Johannesburg
With no end in sight to rising global food prices, families across southern Africa are being forced to tighten their belts.
"Everything is very expensive - we are now living on borrowed money," Towela Ngwira, a shopper at a market in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, told IRIN. "For us it is no longer hand-to-mouth but hand-to-hand because all the money we get has to be given to someone else [from whom we borrowed]."
Ngwira, who takes care of four children, said she has had to make drastic changes to her household's shopping basket. "We are now surviving on dry foods such as Kapenta [sardines], dry fish, and dry beans, because fresh foods are very expensive. We have even stopped buying bread for breakfast - it's too expensive for us."
According to André Jooste, senior manager of market and economic research at South Africa's National Agricultural Marketing Council, although the poor are inevitably the hardest hit, even professional urbanites are beginning to feel the squeeze.
"[The] middle-class will start changing their buying patterns, moving away from special products to [cheaper] alternatives. They will have to," he said. "Food prices will level off but will continue to experience upward pressure."
This week South Africa, the regional economic giant, released figures showing the annual consumer price index for food, a measure of food price inflation, had increased to 14.1 percent.
According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the global picture is even bleaker: FAO's global food price index rose 40 percent in 2007 compared to 9 percent in 2006.
Global economics
The causes are global. Worldwide food stocks have hit historic lows, while demand has never been higher. The combination has resulted in prices of basic staples such as wheat, corn and rice hitting record highs, up 50 percent or more in the past six months.
For us it is no longer hand-to-mouth but hand-to-hand because all the money we get has to be given to someone else
On the demand side, population growth and economic success in developing countries, particularly China and India, have drastically increased disposable incomes. The effects have been an overall increase in demand and "peoples diets are changing - demanding more meat and dairy products," which are more resource intensive to produce than the traditional staple of the poor, Jooste explained.
Major weather related phenomenon such as cyclones, droughts and flooding have ravaged harvests in key producing countries throughout the world meaning supply has dropped. And the advent of the biofuel industry has seen more and more agricultural land being set aside for bio-ethanol production.
Local problems
In Malawi's southern town of Zomba, Harrison Kumwenda has seen the produce from his one and a half acre plot fall by more than half. He blames a combination of expensive fertiliser, and the weather. His district received abnormally high rainfall from November to February, "which resulted in floods washing away our crops."
In a good year Kumwenda would harvest around 15 50-kg bags of maize. But, "I have a wife and three children and we would need up to 30 bags to get to the next growing season", he explained. The deficit would traditionally be made up by seasonal wage labour.
"We were buying a bag of 50kg of maize at the price of K800 (US$ 5.8) in December but the vendors are selling a bag of 50kg at K3,000 (US$ 22) which is very high".
Malawi met its own food needs for the first time in years in 2006, followed by a bumper harvest in 2007. But even though the country is expecting a surplus for 2008, pockets of food security will remain.
No sharing in tough times
Poor regional infrastructure and unprecedented high prices for fuel have made transport between surplus and deficit areas unprofitable, Jooste commented. After successive years of poor harvests across the region, government's are now more inclined to build domestic food reserves rather than export.
In Zambia, the authorities "have decided to restrict the export of maize only to countries that have active contracts with us until we ascertain the quantity of maize stocks in the country," Sara Sayifwanda, Zambia's minister of agriculture, told IRIN.
"It is important for us to take precautions because we don't know [as yet] how exactly this harvest season will be; we may have maize shortages in certain places."
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Malawi - and especially Mozambique - were badly hit by flooding this season, which according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, affected close to 1 million people.
Peter Cottan, vice president of the Millers Association of Zambia, said some millers had started hoarding their maize stocks in anticipation of a shortage. "We expect the prices to even go higher," he said.
The Basic Needs Basket, an index of market prices compiled monthly by a local faith-based think-tank, the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflections (JCTR) in Zambia, has shown an unprecedented increase in the cost of basic food items: the average monthly cost rose by 10 percent from January to February.
"The obvious and common underlying factor... has to do with how much is available on the market," JCTR spokesperson, Miniva Chibuye, explained. "The current upward trends in food prices pose serious challenges to human development and require that strategic planning and responses begin now."
