* AU Appointment Of Chissano As Zimbabwe Mediator Seen As Blow For Mbeki – The African Union named Mozambique’s former President Joachim Chissano to mediate the political standoff in Zimbabwe that has alarmed human rights advocates and plunged the economy into crisis. The choice of Mr. Chissano follows President Robert Mugabe’s rejection of efforts by South African President Thabo Mbeki to resolve the crisis. The appointment by the African Union of the former president of Mozambique, Joachim Chissano, as the new mediator for Zimbabwe is seen by some African analysts as a blow to South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, who has been acting as the regional power broker. As the leader of one of Africa’s economic powerhouses, Mr. Mbeki has been able to pursue a strong foreign affairs agenda, often holding his country up as a model for other African nations in terms of democracy, progressive economics and racial unity.

* Zimbabwe Accused Of Blocking Aid – Zimbabwean authorities are blocking aid to 2300 people resettled on a farm outside Harare following a government demolitions campaign, rights and church groups said today. Living conditions at Hopley Farm, where the displaced have been living for three weeks, were described as inhumane with no shelter, erratic water supplies and little food. “The people are living in the open with little food, no shelter. Access to these people has not been easy,” said Alouis Chaumba, director for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). “We have secured porridge and four bales of clothing and we are now waiting for permission to gain access to the people,” Mr Chaumba said. The farm on the southern outskirts of Harare was designated by the government as a new housing site following a 10 week campaign to demolish shacks, homes, market stalls and other businesses. But Mr Chaumba described the new settlement as nothing less than a transit camp, similar to the one that was closed down in late July.

* Land Reform: SA Should ‘Learn From Zimbabwe’ – South Africa could learn about speedy land reform from its neighbour Zimbabwe, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Wednesday. “We’ve got lessons to learn from Zimbabwe – how to do it fast,” she told an African distance-education conference in Pretoria. There is a general complaint in South Africa that land reform is too slow, too structured and “that we need a bit of an oomph. So, we might want some skills exchange between us and Zimbabwe, to get some of their colleagues to help us here with that,” the deputy president told delegates with a smile – to muted laughter.

* Zim Crisis: Mbeki ‘Trying His Best’ – President Thabo Mbeki is “trying his best” to resolve the situation in Zimbabwe, Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane said in Cape Town on Wednesday. He was speaking after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Pretoria on Tuesday night between Mbeki and a South African Council of Churches (SACC) delegation, of which Ndungane was a member. Ndungane said the fact that Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel and Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza were also present at the meeting is an indication of how seriously the government views Zimbabwe. “He [Mbeki] is trying his best to get the situation resolved,” he said. “This exercises the mind of our president very seriously.” Ndungane said the delegation, led by SACC president Russell Botman, was not made privy to the “finer details” of South African diplomacy on Zimbabwe, and he himself is not a in a position to prescribe to the government how it should approach the matter. However, there is a lot going on that people did not know about, which is the nature of diplomacy, he said.

* ZBH’s Newsnet Staff Under Fire – The Ministry of Information and Publicity is taking measures to restore normalcy at Newsnet, the radio and television news channel at Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH), following reports of lack of professionalism and dedication to duty by certain staffers. Allegations of unprofessional conduct and lack of commitment to duty have been levelled against some staffers at Newsnet. The Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cde George Charamba, said when he visited Newsnet on Monday evening he observed that there was a casual approach towards work. He said some Newsnet staffers seemed unaware that they were working for a national broadcaster, which the nation depended on for news and other important programmes. “There was confusion in the newsroom and what I saw showed there was no one in charge and no one working. We are working on a programme to ensure competent hands are manning the newsroom. There is no appreciation (by some Newsnet staffers) of the mandate and functions of a national broadcaster,” Cde Charamba said.

No worries.

‘debvhu

Source: The Bearded Man
URL: http://thebeardedman.blogspot.com/2005/08/thu…br>[Posted by: Mandebvhu of: The Bearded Man
URL: http://thebeardedman.blogspot.com]/p>