In Africa
World Bank protests veterans' victory
The World Bank is withholding a US$62 million loan to Zimbabwe in protest at the Mugabe government's compensation package for liberation war veterans. Following a determined campaign of militant demonstrations by veterans to highlight their poverty and protest government looting of their pension fund, President Robert Mugabe was forced on August 27 agreed to a tax-free pension to veterans of about A$250 and a one-off payment of $5000. Free education and health care would be extended to veteran's families. The World Bank's Harare representative is demanding that the Zimbabwe government explain how the package will be funded before the load is released.
WCC hits oil companies
The World Council of Churches, meeting in Harare on September 18, accused international oil companies operating in Nigeria of causing environmental devastation and cooperating with the military government to oppress people. The WCC said the companies should examine their impact on the environment and use their influence to force general Sani Abacha's military government to respect human rights and democracy. The WCC urged its members to demand that their governments stop economic and military relations with Nigeria until democratic rule was restored.
New NP leader was apartheid spy
Outgoing leader of South Africa's National Party, FW de Klerk, announced on September 9 that the party's executive director, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, had been elected NP leader. Claims that the election of the 37-year-old leader mark a change in direction for the party responsible for introducing apartheid began to ring hollow when it was revealed he had headed a student organisation in the mid-1980s that was a front group for Military Intelligence.
Confronted with the claim, van Schalkwyk said he was proud of what he had done. The African National Congress demanded that the new NP leader come clean and tell South Africans the full extent of Military Intelligence operations on university campuses.
Van Schalkwyk called on all South Africa's conservative parties to form a united electoral front to prevent the ANC winning a two-thirds majority in the 1999 elections. He said he did not rule out working with the ANC as he would be "happy" to be in the same party as some of ANC leaders.