Friday, 28 March 2008
Chinese Envoy's Remarks on Malawi Breed Resentment
Malawi’s newly established diplomatic relations with China have hit a snag after a Chinese envoy called Malawians beggars – a statement that angered the government. Voice of America English to Africa Service’s Lameck Masina in Blantyre reports that two months after Malawi and China established diplomatic ties, public resentment is brewing towards the Asian economic power. The Chinese envoy to Malawi is quoted as saying his office is tired of too many individuals, non-governmental organizations and government departments thronging its offices with begging bowls. Envoy Fan Guijin allegedly made the remark while talking with reporters.
A local daily newspaper, The Nation, quoted the envoy as saying Malawians should give his office breathing space because China is not the richest country in the world and is not a miracle worker that can assist in every sphere of development. The Chinese envoy also said Malawians should stop relying on donor money because no country has developed with foreign aid.
The remarks did not go down well with Malawians. Government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati told the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation that Guijin has a right to complain but should learn to lodge complaints through proper channels, “If they are finding problems beyond their control, they are supposed to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he knows what diplomacy is all about. Yes, the media is part and parcel of government, but he is not supposed to address his problems using the media. I don’t think this is [proper]. And also if the minister of sports went there [to seek funding], it’s not an issue that he should to cite as an example. We have been going in different embassies finding out; can they do this, can they do this; is that an issue that one can raise in the papers?”
Kaliati asked the Chinese envoy to respect Malawi, even though it is poor. “Yes, we are poor in one way or another; they are entitled with due respect to their opinion, but they also got to know that as (the) Malawi government we’ve also got the right to be respected. Though poor, we have resources.”
Malawians also expressed their indignation through public gatherings, local radio phone-in programs and the opinion pages of big newspapers.
Guijin publicly dismissed the reports. He spoke to reporters a few days after his remarks were published. He said, “Reading this report I was shocked. Let me stress the following, we are ready to assist Malawi to the best of our ability. And I believe that there are quite a lot of what we can do here [but] let us concentrate on top priority and then we will move forward step by step. We cannot possibly deal with all problems at the same time. This is what I told [the reporter from The Nation.].”
But the Chinese envoy did acknowledge saying that Malawians should stop relying on donor money. “No country in the world can develop itself through foreign aid. This is a fact. To develop your economy is your job you have to do it yourselves.”
The envoy said he suspects the story was written under the influence of the Taiwanese government. He alleged that Taiwan is sponsoring opposition political parties in Malawi to unseat president Bingu wa Mutharika in the 2009 elections. But the opposition described the statement as rubbish and asked China to stay away from internal politics.
Commentators say the development was a bad start for relations between Malawi and China.
Rafik Hajat is the executive director of the independent Institute for Policy Interaction, a research-driven advocacy group specializing in democratic consolidation and social justice. He told VOA that China is not a friend Malawi can rely upon and trust,“We closed the door on a true friend and we opened the door on perhaps someone who is not a true friend and my question is: What do these people want in Malawi after all these years?”
Malawi established diplomatic relations with China in December 2007, ending 42 years of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The move was announced in January by Minister of Affairs, Joyce Banda. She told reporters that Malawi had decided to establish ties with China because Malawi would probably gain considerable economic benefits.
China promised to fund some major projects started by Taiwan, such as the construction of a sports stadium
But commentators had warned Malawi in advance to tread carefully with China. They pointed to complaints from citizens of other countries, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia, saying Chinese traders have flooded the market with cheap goods and pushed out local traders.
In Zambia, one of the African countries with longstanding relations with China, resentment towards Chinese business-people is widespread.
Low-paid Zambian workers employed by Chinese businesses complain of poor working conditions. Earlier this month, the Chinese managers of Chambishi Copper Smelter reinstated about 500 striking workers they had fired for striking and rioting over pay and working conditions. In re-hiring the workers the managers were responding to pressure from the National Union of Allied Workers.
China denies that it mistreats workers or drives small African entrepreneurs out of business. It says it’s trying to provide inexpensive consumer goods that many people could not otherwise afford.
