·
Commission attacks lack of respect for rule of law
· Zimbabwean leader under
pressure to end evictions
Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria
Wednesday January
4, 2006
The Guardian
President Robert Mugabe's human rights record
has been condemned for the
first time by African leaders, significantly
increasing pressure on the
Zimbabwean leader to restore the rule of law and
stop evicting people from
their homes.
The unprecedented criticism comes
from the African Union's Commission on
Human and Peoples' Rights, meeting in
Banjul, the Gambia, which had until
now been silent about the growing
evidence of human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe.
The commission's report,
obtained by the Guardian, expresses concern over
"the continuing violations
and the deterioration of the human rights
situation in Zimbabwe, the lack of
respect for the rule of law and the
growing culture of
impunity".
A Zimbabwean government spokesperson refused to
comment on the report when
contacted yesterday.
The commission said it
was "alarmed by the number of internally displaced
persons and the
violations of fundamental individual and collective rights
resulting from
the forced evictions being carried out by the government of
Zimbabwe".
The commission found that the Mugabe government had
violated the African
Union's charter, which Zimbabwe has signed, as well as
other international
laws including the United Nations declaration of human
rights. Mr Mugabe was
urged to allow an African Union delegation to go on a
fact-finding mission
to Zimbabwe. The report also called on the Harare
government to repeal
several repressive laws, to stop the forced evictions
immediately and to
allow "full and unimpeded access to international aid to
help the victims".
Zimbabwe has prevented the UN and other organisations
from helping the
estimated 700,000 people made homeless or jobless by the
evictions, which
began last May. At the end of a four-day visit to the
country last year, Jan
Egeland, the UN's head of humanitarian aid, said that
Zimbabwean officials
should be prosecuted over the mass housing
demolitions.
A Zimbabwean lawyer, Gabriel Shumba, told the Africa
commission's court,
which rules on human rights cases, that he was severely
tortured in 2003 by
Zimbabwe government agents who used electric shocks and
forced him to drink
his own urine. The court will hand down its judgment in
May.
The African Union, the successor to the Organisation of African
Unity, is
made up of all the continent's political leaders. It also made
statements on
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the
Darfur area of
Sudan, and Uganda. The resolution on Zimbabwe was adopted in
December, but
it has only begun circulating now, after the government was
given time to
respond to the document.
"This is a highly significant
report coming as it does from an affiliate
body of the African Union," said
Iden Wetherell, an editor with the Zimbabwe
Independent group of newspapers.
"It will be difficult for the government to
counter this. African
institutions are now holding their leaders
accountable. Zimbabwe's
delinquency can no longer be swept under the carpet
of African solidarity.
This is peer review as it should be, and it makes
grim
reading."
Elinor Sisulu, director of the Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition's
office in South
Africa, said: "It is great to see this group flexing its
muscles. When human
rights abuses are rampant on this continent, it is
important to see the
commission doing its job properly. This gives
much-needed encouragement to
Zimbabweans, particularly those working in
human rights and civil society.
Of course, the Mugabe government will try to
ignore it, but this comes from
an African institution, run by highly
respected Africans. This is a stance
the continent can be proud
of."
Zimbabwe has begun the year with inflation above 500% and a third of
the
country's 12 million people in need of international food aid.
--
Zim Daily
Wednesday, January 04 2006 @ 12:05 AM GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
THE government of President
Robert Mugabe has given pay
increases of 231% to the army and instructed
them to crush planned
opposition protests, Zimdaily heard yesterday. The
increase, made hardly two
weeks after the opposition threatened to launch
mass protests, have drawn
accusations that Mugabe was paying off key groups
with a critical role in
the wider effort to keep Zanu PF in power. Sources
in the Army Data Capture
Unit at the KG6 Barracks told zimdaily that they
were currently working on
the soldiers' payslips. "They are getting a 231%
increase across the board,"
the source said. "I understand there is likely
to be another increase soon.
"Zimdaily heard that a private in the 40 000
strong army is currently
earning $3,5 million while a captain was earning $7
million and a Major $8
million. These figures exclude other allowances such
as transport and
housing. Zimdaily also heard that there were salary
differentials based on
the length of service.
The massive
increase follows seething discontent among soldiers
over poor salaries and
working conditions. Military sources said before the
raise, soldiers were
increasingly unsettled by government's refusal to
increase their salaries
and provide adequate food supplies to the
40000-strong
army.
