been lacking in tackling
>HIV/AIDS, despite the fact that the world has known of the virus for 20
>years, prompted ADF-2000 and the planned Abuja summit. Six African heads of
>state, from Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Senegal and Botswana -
>selected to add weight to the process - addressed the ECA forum, as well as
>UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.
>
>Although acknowledging the structural political problems bedevilling a
>number of African countries, an ECA report suggested that "in Africa, many
>political leaders have national power that exceeds that of their
>counterparts in Western countries." But in the context of the weakness of
>the state and Africa's prevailing poverty, "responding to HIV/AIDS can only
>be undertaken in the context of a wider leadership approach to a range of
>social, political and economic problems affecting Africa," the report said.
>"This can be done only by a combination of leadership (at a national and
>international political level), alongside social mobilisation at all levels
>within Africa."
>
>ECA communications chief Peter da Costa told IRIN that the momentum of
>ADF-2000 would carry on to Abuja. On a continent where 25.3 million people
>are infected with HIV, and 2.4 million died this year as a result of AIDS,
>"the onus is on African leaders and there is no question that the challenge
>has to be taken up," da Costa said.
>
>He added, however, that the issues addressed at ADF-2000 went beyond
>leadership, and encompassed effective policy formulation and
>implementation.
>"It's now about government ministers in different sectors allocating
>budgets
>to the appropriate areas. The significance of Abuja is there, but at the
>end
>of the day it's about policy."
>
>But Clement Mufuzi of the Network of Zambian People with HIV or AIDS was
>less certain of the willingness or capacity of African leaders at Abuja to
>go beyond words and towards action. "Getting the message is one thing,
>implementing is another," he told IRIN. "Governments have their
>bureaucracy,
>their own metal feet."
>
>[ENDS]
>
>IRIN-SA - Tel: +27-11 880 4633
>Fax: +27-11 447 5472
>Email: irin-sa@...
>
>
>[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
>humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
>of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
>to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@... or Web:
>http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
>this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by
>commercial
>sites requires written IRIN permission.]
>
>Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000
>
>
>Subscriber: kcheney@...
>Keyword: Uganda

________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Opposition Leaders Shun Peace Efforts

Panafrican News Agency
December 9, 2000

Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre, Malawi

Malawian opposition parties Saturday avoided an event organised
by the Human Rights Commission of Malawi in an attempt to unify
the country's bickering political leaders.

Dan Msowoya, joint information secretary of the opposition
alliance of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Alliance for
Democracy (AFORD), told PANA that while the opposition leaders
were willing to attend but later changed their mind.

"Originally, the MCP president, the Right Honourable Gwanda
(Chakuamba) and the AFORD leader, Honourable Chakufwa
Chihana, were supposed to speak during the ceremony but at the
insistence of (President Bakili) Muluzi the commission struck off
their segments from the programme," he said.

Msowoya said both Chakuamba and Chihana had already
prepared their speeches but were told at last minute that the
president would not have time to sit through a marathon of
speeches.

"We felt that if he (Muluzi) is too busy to hear our views of the
state of human rights in Malawi as the opposition sees it then he is
not genuinely for peace," he said.

The second MCP vice president, Peter Chiwona, was the only
senior opposition figure at the function, which was also attended
by Bion Deng, an envoy of the United Nations Human Rights
Commissioner Mary Robinson.

Deng said the UN agency was disturbed by a repetition of
election-related violence during all by-elections that had been held
in Malawi.

Reverend Father Alfred Msope, the chairman of the Human Rights
Commission, said that this type of violence had prompted his
commission to launch the National Programme on Peace Building
and Conflict Prevention.

"Conflict prevention is the prerequisite of socio-economic
development because in the absence of continued peace people
cannot achieve their full potential," he said. Msope added that
without peace, ambitious programmes like poverty alleviation
would come to naught.

Msope cited a survey carried out by the commission, which
discovered that appointments to government and parastatal jobs
were not being done on merit but on political, tribal and regional
considerations.

"Discrimination continues both at work and in politics. If this
continues it will be disastrous and it will shake our young and
fragile democracy," he said.

In his remarks, President Muluzi said: "It is my ardent desire and
that of my government that peace and stability continue in this
country because it is very essential for achieving sustainable
economic development."

Muluzi regretted the absence of Gwanda Chakuamba - the
MCP/AFORD alliance leader.

"It is only through peace and reconciliation that all political parties
can work together to develop this country. I wish all political parties
should work together because reconciliation has to start with us,
leaders," he said.

The Human Rights Commission said that it plans to hold a series
of public awareness meetings, seminars, singing and dance
events under the National Programme on Peace Building and
Conflict Prevention.

Malawi's popular musician, Lucius Banda, has composed a special
theme song highlighting the need to maintain peace.

*****

Bad Week for Malawi Police

Panafrican News Agency
December 10, 2000

Blantyre, Malawi

The Malawi Police Service is smarting from a particularly bad week
which saw several police officers either in court, under
investigation, or arrested on various serious charges.

Two police officers will appear in court this week to answer murder
charges.

According to police spokesman, Oliver Soko, the two were
arrested after gunning down a businessman outside his bar in the
southern district of Chiradzulu.

He said the businessman, Henry Yassin, was shot dead after he
picked a quarrel with his estranged wife who had allegedly gone
drinking leaving behind a nine-month old baby.

The estranged wife, a friend to one of the officers, alerted the
policemen to intervene leading to an exchange of blows and the
shooting.

"It's pure murder, it is a conduct of misguided policemen and is not
in line with the use of police fire arms," Soko said.

The Inspector-General of Police, Lawrence Chimwaza, expressed
regret in a statement, saying the unnecessary opening of fire was
not representative of police policy.

Earlier in the week, villagers besieged a police post in the
southern district of Thyolo, smashing widow-panes and
threatening to torch it.

They were protesting the death at the hands of police officers of a
fellow villager.

The police officers allegedly beat up the man accused of touting
them at a drinking place.

The unnamed man bled profusely and died as the officers were
trying to take him to the hospital.

As if that was not bad enough, a police officer in the capital,
Lilongwe, was jailed for a year for indecently assaulting a group of
school girls under the guise of teaching them community policing.

In Blantyre, four police officers were also arrested midweek after
stealing 101 bags of fertiliser from a truck they were guiding after
it had broken down.

All the incidents bring into question the progress of the
British-funded police reform, launched in 1998 with the aim of
reshaping the image of the police service.

Soko, however, defended the reform programme, designed to give
a human face to the police, largely used as terror machine during
the 30-year one-party rule under Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

"These were isolated and not representative of the condition of
the police service," he said.

Analysts nonetheless argue that police officers in Malawi are
demoralised.

They are said to work under difficult and strenuous conditions, but
paid poorly, a situation that forces them to supplement their
incomes by engaging in alleged corruption and crime.

*****

First Lady Walks 8 Km to Protest Violence
Against Women

Panafrican News Agency
December 8, 2000

By Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre, Malawi

Friday was the climax of a 16-day marathon protest march against
violence against women in Malawi, that began 23 November, with
civil rights groups holding various forms of protests including
street marches and seminars on the crime.

