Key developments since May 2002: In 2002, a
National Authority on Mine Action was established to formulate a national mine
action plan. The Zimbabwe Mine Action Center was formed to coordinate all mine
action in the country. In 2002, 85 kilometers of the Victoria Falls minefield
were cleared, destroying 16,000 mines.
Mine Ban Policy
Zimbabwe signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997 and ratified it on 18 June 1998. The treaty entered into force for Zimbabwe
on 1 March 1999. It enacted “The Anti-Personnel Mines (Prohibition) Act
2000”in January 2001. Zimbabwe submitted its annual Article 7
update on 13 February 2003.[1]
Zimbabwe attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002 and
also participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February
and May2003. Zimbabwe voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution
57/74, calling for the universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty on 22 November 2002.
Zimbabwe was not a significant past producer or exporter of antipersonnel
mines. It destroyed its stockpile of 4,092 antipersonnel mines in November
2000, retaining 700 mines for training
purposes.[2] Zimbabwe’s
Article 7 reports, including February 2003 report, indicate that the number of
retained mines has not changed, and thus no mines have been consumed in training
activities.[3]
A representative of Zimbabwe confirmed to Landmine Monitor that Claymore-type
mines are stockpiled by its armed forces, but without tripwire actuating fuzes,
because Zimbabwe considers these illegal under the Mine Ban Treaty. Production
of two types of Claymore mines, the Z1 and ZAPS types, ended when Zimbabwe
gained independence.[4]
Repeated past allegations of the use of landmines by the Zimbabwe Defense
Forces (ZDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been consistently
and strongly denied by the ZDF and the Ministry of
Defense.[5]
Mine Action Funding, Coordination and Planning
In 2002, the contribution from the national budget
for mine action activities in Zimbabwe was a total of Z$10 million (US$190,000).
This is double the amount contributed in 2001. The figure increased again in
2003 to Z$40 million (US$760,000). The government states it is committed to
increasing its contributions every year after
2003.[6]
After providing more than US$6 million in mine action assistance to Zimbabwe
from 1998-2001, the United States did not provide any funds or in-kind
contributions in its fiscal year
2002.[7] Zimbabwe did not
receive any external assistance in 2002.
The National Demining Office (NDO) was established in 1998 with the
assistance of the United States. The NDO coordinates, prioritizes and
integrates all demining activities in the country. In compliance with the
Antipersonnel Mines Prohibition Act and to fulfill the requirements of the Mine
Ban Treaty, in early 2002 a National Authority on Mine Action in Zimbabwe
(NAMAZ) was established. NAMAZ is the policy-making body tasked with the
formulation of a National Mine Action Plan (NMAP).
Along with NAMAZ, the Zimbabwe Mine Action Centre (ZIMAC) was created. Its
role is the management, coordination and facilitation of all mine action
activities in Zimbabwe in cooperation with the international community. The
NDO, which is an integral part of and falls under ZIMAC, is responsible for
demining activities only, on behalf of
ZIMAC.[8]
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is working to establish a
database on all mine-affected countries in the region. These countries will be
able to share experiences, advice and information among themselves and with the
international community about national and regional mine action activities. The
main office of this database is in Mozambique and will be connected to sub
regional offices in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and possibly
Malawi.[9]
A SADC team visited Zimbabwe from 22-25 January 2003 to assess the landmine
problem and to assist in setting up the database. The team, which included the
Landmine Monitor researcher, visited various mine-affected areas in Zimbabwe.
Landmine Problem and Mine Clearance
Zimbabwe in the past identified seven mined areas
that it estimated contained about 1.17 million antipersonnel
mines.[10] In 2002, Zimbabwe
reported clearance of 85 kilometers of the Victoria Falls minefield, destroying
16,000 mines. This was the only clearance reported for 2002 in Zimbabwe’s
most recent Article 7
report.[11] As of early 2003, a
total of about 190 kilometers had been cleared in the Victoria Falls minefield
and 51,000 mines were destroyed. The Engineers Squadron of the Zimbabwe
National Army continues to clear mines in the Victoria Falls, Kazungula, and
Binga minefields.
