Zimbabweans ‘cry freedom’ as the country marks 33 years of self-rule

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Nomalanga Moyo
18 April 2013

Zimbabweans across the country were widely expected Thursday to take part in
celebrations marking the country’s 33 years of independence from white rule.

Since the first celebrations on April 18th 1980, Independence has always
been marked by ceremonies, debates and discussions, with people expressing
diverse opinions about this grand event in their history.

This year was no different and while Zimbabweans may differ in their
political opinions they generally agree that the country’s independence did
not come cheap, and should be duly celebrated and respected by all.

Parties across the political divide urged their supporters to celebrate
independence in tribute to Zimbabwe’s fallen heroes and heroines. More
importantly, all the parties united in their appeal for peace ahead of the
elections.

Addressing crowds at the National Sports Stadium, Harare, where the main
event was held, President Robert Mugabe appealed to the commonalities
amongst us:

“To a great extent, the celebrations attest to our ability as a people,
united by a common destiny; a people now called by one name: Zimbabweans,
rising up to challenges and remaining vigilant through the three decades of
in order to protect and defend our much-cherished independence,” Mugabe
said.

Congratulating Zimbabweans on their country’s birthday, Mugabe spoke about a
common history and humanity, all made possible by the liberation struggle.

Mugabe’s speech was peppered with all the right sound-bites, including an
appeal for peace, an end to violence and a call for tolerance regardless of
party affiliation.

In a statement, the Welshman Ncube-led MDC acknowledged the sacrifices made
“by our forbearers to free us from colonialism and racial segregation.”

“As MDC, we remain guided by our unwavering desire for the freedom and
liberty of all citizens in a Zimbabwe free from all forms of violence,
intimidation and coercion as means of political organisation and
mobilisation,” the party said.

Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC said people
should celebrate in the spirit of togetherness with no violence.

“It is a day that reminds us of the success in the fight against oppression,
a day Zimbabwe will always cherish. We must commit ourselves to peace ahead
of the elections,” he said.

Across civic society, the overall feeling was what liberation war fighter
Freedom Nyamubaya stated in the1980s: We attained independence but freedom
eluded us.

Matabeleland Civic Society Forum spokesman Dumisani Nkomo told the NewsDay
newspaper that the majority of Zimbabweans are yet to enjoy a better life.

“The ideals have been betrayed. Now Independence is celebrated by the
political elites who have enjoyed the fruits of self-governance,” Nkomo
said.

Mjobisa Noko, of ZAPU, thinks that while it is fitting that all Zimbabweans
should join in the celebrations, he says they should also remember that the
country is not yet free, with corruption and an unstable economy being the
order of the day.

Phillip Pasirayi, director at the Centre for Community Development in
Zimbabwe, said Independence without the basic freedoms and access to
resources for the majority does not amount to much.

“Rampant human rights violations, corruption and breakdown of basic services
such as water, electricity, medication, etc make a mockery of our
independence because this is what the struggle was all about,” Pasirayi told
the Daily News.

Harare-based writer and poet Ignatius Mabasa said Independence Day
commemorations provided a rallying point for Zimbabweans despite the obvious
challenges the country is facing.

“The fact that we got liberated and we are where we are now as a people is
worth celebrating, even as we can talk about the problems that have arisen
along the way,” Mabasa said.

Mugabe warns against violence

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

Sapa-AFP | 18 April, 2013 15:38

President Robert Mugabe marked Zimbabwe's 33 years of independence with a
renewed call to shun violence ahead of elections later this year to choose a
successor to the country's shaky power-sharing government.

"The country is now due to hold harmonised elections, and I wish to urge the
nation to uphold and promote peace," Mugabe told a rally in the capital to
mark the 33rd anniversary of the former Rhodesia's independence from
Britain.

He told party leaders to avoid exhorting their followers to attack opponents
and said he had ordered the police to get tough on perpetrators of political
violence.

"You are all Zimbabweans," Mugabe told celebrations attended by government
officials including his nemesis Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"Go and vote your own way. No one should force you to vote for me," said
Mugabe, whose ZANU-PF was largely blamed for most of the violence seen
during the last elections in 2008. More than 200 opposition members were
killed around the run-off vote.

"I urge all our people to replicate the peaceful and tranquil environment
which characterised the referendum" last month, Mugabe said.

Zimbabwe endorsed a new constitution in the March referendum, which was
hailed by observers as credible.

Mugabe expressed the hope that talks to restore ties with the West will see
the lifting of sanctions imposed on him and his inner circle for alleged
rights abuses and electoral fraud.

"Zimbabwe welcomes the re-engagement efforts that were recently initiated by
Britain and the European Union," he said.

"We hope that these efforts will lead to the unconditional lifting of
illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe."

Elections should take place later this year after the expiry of the
power-sharing government Mugabe formed four years ago with his long-time
rival. A date is yet to be fixed.

Meanwhile Tsvangirai, in his own independence day message, said the end of
colonial rule did not bring freedom for all.

"We still have a huge deficit when it comes to respect for human dignity and
human rights because we take for granted the people's basic freedoms of
assembly, speech and association," Tsvangirai said.

Mugabe warns against foreign interference

http://www.aljazeera.com/

Zimbabwe's president says he will not accept outside interference during
2013 elections due to end country's coalition.
Last Modified: 18 Apr 2013 18:19

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said he will not accept foreign
interference during elections later this year.

In an address to mark 33 years of Zimbabwean independence on Thursday,
Mugabe welcomed recent efforts by Western nations to reopen dialogue with
Zimbabwe after years of isolation to protest political violence, rights
abuses and alleged vote rigging.

However, he said Western leaders should let the nation's people "determine
our own destiny" and defended the country's independence without
interference.

"Interference in our affairs will never be accepted," he said, while calling
on Zimbabweans to conduct themselves honourably during the elections, which
could be held anywhere from late June to September.

Mugabe urged his people to vote peacefully and said the nation had an
obligation to "uphold and promote peace before, during, and after" upcoming
polls that will mark the end of the country's coalition government with
former political rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"The country is now due to hold harmonised elections, and I wish to urge the
nation to uphold and promote peace," Mugabe said.

"Go and vote your own way. No one should force you to vote for me."

Peaceful referendum

Mugabe's party, ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front]
was largely blamed for most of the violence seen during the 2008 elections.

He urged his supporters to replicate the calm of last month's referendum in
which Zimbabwe endorsed a new constitution.

Mugabe told party leaders to avoid exhorting their followers to attack
opponents and said he had ordered the police to get tough on perpetrators of
political violence.

The president expressed the hope that talks to restore ties with the West
would lead to the lifting of sanctions imposed on him and his inner circle
for alleged rights abuses and electoral fraud.

"Zimbabwe welcomes the re-engagement efforts that were recently initiated by
Britain and the European Union," he said.
"We hope that these efforts will lead to the unconditional lifting of
illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe."

Meanwhile Tsvangirai, in his own Independence Day message, said the end of
colonial rule did not bring freedom for all.

"We still have a huge deficit when it comes to respect for human dignity and
human rights because we take for granted the people's basic freedoms of
assembly, speech and association," Tsvangirai said.

Zim in dire straits after 33 years of freedom

http://www.iol.co.za/

April 18 2013 at 10:02am
By Peter Fabricius

Johannesburg - As President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party celebrate 33
years of independence from Britain today, most of their countrymen still
struggle to make ends meet.

Veteran Zimbabwe economist John Robertson says that if it were not for the
estimated 3 million or more Zimbabweans – perhaps 2 million of them in South
Africa – who fled into exile over the past 13 years, the country would be in
even more dire straits.

Robertson believes about half of Zimbabwe’s population of 12.9 million rely
on remittances from relatives abroad.

That’s keeping the retail sector of the economy going – keeping the shops
much better stocked than they were before the economy dollarised in 2008.

Supermarkets say about 90 percent of all goods on sale are from South
Africa.

But the flipside is that the productive side of the economy – farming,
manufacturing, and so on – now accounts for only a third of gross domestic
product (GDP), a sharp dip from 1980, the year of independence, when the
productive and services sectors each contributed about the same.

Zimbabwe manufacturing is still only operating at about 40 percent of
capacity. National Railways of Zimbabwe operates about 10 trains a day, down
from 50 a day in the 1990s, one of the indicators of declining productivity.
.

Robertson adds that Zimbabwe’s GDP (roughly estimated) is US$10 billion,
compared to about US$7bn in 1989.

“But of course the dollar was a lot more valuable then. Back then Zimbabwe
was the second-biggest economy in southern Africa after South Africa. Now
only Malawi has a smaller GDP.”

Formal employment is back to the level of 1970, about 850 000, after peaking
at about 1.2 million in 1998, just before the land-grab.

Some economists and analysts believe that Zimbabwe agriculture has recovered
better than expected from the land-grab, but not Robertson.

Agriculture remains a disaster, he insists.

The problem now is “not the skin colour of the farmers, but the system of
ownership.” Mugabe did not just hand white farms to black farmers, he
nationalised the land.

This has destroyed the market value of land, preventing farmers from using
their land as collateral to raise the money they need to farm it, says
Robertson.

Zimbabwe imported maize only once between independence and Mugabe’s
land-grab in 2000. That was in 1991/92, because of drought. But it has
imported, or been given, maize every year since 2000. This year it will have
a 800 000 ton shortfall to fill.

The land problem is now spreading across the economy as Zanu-PF seizes at
least 51 percent of all foreign companies in its indigenisation drive.

