http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15037
April 12, 2009
By Raymond
Maingire
HARARE - Zimbabwe's unity government has set up a 25-member
parliamentary
committee to spearhead the drafting of the country's first
post-independence
Constitution.
This is in line with a political
agreement signed on September 15, 2008, by
Zanu-PF and the two Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) parties, which
prescribes the drafting of a new
constitution within the first 18 months of
the formation of the unity
government.
The political agreement stipulates that the establishment of
the
parliamentary committee should be executed within the first two months
of
the inception of the new government. April 13 is the deadline for such
exercise.
The next stage shall be the convening of the
all-stakeholders conference
which should be within three months of the
appointment of the Select
Committee. This should end on July 13,
2009.
From then, the team shall embark on a four month consultation
process after
which the draft constitution shall be tabled to an
all-stakeholders
conference not later than February 13, 2010.
The
draft constitution and the accompanying report shall be tabled in
Parliament
within a month of the second all stakeholders conference whose
deadline
shall be March 13, 2010.
There shall be subsequent debate on the draft
constitution and the
accompanying report concluded in Parliament within one
month whose deadline
shall be April 13, 2010.
The draft constitution
emerging from Parliament shall be gazetted before the
holding of a
referendum which would be within three months of the conclusion
of the
debate. This shall be done between the period between April 13 and
July 13,
2010.
If the draft constitution is approved by the referendum, it shall
be
gazetted within one month of the date of the referendum, that is between
July 13 and August 13, 2010.
The draft constitution shall finally be
introduced to Parliament not later
than one month after the expiration of
the period of 30 days from the date
of its gazetting, that is October 12,
2010.
Currently, Zimbabwe is still using the Lancaster House Constitution
negotiated between the rebel Rhodesian government of Ian Smith and the two
liberation movements, Zanu-PF of Robert Mugabe and PF-Zapu led by the late
Joshua Nkomo. It was signed in December 1979 leading to independence on
April 18, 1980 and has since been amended a record 19 times.
The
absence of a home grown constitution is seen as the cause of Zimbabwe's
political paralysis that has seen the country grappling with the excesses of
a long serving executive president with multiple terms of
office.
Addressing journalists at Parliament Sunday afternoon, the
Speaker of the
House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo appealed for donor funding
to see through
the expensive process.
He said, "Let us all take this
challenge head on and pool our resources
together for the good of
Zimbabweans.
"It is my fervent hope that development agencies and other
foreign
organisations will take as much interest, if not more, as they took
in the
challenges that our country has been facing and contribute financial
and
material resources in support of the work of the select
committee."
He however declined to attach a figure to the process saying
Parliament was
still finalizing a budget for the select committee and its
sub-committees.
The drafting of a new constitution is the first such
process to be supported
by Zimbabwe's two political rivals.
A 2000
draft constitution led by government was rejected by the Zimbabwean
electorate after a vigorous campaign for its rejection by the MDC and civic
society.
At its first meeting on Monday, March 30, 2009, the recently
established
parliamentary committee on standing rules and orders resolved to
select the
25 member select committee that will see Zanu-PF and MDC both
contributing
nine of its parliamentarians to the committee.
The
Arthur Mutambara-led MDC, the smaller of the two MDCs shall second three
of
its members with the chiefs appointing one member.
The remaining three
MPs were appointed by presiding officers.
Members selected into the
committee include, Flora Buka (Zanu-PF); Senator
Fortune Charumbira, the
President of the Chiefs Council; Amos Chibaya
(MDC-T); Walter Chidakwa
(Zanu-PF); Senator David Coltart (MDC-M); Senator
Gladys Gombani Dube
(MDC-T); Joram Gumbo (Zanu- PF) and Ian Kay (MDC-T).
The others are
Martin Khumalo (Zanu-PF); Senator Dalumuzi Khumalo (MDC-M);
Cephas Makuyana
(MDC-M); Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF); Evelyn Masaiti (MDC-T);
Editor Matamisa
(MDC-T); Senator Tambudzai Mohadi (Zanu-PF); Edward
Tsholotsho Mkhosi
(MDC-M); Olivia Muchena (Zanu-PF); Senator Monica
Mutsvangwa (Zanu-PF);
Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T); Senator Jabulani Ndlovu
Ndlovu (MDC-T) and Brian
Tshuma (MDC-T).