Malawi's First Lady, Patricia Shanil Muluzi, led an eight-kilometre
street march in the streets of Blantyre protesting various forms of
violence against women.

The 35-year-old First Lady marched ahead of a group of about
300 women, men, boys and girls carrying placards and sang
songs bemoaning the gender-based violence.

The march started from the old Town Hall in city centre to Chichiri
Stadium downtown where the main ceremony took place.

Dressed casually in a crime campaign T-shirt, she told the
gathering that violence against women had reached a crisis point
in Malawi and there was need for a national soul-searching to
correct the menace.

"Violence against women is a real problem here in Malawi; it
happens in both homes and in work places," she pointed out.

She said violence against women in Malawi takes the form of wife
battering, rape and defilement. Most sexual harassment cases go
unreported because victims fear public shame and stigmatisation.

She called on victims to come out in the open and shame the
perpetrators of violence against women.

"By keeping quiet we are condoning such behaviour; we are as
guilty as the perpetrators," she added.

During the march victimised women narrated how husbands,
uncles or relatives of their dead husbands, who grabbed their
property, abused them.

Friday's march could not have come at a more appropriate time
when magistrates' courts in Lilongwe have just handed down two
landmark rulings on two notorious cases of rape and sexual
harassment.

In Blantyre, Magestrate Silvester Kalembera has sentenced a
60-year-old man to five years imprisonment with hard labour for
being behind a series of serial rape cases involving homeless
street kids.

In a sensational court hearing, witnesses said the senior citizen,
Willies Chawawa - a widowed retired administrator, would entice
under-age street kids to his car with money. He would then abduct
them to his house where he would rape them overnight.

One of his victims reported the incident to an orphanage in
Blantyre, which picked up the issue with the police leading to the
arrest of Chawawa.

In Lilongwe, Magistrate Stanley Mphepo Thursday sentenced a
policeman to one-year imprisonment with hard labour for sexually
harassing school girls under the guise of teaching them
community policing. The court heard that Constable Martin
Chikopa asked a school to release six students so that they would
be taught community policing.

But instead of the tips, he is said to have taken the girls away
where he asked them one after to undress themselves.

According to the girls' testimonies, Chikopa told them not to be shy
as this was part of the training in community policing.

One girl told the court that she was asked how many scars she
had on her body, but when she said she had no idea she was
asked to undress so that he could count them.

A senior police officer, who has since been acquitted for lack of
evidence, would supervise the training.

The six girls said they were told not tell anybody because they had
sworn to secrecy.

But the girls broke their oath and reported the incident to school
authorities that informed to the police.

*****

Mugabe bans election
               challenge

               Intimidation led to an unfair poll, says the opposition
               By Grant Ferrett in Harare

               Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has
               amended the country's electoral law to
               prevent the opposition from pursuing legal
               challenges to the results of parliamentary
               elections held in June.

               The amendment, which was published in the
               official government gazette on Friday, says
               that, even if corrupt or illegal practices were
               committed during the poll, the election of
               sitting members of parliament cannot be
               overturned.

               The opposition
               Movement for
               Democratic Change
               was challenging the
               results in nearly a third
               of the constituencies
               contested in the June
               elections, largely on
               the grounds of violence
               and intimidation.

               The general elections
               in June were the
               bloodiest in Zimbabwe's
               20 years of
               independence.

               More than 30 people were killed and an
               estimated 13,000 fled their homes, the vast
               majority of them opposition supporters.

               Evidence

               The violence formed the basis of the legal
               challenge to the results in 38 constituencies
               by the MDC.

               Had it won just three of those under review,
               the opposition would have gained a majority of
               the elected seats in Parliament.

               Over the past six months it had gathered a
               large body of evidence which the High Court
               was due to begin considering in January.

               President Mugabe has brought all that to an
               abrupt halt. The latest legal change states
               that in the interests of democracy, peace,
               security and stability, the Court shall not
               invalidate the election results even if there
               have been corrupt or illegal practices.

               An opposition spokesman described the move
               as another clear example of the government's
               refusal to accept the will of the Zimbabwean
               people. He said the ruling party knew it would
               lose many of the legal challenges.

               In the absence of achieving change through
               the courts, the opposition is now likely to
               reconsider its decision to postpone indefinitely
               its call for nationwide protests to remove
               President Mugabe from office.

Night Club Proprietor Shot Dead In Blantyre

Panafrican News Agency
December 11, 2000

Blantyre

A popular night club owner was shot dead in Blantyre, Malawi's
commercial capital, in the wee hours of Sunday, shocking revellers
in an otherwise quite suburb of the city.

Police spokesman, Oliver Soko, told PANA Monday Charles
Machemba, proprietor of Chemba's Night Club, a popular
entertainment joint in the semi-low density Blantyre township of
Soche East, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in what he
described as a well-planned execution.

He said Machemba, who was with two female companions, was
ordered to stop by the suspected thugs as he was preparing to
drive off in his pick-up truck.

When he refused to stop, the gang sprayed bullets into the truck.

"Machemba caught a bullet in his chest which killed him instantly.
One of the women with him was also hit in the arm," Soko said.

She was admitted at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in
Blantyre.

Soko said police recovered a spent shell from the scene of the
shooting and were on the trail of the assailants.

The night club has been closed down until further notice.

Machemba, 42, started off as a footballer with one of the 1970s
popular football clubs, Hardware Stars, before going to South
Africa in the late 1980s where he signed on with Bloemfontein
Celtic.

He returned home to open Chemba's Night Club, which attracted
revellers with its life broadcasts of international matches on
satellite television.

*****

Jilted Editor Moves to Another Newspaper

Panafrican News Agency
December 12, 2000

Blantyre, Malawi

Rankin Nyekanyeka, suspended in August at one of Malawi's two
dailies, has finally "crossed the floor."

He was suspended without pay at the Daily Times for allegedly
ignoring a story in which President Bakili Muluzi was opening a
plastic manufacturing factory in preference of another story about
the Malawi Police Service contingent to the troubled Yugoslav
enclave of Kosovo.

His suspension was later in September extended to October when
he was called to resume work on condition that he accepts the
junior post of sub-editor, effectively demoting him four post down
the ladder.

He would also get his salary reduced by 20 percent.

Nyekanyeka described this Tuesday as "constructive dismissal."

"They effectively forced me out; they created a situation that they
knew wouldn't be acceptable to me," he told PANA.

Nyekanyeka, who has since accepted a relatively junior post of
deputy editor at the only other daily, The Nation, said he has
instructed his lawyers to sue his former employers for unfair
treatment.

He still maintains he acted in the best interests of the journalism
profession by choosing the Kosovo story over the presidential
one.

"This is a matter of press freedom; I don't think any story that
involves the president should get preferential treatment," he said.

Nyekanyeka said though his current position at The Nation was
comparatively junior, he was happy since had he stayed on at the
Daily Times he would have compromised his professional integrity.