A local daily newspaper, The Nation, quoted the envoy as saying Malawians should give his office breathing space because China is not the richest country in the world and is not a miracle worker that can assist in every sphere of development. The Chinese envoy also said Malawians should stop relying on donor money because no country has developed with foreign aid.
The remarks did not go down well with Malawians. Government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati told the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation that Guijin has a right to complain but should learn to lodge complaints through proper channels, “If they are finding problems beyond their control, they are supposed to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he knows what diplomacy is all about. Yes, the media is part and parcel of government, but he is not supposed to address his problems using the media. I don’t think this is [proper]. And also if the minister of sports went there [to seek funding], it’s not an issue that he should to cite as an example. We have been going in different embassies finding out; can they do this, can they do this; is that an issue that one can raise in the papers?”
Kaliati asked the Chinese envoy to respect Malawi, even though it is poor. “Yes, we are poor in one way or another; they are entitled with due respect to their opinion, but they also got to know that as (the) Malawi government we’ve also got the right to be respected. Though poor, we have resources.”
Malawians also expressed their indignation through public gatherings, local radio phone-in programs and the opinion pages of big newspapers.
Guijin publicly dismissed the reports. He spoke to reporters a few days after his remarks were published. He said, “Reading this report I was shocked. Let me stress the following, we are ready to assist Malawi to the best of our ability. And I believe that there are quite a lot of what we can do here [but] let us concentrate on top priority and then we will move forward step by step. We cannot possibly deal with all problems at the same time. This is what I told [the reporter from The Nation.].”
But the Chinese envoy did acknowledge saying that Malawians should stop relying on donor money. “No country in the world can develop itself through foreign aid. This is a fact. To develop your economy is your job you have to do it yourselves.”
The envoy said he suspects the story was written under the influence of the Taiwanese government. He alleged that Taiwan is sponsoring opposition political parties in Malawi to unseat president Bingu wa Mutharika in the 2009 elections. But the opposition described the statement as rubbish and asked China to stay away from internal politics.
Commentators say the development was a bad start for relations between Malawi and China.
Rafik Hajat is the executive director of the independent Institute for Policy Interaction, a research-driven advocacy group specializing in democratic consolidation and social justice. He told VOA that China is not a friend Malawi can rely upon and trust,“We closed the door on a true friend and we opened the door on perhaps someone who is not a true friend and my question is: What do these people want in Malawi after all these years?”
Malawi established diplomatic relations with China in December 2007, ending 42 years of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The move was announced in January by Minister of Affairs, Joyce Banda. She told reporters that Malawi had decided to establish ties with China because Malawi would probably gain considerable economic benefits.
China promised to fund some major projects started by Taiwan, such as the construction of a sports stadium
But commentators had warned Malawi in advance to tread carefully with China. They pointed to complaints from citizens of other countries, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia, saying Chinese traders have flooded the market with cheap goods and pushed out local traders.
In Zambia, one of the African countries with longstanding relations with China, resentment towards Chinese business-people is widespread.
Low-paid Zambian workers employed by Chinese businesses complain of poor working conditions. Earlier this month, the Chinese managers of Chambishi Copper Smelter reinstated about 500 striking workers they had fired for striking and rioting over pay and working conditions. In re-hiring the workers the managers were responding to pressure from the National Union of Allied Workers.
China denies that it mistreats workers or drives small African entrepreneurs out of business. It says it’s trying to provide inexpensive consumer goods that many people could not otherwise afford.
New korfball coaches in Malawi
Daniël De Rudder, former Belgian Coach, and Willemijn Assink, working for the Spirit of Sport Foundation, visited Malawi from 7 – 17 February 2008 to continue the promotion and development of Korfball in ‘the warm heart of Africa’. This programme is supported by ICCO and was well prepared by the Malawi Korfball Federation.
Daniël conducted two IKF level 1 coaching courses in cooperation with Willemijn, while she also researched the changes for promoting and developing Korfball and sport in generally.
They have been working in the Northern and Southern part of this friendly country: Mzuzu and Blantyre. In both locations 18 enthusiastic participants attended the 5-days course.
