/ 22 December 2000

SA DONATES R4M TO ANGOLA

SOUTH Africa has donated more than four million rand as well as goods like clothes and food to Angola’s war victims, the social development minister said on Wednesday. At a ceremony to hand over the donation to United Nations agencies, Minister Zola Skweyiya thanked Angolans for their support during South Africa’s struggle against apartheid and promised solidarity with their peace efforts. “The future peace and economic stability for our country is integrally linked to that of the southern African region and indeed the African continent as a whole,” Skweyiya said. “It is only when we build solid partnerships … that we can tackle the complex problems and challenges like poverty, HIV/Aids and the wars raging in the region.” Presently about 500 000 Angolans are refugees, over four million are internally displaced and more than 70000 have been injured by landmines planted during the course of the country’s 25-year-old civil war, the minister said. “Worse, thousands of women and children have been killed and many more are still dying almost daily,” he said. “Hunger and death have become the order of the day.” – AFP