Those appointed by presiding officers are Senator
Thokozani Mathuthu, Gift
Chimanikire and Jessie Majome
http://uk.reuters.com
Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:00pm
BST
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe will not use its own local currency
for at least
a year, a state newspaper reported on Sunday, while it tries to
repair an
economy which critics say was destroyed by President Robert
Mugabe.
The southern African state has allowed the use of multiple
foreign
currencies since January to stem hyperinflation which had rocketed
to over
230 million percent and left the Zimbabwe dollar almost
worthless.
The state-controlled Sunday Mail said the unity government of
Mugabe and
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai decided the Zimbabwe dollar
should only
be reintroduced when industrial output reaches about 60 percent
of capacity
from the current 20 percent average.
"The Zimbabwe dollar
will be out for at least a year. We resolved that there
will be no immediate
plans to (re)introduce the money because there is
nothing to support and
hold its value," the newspaper quoted Economic
Planning and Development
Minister Elton Mangoma as saying.
"Our focus is to first ensure that we
have a vibrant industry. If we try to
reintroduce the local currency now, it
will face the same fate of being
wiped out of its value within
weeks."
On Thursday, Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office (CSO) said
consumer
prices fell for a third straight month in March after the
government
abandoned its worthless currency.
The CSO said inflation
stood at -3.0 percent month-on-month in March
compared with -3.1 percent in
February, as food prices fell.
Critics say Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe
since independence from Britain in
1980, has destroyed one of Africa's most
promising economies through
controversial policies, including the seizure of
white-owned commercial
farms for redistribution to inexperienced black
farmers.
Mugabe, 85, denies the charge and says the economy has been
sabotaged by
enemies opposed to his nationalist policies.
Zimbabwe is
seeking an urgent cash injection of $2 billion to stabilise an
economy
suffering unemployment above 90 percent and a severe shortage of
foreign
currency.
Western donors have held back aid, demanding the unity
government in which
Tsvangirai is the prime minister undertakes political
and other reforms.
(Reporting by Cris Chinaka; Editing by Sophie
Hares)
11 April 2009
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has declared it
"null and void" the recent
announcement by Dr Misheck Sibanda of the
movement of the portfolio of
Communication from the Ministry of Information
Communication Technology to
the Ministry of Transport."This does not only
fly in the face of the letter
and spirit of the Global Political Agreement
but is also an illegality as
the GPA has legal effect " said the Prime
Minister.
The Prime Minister said the allocation of mandates to
Ministries came into
effect via a process of negotiation by the three
political parties to the
GPA and as such no one party to that negotiating
process unillaterally alter
suuch mandates without effecting the due process
of negotiation. The Prime
Minister addded that such "blatant violations of
the GPA to suit
individuals" were a cause for grave concern as they had the
effect of taking
people of the course of restoration and
reconstruction.
In response to the call about sanctions with one voice,
Prime Minister said
there was a more urgent need to condem farm invasions
with one voice. He
said farm invasion were desruptive and counter productive
and had the effect
to condemn the country to perpetual hunger.
On
the allocation of motor vehicles to Members of Parliament by the RBZ,
the
Prime Minister said, there was no policy framework or legal intrument
that
permitted the RBZ to undertake such distribution of vehicles and that
unless
that was in place MPs may not accept the vehicles.
James
Maridadi
Prime Minister's spokesperson
SW Radio Africa
Zimbabwe news
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15042
April 12, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - A meeting between principals of Zimbabwe's
inclusive government to
determine the fate of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor Gideon Gono has been
scheduled for April 20, The Zimbabwe Times can
report.
The crucial meeting was initially scheduled for Monday last week
but was
deferred following the death of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
grandson.
The meeting, planned at the Victoria Falls retreat last
weekend, was also
scheduled to iron out other outstanding issues such as the
continued tenure
of Attorney-General Johannes Tomana, appointments of
permanent secretaries
and 10 provincial governors and the swearing in of
deputy minister of
Agriculture designate, Roy Bennett.