During the didactical part of the course the Malawian candidates were working in local schools to coach and educate the children. In a township school in Blantyre, more than 500 very enthusiastic children came in contact with our sport for the first time.
On both places the media was present to report about this new mixed sport. For the first time in history, Korfball was on the Malawian Television. The Daily Times and the Nation, the two most important newspapers, also paid some attention to the korfball development in their country, as well as Radio Zodiac.
At this moment korfball is being played in all three regions of Malawi. Because it’s introduced through whole the country the Malawi Korfball Federation (MKF) will be supported by the National Sports Council. Right now korfball is a recognized sport in Malawi! During this trip, a plan was developed for promoting korfball in the near future. Some important actions are:
- Introduce the Korfball activities in schools and start a school competition;
- Increasing the number of Korfball clubs;
- Develop a local and national league (also used for talent identification for the national team);
- Further education of korfball coaches and referees;
- Clublinking with European clubs (for sharing information, equipment and finances).
- Participation on the Commonwealth Games 2008;
- Fundraising activities.
There are plans and possibilities to install a National Korfball Centre in Blantyre, land has already been given by the government. Unfortunately MKF doesn’t have the finances itself to build this accommodation. At this moment there are not even enough finances and equipment to expand korfball through the whole country, so this is quite a challenge for them. Right now they’re looking for a way to make the ‘korfs’ themselves from steal or by local weavers.
Daniël and Willemijn were very satisfied about their wonderful mission and are sure that Korfball will grow in Malawi, with the necessary feed-back and support, to a full Korfball nation.
Daniël conducted two IKF level 1 coaching courses in cooperation with Willemijn, while she also researched the changes for promoting and developing Korfball and sport in generally.
They have been working in the Northern and Southern part of this friendly country: Mzuzu and Blantyre. In both locations 18 enthusiastic participants attended the 5-days course.
During the didactical part of the course the Malawian candidates were working in local schools to coach and educate the children. In a township school in Blantyre, more than 500 very enthusiastic children came in contact with our sport for the first time.
On both places the media was present to report about this new mixed sport. For the first time in history, Korfball was on the Malawian Television. The Daily Times and the Nation, the two most important newspapers, also paid some attention to the korfball development in their country, as well as Radio Zodiac.
At this moment korfball is being played in all three regions of Malawi. Because it’s introduced through whole the country the Malawi Korfball Federation (MKF) will be supported by the National Sports Council. Right now korfball is a recognized sport in Malawi! During this trip, a plan was developed for promoting korfball in the near future. Some important actions are:
- Introduce the Korfball activities in schools and start a school competition;
- Increasing the number of Korfball clubs;
- Develop a local and national league (also used for talent identification for the national team);
- Further education of korfball coaches and referees;
- Clublinking with European clubs (for sharing information, equipment and finances).
- Participation on the Commonwealth Games 2008;
- Fundraising activities.
There are plans and possibilities to install a National Korfball Centre in Blantyre, land has already been given by the government. Unfortunately MKF doesn’t have the finances itself to build this accommodation. At this moment there are not even enough finances and equipment to expand korfball through the whole country, so this is quite a challenge for them. Right now they’re looking for a way to make the ‘korfs’ themselves from steal or by local weavers.
Daniël and Willemijn were very satisfied about their wonderful mission and are sure that Korfball will grow in Malawi, with the necessary feed-back and support, to a full Korfball nation.
Botswana: Let's Learn From Malawi
Gaborone
Reports that Parliament in Malawi has come up with a draft policy, which, if passed into law, will make it an offence for anybody, including traditional healers and churches, to claim that they can cure AIDS, is a step in the right direction.
In fact, we call upon the Botswana government to adopt a similar legislation to help deal with some bogus and unscrupulous institutions that have lately flooded the country. For instance, it is not uncommon to come across advertisements in local newspapers in which the so-called healers make unfounded claims on how they can help people overcome the killer disease. In some cases, they even claim that they make those confined to the wheelchair walk while the sick are healed just on the basis of their faith in God! In Malawi, the government is said to be examining a draft legislation aimed at ridding the HIV/AIDS-plagued Southern African country of quacks claiming to cure the virus through such remedies as "sex with virgins".