Mike Kamwendo, editor-in-chief of Blantyre Newspapers -
publishers of the Daily Times, said there was more to
Nyekanyeka's situation than meets the eye.

"The problem with Mr. Nyekanyeka's situation is that it is very
subjective. There is more to the story but it's not up to me to
disclose it since doing that will be putting myself on the line to
justify the situation," he added.

Kamwendo said there was no hard feelings between him and his
former deputy.

"Technically I wish him all the best at his new job," he said.

Blantyre Newspapers Limited, part of the disputed estate of the
late Malawi ruler Hastings Kamuzu Banda, used to tow a feverishly
anti-government line. But when Banda's relations cried foul at how
the old man bequeathed his wealth the estate was put under an
interim administrator.

The interim administrator, Graham Carr, fired the old board that
used to run the newspaper company under the chairmanship of
the main opposition Malawi Congress Party vice president John
Tembo.

It appointed a new board which swayed the newspaper company's
line towards the government.

I much prefer the two witches of the island duking it out...

This week in Time, there were some very interesting letters to the editor.

One stood out from a Nigerian who said we are making a hullabaloo about
it...if this had happened in Nigeria, heads would have rolled, literally.
No one has been shot, killed, beaten up, arrested, "dsappeared", etc., so we
don't have a lot to cry about.

Another comment regarded how this actually shows that the balance of power
works...

Even the Economist, although it has a slant, was quite cheerful about the
proceedings...


----Original Message Follows----
From: Stephen Arthur Berry <berrys@...>
Reply-To: ujeni@egroups.com
To: ujeni@egroups.com
CC: mcnurty@...
Subject: Re: [ujeni] "dub dub dub a couple crooks in a tub"
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 18:30:16 -0500 (EST)

excellent quote, Matt.  i think it pretty much hits the nail on the head.
let's reform our antiquated voting rules...

________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Sorry for the spam!

Does anyone know how to contact Ty Constant?

Ty if you are out there give me a call 510-658-7626.

Phil
________________________________________________________________________________\
_____
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

Malawi*s human rights record
      slammed

      BRIAN LIGOMEKA, Blantyre | Wednesday

      MALAWI President Bakili Muluzi deliberately undermined
      investigations into human rights abuses in the small central
      African country to hide his possible complicity in politically
      motivated murder, torture and assault, a scathing new
      international study alleges.
      Respected international human rights watchdog Article 19 claims
      in its *Malawi: Who Wants To Forget* study that Muluzi, senior
      cabinet ministers and ruling United Democratic Party (UDF)
      leaders repeatedly refused to support investigations or a proposed
      independent commission of inquiry into human rights for fear that
      it would implicate them.
      "President Muluzi was himself secretary general of the former
      ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) during the previous regime,
      so the prospects for a broad-ranging inquiry that would potentially
      implicate members of the new government were never very high,"
      said Article 19.
      The abuses, which include the systematic murder of government
      critics or opposition leaders, occurred during the MCP's 30-year
      one-party reign under the leadership of President-for-Life Hastings
      Kamuza Banda.
      Stressing that many of Banda's compatriots were still in
      government after defecting to the UDF or smaller opposition
      parties, Article 19 named UDF vice president and current Malawi
      health minister Aleke Banda as a key figure in human rights
      abuses.
      "Hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses were murdered by the Malawi
      Young Pioneers on Banda's orders in the late 1960s and early
      1970s. The commander of the Malawi Young Pioneers militia was
      Aleke Banda, who was also secretary general of the MCP. He
      later became finance minister in the UDF government after the
      country's first multi-party elections in 1994," said Article 19.
      The study also criticises Malawi's decision to prosecute
      suspected human rights abusers instead of first probing their
      actions through a commission of inquiry or South African-style
      public truth commission.
      Article 19 also stressed that the government's flagship criminal
      case against Banda's mistress Cecelia Kadzamira and the
      president's protégé, MCP vice president John Tembo, for the 1993
      murder of four outspoken cabinet ministers failed due to a lack of
      evidence. Tembo and Kadzamira were both acquitted.
      "Their acquittal does not itself mean that they were not
      responsible. Missing links in the prosecution proved crucial. There
      is no doubt that the government's position would have been much
      stronger if it had launched an investigation with wider remit than
      the 1993 [criminal murder] case," said the study.
      Article 19 also criticises international donors for their refusal to
      fund a proposed truth commission. - African Eye News Service

*****

Dutch Woman Nabbed Over Night Club Slaying

Panafrican News Agency
December 12, 2000

Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre

A South African woman of Dutch origin has been arrested in
connection with the cold blooded murder of a popular night club
owner on Sunday in Blantyre, Malawi's commercial city.

Police spokesman Oliver Soko told PANA Tuesday Marie van
Guilder has been arrested on suspicion that she had connived
with hired hit men to gun down Charles Machemba, owner of
Chemba's Night Club in Blantyre's Soche East township.

Soko said van Guilder, 33, was Machemba's girlfriend who felt
jilted when around midnight on the fateful day she found him
chatting up another woman. The two lovers quarrelled over the
issue, he said.

"She used the words 'You'll see!' So we suspect she should know
something about the shooting which happened only three hours
after she uttered the threats," he said.

Van Guilder has since appeared in court and was Tuesday sent
on full remand at Blantyre's Chichiri Prison.

Meanwhile, there was drama at the funeral home when church
elders of the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP)
refused to conduct full Christian rites for the late Machemba.

A church elder from St James CCAP congregation told mourners
and family members that Machemba, 42, did not qualify full
Christian funeral rites because he was earning a living from means
contrary to church beliefs.

CCAP does not allow its congregation to partake of any alcoholic
beverages.

This infuriated Machemba's relations. Topsy Machemba, the
South Africa-based elder brother of the deceased, described the
church's stand as unfair.

"We feel betrayed because it is the same church that married him
four years ago when he was still in the same business. It has also
been receiving donations from him without questioning the origin
of the money," he said.

*****

The Myth of HIPC debt relief

            SALIH BOOKER

                  When the Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in
early December
                   to decide whether Zambia was eligible for relief on its
massive external debt
                   repayments, serious flaws were exposed in the existing debt
relief
            framework. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, the
predominant
            international approach to debt relief, poses as a scheme to reduce
the debt of the
            world*s most impoverished countries to *sustainable* levels. In
reality, it seeks to
            protect creditors by using formulas designed to extract the maximum
possible in
            debt payments from the world*s poorest economies. With Zambia*s
qualification to
            receive relief under this initiative, the Zambian government will
actually be required to
            pay even more in annual debt service to creditors in coming years
than it has to
            date. Zambia*s situation is not unique. In fact, it is an example
that reveals much
            about the dynamics of Africa*s debt crisis and the fundamental flaws
in the
            international response.

            Last year, Zambia, one of the poorest countries in the world, paid
$137 million in
            debt service to international creditors. In a country where over
four-fifths of the
            population of 9.5 million live below the poverty line, and where the
AIDS epidemic has
            reached massive proportions, debt service expenditure represents the
single largest
            item in Zambia*s budget. Throughout Africa, governments are forced to
pay more in
            servicing foreign debts than they do on the health or education of
their own people.
            Even then, they are often unable to meet their repayment obligations.