President
Robert Mugabe is said to have refused to swear in Bennett.
A source said
the stand-off over attempts to strip Information Communication
Technology
Minister Nelson Chamisa's powers would also be up for discussion.
But the
three principals Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy
Prime
Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara called off the meeting to allow
Tsvangirai to mourn his four-year-old grandson, Sean who drowned in a
swimming pool at the family's home in Harare last week Saturday.
The
Prime Minister attended the ministerial meeting in Victoria Falls at the
time of the drowning, but left to be with his family.
He had only
recently returned to work after mourning his wife's death.
According to
the Prime Minister's spokesman James Maridadi, Tsvangirai and
the President
meet every Monday to discuss outstanding issues.
Last Monday had been set
as a date that all outstanding issues were expected
to be sorted out,
especially the issue of Gono, who donors insist should go
before money can
start flowing in.
The meeting to decide Gono's fate is now scheduled to
take place on April 20
because the next Monday (April 13) is a public
holiday, Easter Monday.
Tsvangirai told the ministerial retreat in
Victoria Falls last weekend that
all outstanding issues that should have
been resolved at the formation of
the inclusive government would be dealt
with this week.
"As defined by both the GPA and the Constitution of
Zimbabwe, these issues
must be resolved by the leadership of government,
which comprises the
President and Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and
Deputy Prime
Ministers," Tsvangirai said.
"This body will meet in the
coming week to address the outstanding issues
which include, but are not
limited to, the swearing in of the provincial
governors, the appointment of
the governor of the Reserve Bank and the
Attorney General, the appointment
of permanent secretaries and ambassadors
and the ongoing land disputes and
disruption of agricultural activities."
The Prime Minister said there was
need to resolve the issues immediately to
"prove to the international
community that we are genuine and serious about
restoring Zimbabwe to its
rightful place in the family of nations."
Gono's mandate as central bank
chief was unilaterally renewed by Mugabe for
a second five-year term in
December 2008, sparking outrage in the MDC.
The MDC, which blames Gono
for ruining the economy, insists the governor's
re-appointment went against
the spirit of the September 15 power-sharing
agreement which sets out that
all executive appointments must be made after
consultation between Mugabe
and the Prime Minister.
Calls for the governor's removal have escalated,
with the latest coming from
the G20 group of richest countries who are
expected to bankroll Zimbabwe's
reconstruction. The G20 issued a statement
urging the new government to take
steps to demonstrate its commitment
to
reform through "the establishment of a credible and transparent
central bank
team".
Last Monday South Africa's billionaire mining
magnate Patrice Motsepe with a
net worth of US$1, 3 billion told Mugabe that
Gono must go before the
businessman considered sinking money into Zimbabwe,
according to a top level
source who attended the meeting.
Motsepe
reportedly told Mugabe that he was willing to assist Zimbabwe with
cash but
said: "We don't trust the leadership of custodians of our money."
Mugabe
is said to have nodded.
Britain's Africa Minister Lord Malloch-Brown has
also stated there would be
no budgetary support to Zimbabwe as long as Gono
remained at the helm of the
central bank.
And on Wednesday, US
ambassador James McGee told a reporters' roundtable at
the US embassy in
Harare that Washington did not want to tell Zimbabwe what
to do with Gono
but wanted to see a good and functioning central bank.
"We do want to see
central bank reforms," McGee said. "The central bank here
in Zimbabwe has
been the core problem."
As pressure has mounted for Gono's removal, he
has come out fighting,
launching a counter offensive to charm all through
his weekly newspaper, the
Financial Gazette.
Through the paper, he
sought to defuse tension over his alleged attempts to
give second-hand cars
to legislators in an apparent bid to curry favour with
a legislature
demanding his ouster.
Thursday's issue of the newspaper dedicated acres
of front page editorial
space on Thursday seeking to exonerate him and
rubbishing claims that there
was bad blood between him and Finance Minister
Tendai Biti.
Gono has announced that this week he is launching a new
daily newspaper, the
Daily Evening Gazette in an apparent bid to win hearts
and minds amid shrill
calls for his ouster.
