” About 300 Namibians demonstrated peacefully this week in protest against the recent killing of a German tourist at Ameib, about 25km from Usakos. Renate Engeborg Gruber (48) died a week ago after the vehicle she was travelling in with her husband came under fire. Hermut Gruber (58) was wounded in the legs. The mainly youthful demonstrators carried placards and marched to Usakos police station where they handed a petition to the station commander. Some of the placards read: “We the community of Usakos will make sure that the criminals are brought to justice”, “Viva Tourists” and “Usako’s Youth against Crime know how to deal with these kind of criminals”. Aksel Muafangeyo, chairperson of Usakos Youth against Crime, said the people of Usakos wanted to show the world that attacks on innocent people could not be tolerated any longer as there were many tourist attractions in the Erongo region.
” The International Federation of the Red Cross, the Red Crescent Societies and the United Nations World Food Programme are to work together to alleviate Southern Africa’s food crisis. The groups signed an agreement in Malawi this week and will work as operational partners to supply and deliver food and other items to people in five Southern African countries — Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe — where 13-million people face severe food shortages. “The massive needs in Southern Africa have led us to find new ways to collaborate and coordinate our activities. With this partnership we are benefiting from each other’s strengths and maximising the use of available resources,” said Norwegian Red Cross Secretary General Jan Egeland. The federation is making a transport support package (TSP) available to the World Food Programme. The TSP consists of 200 M6 trucks; two fuel tankers; one rescue vehicle; 10 long-haul truck/trailers; four mobile workshops; three mechanical workshops; 20 Toyota Land Cruisers; five forklift trucks; 24 deployable warehouses; radio equipment and spare parts, all valued at 11,8-million Swiss francs.
” Judicial workers in Malawi ended a five-week strike on Thursday when they reported for work on condition that they be allowed to negotiate with the government over pay, court officials said. The strike, called to press demands for the government to make good on a new pay package the workers claimed was promised two years ago, cripppled the country’s court operations. High court registrar Healy Potani on Thursday said the strikers had been asked to give the government “reasonable time” to conduct the negotiations. Malawi’s budget, approved in July, is largely funded from local resources after international lenders and Britain delayed payments of promised aid owing to concerns the government was overspending. British funds had mainly been used to pay Malawi’s 120000 civil servants.
” USAid is to provide Tanzania with 6,8-million condoms worth $337000 to alleviate a shortage of the contraceptive, the organisation said on Thursday.”Ensuring a consistent supply of condoms is a top priority of all stakeholders working in family planning and HIV/Aids prevention,” a USAid statement said.
Compiled by the Mail & Guardian Online. For daily breaking news visit www.mg.co.za