            The HIPC Initiative was touted as a
            scheme to ease the debt burden of the
            world*s most heavily indebted poor
            countries. Launched by the World Bank
            and IMF in 1996, it was intended to
            reduce debt service payment obligations
            and to prevent countries defaulting on
            outstanding loans. Neither the original nor
            the *enhanced* version of the HIPC
            Initiative, adopted at last year*s G-7
            summit, has succeeded in easing the
            debt burden of impoverished countries. In
            fact, the complexities of the HIPC
            process, and the harsh structural adjustment programs that have
accompanied the
            intervention of international creditors, have served to worsen the
debt crisis and
            hamper the social and economic development of HIPC countries.

            Zambia*s diligence in pursuing World Bank and IMF-led reforms has
resulted in an
            increase in the poverty gap and the weakening of the country*s social
services. Its
            debt burden has fundamentally undermined its efforts to tackle the
HIV/AIDS crisis,
            and the numbers infected continue to rise above one million. Zambia
has been forced
            to strain its resources to the limit in seeking to meet its huge debt
service
            obligations. The current HIPC plan for Zambia may lower the total
amount of debt
            owed, but it will actually increase payments in future years, because
of old IMF
            loans which come due next year. The IMF*s decision in early December
to
            reschedule some of these payments will only postpone this *payment
spike*, and is
            a short-sighted fix which will not solve Zambia*s debt crisis.
According to the IMF*s
            own analysis, even after receiving HIPC relief Zambia*s debt will not
reach
            *sustainable levels* until 2005.

            As other highly indebted countries struggle to meet the criteria for
HIPC relief, it is
            time to face the facts. The case of Zambia has, perhaps more clearly
than any other,
            laid bare the myth of HIPC debt relief. Even with the full
application of the HIPC
            Initiative, Zambia*s debt crisis will not be lessened, its government
will be no more
            able to address the national health emergency, its people will be no
less tied in a
            cycle of deprivation. On average, countries that receive HIPC relief
see reductions of
            only about one third in their debt service payments. As Kofi Annan,
Secretary
            General of the United Nations concluded in a September 2000 report,
*the enhanced
            HIPC Initiative does not provide an adequate response to HIPCs* debt
problems*, and
            therefore *a bolder approach will have to be taken*. The current debt
relief framework
            has failed Zambia, just as it has failed other highly indebted poor
countries across
            Africa and the global South.

            As Africa*s debt service obligations grow each year, and as Africa*s
people are
            forced to repay these debts by mortgaging their health, their
education and their
            future, it is time to acknowledge that the cancellation of Africa*s
debts represents the
            only just solution. In a continent where the legitimacy of most
external debts is
            highly questionable to begin with, where debt repayments have grown
exponentially,
            and where the current debt relief framework has served only
creditors, Africa has
            clearly paid more than enough already. Zambia*s plight is a microcosm
of the African
            debt crisis. The cancellation of Zambia*s debts is the only rational
response to the
            failure of the HIPC Initiative.

            Salih Booker is the Director of the Africa Policy Information Center
(APIC) in
            Washington, DC and The Africa Fund/American Committee on Africa in
New York
            City.

*****

Zimbabwean white
               farmer shot dead

               A white Zimbabwean farmer has been shot
               dead and his son injured in an attack near their
               farm.

               Seventy-year-old Henry Elsworth, who is also
               a former member of parliament and a close
               associate of former Rhodesian Prime Minister
               Ian Smith, was killed in an ambush outside his
               farm in Kwekwe, 200km south west of Harare.

               Mr Elsworth's son Ian was also shot as gunmen
               opened fire on their car at the gate of their
               farm.

               The killing came as
               members of the ruling
               Zanu-PF party
               gathered for a special
               congress to consider
               their near defeat in
               parliamentary elections
               in June.

               Five farmers and 26
               other people have been
               killed during invasions
               of white-owned farms
               by supporters of
               Zanu-PF since the
               campaign for last
               June's parliamentary elections began.

               The Commercial Farmers' Union was unable to
               confirm whether the killing could be attributed
               to the ongoing occupation of the farms.

               But Ian Elsworth, who was shot at least five
               times in the leg and the grain, identified the
               gunmen as war veterans.

               He added that his father had received
               numerous death threats in recent months and
               had even left the country briefly in the hope
               that tensions surrounding the occupations
               would die down.

               "He was a defenseless old man on crutches.
               They shot him down," he said.

               Spotlight on Mugabe

               Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge described the
               latest killing as regrettable but brushed aside
               suggestions that the rule of law had broken
               down.

               The incident comes as
               the ruling party begins
               an extraordinary
               congress to assess its
               performance in the June
               elections and with
               President Robert
               Mugabe struggling to
               maintain his authority.

               Zanu-PF narrowly saw
               off a challenge from the
               opposition Movement
               for Democratic Change (MDC) after a violent
               campaign with allegations of widespread
               intimidation.

               The question of whether Mr Mugabe will stand
               in the 2002 presidential election is not on the
               congress agenda, and he has managed to
               crush party dissent by dissolving several
               provincial party executives.

               Dissent

               Mr Mugabe made his name as a revolutionary
               hero in the 1970s in a civil war against Ian
               Smith's white minority government, and has
               faced little real opposition since coming to
               power in 1980.

               But with an unprecedented economic crisis, an
               unpopular war in the Congo and the recent
               success of the MDC, Mr Mugabe's standing has
               fallen in the country as a whole.

               And an October survey by local affiliates of
               Gallup International suggested that nearly
               three-quarters of Zimbabweans wanted him to
               step down, while about half thought he should
               be impeached.

               "There is pervasive dissent," political scientist
               Dr Masipula Sithole told the South African Mail
               & Guardian.

               "He might try to crush dissent at the congress,
               but he cannot crush it in the country. Those
               who he crushes will simply join the rest of
               society that is dissenting."

Journalist Under Fire For Probing Malawi's First
Lady

Panafrican News Agency
December 13, 2000

Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre

Malawi's leading investigative journalist, Denis Mzembe, is under
pressure from the country's authorities after publishing a story
alleging that a company run by President Bakili Muluzi's wife,
Patricia Shanil, is involved in a shady cement deal.

Mzembe's story, published in the weekly Weekend Nation
newspaper of 2 December, alleged that unscrupulous traders are
raking in huge profits out of selling cement that they buy at surtax
free rates from Portland Cement Company but resale it at the
same rates as surtax paid cement.

In Malawi, surtax free cement is only meant for government
projects, churches or for export. Several names of such
unscrupulous traders have so far been revealed.

Among them is the First Lady, who runs Zake Investments in the
eastern town of Zomba, Malawi's former colonial capital, 60 km
north of Blantyre.

Although Mzembe's original story did not mention her as the owner
of the company, the fiscal police found it prudent to summon the
journalist for questioning Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mzembe said Wednesday he was scared by the interrogation but
was not intimidated.