On Wednesday, Biti and
Gono addressed a joint press briefing denying reports
that there was
acrimony between them.
But informed top government sources said despite
Wednesday's public display
of solidarity, the push for Gono's ouster was
gathering momentum.
.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15024
April 12, 2009
By
Raymond Maingire
HARARE - Public Service minister, Professor Eliphas
Mukonoweshuro has vowed
to depoliticise the country's civil service saying
the rot has grossly
affected professionalism in the public
sector.
Mukonoweshuro has also "encouraged" former civil servants who
were forced
off their jobs through political victimisation by their
superiors during the
past few years to approach his ministry for possible
redress.
"The total immunisation of the public sector from political
manipulation is
one area which is very close to my heart," Mukonoweshuro
said during a
recent exclusive interview with The Zimbabwe Times.
"Of
course they are citizens of this country. They have got their own
political
preferences but they should only be able to demonstrate them on
the
ballot.
"There should only be two people in a ministry who are known by
their
political colour and that should be the minister and his deputy
because
their entry route is through politics.
"But for those whose
entry route is through merit, we would take a very dim
view of any attempt
to parade a political colour."
President Robert Mugabe has in the past 10
years reduced the country's civil
servants to virtual Zanu-PF tools, with
many civil servants forced to openly
carry out party functions.
This
has resulted in some incompetent personnel with unquestionable loyalty
to
Zanu-PF being elevated to senior positions both in parastatals and the
uniformed forces at the expense of those either perceived to be neutral or
sympathetic to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Some have
been purged while thousands have also been frustrated into leaving
employment as they could not stand being turned into Zanu-PF functionaries
in exchange for favours.
Said Mukonoweshuro, "The law is not very
clear at the moment. It says a
civil servant should not hold a political
position.
"You cannot be seen shouting a political slogan in public and
then in the
next hour you are sitting behind a civil service desk and you
are saying I
am impartial. It's unhealthy for society.
"We should
come up with equally good regulations for the conduct of
ministers within
ministries so that they know their bounds when they are
demanding service in
the civil service.
"You cannot ask a permanent secretary to write you a
speech for your own
political rally.
"We should also come up with a
code which demands that civil servants of all
ranks execute their duties in
a palpably impartial manner.
"We will have to bring an entire code in the
public service. It's going into
our books very, very soon. It would come as
a statutory instrument. We don't
want the whole political paralysis in the
country to be reflected in the
public service.
"If you don't control
it, it will degenerate to absurd levels. I don't want
us to put remedial
measures when we are at the bottom of the trough. That
would be
irresponsible. I think that as a normal people we must be able to
detect a
negative trend and be able to keep it in check before it destroys
us
all."
Asked if there were any plans to reintegrate civil servants who
were forced
off their jobs through political victimisation, he said his
ministry was
prepared to investigate each individual case to establish the
facts.
"If anybody has been victimised on the basis of political
affiliation let me
have the facts," he said.
"I have not yet met
somebody who has come out to say I have been victimised
on the basis of my
political affiliation.
"If there are any they should come out. I am
encouraging them to. I have
heard of allegations but I have to see the
aggrieved people. Let them come
forward and I will take their
cases.
"My ministry has a clear policy on those who left their jobs
because of
economic hardships. They are free to come back for as long as
they did not
steal. We are also going to look at this category of victims of
political
discrimination."
The former University of Zimbabwe
lecturer, who was appointed minister on a
Movement for Democratic Change
ticket in February, said he will raise the
contentious issue with his party
leader.
"It's simply not going to be an issue of ministerial procedure,"
he said.
"I am going to raise the issue with my principal as it is a
political matter
so that the principals can agree and then request us to
work out a mechanism
for their attention.
"Once that has been done we
will then make an announcement that those who
feel that they have been
victimised on political reasons should come
forward."
Turning to
rampant corruption in the civic service, Mukonoweshuro said his
ministry
will soon establish an internal department to deal with the cancer.
"We
will also be working with a very broad definition of corruption," he
said.