The nationalisation of land and corporations is driving away investors,
aggravating the lack of capital to grow the economy.

“So the country is caught in a very severe credit squeeze; the banking
sector is crippled.” Foreign debt is about the size of the economy, $10
billion.

Robertson is ambivalent about whether the elections can save the country.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
promises change, but Robertson fears that the MDC has been spoilt by its
four years in office as part of the unity government with Zanu-PF.

He believes it might not have the courage to implement the radical reforms
needed to rescue the economy.

The Star

Zimbabwe Independence Day: what's there to celebrate?

http://www.rnw.nl/

Published on : 18 April 2013 - 10:40am

Today Zimbabwe celebrates 33 years of independence. But to many the day has
ceased to mean anything, finds our blogger.

By Mwana wevhu, Harare

To a lot of people, this is just a day like any other. In fact, some
business owners would rather keep operating and capitalize on the day than
allow their employees to take off and celebrate the day that Zimbabwe was
born.

Independence Day is largely seen as a Zanu-PF day and the celebrations, as
Zanu-PF celebrations. The rhetoric is all about how the country was
liberated, how much the young generation should appreciate the ‘hard-won’
independence and how they should ‘jealously guard the country’s sovereignty’.

In the Bible, Joshua 24:13 reads: “I gave you a land on which you had not
laboured and cities which you had not built and you dwell therein; you eat
the fruit of vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.”

This much sounds like the rhetoric that, year after year, is churned out by
the leaders who fought in the war of liberation. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Station – not only government-controlled but also the only TV station
operating in the country – also does a pretty great job of reminding us of
this every single day. A million times a day. They start counting down the
days to independence. They’ll profile some of the dearly departed heroes
(God bless their souls). They do it in such a way you feel sick to the
stomach.

Not supposed to question
Also in the Book of Joshua, the children of Israel say: “It is the Lord our
God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage...therefore we also will serve the Lord for he is our God.”

It is in the same manner that the people of Zimbabwe are expected to remain
grateful and forever indebted to the liberators of the country. We are
supposed to not question things that have happened over the years since
independence. We are not supposed to question the social injustices, such as
the inability to provide safe and clean drinking water to the masses,
unequal distribution of wealth, a staggering 90 percent unemployment rate
and a whole lot of things that have gone wrong in our country.

Come on. Please! Yes, we are very grateful to be free, whatever that is. And
some are grateful for the land – those who got some anyway. But is it not
time to give us something else? Shall we remain stuck in the past, dwelling
on how hard the war was and why it had to be fought? Was the war’s point not
to ensure a better life for the black majority?

And is life any better? Sadly no. Even after going to school and getting a
good education, a lot of people remain unemployed. They have hardly enough
money to pay rent, or to feed their families. On top of that, they have no
electricity and no running water – despite living in the capital city of
Harare!

So what, really, is there to glorify on Independence Day? As some
Zimbabweans celebrate and ululate, others will continue with business as
usual, trying to make ends meet.

Literacy rate decreases

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:00

Herald Reporter

Zimbabwe’s literacy rate for the population aged 15 years and above has
decreased to 91,3 percent, a negative development from the 97 percent
registered in 2002, a Poverty Income Consumption and Expenditure Survey
2011/12 report released by the

Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency has revealed.
The literacy rate is defined as the number of people, who have completed at
least grade three per 100 percent of a particular age category.
The revelation comes against the positive trend that had seen the country
registering a positive 97 percent in 2002 from 86.1 percent in 1992.
The report attributed the negative change to economic challenges facing the
country.

“Literacy levels in Zimbabwe could have declined due to the economic
hardships experienced in the country from the year 2000 to 2008 as some
children were not attending school during that time,” the report stated.

Males registered higher literacy rates compared to females in both urban and
rural areas with females in rural areas having lower rates of 84,1 percent
compared to females in urban areas who had 96,3 percent.

Males in rural areas had lower rates of 92,3 percent compared to their urban
counterparts who had 98,1 percent. ZIMSTAT conducted the survey from June
2011 to May 2012, covering information on demography, household incomes and
expenditure, distribution of income at household level, agricultural
production and other characteristics.

Water cuts leave Harare dry

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

 

 

 

Harare residents collecting water

By Alex Bell
18 April 2013

Water supply problems in and around central Harare have left residents and businesses without access to running water for almost a week, as the problems continue to dog the City Council.

The Council has been repeatedly blamed for allowing the water situation in the capital to keep deteriorating, with the authorities blaming old infrastructure and a lack of government funding to make the necessary repairs.

Intermittent water supply and sewage issues have been recurring problems for years, affecting the densely populated suburbs of Mbare, Glen View, Budiriro, Rugare, Sunningdale and others the worst.

For the past week, central Harare has also been hit by problems, resulting in some offices closing temporarily. State media reported Wednesday that people were queuing at available boreholes for several hours trying to get water, with only a minority of people able to afford to buy bottled water.

Other residents have started relying on self-dug wells to gain access to water. The Standard newspaper reported this week that well-digging has become the latest source of income for youths in Budiriro and Glen View. The newspaper reported that makeshift posters and billboards of youths advertising their well-digging skills were now a common phenomenon in most parts of Glen view and Budiriro suburbs.

The youths are reportedly charging up to US$150 to dig a 10m-deep well.
Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda promised earlier this year that there would be an improved water supply ‘soon’, after meeting with South African municipal water authorities for advice.

“If everything goes according to plan, we should start seeing considerable improvement in the provision of potable water from March onwards,” Masunda said in February.

But two months later there is still no sign of improvement.

SW Radio Africa’s Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the latest cuts started last Friday, and almost a week later, taps were still dry.

“The City Council hasn’t explained anything, but you will find that when the bills come, despite these cuts, the bills will stay the same. So people think that service delivery has really gone backwards,” Muchemwa reported.

 

Corruption investigations driven underground: Minister

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

Staff Reporter 1 hour ago

HARARE - Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigations into alleged
corrupt practices at the Indigenisation Ministry will never see the light of
the day as Zanu (PF) fears it would open a can of worms ahead of the
elections, says Obert Gutu, the Deputy Minister for Justice and Legal
Affairs.

ZACC obtained a search warrant from High Court Judge Charles Hungwe to comb
for evidence at the offices of Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere,
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural
Development Nicholas Goche, the Zimbabwe Mineral Corporation Board and the
National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board.

Armed police officers stopped the officials from carrying out the search,
and later arrested several senior ZACC officials.

Speaking at a Transparency International Zimbabwe coalition against
corruption dialogue in Harare last week, Gutu expressed doubts that the
investigations would be revived before the elections.

“I would bet my bottom dollar that the intended high profile investigations
were frustrated and swept under the carpet by top Zanu (PF) officials who
think they are immune to arrests and have monopoly over corruption,” said
Gutu.

He said the fight against corruption was not an easy one and that was one of
the reasons why respected lawyers and judges like Hungwe were being publicly
ridiculed in the state media.

There are fears that the hornet’s nest that Hungwe stirred could lead to a
setting up of a tribunal to remove him from the bench. Public opinion
suggests that Hungwe was being ‘victimised’ for granting the search warrant
to search high offices, previously regarded as untouchable, for possible
evidence regarding corruption.

Following the search attempt, the chief executive of the commission,
Ngonidzashe Gumbo, and Commissioner Emmanuel Chimwanda were arrested for
‘offences’ allegedly committed some years ago.

“ZACC members are people of integrity and some elements in the ruling system
wish them out since they want a weak and window dressing type of commission
which would masquerade as an anti-corruption commission. Zanu (PF) wants a
judiciary that cannot stand up to justice. We must do something about the
way we deal with institutions dealing with corruption as they need free
space to carry out their mandate,” said Gutu.

He said corruption in Zimbabwe was not being dealt with adequately and
admitted that it cut across the political divide, though it remained less
prevalent in MDC than in Zanu (PF) ‘which bred and nurtured it up until the
GNU’.

Participants at the anti-corruption dialogue said the majority of people had
lost faith in government’s capacity and willingness to fight corruption.

Prosecutors refuse to put Radio Dialogue boss before court

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

18.04.13

by Gladys Ncube

State prosecutors yesterday refused to put Radio Dialogue manager Zenzele
Ndebele before the magistrate court and returned the docket to police saying
the charges are not clear.

Ndebele was arrested last month on allegations of distributing SW and AM
radios after police raided Bulawayo based community radio station, Radio
Dialogue’s Ingwe studios in Hillside suburb and confiscated 180 SW and AM
radios. Then police did not take him to court saying were still
investigating the case. However yesterday police summoned Ndebele to appear
in court but state prosecutors at Tredigold magistrate court in Bulawayo
refused to prosecute saying police charges against Ndebele were not clear.

“My client did not appear in court because the prosecutor referred the
docket back to the police to clarify the charges,” said Ndebele lawyer
Kucaca Phulu Last month police went on rampage ransacking several
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) around the country accusing them of
distributing the SW and AM radios. The NGOs which were raided over these
radios include Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) the country’s
biggest independent elections watchdog group and Zimbabwe Peace Project
(ZPP) and National Youth Development (NYDT) searching for the same radios.

Many villagers already own the radios and have in the past been harassed by
war veterans and Zanu PF militia who confiscated the gadgets in volatile
areas such as Mutoko during the bloody 2008 presidential election run-off
period.

Recently police spokesperson Charity Charamba announced the ban and warned
that people who received the radios would also be arrested together with
organizations which distribute the gadgets.