"I wrote what I know was the truth without spite," he told PANA.

Mzembe said the police kept him for two hours during which senior
officers wanted to make him sign a sworn statement disclosing his
sources.

After refusing to comply with the disclosure request, the officers
summoned Alfred Mtonga, editor-in-chief of Nation Publications,
publishers of the Daily Nation and the Weekend Nation.

"We had to bring along our lawyer because we did not want to say
things we would regret later," Mtonga said.

Both Mtonga and Mzembe said they were not harassed by the
police.

A police officer explained that he was only doing normal
investigations into possible impropriety. He denied having been
sent by State House (Muluzi's residence) to destroy evidence of a
possible crime.

Willie Zingani, a State House press officer, did not deny the
veracity of the story but absolved the First Lady of any
wrongdoing, saying that the cement must have been released to
Zake Investment "by mistake."

"As far as the First Lady is concerned, she has receipts to prove
that her company paid surtax for the cement," he added.

Zake Investments sells its cement at 595 kwacha (eight US dollars)
per bag. Surtax free cement is sold at 490 kwacha (six dollars) per
bag, while surtax paid cement is sold at 588 kwacha (seven
dollars) per bag at the factory (Portland Cement).

In a fair trade deal Zake Investments is expected to make a profit
of at least 22 kwacha per bag but the company makes at least 120
kwacha in profits per bag for selling the questionable cement.

Asked why Zake Investments was selling surtax free cement clearly
labelled "not for resale," David Fukulani, a salesman and relative
of the First Lady (her maiden name is Fukulani), repeated that
Zake may have been sold the cement "by mistake."

"I bought the cement from Portland with surtax paid. But I may
have been supplied surtax free cement by mistake," he said.

Portland Cement sales manager Happy Kondowe ruled out the
possibility of surtax free cement being mistakenly supplied to Zake
Investments.

"It's not possible for such a mistake to happen. Surtax free cement
is actually requisitioned after a customer has produced an STA 14
document from Customs Department and not otherwise. They
(Zake Investments) know from where they got the cement," he
explained.

Kondowe said his company clearly labelled surtax free cement "not
for resale" to avoid making such so-called mistakes.

He also said to further avoid mistakes the surtax free cement is
packed in special bags after a customer presented the necessary
documents.

"It was all in an effort to help government collect what is due to it.
So these people are not stealing from us but from the Malawi
government," he added.

Sources from the Malawi Revenue Authority, a body responsible
for collecting tax, said some traders corruptly obtained and used
the STA 14 forms from their offices to buy surtax free cement from
Portland.

"The document is not secure because it can easily be
photocopied. And people are known to use either fake or stolen
stamps on the documents, too," the sources said.

The development of another scandal, now in his own family, is bad
news for Muluzi whose government is still reeling from a high level
fraud and corruption scam involving very senior government
officials.

Muluzi had to fire three senior ministers, two of them possible
contenders for the presidency, after donors, civil rights and
religious leaders accused him of handling corruption with kid
gloves.

Malawians are keenly waiting to see how this allegation of fraud in
the first family itself will be handled in the days to come.

*****

Malawi to Crack Down On Teenage Barmaids

Panafrican News Agency
December 14, 2000

By Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre, Malawi

Malawi's Gender, Youth and Community Services Ministry has
announced it would start patrolling pubs, drinking places and other
entertainment joints to flush out under-aged girls employed to sell
beer and sexually entertain customers.

The ministry said in a statement the move has come about amid
reports that many girls below the age of 16 are being employed in
drinking joints ostensibly as caterers while they end up sleeping
with customers.

It said most of these joints grossly underpaid their workers who are
coerced to have affairs with clients to supplement their meagre
earnings.

Most beer joints, the statement added, paid the young workers a
paltry four US dollars a month.

The ministry also said the young females were so overworked they
could not even find time to do part time studies.

It said most bar owners coaxed poor households to release their
daughters with promises that they would be employed as full time
baby-sitters.

"Most of the girls are either orphans or come from poor families.
They are brought to town from remote areas by bar owners on the
pretext that they will work as baby-sitters," said the ministry.

It added that many girls have been forced to abandon school,
despite a free primary school education, by promises of easy
money before they end up being sex workers.

The statement comes in the wake of a coup by the ministry which
last week picked two teenage girls from an entertainment joint and
reunited them with their parents in the southern district of
Phalombe.

Their parents were shocked to learn that their daughters had
ended up being employed in a pub because the one who recruited
them told the elders he wanted to employ them as baby-sitters.

The girls told the official Malawi News Agency that they were
enticed into accepting the jobs at the pub because they saw most
girls of their age were also working at the joint.

Meanwhile, police said four months after President Bakili Muluzi
decreed that police should crack down prostitution, over 80
percent of the arrested prostitutes tested positive to various
sexually transmitted diseases.

*****

Mugabe criticises 'white
               enemy'

               The land issue deflects attention from economic
               problems
               By Grant Ferrett in Harare

               President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has opened a
               three-day special congress of his ruling
               Zanu-PF party with repeated denunciations of
               the country's white minority.

               In a vigorous and
               confident mood, he told
               the 7,000 delegates
               gathered in the capital
               Harare that 20 years
               after independence
               whites still controlled
               the economy and
               discriminated against
               the black majority.

               The 76-year-old president also reaffirmed his
               determination to ignore court rulings which
               prevented his government's efforts to acquire
               white-owned farms as part of an ambitious
               land resettlement programme

               In his address he again blamed everyone else
               for Zimbabwe's dire economic problems apart
               from his government, which has been in power
               since independence in 1980.

               And the International Monetary Fund, the
               World Bank and the British were once again
               singled out for particular criticism.

               Land issue

               President Mugabe brought the audience to its
               feet roaring with approval when he argued that
               the government shouldn't bother to defend
               itself in the courts, which have repeatedly
               declared illegal its plans for large-scale land
               redistribution:

               "No judicial decision will
               stand in the way, we
               have adopted to
               acquire the land. After
               all, the land is ours by
               birth. It's ours by
               rights. It's ours also by
               struggle, " he told the
               party faithful.

               The main target of Mr
               Mugabe's anger though
               was the white
               community, which
               makes up well under
               1% of Zimbabwe's
               population.

               He said all economic power was in the hands of
               a racial minority of colonial origins which
               deliberately excluded the black majority.

               It was, said Mr Mugabe, a foreign-owned
               economy.

               While such remarks go down well with the
               party faithful, they are likely further to alienate
               potential donors, who continue to withhold
               desperately needed economic support.

               Analysts are warning of a deepening economic
               and social crisis for the country with
               businesses closing by the day and international
               donors reluctant to intervene.

               And suggestions that his leadership will be
               under review have been dismissed by party
               officials, despite the declining fortunes for the
               party.

               His address comes just two days after white
               farmer Henry Elsworth was killed in an ambush
               near his farm southwest of Harare - the sixth
               white farmer killed this year.

Nothing of note about Malawi today, but there are a couple longer articles about
Zim...