"The easier definition of corruption is exchange of favours for
material
rewards such as money. That is the most visible
one.
"Corruption is also an abuse of public office even if it is not for
any
financial gain. That one we have also to identify and root
out.
"If you use your position for instance to spite or to stage revenge
or just
to fix a junior officer that is a corrupt way of running an
office."
http://www.zimtelegraph.com
By MIRIAM MARUFU
Published: Monday,
April 13, 2009
HARARE - Bill Saidi, a veteran newspaper journalist who
most recently served
as deputy editor of the Zimbabwe Standard, has been
appointed deputy
editor-in-chief of the Herald newspaper.
A veteran
journalist with experience spanning decades, Saidi will assume his
new role
this week.
He will oversee material from assistant editors as part of the
Herald's
reorganization of its reportage in the wake of the establishment of
the
inclusive government.
Saidi confirmed that he had been "offered
the job."
In addition to being one of the nation's most respected
journalists, Saidi
is an alumnus who through the years has demonstrated a
genuine commitment to
professional journalism.
His vast experience in
the field, and his many contacts nationwide, will be
a tremendous asset to
the Herald as the new government renews its emphasis
on professional news
reportage.
Prior to Saidi's installation, the newspaper had plumped
appalling depths
and was used regularly as a model of bad and dishonest
journalism.
Its an ideal career opportunity for Saidi, who was recently
removed from the
Standard as the newspaper installed a younger team of
editors.
Saidi has an abiding affection to professional
journalism.
He faces a formidable task in turning aroung the state-run
newspaper which
has unleashed a propaganda war against the Mugabe regime's
perceived
enemies.
The Herald has been unashamedly used by Robert
Mugabe's permanent secretary
George Charamba to direct vitriolic propaganda
at Zanu-PF opponents that
included the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
the West, civil society
and religious organisations, inclusing neighbouring
countries such as
Botswana Saidi has written extensively over the years on
the Mugabe regime's
institutionalised misrepresentations and he is now
expected to join that
team.
He will reportedly be deputy to Pikirayi
Deketeke, a relatively professional
editor.
http://www.sabcnews.com/
April 12 2009 ,
4:36:00
Thulasizwe Simelane, Harare
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change party says
President
Robert Mugabe's patently unilateral re-configuration of
ministerial powers,
threatens the very foundation of the unity government.
Such talk follows
Mugabe's announcement that the communications function is
to be moved from
the information and communications technology ministry, and
handed over to
the transport portfolio, headed by one of his allies.
However,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's office has rejected the
move. The
development comes as the new government forges ahead with plans to
draft a
new constitution, to be ready by the middle of next year. The MDC
has
accused the veteran leader of violating the unity government's founding
agreements.
The Prime Minister's spokesperson, James Maridadi,
says if mandates of
ministries are to be changed, that has to be done
through negotiations. He
says none of the principals can unilaterally do
this, and regards Mugabe's
unilateral action a nullity. The latest
developments add to a growing tally
of unresolved issues facing the new
administration including, President
Mugabe's contentious appointment of
permanent secretaries, reserve bank
governor and attorney
general.
Shadow cast over Constitution
The latest
development has also cast a shadow over Parliaments'
preparations to draft a
new Constitution. A 25 member select committee has
now been constituted,
whose mandate is to spearhead the delivery of a new
constitution by the
middle of next year. The draft Constitution will be put
to a referendum by
mid-July next year.
The fragile unity government appears to take a
step back for every
stride forward it makes. While parliamentarians are
preparing for the
drafting of a new Constitution, the tug-of-war for power
continues among the
political principals. The new unity government of Mugabe
and Tsvangirai
faces the daunting task of reversing years of economic
decline marked by
hyper-inflation and severe food and fuel
shortages.
http://sundaystandard.info
Botswana
by Pindai
Dube Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
12.04.2009 4:08:18 P
Zimbabwe's Internet
services have become the most expensive in the world
following latest
massive increases in monthly United States dollar rates
charged by the
country's Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
ISPs in Zimbabwe increased
their monthly subscription charges by more than
1000 percent, a situation
which saw a drop of internet subscribers in the
country where about 800 000
Zimbabweans have access to the internet.