Disgruntled armed forces pose a serious threat to
President
Robert Mugabe's regime, which depends on the state security
apparatus - the
army, the air force and the intelligence service - for its
survival. Mugabe
recently urged the armed forces to remain vigilant to deal
with what he
termed a "vicious imperialist onslaught". Soldiers who spoke to
zimdaily
said the increase was still negligible as they were expecting a
500%
increase.
Zimdaily heard the army commanders were
battling to assure
soldiers the situation would be attended to as soon as
possible. It is said
some troops have been detained at 2 Brigade barracks in
Harare in connection
with "indiscipline" related to agitation for salary
increases. Sources said
the soldiers were expected to be court-marshalled.
Zimdaily understands that
senior army commanders have been telling soldiers
to channel their
grievances through proper structures instead of engaging in
"unruly
campaigning" which could easily be interpreted as "mutiny". Army
spokesman
Lt Col Aggrey Wushe declined comment on the salary adjustment and
the revolt
in the army.
He also denied there was unrest
within the army's ranks ranks.
Army commanders are traditionally loyal to
Mugabe and generals occupy the
upper echelons of parastatals and government
posts. Mugabe has militarised
government bureaucracy by deploying former
soldiers to perform civilian
duties. In the run-up to the disputed 2002
presidential election, army
generals announced they would not accept an
elected president without
liberation struggle credentials - a reference to
opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai. And more recently a Major General
warned junior troops against
supporting the opposition. The army was heavily
involved in the
controversial election, which was won by
Mugabe.
Zim Daily
Wednesday, January 04 2006 @ 12:04 AM
GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
Botswana has
accused Zimbabwe of flooding its country with
counterfeit Pula in a
classical case of worsening relations between the two
countries. Francistown
Station Commander Chajane Baseleng was quoted in the
Botswana Press
yesterday saying he was convinced that the fake money
currently flooding
Botswana was being printed and circulated from somewhere
in Zimbabwe. He was
however quick to point out that police did not not have
even a shred a
evidence to suggest the currency was coming from Zimbabwe.
""We do not have evidence as yet, but we are convinced that the
fake money
comes from the black market in Zimbabwe," the police chief was
quoted.
"Several Zimbabweans have been arrested trying to buy goods with the
money
and they all claim to have sourced it from the black market in their
country. They are targeting large wholesalers and Chinese shops which hardly
check the notes for authenticity," Baseleng was quoted.
He added that some shop employees were conniving with the
criminals by
accepting counterfeit notes although they know that shop owners
lose through
the practice. The alarm was raised following the arrest of two
Zimbabwean
women who were caught trying to do their Christmas shopping with
counterfeit
100 Pula notes. Zimdaily heard that in November last year,
Francistown was
flooded with fake 50 Pula notes which were also believed to
be a product of
the Zimbabwean black market money industry. Thousands of
Zimbabwean
cross-border shoppers and currency dealers ply their trade daily
between
Francistown and Bulawayo.
Due to its ready accesibility to
both South Africa and Botswana
by road, the city of Bulawayo has become the
headquarters of Zimbabwe's
highly lucrative but illegal black market foreign
currency trade. The
allegation comes as Botswana has flicked on the switch
on a four-metre high
electrified border fence that snakes across the
scrubland, ostensibly to
control the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
from Zimbabwe. While the
500-km long fence officially aims to block the
mixing of herds on common
pasture, observers say the fence was erected to
keep out thousands of
Zimbabweans escaping poverty at home, who sneak cross
the border looking for
work in more prosperous Botswana. An estimated 36,000
illegal migrants were
deported last year alone and, with xenophobia now
firmly on the rise,
Zimbabweans have become the target of a growing
vigilante movement.
Zim Daily
Wednesday, January 04 2006 @ 12:02 AM GMT
Contributed by:
Reporter
The deceptive government of Zimbabwe is backtracking on
the
ownership of farms acquired during the haphazard land reform program.
This
comes after the minister responsible for land in the president's
office,
Didymus Mutasa announced that the proposed ninety nine year lease
policy
will be delayed further as the government prepares for ' a
comprehensive and
coordinated approach'. Mutasa's assertions have left many
new farmers in a
precarious mood as the government is capable of seizing the
farms anytime
without accountability.