This sets the stage for a massive crackdown likely to affect rural people
who rely on the radios to listen to popular short wave stations such as
Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa. The short wave radio stations have become a
hit in rural areas, not only because ZBC has poor transmission there but
also because they have shied away from rabid propaganda broadcast on
State-owned stations.

Chinamasa hints on election dates

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:00

Zvamaida Murwira and Felex Share

DATES for harmonised elections will be known once President Mugabe assents
to amendments that would have been made to the electoral law, Justice and
Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa has said. Speaking after Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told journalists on Tuesday that principals to
the Global Political Agreement had agreed on the election roadmap, Minister
Chinamasa said while there were no actual dates for the polls, it was
evident the elections would be held by June 29, the day the life of the
Seventh Parliament expires.

Minister Chinamasa told diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe that the life of
Parliament could not be extended as only the tenure of the Executive could
be stretched.
Principals to the Global Political Agreement have directed Minister
Chinamasa and his Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs counterpart Eric
Matinenga to come up with an election roadmap that addresses issues that
ought to be undertaken before the country goes for elections.

Briefing journalists on Tuesday, PM Tsvangirai said the roadmap would assist
principals to come up with an election date.
“No date has been set, but we have assigned Chinamasa and Matinenga to draw
an election roadmap to a possible position where principals are able to get
a date,” he said.
“In that process, the two ministers must consider political and legal issues
like voter registration and education.

“There are legal issues like the Constitution that has to be signed by the
President, there has to be one month voter registration and one month voter
education.”
PM Tsvangirai said while it was inevitable that Parliament stood dissolved
on June 29, the Executive could go for an extra four months beyond that
date.

He said some of the processes like voter registration could be allowed to
run concurrently with the alignment of existing laws so that they are
consistent with the new Constitution.
The PM said it was important for the two ministers to not just look at the
Electoral Act, but other laws that he said impinged on the electoral
process.
On voter registration, PM Tsvangirai said there had been confusion around
the process.

“What we have agreed is funds permitting, the voter registration can run
parallel to the constitutional process. It is important to carry out these
processes (voter registration and education), of course, subject to
availability of funding,” he said.

PM Tsvangirai said the constitution provided for one month voter
registration and voter education.
Minister Chinamasa said there was need to realign the electoral law first
with the Constitutional Bill.
“It is only after the President has assented to the amendments to the
electoral law that you can start asking me about the dates when the
elections will be held,” he said.
“Any questions being asked before that is premature and I will not answer to
that. After the amendments are incorporated into the electoral law, then I
will be more definitive with respect to the time when they will be held.”

Minister Chinamasa said the electoral processes would begin with
proclamation of the date followed by the sitting of the nomination court and
then the elections.
“As you know, the time frames are statutory. There are minimum and maximum
time frames given which are given to the processes leading to the
 elections.”
Minister Chinamasa said the elections were going to be held on the basis of
the new supreme law.

“That is why there is need for the amendments to the electoral law. As you
might be aware, we have a new structure of the Lower House, that is the
National Assembly, with the addition of the women’s quota system of 60,” he
said.

“These women representatives are going to come through a system of
proportional representation. We have abolished senatorial constituencies and
the bulk of the membership of the Senate will come through a system of
proportional representation together with the 10 councillors to come into
the provincial council.”
Minister Chinamasa said the Constitutional Bill would be tabled in
Parliament on May 7 for debate and adoption.
Minister Matinenga said he would soon meet Minister Chinamasa to work on the
modalities of the election road map.

MDC-T accuses police in Mberengwa of bias

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
18 April 2013

The MDC-T has accused the police in Mberengwa of acting in a partisan
manner, in the case of three of its officials who were arrested for daring
to rescue a colleague who had been abducted by known ZANU PF activists.

Instead of arresting the ZANU PF officials who had abducted Tinomutenda
Hove, the MDC-T district chairman in Mberengwa, police at Mataga have
instead charged three MDC-T officials with assault and released them on $25
bail.

Those arrested on assault charges are Trynos Shava, the Midlands South MDC-T
secretary for defence, Siyakwazi Moyo and Thomas Shoko. The three vehemently
deny the charges and claim they are being punished for rescuing Hove from
his ZANU PF abductors.

Defence lawyer Herbert Tafa told SW Radio Africa’s correspondent Lionel
Saungweme that his clients have done nothing wrong except to rescue a
colleague who had been abducted and taken to a mountain for what they termed
‘political reorientation’.

Saungweme reported that the MDC-T in the Midlands South province have
blasted the police for acting as ‘guardian angels’ of the former ruling ZANU
PF party by arresting, harassing and intimidating vibrant political
opponents.

Saungweme explained that on the 6th April while on voter mobilisation
exercise in Mberengwa, Hove was accosted by, among others, Gangeni Hove, a
ZANU PF official in the district and taken away for reorientation.

While in the hands of the ZANU PF gang, Hove was told to defect to ZANU PF,
and also to surrender party regalia, T-shirts and membership cards in his
custody.

“However while in the company of the ZANU PF gang Hove managed to send an
SOS message to his colleagues who by stroke of luck were able to be directed
to where he had been taken by unsuspecting people at Mataga growth point,”
Saungweme said.

He continued: “The MDC-T officials followed the trail and got to where he
was surrounded by a group of ZANU PF officials. They managed to rescue him
unharmed and without any disturbances.”

A week later, the leaders of the rescue team were surprised to be summoned
to Mataga police were they faced charges of assaulting the ZANU PF
officials.

The MDC-T hit back over the charges and called upon the Police
Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to stop exposing the force to public
ridicule and to be more professional in handling cases of political
intimidation and violence in any part of the country.

One senior MDC-T official in Gweru told SW Radio Africa the police have to
be neutral on partisan matters and always steer clear from politics.

“The recent arrests of our members at Mataga in Mberengwa do not reflect the
neutrality of the police on political matters. In addition the decision not
to lay charges against the ZANU PF abductors exposes how politicised the
police is. They must be above board and seek to protect all Zimbabweans
against criminal elements from ZANU PF,” the official added.

Zim bound helicopter ‘donation’ to remain in SA

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
18 April 2013

A fleet of helicopters that were set to be donated to Zimbabwe’s military by
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), will remain where they are
for now.

The North Gauteng High Court in South Africa on Thursday upheld an interdict
against the delivery of the helicopters, meaning the donation will not
happen in the near future. The Court also ordered the government to pay
costs for Thursday’s legal proceedings.

The legal battle began soon after it emerged in January that the SANDF was
planning to gift its fleet of unused Alouette helicopters to the Zimbabwean
army. Civil rights group AfriForum had applied for an urgent interdict to
stop the donation and that interim interdict was granted to allow time for
the main application challenging the donation to be finalised.

AfriForum is arguing against the donation on the basis that Zimbabwe’s human
rights record indicates that the helicopters could be used to facilitate
oppression. The group has warned that South Africa would be complicit in
such oppression if it willing gifted the helicopters, in spite of the human
rights record across the border. This is of particular concern as Zimbabwe
heads towards elections, and incidents of politically motivated violence as
well as a crackdown on civil society have intensified.

AfriForum’s legal representative Willie Spies told SW Radio Africa on
Thursday that the interdict was upheld because of a ‘concession’ by the
government’s legal team.

“It was quite an awkward experience. We were ready for the process and had
gone to a great deal of trouble to ensure the matter was brought before
court in a relatively small amount of time. That was on the insistence of
the legal team of the government,” Spies explained.

He continued: “But all a sudden the senior advocate for the government
indicated he was not well and was not ready to carry on. And the government
just tendered costs and said the matter should be postponed for an
indefinite period. They also offered that the interim indict be maintained
until the process is finalised.”

“So it’s quite a concession by the government lawyers and means the matter
was not formally heard. We are satisfied for the simple reason that the
helicopters will not be exported, will not be donated, will not be
delivered.”

Spies went on to explain that they are now waiting for the government’s
lawyers to proceed, but stressed “we won’t rush the matter. As soon as the
government’s lawyers are ready, we will go to court. In the time being, we
have what we need.”

“The only way the helicopters will be donated is if the government’s lawyers
successfully challenge our review application. I have serious doubts that
they will be successful. We have a very strong case. I’m not convinced they
have a strong case. The fact that the lead council today essentially kicked
for touch is indicated that they are not confident to go to court,” Spies
said.

Press Statement: Helicopters remain in SA, Minister to pay costs

Violence will not be tolerated: Chihuri

http://nehandaradio.com/

on April 18, 2013 at 4:28 am

HARARE – Police will descend with full force on malcontents bent on fanning
violence during the forthcoming harmonised elections, Commissioner General
Augustine Chihuri said during the conferment of ranks to newly promoted
senior officers in Harare yesterday.

Chihuri said violence would not be tolerated during the harmonised elections
to be held this year. Eighty five senior officers were last week promoted to
the ranks of superintendent and senior assistant commissioner.

“The forthcoming national plebiscite requires that you exercise your duties
with assertiveness, conviction and boldness without fear or favour,” Chihuri
said.

Ironically in the last election held in June 2008, it was state security
agencies loyal to Mugabe that murdered over 250 civilians perceived to have
supported Morgan Tsvangirai to victory in the March election. The brutal
campaign was code-named Operation Mavhotera Papi -Where did you vote?

In November 2010, Chihuri derided free and fair elections as a form of
national expression in a democracy.