An interesting article on Zim politics:
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2000dec/features/15dec-mugabe.html

Another one about a possible successor to Mugabe:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1072000/1072268.stm

>   From:  Bassam 'BJ' Jarrar
>  To: Watsonian Society
>  Subject: Public Health Advisor GS-0685 - 12/13
> 		 vdetail.aspAnnouncementNumber=2-01-187
>
> I just want to bring this announcement to the attention of all the good
> PHAs out there.
> Epidemiology Program Office/Division of International Health is a great
> place to work. I
> have been with he Division for two years and enjoyed every minute of it.
> B. J. (Bassam) Jarrar, M.A.; MBA
> Public Health Advisor
> Phone: 770-488-8330
> E-mail: bmj0@...
>
> Public Health Advisor GS-0685 - 12/13
> vdetail.aspAnnouncementNumber=2-01-187
> Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Epidemiology Program Office,
> Division of
> International Health, Office of the Director, Atlanta, GA
>
> WHO MAY APPLY:
> U.S. Citizens; no previous Federal experience or tenure required.
> Apply for: DE2-01-187
>
> Current or former competitive service Federal employees with permanent
> tenure. Current Commissioned Corps; candidates for employment programs
> such as 30% disabled veterans, Persons with Disabilities, and ICTAP
> eligibles. Preference eligibles or veterans who have been separated from
> the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of
> continuous active service may apply.  Apply for: MP2-01-187
>
> SPECIAL NOTES:
> THIS IS NOT A BARGAINING UNIT POSITION.
> MOVING EXPENSES ARE AUTHORIZED.
>
>
>
> This position is a CDC\ATSDR Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program
> target occupation.
> DUTIES:
> The incumbent serves as the recognized authority or consultant for one or
> more programs, studies, or activities which are actively applied to a
> number of Central Asian countries and which are considered to be of the
> most difficult and complex nature in terms of their social, economic,
> cultural, governmental, and/or political implications. Provides advice and
> assistance in the development and implementation of procedures, methods
> and strategies for obtaining and using data which describe the prevalence
> of major health risks in the jurisdiction or output from the overall
> program or study effort. Evaluates and analyzes assigned jurisdiction's
> data collection, quality control, and data utilization methods. Develops
> strategies and methods to improve the quality of the data collected.
> Serves as point for information on legislative or executive actions
> affecting program or study activities. Serves as a senior management
> officer of the Central Asian Team for policy determination and application
> of overall administration and management of the Central Asian Team of the
> Division.
>
> QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
> Applicants must meet the basic qualification requirements outlined in OPM
> Qualification Standards Handbook. In addition, applicants must have one
> year of specialized experience at a level equivalent to the next lower
> grade in the Federal service.
> Specialized experience is that which is directly related to the position
> and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge,
> skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the
> position, such as serves as a coordinator for the Central Asian project
> with specific responsibilities for the direction and support of the
> programmed infrastructure development and training activities.
>
>
>
> KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): KSAs are the specific
> characteristics that applicants should possess in order to perform the
> major duties of the position. Applications should address the specific
> KSAs on a separate sheet of paper as an attachment to your application.
> KSAs identified as (M) are considered critical to the position and are
> considered to be mandatory for qualifications. KSAs identified as (D) are
> considered to be desirable. FAILURE TO ADDRESS KSAs MAY RESULT IN A LOWER
> RATING.
>
> 1. Ability to manage a program or project. (M)
> 2. Knowledge of international public health program concepts, practices,
> and procedures. (D)
> 3. Ability to provide assistance and consultation on international public
> health matters. (D)
> 4. Ability to communicate orally. (D)
> 5. Ability to communicate in writing. (D)
>
>
> For each of the above, give examples of how you gained the knowledge,
> skill, or ability and the dates of such experience and education.
> Applicants who apply for DE announcements must address (M) Mandatory and
> (D) Desirable KSAs.
>
>
> BASIS OF RATING: Applicants will be rated on the basis of education,
> experience and KSA responses appropriate to this position. Applications
> for MP2-01-187 will be evaluated and ranked as indicated in the CDC\ATSDR
> Merit Promotion Plan and must meet appropriate time-in-grade requirements
> for promotion. Unpaid or voluntary experience related to the position will
> be considered in determining qualifications.
>
> FORMS REQUIRED TO APPLY: Applicants may submit one of the following forms:
> SF-171, OF-612, Curriculum Vitae, a Resume, CDC 0.996 or any other
> application form. All current or former Federal employees must submit a
> current SF50 that shows tenure group 1 or 2 or any other proof of status
> verifying career or career-conditional tenure. All applicants who wish to
> be considered under both MP2-01-187 and DE2-01-187 must submit two (2)
> applications. When only one (1) application is received for this
> announcement, and two announcement numbers are shown, it will be
> considered under DE2-01-187 only. Here's what your resume must contain (in
> addition to specific information requested in the position announcement.)
>
> APPLICATION INFORMATION: - ** Correct announcement number(s), title and
> grade(s) of the job you are applying for.PERSONAL INFORMATION: - Full
> name, mailing address (with zip code) and day and evening phone number
> (with area code) - Social Security Number ** - Country of citizenship
> (Most Federal jobs require United States citizenship.) Reinstatement
> eligibility (if applicable, attach SF 50 proof of your career or
> career-conditional status.) - Highest Federal civilian grade held (also
> give job series and dates held). If you are applying under the Program for
> Persons with Disabilities, send a letter from a State vocational
> rehabilitation agency or the Veterans Administration stating that you are
> eligible for a Schedule A appointment.
> EDUCATION: ** High School Name, City, and State (zip code if known), Date
> of diploma or GED - Colleges, or universities; Name, City, and State (zip
> code if known), Majors, type and year of any degrees received (if no
> degrees, show total credits earned and indicate whether semester or
> quarter hours); Send a copy of your college transcript only if the job
> vacancy announcement requests it.
> MILITARY SERVICE: All military service must be documented with a DD214, a
> Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other proof of
> eligibility. An SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and
> written verification must accompany application in order to receive
> 10-point preference.
> WORK EXPERIENCE: - Give the following information for your paid and
> nonpaid work experience related to the job you are applying for. (Do not
> send job descriptions.)
> Job titles ** Duties and accomplishments -
> Employer's name and address, Supervisor's name and phone number, starting
> and ending dates (month and year) - ** Hours per week (** Month and
> Years), salary; - Indicate if we may contact your current supervisor.
> OTHER QUALIFICATIONs: - Job-related training courses (title and year);
> Job-related skills, for example, ** typing speed, other languages,
> computer software/hardware, tools, machinery; - Job-related certificates
> and licenses (current only); - Job-related honors, awards, and special
> accomplishments, for example, publications, memberships in professional or
> honor societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance
> awards (give dates but do not send documents unless requested)
>
> ** FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE STARRED ITEMS MAY RESULT IN YOUR BEING
> DETERMINED INELIGIBLE OR NOT QUALIFIED.
>
>
> MAIL FORMS TO:
> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HRMO
> Announcement No. MP2-01-187 and/or DE2-01-187
> 4770 Buford Highway, N.E., Mailstop K-76
> Atlanta, Ga 30341-3724
> Fax: (770) 488-1979 TDD: (770) 488-1821
> For additional information contact (770) 488-1800or (770) 488-
>
> Applicants are requested to complete an Applicant Background Survey (OMB
> 0990-0208) and send it with the application. Visit the website
> http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/OMB_form.htm. A written Receipt of Application
> will be sent to the address on the application. For forms, Interagency
> Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) criteria and additional
> information, contact CDC\ATSDR Jobline on 1-888-232-4473 or visit the
> website http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/ictap~2.htm
>
> A SEPARATE APPLICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR EACH ANNOUNCED POSITION AND
> NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED.
> Please allow five (5) workdays for an acknowledgement of your application.
>
>
> U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES- The Centers for Disease
> Control and Prevention\ATSDR maintains a smoke-free work environment -
> All applicants will receive equal consideration without regard to race,
> religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political
> affiliation, age or any other nonmerit factor.
>