"This is very bad,
we can not be settled in these farms without
the settlement of the ownership
issue", said one new farmer on anonymity.
The government has
been attacked for mishandling the land issue.
Previously, all land was
declared 'state land' with no individuals allowed
to protest government
acquisition through the judiciary. The Act was
promulgated as a measure of
blocking white farmers from contesting
government policies through the
courts.
Black farmers have been enjoying the current
promising above
average rains. Experts echoed that without concrete
ownership leases sealed,
Zimbabwe will never enjoy meaningful agricultural
boost.
Medical News Today
Category:
HIV/AIDS News
Article Date: 04 Jan 2006
The Los Angeles Times and the
Chicago Tribune recently published articles
examining how the economic
crisis in Zimbabwe has affected HIV-positive
individuals' access to
antiretroviral drugs. Summaries of the articles
appear below.
a..
Chicago Tribune: Access to antiretroviral drugs for HIV-positive
Zimbabweans
has become more restricted than ever because of inflation, a
lack of foreign
currency to buy imported drugs and President Robert Mugabe's
urban evictions
campaign, the Tribune reports. According to the United
Nations,
hyperinflation in the last three months has pushed the average cost
of a
month's supply of antiretrovirals in Zimbabwe from $7.70 to at least
$17, "a
fatal increase in a country where the average laborer earns the
equivalent
of $20 a month," according to the Tribune (Salopek, Chicago
Tribune,
12/25/05).
b.. Los Angeles Times: Zimbabwe's "economic collapse,"
including
hyperinflation and high unemployment, has led to the scarcity of
antiretrovirals and other medications, the Times reports. According to
Zimbabwean health officials, the country's lack of foreign exchange has
resulted in a shortage of antiretrovirals because local manufacturers are
unable to import necessary drug components. Pervasive political and economic
disorder over the past few years and decreasing international donor funding
means that many Zimbabwean "doctors are wary of starting antiretroviral
programs unless they are sure the treatment will be sustained," the Times
reports (Dixon, Los Angeles Times, 12/25/05).
"Reprinted with
permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can
view
the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or
sign
up for email delivery at
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy.
The Kaiser Daily
Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a
free service of
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory
Board Company and
Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Tuesday January 03, 2006
By BRADLEY
BROOKS
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.S. ambassador to
the U.N. pushed Tuesday for all
five permanent Security Council members to
have the right to sit on a new
Human Rights Council.
Negotiations to
replace the present rights council is now the dominant
reform topic at the
U.N. Past rights councils have included notorious human
rights abusers such
as Zimbabwe and Cuba. The panel now has 53 members.
U.S. Ambassador John
Bolton said the permanent council members United
States, Russia, China,
France and the United Kingdom should also be on the
Geneva-based rights
panel would make it a better watchdog of human rights.
``The presence of
the permanent five on any U.N. body makes it more serious
and more likely to
succeed over the long term, and that includes in the
field of human
rights,'' Bolton said.
Negotiations on the Human Rights Council resume
Jan. 11.
The size of the proposed Human Rights Council and even how its
members would
be elected is still being debated. But negotiations must
finish soon, as the
current commission will likely hold its last session
this spring.
At present, regional groups nominate countries for inclusion
on the council.
Bolton, who is pushing for top to bottom reform at the
U.N., invoked the
so-called ``Perm-5'' convention an unwritten, customary
practice that allows
any of the permanent five members of the Security
Council to serve on any
U.N. body they choose.
In return for this
privilege, Bolton pointed out, those permanent members
almost never push to
serve as chairman of the U.N. bodies.
In other areas, the U.S. favors not
expanding the number of permanent
members on the Security Council. The five,
all victors in World War II, have
a veto on the security council, the U.N.
body deciding questions of war and
peace.
One concern about Bolton's
push is that China and Russia criticized by many
for their own human rights
abuses would be able to sit on the Human Rights
Council.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights
Reserved.)
People's Daily
The Immigration Department of Zimbabwe has announced
that a total of
3,067 Zimbabweans deemed illegal immigrants were deported
from South Africa
during the festive season.
Acting chief
immigration officer of the department Desiderius Karaga
said that "Over
3,000 Zimbabweans, many of whom had slipped into South
Africa without any
travel documentation or over stayed, were deported
between 23rd and 28th
December last year. This confirms the need for
Zimbabwe and South Africa to
work together in ensuring immigration laws are
upheld."