“This country came through blood and the barrel of the gun and it can never
be re-colonised through a simple pen, which costs as little as five cents”,
he told junior officers, back from a trip he sponsored to the national
liberation shrines in Mozambique.

The police chief meanwhile has said the force expected the newly promoted
officers to deal resolutely with corruption in their roles as trial
officers.

“Disciplinary cases need to be dealt with and dispersed without delay,” he
said. “Definitely members who choose to soil and contaminate the reputation
of the organisation have no business which lays claim on levels of
competences, skills and attitudes required.”

Of the 85 promoted officers, eight were promoted to the rank of senior
assistant commissioner, 21 to assistant commissioner, 24 to chief
superintendent and 40 to superintendent. President Mugabe promoted the
officers in terms of the Police Act.

Among the promoted were female officers as they claim their stake at all
levels in the force. Comm-Gen Chihuri said the impact of female officers
professionalism had extended to the international domain.

Meanwhile in Chinhoyi, the Officer Commanding Mashonaland West province
Senior Assistant Commissioner Rangarirai Mushaurwa conferred ranks to 10
police officers who were promoted to the ranks of inspector and chief
inspector.

These were Consaltar Jere, Lloyd Mumvuma, Brighton Muzadzi, Gamuchirai
Makota, Vaidah Ropa, Beulah Jemwa, Maud Ngandu and Marble Ngwadzai who were
promoted to the rank of inspector while Taona Nemacha and Sibonisiwe Dube
were promoted to chief inspectors.

Snr Asst Comm Mushaurwa inspected a quarter guard before reading Comm-Gen
Chihuri’s speech.

Generals, respect the people’s will: MDC

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

by Farai Mabeza 1 hour ago

The military must publicly declare that they will respect the will of the
people in the next election in order to guarantee a free and fair
environment, the two MDC formations have said.

Addressing a public discussion on the elections recently, Elton Mangoma,
representing MDC-T, and Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, from the MDC-N
faction, agreed that security commanders must make a public show of their
neutrality.

The commanders of the security forces have in the past said they would not
back a leader without liberation war credentials and have gone on to
publicly state their allegiance to Zanu (PF).

“We cannot have elections before the security people have said publicly that
they will respect the will of the people,” Misihairambwi-Mushonga said.

Security sector reform continues to be contentious among the three parties
in the Government of National Unity with senior Zanu (PF) officials saying
the sector is untouchable while the two MDC parties continue to insist that
reform is a prerequisite for a credible poll.

Mangoma said resolving issues around media reform and the security sector
was important in order to inspire confidence in the people of Zimbabwe.

“The generals must come out publicly and say that regardless of who is voted
in, they will respect the will of the people,” Mangoma said.

Misihairabwi-Mushonga also expressed her confidence in the SADC mediation
team, saying the regional bloc had now adopted a tough stance on the
Zimbabwean.

“There has been a shift in SADC. The SADC of the 2005 to 2008 era is long
gone; they have now become very tough,” she said.

The mediation efforts of former South African President Thabo Mbeki were
viewed by some as soft and Mbeki was accused of siding with Mugabe.

The two MDCs are on record saying that the partisan conduct of the army,
police force and Central Intelligence Organisation is evidence that security
sector reform is urgently required. The two parties have been insisting that
there is need to rein in the security chiefs, whom they accuse of deviating
from their mandate to serve the people.

Zuma dispatches facilitation team

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 18:28

Njabulo Ncube, Assistant Editor

SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma this week dispatched his facilitation
team to Harare amid reports principals to the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) have agreed to draw-up an election roadmap as the country trudges
towards general elections. President Robert Mugabe has intimated he wants
elections on or before June 29 this year but Zuma is understood to be
putting his foot down, insisting that elections should only be held in
Zimbabwe after the parties signatory to the GPA have agreed on an election
roadmap.
Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday told journalists that the
three principals, including Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Arthur Mutambara had
agreed on an election roadmap.
On Tuesday Zuma’s team touched down in Harare with sources saying it has
lined-up several meetings with the three parties in the GPA — ZANU-PF and
the two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Yesterday the team, which comprises Zuma’s international affairs special
advisors on international issues Lindiwe Zulu, Mac Maharaj and Charles
Nqakula, met with the Welshman Ncube led MDC.
Meetings had also been lined-up with ZANU-PF, the MDC-T and other
stakeholders charged with running the country’s electoral processes,
particularly the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Zuma’s team is expected to assist the parties in coming up with an election
roadmap as well as attempt to find solutions to a myriad of issues
bedevilling the GPA, particularly the controversies around requisite
electoral and legislative reforms ahead of the watershed polls.
There are major differences over security sector reform, for instance. The
MDC formations have been insisting on the realignment of the security sector
as they accuse the military and police of being complicity in the political
violence which mired the 2008 presidential election run-off in which PM
Tsvangirai’s party says claimed the lives of over 200 of its supporters.
Ncube has complained to Zuma and the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) of what he believes is marginalisation in the coalition government.
Last month, Ncube wrote to Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the current
chair of the SADC Troika on Peace and Security and to Zuma, voicing concern
over the perceived unilateralism of President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai in
the coalition government.
He accused President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai of deliberately and
continuously excluding him from major issues affecting the coalition
government in disregard of a SADC Maputo resolution which determined that he
should be regarded as a principal instead of DPM Mutambara.
Ncube ousted Mutambara as the leader of the smaller faction of the MDC in a
bloodless coup in January 2010.
Although the leadership wrangle is playing out in the courts, a SADC Summit
in Maputo in August 2010 ordered that Ncube be recognised as a principal of
the GPA.
In his letter dated March 28, 2013 obtained by this newspaper Ncube charged
that President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai have “made repeated efforts to
exclude myself from the process of resolving the disagreements over the new
constitution. They continued to meet with Professor A. Mutambara over the
constitution making process while deliberately excluding myself.”
He said at the very last meeting to resolve the sticking issues on the
content of the draft constitution not only did President Mugabe and PM
Tsvangirai bring Mutambara to the meeting, but they attempted to exclude him
from the process by requiring that the report of the negotiators be made to
the three of them “while I was allowed to sit in the meeting as a some kind
of ‘observer’.
“This attitude has persisted up to now. They continue to discuss all
political issues around the constitution, the election roadmap and the
general implementation of the GPA at meetings from which I am excluded,”
said Ncube.
He highlighted that the referendum date  was fixed without consulting him.
The chairmanships of both ZEC and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission was
also decided on without any consultations with him or his party despite the
fact that these institutions  are an integral part of the election process.
Ncube added that President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai appeared to have agreed
that the elections would be held either in June or July this year.
“Your Excellency, I and my party have not been consulted over the timing of
the election. What exists of the election roadmap lies in our drawers
unimplemented largely because the institution of ‘Principals to the GPA’ has
been rendered unrepresentative by the continued exclusion of my party from
that forum.
“There have been no attempts at all to comply with the Maputo SADC decision
requiring the development of an election roadmap with timelines and yet we
seem determined to fix a premature election date without regard to the SADC
decision and without regard to the obligation to ensure a free and fair
election by resolving all the issues necessary for the holding of a
successful and undisputed election through dialogue among the parties,” said
Ncube.

Zanu PF can't lose 'crucial' poll: Mugabe

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

17/04/2013 00:00:00
     by Staff Reporter

GENERAL elections due within months are “very crucial” to Zanu PF’s survival
and that of its key policy of wealth redistribution, President Robert Mugabe
said on Wednesday.

“We will be going to elections soon and those elections are very crucial to
us, my party,” Mugabe told an annual pre-Independence party hosted for
children at the City Sports Centre in Harare.

“We must decide once and for all... policies that have to deal with the
right of our people to have full sovereignty, to exercise that sovereignty,
to interpret that sovereignty as giving them ownership of their resources,
that those decisions will be made by us and our successors for generations
to come,” he said.

Mugabe, 89, told his audience of thousands of school children drawn from the
country’s 10 provinces to “move in our footsteps” and “learn that this
country is theirs and they are sovereign over it; that they derive ownership
of the natural resources of their country and therefore have the right to
decide on policies to regulate the ownership or otherwise of those natural
resources.”

Zanu PF is banking on its policies of land redistribution, indigenisation
and economic empowerment to keep it in power during general elections later
this year.

Mugabe - who was accompanied by his daughter Bona - is keen to project
himself as a champion of black empowerment, and he told his young audience
that Zimbabwe had powerful enemies led by Britain who opposed his drive.

“There are always those bullies, life is like that,” Mugabe said. “Even as
countries you will always have one country wanting to bully others.

“We emerged from a British bully, but we taught them a lesson that we cannot
be bullied forever.
“They bullied us from 1890 to 1980 then we said enough is enough, even a
bully has his day just like a bad dog has his day, so we managed to recover
our country, we managed to say to the British enough is enough and your flag
must come down and you must get out of our country as a colonial power, we
are giving ourselves power.

“Now as our own masters, we can determine our own destiny, we can determine
what is good for us and what is bad for us, but we must always guard against
being colonised again.”

The coming elections will be Mugabe’s last, and after an electoral scare
suffered in 2008, his supporters are increasingly buoyant about his chances
this time against a splintered opposition.

The battle for credible polls in Zimbabwe intensifies

http://www.bdlive.co.za/

by Gwinyayi Dzinesa, April 18 2013, 14:37

THE approval of the new Zimbabwean constitution last month has moved the
struggle for power between Zimbabwe’s three coalition government parties
into a new phase.

