| Famine becomes Mugabe weapon (Engels) [boodskap #68429] |
So, 10 November 2002 11:26  |
W
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Geregistreer: November 2002
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Hoofberig in vandag se Mail & Guardian oor die mense wat so
getrou deur Gloudina ondersteun word. Terloops, Gloudina, die
M&G is seker SA se mees liberale koerant:
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?o=11857
Famine becomes Mugabe weapon
10 November 2002 10:28
The rains have come to the undulating pastures of northern Matabeleland.
In the bread basket of Zimbabwe, the seed should be in the ground by
now. But instead the rural poor are bracing themselves for a catastrophe
on a scale not seen since the Matabeleland massacres a generation ago.
Death is stalking the people of Matabeleland again. Only this time it is
a slow death by starvation -- orchestrated in large part by Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF party as a weapon against his opponents in the
Movement for Democratic Change.
Amid warnings that more than 6,7-million Zimbabweans are facing
starvation, the Matabele have found themselves attacked by Mugabe's
thugs, who are refusing food to anyone suspected of supporting the
MDC. They have been abandoned by donor countries in the
international aid community, who have judged Zimbabwe a bad
bet; and threatened by forecasts of a strong El Nino effect on the
country's weather set to bring a season of heavy rains followed by drought.
The combination is bad enough for Zimbabwe's hungry rural
communities - where one in three adults is infected with HIV - but
there is more bad news. Thanks to drought and the Government's
'fast-track' land reform policy, cereal production is down 57%
from last year and maize output by 67%. The international community
has raised barely half the money needed to bridge that gap.
With inflation rampant and foreign exchange rates in dramatic
decline, shortages of bread, maize, milk and sugar are worsening.
To complicate the picture further, Western officials accuse senior
Zanu officials of profiteering from a black market in food that
most cannot afford.
'Zimbabwe is facing an utter catastrophe,' said one British official
last week involved in organising the aid effort for Zimbabwe.
'Countries that usually give in crises like this don't want to know
because of Mugabe's reputation. At present funding for food aid
is running at only 40% of what is needed. If we can't persuade
people to give more, then we are looking at a disaster.
'Mugabe is playing politics with aid, but the international community
must not be drawn into doing the same, no matter how repellent
Mugabe's behaviour. It is the people of Zimbabwe themselves
that matter, and we have got to help them.'
Britain's International Development Secretary, Clare Short, has called
on fellow members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Develpoment to pledge more. Despite deteriorating relations
between Britain and the Mugabe regime that saw Zimbabwe last
week ban scores of British and European politicians and impose
visa requirements on Britons travelling to the country, Britain
remains the second largest donor behind the United States -
providing 36-million pounds since September 2001.
The most recent assessments suggest that the 'coping strategies'
of those most badly affected will run out early in the new year.
And then people will start to die.
The elections may be over but, according to one human rights
observer returned from Zimbabwe, the use of starvation as a
political weapon is continuing in some of the most hard-hit areas.
The human rights worker - who asked not to be named for fear
of reprisals against witnesses - described widespread use of
starvation against opposition communities.
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| Re: Famine becomes Mugabe weapon (Engels) [boodskap #68431 is 'n antwoord op boodskap #68429] |
So, 10 November 2002 13:45  |
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Oorspronklik gepos deur: @rogers.com
Wouter Plaasvark wrote:
> Hoofberig in vandag se Mail & Guardian oor die mense wat so
> getrou deur Gloudina ondersteun word.
En as jy nog verder aangaan om my naam aan
Mugabe s'n te koppel, dan sal ek van nou af
jou naam aan die van Bush koppel. Jou held
Bubba Bush.
Gloudina
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| Re: Famine becomes Mugabe weapon (Engels) [boodskap #68439 is 'n antwoord op boodskap #68431] |
So, 10 November 2002 16:05 |
W
Boodskappe: 306
Geregistreer: November 2002
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Wouter:
> Hoofberig in vandag se Mail & Guardian oor die mense wat so
> getrou deur Gloudina ondersteun word.
Gloudina
En as jy nog verder aangaan om my naam aan
Mugabe s'n te koppel, dan sal ek van nou af
jou naam aan die van Bush koppel. Jou held
Bubba Bush.
Wouter
Wel, ek het al gesê Bush is nie my gunstelingpersoon nie. Jy het
nog niks negatief oor Mugabe gesê nie en heelwat gesê om
hom in 'n beter lig te probeer stel.
Distansieer jouself van hom, dan sal ek nie weer sê jy ondersteun
hom nie. Tot dan is my stelling hier bo niks minder as die volle
waarheid nie.
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