In his opening address to Parliament on 23 July 2002, President Robert Mugabe
stated that “in pursuit of Government policy of military assistance to
civil authority, Zimbabwe Defense Forces engineers will deepen ongoing efforts
to clear landmines from the Victoria Falls to Mlibizi as well as the Gonarezhou
Transfrontier National Park. These noble efforts are meant to provide safe
habitation for both people and animals and to enable access to land that can be
used for economic
development.”[12]
In January 2003, the director of ZIMAC stated that mine action is part of
Zimbabwe's overall development plans and poverty reduction strategies:
“Through reclaiming land cut off or infested with mines, the Government
has been reducing poverty by resettling people in productive land; The country's
tourism industry is greatly being enhanced through the removal of mines from
game parks and tourist attraction areas; Many developmental infrastructures are
now possible both in rural areas and economic zones because of the removal of
mines.”[13]
According to a former Koch Mine Safe deputy project manager, the Mukumbura
minefield, previously thought cleared, still has scattered mines, as the area
was not fully cleared in some
parts.[14] Koch Mine Safe,
which had been contracted to carry out the clearance project, left the area in
December 2000, when the contract expired. It had managed to clear 6,523,267
square kilometers and destroy 162,416 antipersonnel mines. Low-lying areas, such
as gorges were not cleared because they were not part of the contract. The
contract had stipulated that the company dig for mines as deep as 20
centimeters., but due to siltation some of the mines were buried beyond that
depth. During the demining process, some new mined areas were discovered, but
since these were not part of the contract, they were not cleared. These newly
discovered areas were mapped, marked and documented, and the information was
forwarded to the Ministry of Defense. There is concern that the Mukumbura
minefield has become more dangerous to the local population, who now enter it
with unfounded confidence that the area was completely
cleared.[15]
Other Demining Activities and Research and Development
A number of demining companies operate out of Zimbabwe. Southern Africa
Demining Services Agency (SADSA), formed in January 2001 and headquartered in
Harare, is a commercial mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal company
that was involved in mine clearance on Zimbabwe northeast border. In 2003,
SADSA has demining contracts in Croatia and
Lebanon.[16] Mine Tech is
another commercial firm that has completed 133 international mine action-related
contracts and, in April 2002, undertook an assignment in Lebanon, as part of
Operation Emirates
Solidarity.[17] Security
Devices (PVT) Limited, based in Harare, produces and improves demining
accessories.[18]
Mine Risk Education
The NDO through the ZNA continues to carry out
mine risk education (MRE) in schools, growth points, health centers and
agricultural shows. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) also assists in MRE
programs through personnel based in the mine-affected areas. The NDO carries out
awareness campaigns upon request, when incidents are reported, or when the need
arises to reinforce MRE messages. Efforts to carry out continuous risk education
campaigns are hampered by a shortage of resources.
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, at least nine people were injured in
mine/UXO incidents in
Zimbabwe.[19] On 25 March, one
male was injured in a landmine
explosion.[20] On 3 June, a
28-year-old male received facial injuries in a UXO explosion in a cleared
minefield in Madyirapamwe. In August, a 14-year-old received lacerations to his
hand after picking up an antipersonnel mine in Madyirapanze, and in another
incident, a 58-year-old male was injured in the face and hand in an incident
near Feredzo Village. In September, a 21-year-old male was injured after
stepping on an antipersonnel mine near Kambezo, and in another incident a
78-year-old male was injured after stepping on a mine near Kagona village
Nyakatondo. In October, a 17-year-old male from Ramakwebana village near the
border with Zambia was injured when an antipersonnel mine exploded while he was
herding cattle. In December, a 33-year-old male was injured after stepping on
an antipersonnel mine near Borome Farm Glendale. Also in December, a
long-distance truck driver lost his leg after stepping on an antipersonnel mine
while looking for
firewood.[21]
In September 2002, a Zimbabwean mine clearance volunteer lost his hand in a
mine accident in south
Lebanon.[22]
In 2001, five new landmine casualties were reported, of which two people were
killed and three injured. In 2000, there were four reported landmine
casualties.[23] According to a
UN mission to Zimbabwe in November 1999, since 1980 at least 46 people had been
killed and 210 injured in mine incidents. It was estimated that this figure
represented only 60 percent of the total number of casualties during this
period.[24]
Survivor Assistance and Disability Policy and Practice
The Zimbabwe government covers the initial cost of
treating landmine casualties. However, it was evident from field research that
there is little follow-up assistance available to
survivors.[25] A lack of
government funds does not allow for a comprehensive survivor assistance program
in Zimbabwe. Assistance for all persons with disabilities, including landmine
survivors, is channeled through the Social Dimension Fund of the Ministry of
Labor and Social Welfare.[26]
There is no single organization providing assistance to landmine survivors,
however, some activities are implemented through the National Association of
Societies for the Care of the Handicap (NASCOH) of
Zimbabwe.[27]
The 1992 “Disabled Persons Act” makes provision for the welfare
and rehabilitation of disabled persons and established the National Disability
Board.[28]
In early 2002, the Victims Assistance, Rehabilitation, Reintegration and
Resettlement Office was established as part of the Zimbabwe Mine Action Center.
The office is tasked with establishing and maintaining a mine casualty database,
and coordinating activities for the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of
mine survivors.[29]
[1] This Article 7 update covers calendar
year 2002. Zimbabwe submitted its initial Article 7 report in January 2000 (for
August 1999 to January 2000) and an update in April 2001 (for calendar year
2000). Government officials provided Landmine Monitor with a copy of another
annual update they indicated had been submitted in December 2001, although the
UN has apparently never received it. See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 530.
[2] For details on stocks and retained
mines, see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 177; Article 7 Report, 13 February
2003 and 4 April 2001. For information on past production and export, see
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
97-99. [3] Article 7 Report, Form F, 13
February 2003. [4] Interview with Tom J.
Munongura, Director, Zimbabwe Mine Action Center, Geneva, 4 February
2003. [5] For past allegations of use,
see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 177-179, and other previous
editions. [6] Zimbabwe response to a
questionnaire distributed by the Norwegian Coordinator of the Resource
Mobilization Contact Group, 2 January 2003; Currency Exchange Rate found at
www.oanda.com average rate for 2002, Z$1
equals US$ 0.019. [7] A planned
contribution of $314,000 from the Defense Department apparently did not occur.
Office of the Secretary of Defense, “Operations and Maintenance Overview,
FY 2004 Budget Estimates, Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid,”
April 2003, p. 82. [8] Email from Col.
Munongwa, Director, Zimbabwe Mine Action Center, 8 July
2003. [9]
Ibid. [10] For details of each mined
area, see Article 7 Report, Form C, December
2001. [11] Article 7 Report, Forms F and
G, 13 February 2003. [12] “Text
of address by Mugabe at opening of Parliament, 23 July 2002,” The Herald
Online (Harare), 24 July 2002, available at:
www.herald.co.zw. [13]
Zimbabwe response to a questionnaire distributed by the Norwegian Coordinator of
the Resource Mobilization Contact Group, 2 January
2003. [14] Interview with Brigadier
General T. Kanganga, Director, Southern Africa Demining Services Agency and
Former Deputy Project Manager, Koch Mine Safe, Harare, 12 February
2003. [15]
Ibid. [16]
Ibid. [17] Cyril Zenda, "Mine Tech Earns
World Honours," The Financial Gazette, 3 May
2002. [18] Telephone interview with Ms.
Oddia Mabika, Secretary, Security Devices, Harare, 19 February
2003. [19] Information on casualties
taken from the National Demining Office, Minefield Database Update,
2000–2002, unless otherwise stated; interview with Dr. Mustinze, Health
Administrator, Mt. Darwin Hospital, 13 February
2003. [20] Fax from Engineers
Directorate, Army Headquarters, 8 July
2002. [21] “Hand Grenade Found in
Chitungwiza,” The Herald, 15 December
2002. [22] “African mine-clearer
loses hand in explosion in south Lebanon,” Associated Press, 21 September
2002. [23] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 536. [24] UNMAS, “Joint
Assessment Mission: Zimbabwe,” 15 February 2000, p.
8. [25] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
182. [26] Landmine Monitor Report 2002,
p. 536. [27] Article 7, Form J, 13
February 2003; interviews with Farai Mukuta, Director, National Association of
Societies for the Care of the Handicapped, Harare, 6 February 2003 and 13
February 2003. [28] “Disabled
Persons Act” 1992; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
182. [29] Email from Col. Munongwa,
Zimbabwe Mine Action Center, 8 July 2003.
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