Zanu (PF), led by President Robert Mugabe, and the two formations of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) — the MDC-T, led by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, and the MDC-N, led by Industry and Commerce Minister
Welshman Ncube — had spent more than three years in acrimonious debate
before ultimately striking a deal on the compromise constitution.

Now they will now have to agree on, and implement, a road map to peaceful
and credible elections.

A total of 3.3-million people, more than half of the estimated 5.6-million
registered voters, participated in the constitutional referendum, and 94.5%
of the votes were in favour of the new constitution. The voting was largely
peaceful and orderly and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc)
observer mission gave the referendum a clean bill of health.

Parts of the international community saw the peaceful referendum as a
significant step forward in the implementation of the September 2008 Global
Political Agreement (GPA).

On March 25, the European Union suspended restrictive measures against 81
individuals and eight companies. However, Mugabe remains on the list of
prominent Zimbabweans still targeted by an EU travel ban and asset freeze
"until peaceful, transparent and credible elections have been achieved".

Although Zimbabwe’s main political parties supported the proposed
constitution and the constitutional referendum was held in a relatively
peaceful environment, there is concern that the political stakes will be
higher in the forthcoming elections — and that this could result in
violence.

The constitution will lead to renewed battles to end the shaky coalition
government, which both the president and prime minister have conceded to be
dysfunctional. Zimbabwe has a history of electoral violence and its
political temperature could rise as the election battle lines are drawn.

While Zimbabwe’s political leaders have called repeatedly for national
reconciliation and peaceful political activities, there are already signs
that targeted violence could rear its ugly head again.

The run-up to the referendum was marred by intimidation and the harassment
of political activists and civil society representatives. A day after the
referendum, police raided MDC-T offices and detained four party officials
and prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa after she allegedly tried
to stop the arrests.

With the security sector’s partisan involvement in the country’s politics
and threats by the security chiefs to veto the forthcoming election, there
is a danger that the police and other security agents may abuse the rule of
law during the polls instead of securing the vote.

Although the new constitution is a significant precondition for free and
fair elections, it is not self-implementing. Deeply entrenched political
interests, lack of political cohesion, biased institutional structures and
elite groups keen to maintain the status quo are some of the challenges the
country faces. Notably, the GPA parties’ fixation on constitutional reform
has resulted in the relegation of essential parallel processes such as voter
education and cleaning of the shambolic voters’ roll to the back burner.

The implementation of other key reforms outlined in the GPA critical to the
conduct of peaceful elections, especially regarding the media and security
sector, has also been neglected. The democratic structures provided for in
the constitution, such as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Zimbabwe
Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Media Commission, will have to be
strengthened and used correctly.

The electoral commission coped relatively well with the logistical
challenges of conducting the referendum less than a month after the starting
gun was fired. However, the harmonised elections will be considerably more
complex than the referendum, which offered only two choices — yes or no —
and a single ballot.

The cash-strapped Zimbabwean government has to ensure the timely
availability of resources for the electoral commission to prepare for and
run the forthcoming elections. The GPA provision on the nonpartisan conduct
of security forces also needs to come into effect before the polls, with
some service chiefs having vowed not to respect the electoral outcome if
Mugabe does not emerge as the winner.

Implementing the new constitution and the election plan, which still needs
to be drawn up by the three governing parties and endorsed by Sadc, will be
an uphill task, requiring political goodwill and commitment. Given the
tortuous road to the new constitution, the development and implementation of
a clear road map may be protracted, making the mooted June 2013 election
time frame too optimistic.

Against this backdrop, it is crucial that the GPA parties agree on, and
implement, a Sadc-endorsed electoral road map. It should sequence key
reforms to reflect the three main stages in the electoral process — the
build-up to the elections, the elections themselves and the post-electoral
period — to put democratisation on a sustainable footing.

The Sadc troika representatives should work with the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee, made up of members of the three coalition
government partners, to ensure the parties’ compliance with the road map.
Civil society groups and the media should continue to monitor the political
environment to demand accountability and transparency during the electoral
process, and to compile early warning reports.

As guarantors of the GPA, Sadc and the African Union have a responsibility
to support Zimbabweans by deploying a heavyweight team of long-term
monitors — and not "tourist teams"— to ensure peaceful and credible
elections that conform to regional and continental expectations.

Sadc should consider giving its Electoral Advisory Council a more
comprehensive mandate to ensure Zimbabwe’s elections conform with regional
standards for democratic electoral processes. The defence subcommittee and
the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation are
forums that could be used by Sadc defence and police chiefs to reach out to
their Zimbabwean peers regarding the role of the security establishment in
support of elections.

The United Nations should, if requested by the Zimbabwean government,
prioritise funding activities that promote peaceful, transparent and
credible elections, including increasing the capacity of the electoral
commission and domestic observers.

• Dzinesa is a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in
Pretoria.

What is next for Mutambara?

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 18:32
View Comments
Ray Ndlovu, Assistant Bureau Chief
DEPUTY Prime Minister (DPM) Arthur Mutambara’s political future is set for a
swansong appearance after five renegade Members of Parliament dumped him
last week as they sought to salvage their own political futures. The five
MPs; Nomalanga Khumalo from Umzingw-ane, Maxwell Dube from Tsholotsho South,
Thandeko Mnkandla from Gwanda North, Dalumuzi Khumalo from Lupane and Kembo
Dube from Umzingwane were fired from the Welsh-man Ncube-led Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) last year over their alleged links to Prime Minister
(PM) Morgan Tsva-ngirai’s MDC-T.
Save for his post in the unity government as the DPM, Mutambara has nothing
else under his political belt to show for.
He remains without any political party which he leads and, despite his
insistence that he is the rightful leader of the splinter MDC party, the
desertion by the five MPs has dealt a body blow to Mutambara’s claims.
His appeal lodged at the Supreme Court, challenging a High Court decision
made last year that recognises Ncube as the rightful leader of the MDC after
a party congress in January 2011, appears set to lose steam.
The DPM has very little room left to manoeuvre, as the four-year old unity
government that had given him political shelter is set to expire soon.
Should ZANU-PF succeed in marshalling an early election by the end of June,
Mutambara effectively has only three months within which to plot a political
future for himself.
But if the elections are delayed as being supported by PM Tsvangirai and
Ncube, the DPM may be afforded yet another lease of life in his attempt to
remain relevant in Zimbabwe’s political discourse.
Mutambara’s political fu-ture had been hazy since the beginning of 2011 when
he was ousted by Ncube in a bloodless coup.
A political commentator based in Johannesburg said this week the latest move
by the five MPs was testimony that they do not envisage any future with him.
“Mutambara's options are either to join one of the mainstream political
parties or retire out of politics. He could also take the hard and long
route of re-formulating his political career by either building or being a
part of a new political formation that addresses the gaps that the current
parties are failing to address,” said the political analyst.
But even as his political future appear threadbare, Mutambara has been busy
with an intense schedule of speaking engagements on Zimbabwe’s economic and
political future and pro-spects.
The DPM last week travelled to South Africa for an investment summit in
Johannesburg organised by the Ministry of Inve-stment and Plan-ning to
canvass foreign investment in-to the country.
This week, he was set to deliver a keynote address at a China-Africa
symposium in Joha-nnesburg, South Africa.
One school of thought held out that the busy sch-edule that DPM Mutambara
has ta-ken on, despite ind-ications of problems in his political backyard,
were me-ant to give the impression to the regional and international
community that he was still a key player in Zi-mbabwe’s political and
economic aff-airs.
“He wants to appear busy and a relevant player in the Zimbabwe eve-nts,”
said Dumisani Nkomo, a political analyst.
Nhlanhla Dube, spokesperson for the splinter MDC party led by Ncube
dismissed Mutamb-ara’s overtures as an attempt to stop the inevitable path
of oblivion that he was facing.
“As far as we are concerned, those MPs were never wi-th Mutambara. Th-ey
served each other’s mutual in-terests. Mutambara wanted them as a shield to
remain DPM under the pretext that he led a party with MPs wh-ile the rebel
MPs wanted cover and a shield to protect them against the natural
conseque-nce of defecting to the MDC-T ...they knew that they wo-uld lose
their Pa-rliamentary seats if they were to openly support and join as MDC-T
members,” he said.