>  <<Press Release 11-00.doc>> I was a technical advisor on this project and
> recommend it.  The Community Health Worker (CHW) Took Kit orginated as a
> response to the need for effective evaluation and program sustainability
> highlighted in the National Community Health Advior Study (1998).  The
> Took Kit aims to increase the quality and quantity of CHW program
> evaluation by providing managers, CHWS and evaluators with guidance as
> well as specific evaluation tools.
>
>
>
> J. Nell Brownstein, Ph.D., M.A.
> CDC, Division of Adult and Community Health
> Cardiovascular Health Branch
> 4770 Buford Hwy. NE, MS K47
> Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
> 770-488-2570; fax 770-488-8151
> jnb1@...
>
This message is being forwarded through CDC's Public Health Education and
Promotion Network (PHEP-NET) list serv.
***************

Former Army Chief Takes Malawi Government
To Court

Panafrican News Agency
December 15, 2000

Raphael Tenthani
Blantyre

The hearing of an unprecedented case is pending at the Malawi
High Court, where the former army chief of staff is suing President
Bakili Muluzi's government for retiring him prematurely.

The complainant, Gen. Kelvin Simwaka (Rtd) was ejected from the
army, with a promise that he would be given a diplomatic job.

In court papers, the retired senior army officer is says that he was
prematurely retired from the army without reason and that he was
denied the promised a diplomatic posting to Zimbabwe.

Simwaka says that after his retirement, government reversed its
decision and sent somebody else to the Malawi High Commission
in Harare, Zimbabwe, leaving him in the cold.

He is complaining that the government had unfairly treated him by
forcing him to give up a colourful military career prematurely.

According to him, all his expectations from both the army and the
diplomatic posting went up in smoke and he was suing to claim
them.

According to his calculations, if he had retired properly he would
have accumulated at least 4 million Malawi Kwacha (about 26,000
US dollars) in terminal benefits, allowances and pension.

Deputy registrar of the High Court Charles Mkandawire confirmed
Gen. Simwaka's suit, saying the court will set a date for hearing
early next year.

"General Simwaka says his legitimate expectations were frustrated
so he is suing to claim them," he said.

Viva Nyimba, Blantyre's prominent labour rights lawyer, told PANA
Friday the case would set a good precedence, if the court rules in
favour of the retired general.

"There are several people out there who have been promised
various jobs verbally but were later ditched," he said.

Nyimba said these people would be watching the case keenly.

He, however, said it would be very difficult for Simwaka to win the
case if he was only given a verbal promise.

He nonetheless said the general could still claim that he was
retired from the army prematurely and claim full benefits.

Courts in Malawi have tended to dismiss cases where claimants
were promised jobs verbally. The current chief executive of the
Lilongwe City Assembly, Donton Mkandawire, was prematurely
retired from the Malawi National Examinations Board with promises
that he will serve as ambassador in Brussels.

That decision was reversed and Mkandawire sued for damages.
The courts dismissed the suits.

*****

Zimbabwe on brink of anthrax
      epidemic

      OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Monday

      ZIMBABWE*S farm invasions and current economic slump have
      left the country *extremely vulnerable* to an epidemic of the
      deadly cattle anthrax disease, which has already killed nine
      people and hospitalised more than 600 since it was first detected
      two weeks ago.
      British Airways Travel Clinic medical director Dr Andrew Jamieson
      singled out the invasion of commercial farms as a factor
      responsible for the spread of the disease, as it has allowed
      infected cattle to mingle in an uncontrolled manner with
      commercial herds.
      "Additionally, the dire economic situation in the country has
      meant that infected cattle are being slaughtered by indigent land
      invaders and eaten; humans can acquire anthrax through eating
      infected meat,* he said.
      "Making the situation worse is Zimbabwe's foreign currency
      shortage, which prevents the purchase of vaccines capable of
      interrupting anthrax transmission."
      Anthrax was used by Iraq in its germ warfare programme in early
      1990s and is capable of causing widespread epidemics. The
      disease, which is difficult to detect in its early stages, can kill
      rapidly if it not diagnosed and treated.
      It can be contracted in a number of ways - by eating infected
      meat, skin contact with infected meat or animal parts. It can also
      be transmitted by airborne spores, which are also carried by flies
      and vultures.
      The deadly disease causes a high fever and swelling of the throat
      and spleen.
      Government health officials have launched an information
      campaign to inform people of the symptoms, while veterinary
      officials are vaccinating cattle in the region, according to state-run
      media.
      But the Commercial Farmers* Union (CFU) said authorities were
      unwilling to prevent the illegal movement of cattle out of the
      quarantine area.
      Zimbabwe's director of the Department of Veterinary Services Dr
      Wellbourne Madzima said the lack of foreign currency could delay
      the delivery of much needed drugs.
      "The inability of Zimbabwean state veterinary services to gain
      access to infected cattle on invaded farms has also exacerbated
      the situation," Madzima said.
      "Carcasses of cattle dying from anthrax can remain infectious for
      perhaps as long as a hundred years unless properly disposed of,
      a process requiring expert supervision."
      He added that the removal of fences by land invaders on
      commercial farms had allowed buffalo to mix with commercial
      herds - also increasing the chance of an outbreak of foot and
      mouth disease in the country. - AFP

"Bush Era Heralds Marginalisation for Africa"
Reuters (www.reuters.com) (12/18/00); Denyer, Simon
      Analysts say that the presidency of George W. Bush will
probably leave Africa marginalized by the United States more than
its current status due to an administration that will have little
interest in the continent.  There are two African-Americans in
key roles in the upcoming administration, but neither is expected
to push African issues, and Bush is also expected to rely on Vice
President-elect Dick Cheney for foreign policy advice--and Cheney
has a history of opposing sanctions against apartheid South
Africa.  President Bill Clinton reclassified the HIV-AIDS
epidemic as a security issue and made other moves to support the
continent's economy, but Bush has already said that Africa does
not fit into U.S. strategic interests, and some analysts say that
American support could be reduced during the new administration.
One expert notes that U.S. interest in Africa may move from aid
to trade.