He said
40 illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe were "brought back home
for breaching
some sections of the immigration laws in South Africa, which
include
entering a foreign country without proper documentation. These
include
permits to either work or to visit that country for a stipulated
time
frame."
He said cases of deportations were not only affecting
Zimbabweans, but
was a major challenge in the whole of the Southern African
Development
Community region.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, is
also in the process of finalizing the
deportation of more than 20 illegal
immigrants from Rwanda, Pakistan,
Mozambique, Liberia and Nigeria. Nationals
from these countries, according
to the Department of Immigration, have
always managed to sneak into the
country without proper travel
documents.
"Zimbabwe has a significant number of illegal immigrants
staying in
hiding for fear of being deported. Some come under the guise of
seeking
refugee status which later turn out to be fake," he
said.
Over a month ago, close to 3,000 nationals from Rwanda and
Burundi
sought refugee status in Zimbabwe and were permitted to stay while
their
documents were being processed.
Source: Xinhua
The Chronicle
By Jennifer Dube,
Business Reporter
MOST retailers in Bulawayo yesterday started reducing
prices as the
reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) came into
effect.
Value Added Tax was reduced from 17,5 percent to 15 percent on 1
January
this year.
A survey carried out by Chronicle in the central
business district yesterday
showed that most retailers were reducing prices
of most products by 2,5
percent.
"We are reducing the prices of all
products which have Value Added Tax by
2,5 percent because of the new tax
rates. However, we have not yet finished
sticking the tags with the new
prices on the products, but we have already
updated our system. The till
operators are already operating with the new
prices," said an official with
Haddon & Sly.
Some consumers noted that although the reductions would be
minimal on
individual prices, the move would offer significant savings to
consumers,
especially those who purchase goods in bulk.
It would also
reduce the price of the family basket, which the Consumer
Council of
Zimbabwe said had risen to $16,6 million by December up from $1,7
million in
January 2005.
The Minister of Finance, Dr Herbert Murerwa, last month reduced
Value Added
Tax from 17,5 percent to 15 percent as part of efforts to
increase the
purchasing power of consumers.
Announcing the reduction
during the presentation of the National Budget on 1
December, Dr Murerwa
said the previous increase from 15 percent to 17,5
percent in August had
yielded mixed results. "The rate of VAT was raised
from 15 percent to 17,5
percent in the MidTerm Fiscal Policy Review in order
to raise additional
revenue. This has yielded positive and disastrous
results," said Dr
Murerwa.
He encouraged consumers to report any retailers and traders who do
not
adjust their prices accordingly.
Many consumers around the country
welcomed the move taken by the Government,
which has seen retailers reducing
prices on taxable goods.
Workers at supermarkets such as OK Zimbabwe, TM and
Clicks were yesterday
busy changing the price tags on most products. "We are
in the process of
changing the prices. It is not a oneday thing as we have
quite a wide range
of lines.
"However, by tomorrow, all those products
whose prices are affected by the
2,5 percent VAT reduction will be having
new price tags," an official at a
TM outlet said.
The price of a 20kg
packet of mealiemeal, which was selling for $430 000, is
now selling for
$420 000, while a 750ml bottle of cooking oil has gone down
to $152 000 from
$155 000.
Some furniture shops have also reduced their prices in line with
the
reduction in VAT. Prices of some products fell by as much as $5
million.
"We are reducing prices on all products. For example, we were
selling a
21inch LG TV at $22,999 million and have reduced the price to $21,
999
million in line with the decrease in VAT. We have already sold three of
the
TVs at the new price," an official with TV Sales and Hire at Fife Street
and
10th Avenue said. "We were selling some of our Sharp Radios at $8,5
million
each and have reduced the price to $6,5 million. People are already
buying
at the new prices," said an official at a leading departmental
store.
However, some service providers who increased their prices in August
in line
with the escalation of VAT were still to change their prices. Hotels
in the
city, Bulawayo Rainbow and Holiday Inn said they were not reducing
their
rates.
"We are still using old rates," an official at Bulawayo
Rainbow Hotel said.
The Chronicle
Harare Bureau
The slow clearance of travellers from South
Africa at the Beitbridge Border
Post is a blot on the country's tourism
sector, the Permanent Secretary in
the Ministry of Environment and Tourism,
Mrs Margaret Sangarwe said
yesterday.