Unpacking ZANU-PF’s succession conundrum

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 18:29

The Observatory with Allen Hungwe

AT last week’s Politburo meeting I hear that President Robert Mugabe was
fuming about the factionalism that has gripped the party. In his usual
self-protectionist approach he told  party members to focus on hassling for
the parliamentary election positions and leave the presidency; as it already
has a substantive holder. We have seen the blazing effects of factionalism
in the Matabeleland and Manicaland provinces of late. I believe this is a
mere microcosm of the broader state of the party across all other provinces.
The challenge that ZANU-PF faces is to stem out this factionalism and
attempt to go to the next election as a united front. The challenge is
further exacerbated by the rate at which this factionalism is growing and
the many forms its taking. I know ZANU-PF will try and remain courageous in
the face of these internal fissures, but I believe this time the party is
under immense threats.
President Mugabe has been dispatching teams to various trouble spots to try
and quell the tensions and growing wave of factionalism. These teams have
come up with various solutions, which I believe are all short-term patches
that will never restore the originality of the entire fabric of the party.
These teams are merely focussing on proximate challenges and have no mandate
or capacity to deal with the structural issue in the party which is driving
all these machinations.
In Bulawayo, the solution was to bring Callistus Ndlovu as interim
chairperson of the party in the Bulawayo province while relegating the
incumbent, Killian Sibanda to deputise him. This reflects on the party’s
failure to move ahead whenever its gripped with tension. Callistus Ndlovu is
way past his “sale-by-date” given the political demands being placed upon
political parties to focus on national progression. He belongs to the old
generation of politicians, who played their part then, but are crudely
misplaced in the current nature of what Zimbabwean politics should be about.
The re-incarnation of Callistus Ndlovu’s political career, at this juncture,
is testimony of ZANU-PF’s rigid insistence in remaining in the past and
failure to get the party moving ahead. I am sure there are many other new
generation leaders that the party could have settled for.
However, ZANU-PF may also have been compelled to take such a position as
there is either no trust in its new blood or it is that new blood that is
seen as a threat to the old guard, and therefore the drivers of the
succession mantra. What is clear is however, either that, ZANU-PF has no
willingness or is caught up in its own trap, which in the end holds the
party to ransom against regeneration, transformation and leadership renewal.
In Manicaland, what was ironic was that the man we all thought was part of
the disturbances was himself a part of the mediation team.
Dydmus Mutasa’s antics in Manicaland have for so long gone on with his
underserved assumption of the godfather figure of the province. He has run
party affairs in the provinces with a heavy hand and has relegated the party
affairs to being his personal household progeny. When President Mugabe
dispatched the team to resolve Manicaland in-fighting, which also included
Simon Khaya-Moyo and Kembo Mohadi, there was no way he would have allowed a
solution that did not contain his old guard lieutenant in the party. We saw
President Mugabe extend the very old-guard protectionist mechanism that has
preserved him to his own crony, Mutasa. It worked because the Manicaland
provincial leadership was all dissolved and we will soon see an interim team
come in. That team will likely bring back some other old guard, who will be
compelled to come out of near retirement as well as some Mutasa loyalists.
However, against this background, we need to interrogate exactly where the
problem in ZANU-PF lies. I don’t think it primarily lies with those seeking
to succeed President Mugabe but rather with the one who does not want to be
succeeded. For a long time we have focussed on troubles in ZANU-PF coming
from factions that want to succeed President Mugabe but have not
interrogated him as the single source of the problem.
For a long time President Mugabe has plaid hardball around those that have
raised debate about his succession. He has tainted anyone who has dared to
entertain the thought of a post-Mugabe ZANU-PF. We all remember people like
Sydney Malunga, Lazaurus Nzarayebani, Magaret Dongo, Edgar Tekere, Simba
Makoni, Eddison Zvobgo, Solomon Mujuru and many others. The political fate
of these people was projected by their romance with the ideas of a
post-Mugabe ZANU-PF. There are others like Dzikamai Mavhaire whose initial
courage in challenging Presdent Mugabe to think about succession later on
shrivelled into unintended submission. There are many others whose
convictions point towards the inevitability of a President Mugabe
succession, but the follow through is betrayed by memory of the fate of
those who have taken that road before.
Today, people talk about the two factions in ZANU-PF, supposedly led by Vice
President Joice Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa. We however, forget that there
is another faction led by President Mugabe. President Mugabe is the biggest
faction leader in ZANU-PF. Whereas the other two factions are fighting to
succeed him, in turn he leads the faction that is fighting against his
succession. That indeed is the most dangerous faction in the party which is
responsible for the total mess that the party finds itself in today. The
President Mugabe faction focusses on playing the Mujuru and Mnangagwa
factions against each other and keeps them in suspense about where and how
the succession tussle will be concluded, if at all. I remember there was a
time in 2009 when ZANU-PF decided to confront the succession issue.
President Mugabe then formed a committee to look into the issue and he
appointed the late Solomon Mujuru (who was considered to be the main
supporter of the VP Mujuru faction) and Mnangagwa to co-lead that committee.
The committee never met and President Mugabe then concluded that the party
was not ready for succession.
The way President Mugabe has also tried to resolve the Manicaland and
Bulawayo province tussles is by way of ensuring he strengthens his own
faction, the anti-succession faction. Many have assumed that Mutasa is
fighting in the corner of Mujuru. I don’t think so. Mutasa is fighting in
President Mugabe’s corner. Mutasa is looking at landing the vice presidency
position left vacant by the late John Nkomo. That way he becomes part of the
high level mechanism that dilutes the Mnangagwa and Mujuru tussles. Both the
Mujuru and Mnangagwa factions see their future presidential ambitions at
great risk if President Mugabe stands in the coming elections. They both
consider him as a liability, who will easily lose to Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai. Therefore the succession battle has become about a pre-election
succession to President Mugabe rather than the original post election
succession.
There is a huge following in the party that sees President Mugabe more of a
liability given how he has gotten the party to this state. They also see him
with less presidential appeal and will likely take the party down with him.
This group of ZANU-PF people is now thinking about further delays in the
elections in order to deal with the matter of a new presidential candidate
before the eventual election. We are likely to see delays and push backs
from this ZANU-PF group, all intended to push elections as far away as
possible in order to first resolve internal issues.
President Mugabe feels holding on the party leadership is what will restore
harmony in the party and yet others see his departure as what will open a
new page in the party, including confronting factionalism head on and fully
resolving it.

A response to Patrick Chinamasa

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

17.04.13

by Vince Musewe

Our fight is, and remains, internal. It is a fight based on what we wish to
be and what Zanu (PF) thinks, and indeed insists, we ought to be.

I listened with intense curiosity to the position articulated by Minister of
Justice Patrick Chinamasa in his recent deliberations with a group of
Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom. I was appalled at the lack of depth and
brutal honesty of the questions posed by his audience, which I think is a
result of fear, and/or appalling ignorance about conditions on the ground in
Zimbabwe and how Zanu (PF) has contributed to their deterioration.

Personally, I do not think any informed Zimbabwean disagrees with the
historical issues around land, including the fact that the British, for
various reasons, did not fully fulfill their obligations with regard to the
provision of financial resources for proper land reform. But many of us
disagree with the means by which Zanu (PF) sought to address the problem.

Likewise, nobody disagrees with the necessity for self-determination and
sovereignty, for Zimbabweans to pursue their own issues and come up with
solutions that they deem relevant to their needs without interference from
any other country. The point of departure for me is that, this has been
continually abused by Zanu (PF) to oppress us.

There is nothing inherently evil or injurious about indigenisation or
empowerment and the right for Zimbabweans to own, control or dispose of
their national resources and assets as they deem fit. However, once again,
the approach being promoted by Zanu (PF) to achieve this will not achieve
the intended objectives.

There is a deep respect by most of us for the role played by those who
contributed to the liberation struggle in any manner. This respect is, of
course, only due to those who have remained steadfast on the objectives of
the struggle – and they are sadly very few.

There indeed is nothing wrong with Zanu (PF), as one of many political
formations in Zimbabwe, being given the opportunity to present their views.
But this must apply equally to all Zimbabweans. The restrictive media laws
imposed by Zanu (PF) stand in disparity with their argument that they have
been denied free access to the British press.

The fundamental problem we are challenging is the inherent and demonstrable
philosophy of Zanu (PF) of “none but ourselves”. This philosophy has, over
the years, shut down opportunities for most Zimbabweans who may not agree
with them to create and build their own reality that is outside the world
view of Zanu (PF).

This philosophy has resulted in the alienation of a large number of
progressive Zimbabweans who differ from the party on how Zimbabwe should be
managed and developed. It has created an illusion that there is no outside
and thereby robbed us of the possibility of creating a new Zimbabwe,
significantly different, in form and character, from what Zanu (PF)’s
leadership may imagine.

Individuals within the party and the army have claimed sole and exclusive
responsibility for our freedom and yet all those who could, contributed and
suffered in some way for Zimbabwe to be free. Access to economic opportunity
has not been based on talent or virtue, but on the support and therefore
tacit approval of the view that only Zanu (PF) is the only legitimate
political formation that is entitled to hold power. That we reject.

My divergence with the honorable minister is based on the need for us to
create a modern democratic state, underpinned by fairness and the respect of
our dignity; the right for Zimbabweans in general, to differ without dire
consequences; the right for us to pursue an alternative socio-political
narrative without the interference of Zanu (PF); the necessity for the
removal of all impediments, overt and covert, created by the party to limit
our personal liberties and the pursuit of happiness; the creation of new
laws and institutions that guarantee such liberties and the renewal of our
social values to meet our ever-changing socio-economic needs. The British
have nothing to do with that.

Our fight is and remains internal. Our agenda as black Africans is informed,
not by what the British think or would like, but by who we have become. We
are the next generation of Zimbabweans who wish to see and create a
significantly different future from the past.

We are saying cohesion, intimidation and fear can no longer be the basis of
our relationships. Nor is prescription and economic exclusivity tolerable
any longer. We have the right and the responsibility to re-define our
reality in Zimbabwe through peaceful, internally driven regime change by
participating in free and fair elections, unsoiled by Zanu(PF)’s deceitful
schemes to retain an unfair advantage. – Join the debate. Send your comments
to: vtmusewe@gmail.com

Independence fails to bring political freedoms

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Maxwell Sibanda, Assistant Editor
Thursday, 18 April 2013 13:56
HARARE - Tomorrow, April 18 is an important calendar date for Zimbabweans as
we celebrate 33 years of self-rule.

