SOUTH AFRICA: SA defence envoy visits
Namibia
South Africa has sent its Deputy Defence
Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge to Namibia for urgent talks on the war
situation on the border of Namibia and Angola, a government statement said
on Tuesday.
Announcing the visit, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota told a news conference: "The recent developments are too close to our doorstep for comfort. Instability anywhere is a threat to stability here." South African officials said they were concerned at heightened tensions in recent weeks since Namibia granted Angolan forces the right to use their territory in an offensive to drive UNITA rebels from their strongholds in southern Angola. Lekota feared the fighting could spread to Botswana and Zambia.
NAMIBIA: Nujoma reaffirms support for Angola
Meanwhile, President Sam Nujoma of Namibia reaffirmed his country's continued support for Angola against UNITA "until peace returns to their country".
"We are behind the Angolan government," Nujoma said in a national television broadcast on Monday. "We will give every support to the Angolan government to crush the UNITA bandits in order to restore peace in Angola." Nujoma also said Namibia had "willingly" allowed Angola to use landing fields in Namibia, "and will continue to do so".
MOZAMBIQUE: Two die in plane crash
At least two people were killed and others injured on Tuesday when a Trans Airways light aircraft bound for neighbouring Swaziland crashed shortly after take-off from Maputo on Tuesday, state radio reported.
'Radio Mozambique' said a loud explosion was heard before the crash, but the cause of the accident had not been established.
AFRICA: World Bank appoints Zimbabwean vice-president
The World Bank announced on Tuesday that it had appointed Callisto Madavo, a Zimbabwean national, as its vice-president with the sole responsibility for the bank's operations in Africa as of 1 May 2000.
Madavo, who holds MA and Ph.D degrees in economics from the University of Notre Dame in the United States, joined the Bank in 1969 and started his career as an economist in the Urbanisation and Regional Projects division, the World Bank said in a statement to IRIN.
The statement added that Madavo had previously shared responsibility for the 47 countries of sub-Saharan Africa with Jean-Louis Sarbib, who will now assume responsibility for the bank's Middle East and North Africa region.
[ENDS]
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