Mrs Sangarwe said her ministry
was concerned at the slow pace operations are
being conducted, particularly
at the Beitbridge Border Post where during the
festive season many tourists
from South Africa took hours to have their
documents cleared.
"We are
equally concerned about the need to keep security of the country
intact but
we are sure something should be done to ameliorate the plight of
travellers
and create a system that promotes or encourages tourism in
Zimbabwe," Mrs
Sangarwe said.
She said a survey conducted by her ministry showed that there
was no port
authority that goes beyond the security aspect and coordinates
the
facilitation of visitors.
"The facilitation committee like the one we
have at our airports, which is
the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe,
will be a great improvement if it
is implemented on our borders. It would
ease the plight of travellers and
make sure there is coordination of all
operations, which are currently more
or less divorced from each other," Mrs
Sangarwe said.
She said both customs and immigration officials needed to work
together and
deal with the problem of cross-border traders, long-distance
truck drivers
and tourists stand in the same queue.
"Although the two
entities are supposed to work together, it is apparent
from the service they
provide that they do not coordinate and there is no
authority to report to,"
she said.
Immigration principal officer Mr John Kambunda yesterday said a
system aimed
at coordinating operations at all border posts was still to be
worked out.
"At the moment we control our own side of things while issues of
security
are coordinated by the police," Mr Kambunda said.
He said owing
to an increased pressure at Beitbridge and Victoria Falls
border posts
during the festive season, the department had deployed several
immigration
officers to help ease the pressure.
"We have no adequate accommodation for
the deployment of more permanent
officers such that we had to book into
hotels the team we sent to help out
until when the situation improves," Mr
Kambunda said. - Harare Bureau
The Herald
Herald
Reporter
SOUTH AFRICA has annulled its decision that Zimbabweans wishing
to catch
connecting flights to other parts of the world from that country be
in
possession of transit visas.
It also emerged that Zimbabwe was not
on the original list of countries
whose nationals require the transit visa
before travelling to South Africa.
A circular from South African
authorities stating that Zimba-bweans should
also meet the transit visa
requirement had been issued to airlines.
This probably followed
advertisements by South African authorities late last
year listing countries
whose nationals were required to acquire the transit
visa before entering
that country.
Zimbabwe was included on the list.
However,
Zimbabwe's Consular General in Johannesburg Mr Chris Mapanga said
SA had not
stated the need for such a requirement for Zimbabwean travellers.
"Our
fears are that people might lose money to some travel agents, who might
take
advantage of the confusion and demand that money be paid for South
African
transit visas.
"There is no such thing for Zimbabwean travellers passing
through South
Africa on their way to various destinations," Mr Mapanga
said.
He said Zimbabwe was erroneously included on the circular with a
list of
countries whose nationals were required to have transit visas in
November
last year.
"The circular was issued to airlines by some
junior South African Home
Affairs officers.
"As a result, many
Zimbabweans booked to travel well before December 1, at
the time when such
requirement was supposed to have been in effect were left
stranded at
various airports around the world," he said.
Mr Mapanga said after
getting telephone calls from Zimbabwean travellers
from as far as London,
Paris, Egypt and Italy requesting to know what was
happening, discussions
were held with South African authorities who
indicated that Zimbabwe should
be withdrawn from the list.
"There were indications that there was a mix
up somewhere and no
consultations were made befoore the issuance of the list
to airlines. The
transit visa was never actually implemented to include
Zimbabwe."
An official from the South African High Commission's visa
section yesterday
confirmed Zimbabwe was not affected by the transit visa
requirement.
"I am not at liberty to say anything more than just
Zimbabwean travellers no
longer need a transit visa to pass through South
Africa," the official said.
South Africans visiting Zimbabwe get gratis
visas, which can be issued at
points of entry without conducting any formal
application to visit.
"We uphold the spirit of free movement and strongly
believe that as people
from the same region, there is no need to make
travelling such a hassle to
genuine traders or tourists.
"After all,
we all strive to maintain cordial relations with neighbouring
countries and
maintain the spirit of togetherness that existed during the
struggles to
liberate our respective countries," Zimbabwe's Chief
Immigration Officer, Mr
Elasto Mugwadi said.
He said Sadc member countries were in the process of
introducing the
universal visa, which can facilitate free movement to all
countries within
the region.