"When it passes into law, all traditional healers claiming to cure AIDS will be dealt with," Mary Shaba, head of HIV/AIDS issues for Malawi's health ministry, told a parliamentary committee asked to provide input to the measure before it is submitted to the full 193-member parliament later this year.
The other aspect of the Act is intended to regulate and protect people from healers who prescribe "sex with albinos, the disabled or virgins" as a cure for HIV and AIDS, she said of the Bill drafted in collaboration with Traditional Malawi Healers Association and the World Health Organisation (WHO). One hopes that the new law will also specify possible sanctions to be taken against bogus healing claims for a virus that has devastated Malawi, one of the poorest countries in southern African, infecting more than one in 10 people.
The existence of such 'doctors' and institutions threaten to erode some of the gains that Botswana has made in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It is high time that the nation rose up to deal with such threats. We can also take a leaf from Kenyan experience. Under Kenya's draft legislation, the country's 30,000 traditional healers -- many of whom operate in towns and villages where hospitals are few and far between -- will be required to register with a board set up by the ministry of health.
On our part, Mmegi has, as a matter of policy, taken it upon itself not to carry any advertisement that makes lies and unfounded claims about the potency of some of the medicines provided by traditional healers, and offering to cure HIV and AIDS.
So it is up to our government to protect the nation against some of these charlatans and prophets of doom hell bent on exploiting the unsuspecting Batswana for their own financial gain.
Reports that Parliament in Malawi has come up with a draft policy, which, if passed into law, will make it an offence for anybody, including traditional healers and churches, to claim that they can cure AIDS, is a step in the right direction.
In fact, we call upon the Botswana government to adopt a similar legislation to help deal with some bogus and unscrupulous institutions that have lately flooded the country. For instance, it is not uncommon to come across advertisements in local newspapers in which the so-called healers make unfounded claims on how they can help people overcome the killer disease. In some cases, they even claim that they make those confined to the wheelchair walk while the sick are healed just on the basis of their faith in God! In Malawi, the government is said to be examining a draft legislation aimed at ridding the HIV/AIDS-plagued Southern African country of quacks claiming to cure the virus through such remedies as "sex with virgins".
"When it passes into law, all traditional healers claiming to cure AIDS will be dealt with," Mary Shaba, head of HIV/AIDS issues for Malawi's health ministry, told a parliamentary committee asked to provide input to the measure before it is submitted to the full 193-member parliament later this year.
The other aspect of the Act is intended to regulate and protect people from healers who prescribe "sex with albinos, the disabled or virgins" as a cure for HIV and AIDS, she said of the Bill drafted in collaboration with Traditional Malawi Healers Association and the World Health Organisation (WHO). One hopes that the new law will also specify possible sanctions to be taken against bogus healing claims for a virus that has devastated Malawi, one of the poorest countries in southern African, infecting more than one in 10 people.
The existence of such 'doctors' and institutions threaten to erode some of the gains that Botswana has made in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It is high time that the nation rose up to deal with such threats. We can also take a leaf from Kenyan experience. Under Kenya's draft legislation, the country's 30,000 traditional healers -- many of whom operate in towns and villages where hospitals are few and far between -- will be required to register with a board set up by the ministry of health.
On our part, Mmegi has, as a matter of policy, taken it upon itself not to carry any advertisement that makes lies and unfounded claims about the potency of some of the medicines provided by traditional healers, and offering to cure HIV and AIDS.
So it is up to our government to protect the nation against some of these charlatans and prophets of doom hell bent on exploiting the unsuspecting Batswana for their own financial gain.
Bank bemoans Malawi's tardiness on cross-border transmission project
The World Bank, the lead financier for the $110-million Mozambique–Malawi power interconnector project, has expressed concern over the Malawi government's delay in finalising financing arrangements for the project.
The World Bank's board of directors last year approved funding for the project in the form of loans to both Malawi and Mozambique.
However, Malawi's Parliament has yet to approve a loan Bill for the project in order for the Bretton Woods institution to start releasing the funds. The delay has been caused by political differences between government and opposition MPs in Parliament over an antidefection law.