There has been mixed reactions to this year’s Independence Day, with
analysts and social commentators giving different views in interviews
carried out by the Daily News.

Rashweat Mukundu, a media practitioner said Zimbabweans need not regret the
independence project and must take ownership of the ideals and aims of the
independence struggle away from distortions caused by the political
leadership.

“Zimbabweans are yet to enjoy full citizenship because the nationalists’
leadership that emerged in 1980 has continued with the same repression as
the white colonial regime.

“As such Zimbabweans must continue agitating for complete and unadulterated
freedom, which is based on the enjoyment of full citizen rights more so
equality.

“Right now we have an animal farm case, where some animals are more equal
than others,” said Mukudu.

Phillip Pasirayi, director for Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe
(CCDZ) said Zimbabweans cannot be expected to celebrate independence when
they are still denied basic freedoms and lack access to resources such as
land and minerals.

“Those citizens who do not agree with Zanu PF are subjected to abuse and
discriminated against. The fruits of independence accrue only to members of
one political party, Zanu PF,” said Pasirayi.

He said independence is meaningless when it is appropriated by Zanu PF to
legitimise power and not to improve the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“The rampant human rights violations, corruption and breakdown of basic
services such as water, electricity, food and medication make a mockery of
our independence because this is what the struggle was all about,” said
Pasirayi.

Misa-Zimbabwe advocacy officer Tabani Moyo said ‘Independence’ was in its
wholesome a statement of self-governance, self-determination and generally
an expectation of a better life for a nation that had been torn apart by the
vices of war and strife.

“Independence came with the promises of better life under the leadership of
the nationalist command.

However, a good life is not that type of life whereby you are left limping
or dead for expressing yourself.

A better life is founded on a nation that can make informed decisions and
that can live with its decisions without fears for reprisal or fears for
making certain decisions that might be deemed, ‘unpatriotic’,” said Moyo.

He said his expectation for what was to be an independence package is that,
“my forefathers, aunties and the nation fought and died for my freedom.

It was not a given select people but the country at large hence, I want to
enjoy the freedoms to make informed decisions and be able to work for a
fruitful nation, society and a family with a peace of mind.

“Having noted the foregoing, at least the country should be open and
tolerant to divergent views. Every individual should be free to play a part
in building a successful society and the developmental agenda.”

Moyo said while he was proud that the country was liberated, it must be
reflecting the freedom through the bottom line accrued benefits of jobs,
lack of poverty, access to affordable health, the elderly being paid for
their years of hard work and putting our priorities accordingly, investing
in science and new technologies for efficiency in solutions to our nation.

“As we celebrate independence my heart bleeds for the lives lost during the
combat for freedom given the contradiction that defines present day Zimbabwe
that is punctuated by among other things, deep seated corruption, plunder of
national resources, State being turned to a thuggish business empire by a
few and the deep sea of poverty and starvation while  government ministers
crave of a golden handshake to exit government,” said Moyo.

Bulawayo theatre director and actor Styx Mhlanga said in the City of Kings
very few people celebrate Independence Day as school children, the police
and army form a majority of people who celebrate it.

“But I wonder whether they do so willingly. We should be celebrating freedom
of speech and association, but that is still denied to a majority in the
country,” said Mhlanga. The actor added: “We should be celebrating better
standards of living, but what with so much unemployment? There is no reason
to celebrate among the 80 percent of Zimbabweans who are unemployed!”

Famous music producer Bothwell Nyamhondera said as we celebrate Independence
Day, his wish was to see a Zimbabwe that boasts of a vibrant economy, a
brighter prospect for the future for our youth and everybody else.

“And off course a God-fearing and fair society.”

Playwright Raisedon Baya said generally Zimbabwe was celebrating self-rule,
and the opportunities it has brought for blacks.

He added: “However I could have hoped for better governance, less
corruption, more opportunities to grassroots people, a well-articulated
national vision and national identity.”

Theatre producer Daves Guzha said on Independence Day we would be
celebrating the move from white colonial rule and success to the pronounced
economic success of a few blacks.

“In short, we are celebrating our moral, economic, social and cultural
decay.”

Guzha said celebrations are normally associated with pomp and fanfare. “Are
we getting that on Thursday? I would have wanted to have a leadership which
brings some positive things to our lives as we are all feeling very drained.
Toita sezvinonzi tine zvikwambo zvinoti sveta ropa siku ne sikati.”

The playwright said as Zimbabwe celebrates, there is no harm in remembering
those who died during the liberation war, “but we should also remember that
the past is meant to inform the present positively.”

Harare Residents Trust director Precious Shumba said Zimbabweans are a
disappointed people because of unfulfilled pre-independence and
post-independence promises on transformation of their lives.

“They had been hoping to have a real encounter with honey and milk. But this
has not happened to the majority, as only a minority in the political sphere
have had it big in business, and other economic and social opportunities,”
said Shumba.

Social commentator Thomas Deve said independence serves as a reminder of the
anti-colonial struggles and why it is important for people to cherish
freedom from oppressive systems.

“But all this often gets crowded out by narratives that often see the
divergent views as dissident opinion that should be suppressed instead of
cultivating a culture of tolerating diversity and managing pluralism."

“It is a moment to throw away party regalia and embrace the flag and other
relevant national symbols,” said Deve.