The uni-visa will among other things
boost tourism, strengthen security and
co-ordination at all border posts in
the region and allow a transparent
division of labour and enhance trade
relations.
The Herald
Municipal Reporter
SUSPENDED Mutare mayor Mr Misheck
Kagurabadza will soon be hauled before a
disciplinary hearing to prove or
disprove allegations of mismanagement of
council affairs being levelled
against him.
A four-member committee led by Mr Mathias Makoni has been
appointed to
conduct the disciplinary hearing for Mr Kagurabadza and 18
councillors.
The committee will pass a verdict on whether Mr Kagurabadza
and his council
should be fired or be reinstated after preliminary
investigations alleged
they were mismanaging council affairs resulting in
the deterioration in
service delivery.
Other members of the committee
are Mr Killian Mpingo, Ms Tariro Nyakujara
and Ms Sharon
Madzinga.
The councillors were suspended on allegations of mismanagement
of council
affairs and refusal to abide by Government directives.
The
suspension is without benefits and comes with an order not to interfere
with
the administration of the city.
In a related matter, the newly-appointed
Kenneth Saruchera commission will
run the affairs of Mutare City Council for
six months.
The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban
Development, Cde
Ignatius Chombo, gave the five-member committee deputised
by Cde Irene Zindi
a broad mandate, which includes the conclusion of the
disciplinary
proceedings of three suspended senior council officials within
the next two
weeks.
Other members of the commission are Cde Ronie
Chayambuka, Cde Didymus
Matongo and Cde Ellen Gwaradzimba.
"Your term
of office as a commissioner is also subject to review after six
months
depending on the material progress registered," said Cde Chombo in a
letters
of appointment to the individual commissioners.
Cde Chombo said the
commission should immediately engage on the
implementation of the city's
strategic turnaround programme.
They will be expected to rationalise the
city's staff complement to cut
labour costs, which should be a ratio of
between 28 to 32 percent of the
overall recurrent expenditure.
Cde
Saruchera is also expected to restructure the human resources department
to
become a stand-alone entity that is viable, effective and
transparent.
"Your commission should complete the outstanding capital
development
projects related to water, sewer and roads, as well as ensure
that there is
tangible improvement in refuse collection facilities
throughout the city of
Mutare," said Cde Chombo.
The commission has
also been tasked to restore and maintain water, sewerage,
roads, storm water
drainage and social amenities.
Cde Chombo said the commission would be
expected to install optimal revenue
collection measures for the ultimate
benefit of Mutare, monitor the
effective implementation of the 2006 council
budget and to resuscitate the
operational viability of Pungwe Breweries
within the next three months.
The commission should also establish
separate accounts for the various
revenue sources of council.
The Herald
By Elita
Chikwati
THE Department of Agricultural, Research and Extension Services
(Arex) is
fully prepared to control armyworm in the event of an outbreak and
has been
carrying awareness campaigns to educate farmers on identifying
pests and
diseases.
The department has chemicals to control the pest
and managed to control a
recent armyworm outbreak in some parts of Kadoma.
Arex director Dr Shadreck
Mlambo said the department was carrying out
surveillance in different parts
of the country, as there was a possibility
of a second outbreak.
"A viral disease that comes with the heavy rains
can wipe out the pest and
chemicals can also be used in serious cases," he
added.
The armyworm is a problematic pest during the rainy season and it
affects
maize, sorghum and pastures causing extensive damage if not
controlled on
time. Meanwhile, maize growers are busy weeding their crop
although there
are fears that there can be an outbreak of grey leaf spot
disease (GLS).
Dr Mlambo, however, said the disease had not shown up
yet.
"Usually there is an outbreak of the disease after the rains
especially at
the stage just before tasselling and upward," he
said.
The department carries out awareness campaigns on disease control
to farmers
and this was an on going exercise across the country. Farmers are
brought
together and taught on maize production, including pest and disease
control.
"We teach them to identify pests and diseases and what they can
do to avoid
losses," said Dr Mlambo.
He added that most seed
companies have been breeding varieties that are
resistant to the GLS
disease. Grey Leaf Spot causes maize leaves to become
grey.
Dr Mlambo
however, said farmers should consult their nearest Arex offices or
any other
trained agricultural officers when they suspect the disease as
there are
other causes of grey leaves on the maize plant.
Farmers could also send
samples of the leaves to the Plant Protection Unit
for diagnosis of the
disease.