President Bingu wa Mutharika, whose party would lose more members of Parliament if the antidefection law sailed through, is yet to call for another session of Parliament this year despite mounting pressure from the opposition and civil society.
"Though there is no strict limit on the bank's side within which a project has to be signed off after board approval, these delays are of concern because, if loan documents are not signed within 18 months, internally, the bank has to initiate special procedures to justify why the project should not be withdrawn," says World Bank country manager for Malawi Timothy Gilbo.
Gilbo says the delays "would also make it more difficult for Malawi to benefit from inclusion in other regional projects".
The Mozambique–Malawi power interconnector project is part of the Southern Africa power market project of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).
Implementation of the project will allow Malawi to become an operating member of SAPP by being connected to the regional power grid.
"The bank's concern is that Malawi needs energy for economic development. When the country gets connected to the SAPP network, it is expected that there would be increased access to reliable and affordable supplies of energy," says Gilbo.
"The interconnector will help Malawi to balance its power needs throughout the day as it grows and reduces the need for expensive backup generators," says Gilbo.
Gilbo says the World Bank is also prepared to finance new power generation projects in Malawi in coming years, which would see the Southern African country with surplus power, which it could sell to its neighbours.
"Malawi definitely needs an interconnector to sell this power," he says.
Malawi's leader of government business in Parliament, Henry Chimunthu Banda, says government understands the importance of the interconnector project and will ensure that the Bill is debated in the next Parliamentary session.
The other project that has been affected by the failure by Malawi Parliament to convene is the Urban Water Supply Project, which is financed by a pool of donors, including the World Bank and the European Union, as part of the multimillion-dollar national water development programme.
When the President ordered the closure of the last Parliamentary session, a Bill authorising government to obtain a grant and a loan from the European Development Bank for the water project, which was due to be tabled.
The project is, besides other things, meant to overcome critical water shortages in the major cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe, where water-borne diseases, such as cholera, are common, especially in slums.
The World Bank's board of directors last year approved funding for the project in the form of loans to both Malawi and Mozambique.
However, Malawi's Parliament has yet to approve a loan Bill for the project in order for the Bretton Woods institution to start releasing the funds. The delay has been caused by political differences between government and opposition MPs in Parliament over an antidefection law.
President Bingu wa Mutharika, whose party would lose more members of Parliament if the antidefection law sailed through, is yet to call for another session of Parliament this year despite mounting pressure from the opposition and civil society.
"Though there is no strict limit on the bank's side within which a project has to be signed off after board approval, these delays are of concern because, if loan documents are not signed within 18 months, internally, the bank has to initiate special procedures to justify why the project should not be withdrawn," says World Bank country manager for Malawi Timothy Gilbo.
Gilbo says the delays "would also make it more difficult for Malawi to benefit from inclusion in other regional projects".
The Mozambique–Malawi power interconnector project is part of the Southern Africa power market project of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).
Implementation of the project will allow Malawi to become an operating member of SAPP by being connected to the regional power grid.
"The bank's concern is that Malawi needs energy for economic development. When the country gets connected to the SAPP network, it is expected that there would be increased access to reliable and affordable supplies of energy," says Gilbo.
"The interconnector will help Malawi to balance its power needs throughout the day as it grows and reduces the need for expensive backup generators," says Gilbo.
Gilbo says the World Bank is also prepared to finance new power generation projects in Malawi in coming years, which would see the Southern African country with surplus power, which it could sell to its neighbours.
"Malawi definitely needs an interconnector to sell this power," he says.
Malawi's leader of government business in Parliament, Henry Chimunthu Banda, says government understands the importance of the interconnector project and will ensure that the Bill is debated in the next Parliamentary session.
The other project that has been affected by the failure by Malawi Parliament to convene is the Urban Water Supply Project, which is financed by a pool of donors, including the World Bank and the European Union, as part of the multimillion-dollar national water development programme.
When the President ordered the closure of the last Parliamentary session, a Bill authorising government to obtain a grant and a loan from the European Development Bank for the water project, which was due to be tabled.
The project is, besides other things, meant to overcome critical water shortages in the major cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe, where water-borne diseases, such as cholera, are common, especially in slums.
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