Seventy million in poverty

Forty-percent of the population of Southern Africa live in subhuman conditions

The latest statistics reveal that 40% of the population of Southern Africa live in deplorable conditions, which translates into a human catastrophe record of 70,000,000 people.

At the International Conference on Globalisation and African Renewal, in Cape Town, 200 members debated the situation in the Republic of South Africa and Southern Africa in general.

The main solutions outlined to solve these problems were namely respect for human rights and democracy and the end of armed conflict, policies adopted by the African Union, a project sponsored by Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi.

Concern was expressed about the problems typical of this region, such as the 40-year conflict in Angola and the systematic lack of respect for legal institutions demonstrated by president Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

Possible solutions were debated and were summarised by South African Director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sipho Pityana. He declared that sanctions should be declared against countries which fail to respect the resolutions of the Partnership for African Development, formed under the auspices of the African Union.

Africa in this way assumes the responsibility for its own development and a self-regulatory process which breaks the dependence upon ex-colonial powers.

Africa stands proudly alone.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru