December 04 2008 at 06:31AM
Harare - Riot police charged into a group of doctors and nurses protesting against Zimbabwe's economic and health crisis, eyewitnesses said on Wednesday, as deaths rose sharply from a cholera epidemic blamed on collapsing infrastructure.
A few blocks away, police stopped teachers trying to join the same protest and at least six people were detained.
The United Nations said that deaths from the cholera epidemic had risen to 565, with 12 546 people infected.
The government had been reporting 473 cholera deaths since August, and a total of 11 700 people infected as of Monday.
AgriSA on Wednesday gave assurances that the country's farm products would not be affected after the Limpopo health department confirmed that cholera bacteria had been found in the Limpopo River.
AgriSA president Johannes Möller said that, while farmers were using the Limpopo River for irrigation, the organisation had taken "a close look" at pollution measures and no vegetables would be affected.
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The nationwide outbreak of cholera is blamed on collapsing water treatment plants and broken sewage pipes.
The country is suffering from the world's highest inflation, and Zimbabweans face daily shortages of food and other basic goods. Many hospitals and clinics have been forced to shut because of a lack of drugs and medicines.
On Wednesday, water supplies were restored to parts of Harare after authorities turned off the taps for three days after saying they had run out of purifying chemicals.
Zimbabwe's government is co-operating with aid agencies to try to stem the spread of cholera, but has stopped short of declaring the epidemic a national emergency.
The Herald newspaper also reported yesterday that Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank had unveiled a new Z$100-million note to go into circulation today.
The paper said that the Z$10-million, Z$50-million and Z$100-million notes were aimed at easing access to cash, although it was unlikely to end long lines at banks.
Today will also see an increase in the amount of cash an individual can withdraw to Z$100-million a week. At the dominant black market exchange this is equivalent to $40, which buys about 50 loaves of bread or in some cases 40 litres water. - Sapa-AP
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