ISPs blame the increase the
government's Tel-One of who charge exorbitant
services rates in a bid to
fast raise hard currency to pay its international
bills for global
links.
Zimbabwe was recently disconnected from the global links after an
international satellite firm, Intelsat, cut its international bandwidth
because it failed to pay the $700,000 fee.
An official from one of
the leading ISPs in the country, Zimbabwe Online
(ZOL), told Sunday Standard
that the latest move will affect their business
as clients were pulling out
as they could not afford the new charges.
"Zimbabwe has become the most
expensive country to use internet following
the latest increase in charges
by the government Tel-One. We also had to
increase our charges to clients to
survive as Tel-One is charging us
thousands of US dollars now," a ZOL
official spoke on condition of
anonymity.
A survey by the Sunday
Standard revels that most Zimbabwe ISPs increased
their monthly charges to
US$300 per month, up from below US$30, for both
local and international
bandwidth service.
Most internet shops in Zimbabwe have also been forced
to close shop
altogether since internet users find the charges beyond reach,
the survey
revealed.
When contacted for comment, the new Information,
Communications and
Technology Minister, Nelson Chamisa, said his Ministry is
working on the
issue saying the high internet charges were 'unacceptable' as
they were
likely to cut most average Zimbabweans from the rest of the
world.
Chamisa said ISPs should not cut off clients and clients who fail
to pay the
new exorbitant monthly internet bills until the matter on tariffs
is
resolved.
"We are working on that. This is a matter of emergency.
We can't have such
exorbitant prices charged by ISPs. It will cut most
average Zimbabweans from
the world," said Chamisa.
A freelance
journalist, Farai Sibanda, said he will soon stop using internet
as he
cannot afford the charges by his ISP.
"I used to pay US$20 per month for
a local bandwidth but they are now
demanding US$300 per month. I am not
going to pay that; it's too expensive.
I would rather stop using internet,"
said Sibanda.
ISPs also blamed Tel-One for poor services at a time when
it increases
charges. No comment could be obtained from TelOne
telecommunications company's
public relations managers as there were said to
be locked in meetings the
whole week.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15030
April 12, 2009
By
Eddie Cross
I LOOKED through a list of one of the more recent line-ups of
the Zanu-PF
government and found that in the list of 58 or so Ministers were
17 PhD
graduates, many from prestigious Universities in Europe and the
USA.
Mugabe himself is no slouch; he works out, drinks very little and
eats
sparingly.
He has six university degrees in valuable skills such
as law and economics
and is clearly above average in intelligence. Why then
the propensity to
self-destruct?
They know what is required to run a
modern economy. We have lots of examples
of economic reform programmes
adopted with great fanfare and then fudged and
abandoned. They did a lot of
good things in the early 80's and yet they have
these blind spots. How could
they ever have imagined they would get away
with
Gukurahundi?
Murambatsvina? How could they expect to be able to destroy
the commercial
agricultural system and still feed the country and keep the
economy on its
feet? But they did, clearly, because that is just what they
have done and
have expected to be absolved of all wrongdoing, if not by the
deluded West
then by their colleagues on the African Continent.
Now,
in front of the whole world they sign up to an African-brokered deal
after
18 months of tortuous negotiations and then, even before the ink is
dry,
they are violating the agreement in fundamental ways and expecting to
get
away with these violations. The list of violations grows every day. Farm
invasions, theft of private property, illegal detentions, false allegations
against neighboring States and agreement partners, abductions, murder,
torture, illegal appointments, failure to implement agreed reforms and now
manipulation of ministerial mandates.
Last winter, 95 per cent of the
wheat crop was grown by the traditional
large-scale commercial farmers, five
per cent by the so-called "new"
farmers. Last summer 97 per cent of the
tobacco crop was grown by a handful
of remaining large-scale growers, the
same can be said of milk, pigs,
poultry and fruit. Yet the secretive cabal
that runs the security and legal
apparatus of the transitional government
under Zanu-PF tutelage is, as I
write, destroying every last vestige of what
was a decade ago, the most
productive agricultural community in Africa. In
doing so they are using
violence, theft and extra legal methods that defy
logic and any sense of
justice.