Hello! Varsha has just sent you a greeting card from Bluemountain.com.

You can pick up your personal message here:

http://www2.bluemountain.com/cards/boxb223529x2/48xtbmmmpkwxuk.html

Your card will be available for the next 90 days

This service is 100% FREE! :) Have a good day and have fun!

________________________________________________________________________
Accessing your card indicates agreement with Blue Mountain's Website Rules:
http://www.bluemountain.com/home/WebsiteRules.html

Send FREE Blue Mountain cards to friends and family (and attach gifts too!)
http://www.bluemountain.com

Fraud Report Reveals Legislators As Culpable

Panafrican News Agency
December 19, 2000

By Raphael Tenthani
Lilongwe, Malawi

The long-awaited high fraud and corruption report in President
Bakili Muluzi's government was presented in Parliament Tuesday
by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee with some
stunning revelations.

Situsi Nkhoma, the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP)
chairman of the committee, took nearly 20 minutes to read the
reports in which he confirmed that the 125-million-kwacha (about
two million US dollars) said to have skimmed out of the education
ministry alone in dubious contracts was only a tip of the iceberg.

Nkhoma said several millions more kwacha was also spirited out of
the coffers of several other ministries, including finance, land,
housing and health.

He added that the fraud through which the funds was smirked out
of government coffers was facilitated by corruption.

"Had the Auditor General delayed in issuing the report and had
the Public Accounts Committee delayed in intervening,
government could have continued losing a lot more money," he
said.

Peter Chiwona, the MCP vice president and a member of the
committee, challenged those mentioned that he did not care if his
blood would be spilt in the wake of the report.

"Should the cost of mentioning this be the spilling of my blood, so
be it. For my anti-corruption fight shall continue, even if I am
dead," he vowed.

Chiwona announced that at least eight legislators in Muluzi's ruling
United Democratic Front top high on the list of perpetrators of the
fraud.

He said the MPs, including Elizabeth Lamba who was only Monday
elevated to the post of First Deputy Speaker, skimmed
government millions of kwacha through dubious contracts.

He said some of the MPs collected money from government
through ghost companies which were paid millions of kwacha for
jobs not done. Some of them collected full payment for abandoned
jobs, yet others were overpaid for haphazardly done jobs.

All in all at least 71 ghost contractors were paid at least 17 million
kwacha (about 218,000 dollars) while 193 contractors were
overpaid by about 52 million kwacha.

The name that stunned the parliamentarians most was that of
Jeffu wa Jeffrey who, using six ghost contracting names, managed
to skim government of over 61 million kwacha (close to one million
dollars).

Wa Jeffrey has already been arrested and had her bank accounts
frozen.

But the plot began to thicken when Chiwona posed the question:
"How could such an ordinary woman, single-handedly manage to
bilk government of so much without being detected?"

He disclosed that wa Jeffrey was paid straight from treasury
without even the knowledge of the education ministry for whose
contracts she was supposed to have been paid for.

Chiwona said the then finance minister, Cassim Chilumpha, was
personally authorising payments of the money. He pointed out that
if Chilumpha was authorising these payments without noting any
impropriety, then he was grossly incompetent.

"I am sure a minister of Dr. Chilumpha's calibre cannot be that
incompetent. He must have been in collusion and knew exactly
what was going on," he added.

Chilumpha, fired alongside two other senior ministers also named
in the scandal, was conspicuously absent from the House. He is
reportedly in Saudi Arabia on a Muslim pilgrimage.

Chiwona challenged eight other MPs named in the report to
honourably resign their posts to pave way for proper
investigations.

He said the money they stole was meant mainly for poor children
in villages to attend school. He said this was gross immorality and
economic sabotage that should not be condoned.

In a rare sign of unity both government and opposition MPs
interjected with calls for the culpable members to be arrested
forthwith.

One by one they expressed concern that the Anti-Corruption
Bureau was too slow to bring those named to book.

To seal the seriousness of Tuesday's parliamentary session,
government ordered that all permanent secretaries should attend.

The named MPs have been given a chance to defend themselves.

*****

Legislators Trade Blows Over Leadership
Wrangle

Panafrican News Agency
December 19, 2000

Lilongwe

Youthful opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentarian,
Kizito Ngwembe and his veteran colleague, George Lowe,
physically sorted out their differences over who should lead the
beleaguered party on behalf of their feuding leaders.

Trouble began when Tembo overwhelmingly beat his boss 2 to 1
in an impromptu election to decide who should be leader of the
main opposition party in Parliament.

Chakuamba lost his parliamentary leadership when he was
suspended for one year for persistently absconding parliamentary
sessions ostensibly because he does not recognise President
Bakili Muluzi as President of Malawi.

Chakuamba's restive but powerful deputy, John Tembo, who was
elected to assume leadership of the opposition in the absence of
Chakuamba, refused to relinquish the position when the High
Court temporarily set aside Chakuamba's suspension.

This prompted parliamentary Speaker Sam Mpasu to order the
MCP MPs and the leaders to go out and decide on the issue.

An impromptu election was held where Tembo emerged winner.

Although Parliament Monday sealed Tembo as the Leader of
Opposition, the Chakuamba faction is still protesting.

Lowe, an old hand in MCP loudly chided the mostly youthful
Tembo followers, accusing them of falling to machinations of the
ruling United Democratic Front (UDF).

This did not please Ngwembe, a vocal Tembo loyalist.

He slapped his senior colleague in the face, saying he could not
take 'nonsense' from anybody.

The old man, who did not try to retaliate, later approached the
young legislator to make peace but the still-furious Ngwembe
rejected the peace moves.

"Go away! Or I'll beat you up again," he warned.

Unrepentant, Ngwembe told journalists he would not take any
insults for his chosen leader, Tembo, lying down.

Senior MCP parliamentarian Heatherwick Ntaba, Chakuamba's
chief loyalist and treasurer general of the bitterly divided party
lamented the development.

"This does not portend well for the party; these young MPs have
gone astray," he said.

This is not the first time for Lowe to be roughed in Parliament. Two
years ago, a ruling UDF MP, Ben Bonongwe, slapped Lowe over
his unpalatable statements about the performance of the
government.

Meanwhile, the Chakuamba camp suffered another setback when
the post of deputy Speaker of the House went to Bester Majoni,
known as Tembo's blue-eyed boy.

Ntaba alleged in an interview with PANA that Majoni triumphed as
a result of a conspiracy between the ruling UDF and the Tembo
camp.

"President Muluzi is courting Tembo camp to help the UDF change
the Constitution to allow him to run for a third term when his
constitutional mandate expires in 2004," he said.

But the minister responsible for presidential affairs, Dumbo Lemani
said the UDF only wants to work with reasonable opposition
leaders.

"Tembo is more constructive than Chakuamba," he said.

Does anyone have the brownie recipe fom the Malawi cookbook?  I ahve it
somewhere, but it is in Macon, and I need a fix....

thanks.


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

Thank you much.  The name of the brownies was a tribute...I am not sure of
hte real name of them....

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com