We are now just 30 days from the date
by which winter crops of wheat and
barley should be planted. I can predict
now, with absolute certainty, that
the winter crops will be half or less of
those planted last winter. April is
the start of the new crop cycle for
tobacco and if things remain as they
are, this country, which at one time
ranked with Brazil and the United
States as a producer and exporter of
quality flue cured tobacco, will cease
to be a significant player. The
industry is about to collapse totally.
Tobacco firms will close their
processing plants and the largest auctions
floors in the world will become
warehouses for food aid.
Our economy which just ten years ago sustained a
population of 15 million
and supported an education system that was the
pride of Africa together with
a health system that was able to deal with all
but the most complex cases,
is down to being unable to support even the most
basic of services. In
January total tax collections were equal to US$4
million, less than 2 per
cent of what we needed to run the country. Yet the
men and women who did
this to us give no sign that they acknowledge their
failures or even that
they were in any way responsible for our total
collapse.
The irony of the fact that they have participated in the past
in forums that
have yielded principled statements on human and political
rights, signed up
to agreements guaranteeing those rights and giving verbal
accent to them on
many occasions, then violated those same principles with
impunity in the
pursuit of power, seems to be lost on them. They spent most
of their lives
demanding democracy and equal rights only to brush both
principles aside
when challenged at the ballot box. When faced with limited
and targeted
sanctions by the very people who supported their struggle for
justice in the
60's and 70's with mandatory UN sanctions against Smith, they
cry foul.
They had become one of the most corrupt and greedy
administrations in the
world and yet they demand to be trusted with others
funds and allowed to do
as they please with aid. They flaunt their wealth
before an impoverished
nation where just a month ago, 75 per cent of the
entire population had to
be fed by foreign donors because the government
could not do so or be
trusted to do so if empowered.
Yet these people
show no shame, no understanding or even awareness of what
damage they have
done, not just to the people and nation of Zimbabwe, but to
the entire
continent as we all bear the consequences of the failures of
leadership in
Africa. Especially when that leadership should know better,
because of their
own history, their education and experience and the
relative sophistication
of the society they managed.
I am afraid this propensity to self-destruct
is a mystery to me. Many would
assign a racial connotation to the failure -
certainly Ian Smith would crow
that he had been right about "them" not being
"ready" to run their own
affairs. Who could argue with him? That is the real
tragedy of this
situation; do they understand that? I see no sign that they
do at present
yet it is so painfully obvious to any informed
observer.
I know that countries only learn from mistakes and that if you
read European
history about 500 years ago you will see the same failures,
the same
shortcomings and destruction. Nevertheless we live in hope that
education,
culture and communications together with centuries of experience
and reform
would enable us to avoid these pitfalls. To stand on others
shoulders
instead of falling into the same holes in the road they left
behind. But
somehow Zanu-PF seems incapable of this and seems incapable of
reform
itself.
Hundreds of people are writing and calling me every
day to say that MDC is
being sucked into the Zanu-PF morass and will suffer
the same fate if it
does "nothing". I will admit that if we do not make
progress on rectifying
the many transgressions of the GPA and very soon,
that the whole caboodle
could come tumbling down.
Right now this
failure is holding back progress on all fronts and even
though international
donors have doubled their aid to the country in the
first quarter of this
year, both patience and time is running out.
[11th April
2009]
Committee on
Standing Rules and Orders
¨
The Committee on Standing Rules and
Orders [CSRO] is the most important Parliamentary Committee.
¨
It is a joint committee, with
representatives from both Houses of Parliament [see names of members
below].
¨
Functions are conferred on it by the
Constitution, by Act of Parliament and by Parliamentary Standing Orders.
Functions
of the CSRO
Functions given by the
Constitution
·
“Supervising
the administration of Parliament” and “considering and deciding all matters
concerning Parliament”.
·
The CSRO
appoints the Clerk of Parliament and other staff of Parliament, and fixes their
conditions of service.
·
It appoints
members of the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
·
The Public
Protector, formerly called the Ombudsman, and the Deputy Public Protector are
appointed by the President “after consultation” with the CSRO and Judicial
Service Commission [JSC]. [Note:
“after consultation” means the President is not bound to follow the advice of
the CSRO or the JSC.]
·
The CSRO
also has a considerable say in the appointments of:
The four “Independent”
Commissions referred to in the Constitution.
1.
The chairperson is
appointed by the President “after consultation with” the
CSRO.
The 8 members are
appointed by the President from a list of at least 12 nominees submitted by the
CSRO.
The approval of the
CSRO is needed before the chairperson or any other member is removed from office
by the President.
2.
The chairperson is
appointed by the President “after consultation with” the
CSRO.
The 8 members are
appointed by the President from a list of 16 nominees submitted by the CSRO
[Note:
when appointing the chairpersons of these two Commissions the President also has
to consult with the Judicial Service Commission but he is not bound to
follow the advice of the CSRO or the JSC. The definition in the
Constitution of “after consultation” is that the President is “required to
consult before arriving at a decision but is not bound by the advice or opinion
given”.]
3.
4.
Functions of CSRO under
Parliamentary Standing Orders
·
Deciding on
the size of other Parliamentary committees and appointing their chairpersons and
members. This includes Select Committees – which means that it will appoint
the Select Committee to draw up the new Constitution.
·
Framing
rules for the conduct of business by committees;
·
Preparing
amendments to Standing Orders for consideration by the House of Assembly and
Senate;
·
The
Committee’s consent is required for a proposed motion in either House for the
expulsion or suspension from Parliament of an MP or Senator who has been
convicted of a criminal offence. [Note:
if an MP or Senator is convicted and sentenced to death or 6 months or more
imprisonment, his or seat is automatically forfeited. A motion for expulsion
applies only where a criminal conviction has resulted in a shorter sentence of
imprisonment or a fine, but is nevertheless considered to render the MP or
Senator concerned unfit to continue in office or as meriting
suspension.]
Powers given to the
CSRO by the Broadcasting Services Act
This Act gives the CSRO
a role in the appointment and removal from office of members of the board of the
Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe:
·
the
President appoints 9 of the 12 board members “after consultation with” the CSRO
[the President is not obliged to follow CSRO’s recommendations] and the
remaining 3 members from a list of six nominees provided by CSRO.
·
the CSRO
appoints the chairperson and one other member of the Independent Disciplinary
Committee to adjudicate on allegations of misconduct by BAZ board members.
Members of
Committee on Standing Rules and Orders
The composition of the CSRO is
specified by the Constitution, as amended by Constitution
Amendment No. 19 [Schedule
8, paragraph 2].
It is made up of 14 ex officio
members, 8 members elected by the House of Assembly and 4 members elected by the
Senate. [Note there was no voting for the
elected members, because the three parties had agreed on the political and
gender balance to be struck and the candidates put forward by the parties were
declared elected unopposed.] The CSRO is chaired by the Speaker and
the deputy chair is the President of the Senate. The members are as
follows:
14 Ex officio
members
Speaker
Lovemore Moyo] [MDC-T]
President of
Senate Ednah Madzongwe
[ZANU-PF]
Deputy
Speaker Nomalanga Khumalo
[MDC-M]
Deputy President of
Senate Naison Ndlovu
[ZANU-PF]
Vice-President
Joseph Msika
[ZANU-PF]
Vice-President
Joice Mujuru
[ZANU-PF]
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
[MDC-T]
Minister of
Constitutional & Parl Affairs Eric Matinenga]
[MDC-T]
Minister of
Finance
MDC-M
Whip Edward
Mkhosi
MDC-T
Whip Innocent
Gonese
ZANU-PF
Whip Joram
Gumbo
Deputy
Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly [still to be
named]
Deputy Leader of Government Business
in the Senate [still to be named]
8 Members elected by the
House of Assembly
Njabuliso Mguni [MDC-T], Thabitha
Khumalo [MDC-T], Tongai Matutu [MDC-T], Tapiwa Mashakada [MDC-T], Hon.
4 Members elected by the
Senate
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