Zimbabwe Election Watch : Issue 1

Sokwanele - Enough is Enough - Zimbabwe PROMOTING NON-VIOLENT PRINCIPLES TO ACHIEVE DEMOCRACY Sokwanele : 18 April 2013   We are launching Zimbabwe Election Watch 2013 on Independence Day. Zimbabwe Election Watch (ZEW) continues Sokwanele's tradition of monitoring elections against the 'SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections'. This project follows immediately on from Zimbabwe Referendum Watch, where we monitored the conditions in the country against the SADC standards in advance of the constitutional referendum. The SADC guidelines were adopted by the SADC leaders on 17th August 2004 in Mauritius and Zimbabwe is a signatory to the benchmark principles. Monitoring for ZEW Issue 1 began on 17 March 2013, the day after the constitution referendum was held - a peaceful day, considered very successful compared to previous recent Zimbabwean elections. But 17 March signalled the start of 'election season proper': Beatrice Mtetwa, a prominent human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe, was arrested, allegedly for obstructing the police. The arrest occurred when Mtetwa arrived at the scene of police raids and demanded that police show them a search warrant to justify the raids against her client. They couldn't. She also asked the police whether they were taking an inventory for items they seized. They were not. Mtetwa's response to the arrest illustrates why she is a top human rights lawyer: she said, "Of course, the view I take is they have been obstructing me in my duties as a lawyer". ZEW Issue 1 highlights just ten examples of breaches we have logged against the main parties in Zimbabwe since 17 March 2013. The example of Mtetwa's experience above is just one of them. Many more, including the ones that follow below, can be found on our Zimbabwe Election Watch page which is updated continuously. At the time of mailing we have recorded a total of 268 breaches of the SADC guidelines - the large number representing an unpromising start to the election season. The Mtetwa case produced further breaches: after Mtetwa was eventually released (she spent a protracted eight days in jail despite a court order issued within hours of her arrest ordering that she should be released) she found herself facing 20 further allegations levelled against her by the State, including using abusive language and conducting herself 'indecently'. In addition to this, the Judge - Justice Charles Hungwe - who ordered Mtetwa's immediate release soon after her arrest (an order that was ignored) is himself facing consequences for attempting to steer a course for justice. In another case, Justice Hungwe also attempted to ensure that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) was able to carry out its mandated role to identify corruption by providing them with the legal means to search the offices of Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, and Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Nicholas Goche - all of whom are 'hardline' members of the Zanu PF party. It is widely perceived that the harassment of both Mtetwa and Hungwe by extreme Zanu PF stalwarts is designed to send a clear message to civic society, lawyers and the judicial system in advance of the elections, an act that implicity signals threatening intent on the part of the Zanu PF party. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) issued an insightful comment on the harrassment of Justice Hungwe (available on our website here - http://bit.ly/ZLr7uW ) noting that Zanu PF's onslaught against judges in 2000-2002 resulted in those removed being replaced by more 'politically pliable' judges including, ironically, Justice Hungwe himself. But in today's climate, presumably, even the 'pliable' Justice Hungwe is not considered malleable enough for the extreme hardliners. This led CiZC to write: As we head towards a critical election, and given the polarized nature of our polity, it is not completely unforeseeable that the result of the next election may be decided by the courts. In light of this, one cannot be faulted for thinking that the persecution, and vilification of Justice Hungwe, may be meant as an example, calculated to ensure that if that becomes a reality, the High Court and Supreme Court are manned by benches which are either malleable and can do the bidding of ZANU Pf. It seems also clear, that if malleability is not achieved, at the very least there will be sufficient fear planted in them through being shown that, if you do not tow the correct political line, you will be forced off the bench. All of these examples undermine SADC guidelines to provide a conducive environment for free and fair elections and to guarantee the constitutional and legal rights and freedom of citizens (clauses 4.1.2 and 4.1.1 respectfully). In the case of Justice Hungwe, this represents a deeply worrying breach of the guideline that seeks to underpin the 'independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions' (2.1.7): CiZC commented that it ensured that Zimbabwe's "already low justice bank, reaches new depths of bankruptcy". In addition to these breaches, ZEW has also recorded widespread examples that undermine SADC guidelines to ensure non-discrimination in voters’ registration (4.1.3) and to ensure the existence of an updated and accessible voters roll (4.1.4). Quite apart from 'non-discrimination' media reports indicate that there is a calculated bias towards ensuring perceived Zanu PF voters register to vote, with simultaneous efforts being made in some quarters to prevent opposition party supporters from registering at all. For example the MDC-T claimed that Zanu PF youth officers in Mashonaland East were removing MDC-T supporters from the voters roll: "Youth officers attend village meetings and identify our supporters on the voters’ roll and remove them [...] They will then register theirs and formalise the registrations because they have connections there." In a separate similar example, Roy Bennett, a former MP for Chimanimani, said: “People from Old Location and rural areas that do not have proof of residence are going to register, they are then sent to get a stamped document from the council and are charged one dollar.” In contrast “Zanu PF youth chair Joshua Sacco's 30 tonne “Gonyete” Registration number ABN 7717 Blue Freight Liner, which is ferrying 250 people at a time to the Registration office. They are going straight in and getting ID’s and registering as voters". In Bulawayo, three members of the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) were arrested for mobilising residents in Pumula to register as voters. Tenants in the area were unable to get their landlords to confirm their status as tenants so the NYDT members urged people with Econet phone lines to register using their sim card receipts, which contains proof of residence. So as well as undermining efforts to maximise voter education, their arrest also constitutes a breach of voter education (2.1.8), where the youths were helpfully raising awareness and suggesting alternative legal means for residents in an area to register to vote. The same policing rigour has not been applied to the Zanu PF party, exemplifying discrimination when it comes to voter registration (a breach of 4.1.3). Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo claimed that Zanu PF was actively working hard to register members of the armed services, saying she personally witnessed soldiers being bussed to register as voters in Umguza and at United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH): "I happened to meet one of the wives of the army in my constituency to understand what was going on. She told me that [the soldiers] were ordered in no uncertain terms to go and register as voters." Zanu PF is apparently taking no chances with its strategy of registering armed personnel: recent media reports have highlighted the fact that Zanu PF is attempting shore up support by 'buying' the loyalty of soldiers in exchange for desirable and difficult to obtain residential stands. Officials in the Ministry of Local Government Rural and Urban Development said that "In order to pacify them ahead of elections, hundreds of stands are being allocated to members of the army, police, prison and the intelligence." One MDC-T MP even made efforts to challenge the fact that the Zanu PF party seems to have unfettered access to police camps and military barracks by applying to the police to allow him to carry out a constituency feedback meeting to brief police officers and their relatives on the outcome of the referendum. He was refused permission. This represents several breaches of the SADC guidelines including those that seek to provide for the full participation of citizens in the political process (2.1.1), freedom of association (2.1.2), the equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for (2.1.6), and to safeguard the human and civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, and campaigning (7.4). Our final example in Issue 1 is of direct threats to the peace and security of the nation, a fact that completely undermines SADC efforts to ensure political tolerance (2.1.3), an environment conducive to free, fair and peaceful elections (4.1.2), and acceptance and respect of the election results (2.1.9). The notorious war veteran Jabulani Sibanda said that war veterans would not "allow any other party other than Zanu PF to win the next plebiscite" going on to say that they were revolutionaries and "If the worst comes to the worst, our weapons will defend our ideas". It's a comment that highlights the imbalance in justice in the country: in Zimbabwe, one of the country's top human rights lawyers can be imprisoned for eight days allegedly for shouting, but another individual can seemingly threaten outright war at a press conference with impunity. Readers of ZEW Issue 1 may be interested in a recent report issued by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition which looks at the likely strategy that Zanu PF will adopt towards the next elections. Titled 'Pre-Election Detectors: ZANU PF’s attempt to re-claim political hegemony', the report can be downloaded from our website at this link: http://bit.ly/ZqUdnn. Zimbabwe Top Lawyer Arrested Soon After Referendum ~ http://bit.ly/10hq79f SW Radio Africa (ZW): Sunday, March 17 2013 Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, is being held by Harare police after she reacted to early morning raids Sunday March 17, leading to the arrest of Thabani Mpofu, Principal Director in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Office, a day after Zimbabweans voted in a constitutional referendum. Mpofu, was taken from his home at 6am. The police, led by Inspector Mirimbo from Law and Order Harare Central, later raided the Prime Minister’s office in Bath Road in Belgravia, where Mtetwa was arrested. The police, who did not have a search warrant, are said to have been looking for shortwave radios. Mtetwa is being detained at the Harare Central Police Station together with three more MDC-T officials, Anna Muzvidziwa, Felix Matsinde and Worship Dumba who were also arrested early this morning. Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said Beatrice Mtetwa went beyond her legal mandate and shouted at police officers investigating at a crime scene. 2.1.3 Political tolerance 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections Mtetwa faces 20 new allegations as trial date set ~ http://bit.ly/Z3Ma0q SW Radio Africa (ZW): Monday, 8 April 2013 Human rights defender Beatrice Mtetwa is facing 20 fresh allegations by the State in its criminal case against her. State prosecutors last week served Mtetwa’s attorneys with the new allegations together with court papers to prepare for her trial, which has been set for March 27 until 31 May at the Harare Magistrates Court. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said the new allegations are a "desperate bid to bolster its case against the feisty legal practitioner." The allegations were not included in the original papers used in Mtetwa’s initial remand proceedings, following her arrest last month.The ZLHR said on Monday that the State has now "embellished its papers with new allegations," which accuse Mtetwa of using abusive language against the police officers.The State is now also claiming that Mtetwa conducted herself ‘indecen tly’ when she threatened to relieve herself in a public place. 2.1.3 Political tolerance 2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] Mugabe regime targeting High Court judge ~ http://bit.ly/Yx1RMJ Nehanda Radio: Saturday, March 23 2013 A High Court judge who made two rulings which were not sanctioned by the Zanu PF regime is now allegedly being victimised by the Mugabe regime. Nehanda Radio understands the state controlled state has been ordered to dig up as much dirt as they can on Justice Charles Hungwe as retaliation. That onslaught began on Saturday 23 March with the Herald publishing a story claiming Justice Hungwe "has denied justice to a man he convicted in 2003 but has failed to sentence over the past 10 years after losing his court records." Justice Hungwe's "transgressions" started two weeks previously when he granted the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) permission to search the offices of Mines minister Obert Mpofu, Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere, and Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Nicholas Goche. He then issued an order instruct ing arresting officers to immediately release detained human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa last Sunday when she was arrested for "perverting the course of justice". 2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] Zanu PF tinkering with Mash East voters' roll - MDC ~ http://bit.ly/10cjpff Daily News (ZW): Tuesday, Mar 26 2013 MDC-T has alleged this week of March 25, that Zanu PF in Mashonaland East Province is secretly removing known MDC supporters from the voters’ roll ahead of general elections this year. MDC-T alleges that Zanu PF party has acquired the voters’ rolls for all the constituencies in the province to strike off names of their rivals. Tichaona Gomo, MDC councillor for ward 11, alleges that Zanu PF is rolling out a strategy to have his party supporters struck off the voters’ roll. "Youth officers attend village meetings and identify our supporters on the voters’ roll and remove them," Gomba said. "They will then register theirs and formalise the registrations because they have connections there." Mudzi North Zanu PF MP, Milton Kachepa confirmed that he was registering voters in villages and that he had bought voters’ rolls for the wh ole province from the Registrar General’s office despite the fact that only the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is tasked with registering voters. 2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for 2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration 4.1.4 Existence of updated and accessible voters roll 7.5 Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace and security Zanu PF cheating ahead of Zimbabwe election ~ http://bit.ly/YIWlDv Nehanda Radio: Wednesday, March 27 2013 CHIMANIMANI – President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party is being accused of cheating in advance of elections this year with officials from the Registrar General’s office allegedly making it hard for known MDC-T supporters to register to vote. MDC-T Treasurer General Roy Bennett, a former MP for Chimanimani said on March 27 "People from Old Location and rural areas that do not have proof of residence are going to register, they are then sent to get a stamped document from the council and are charged one dollar." In contrast "Zanu PF youth chair Joshua Sacco"s 30 tonne "Gonyete" Registration number ABN 7717 Blue Freight Liner, which is ferrying 250 people at a time to the Registration office. They are going straight in and getting ID’s and registering as voters. This is a tip of the iceberg country wide," he said. 2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process 2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration 4.1.4 Existence of updated and accessible voters roll 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] 7.5 Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace and security Three arrested in Bulawayo over voter mobilisation exercise ~ http://bit.ly/14Y4jje SW Radio Africa (ZW): Wednesday, 10 April 2013 Three members from National Youth Development Trust in Bulawayo were arrested Wednesday April 10 for mobilising residents in Pumula to register as voters. Three of the arrested were named as Garikai Mhendo Lucky Mutiti and Mayibongwe. A fourth, Kelvin Ncube, is on the run. They were picked up outside the Pumula Housing offices, where residents in Pumula and surrounding surburbs can also register to vote. However, many tenants were unable to get their landlords to confirm their status as tenants. The members of the NYDT devised a simple plan, urging people with Econet phone lines to register using their sim card receipts, which contains proof of residence. They told their lawyer that when police stopped them they were in the process of helping residents to register as voters, said our correspondent Lionel Saungweme. However, police have mounted a crackdown on anyone not from Zanu PF who are seen helping or mobilising people to register as voters, while Zanu PF has a free reign in registering its supporters. 2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process 2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for 2.1.8 Voter education 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] Army bussed for voter registration exercise ~ http://bit.ly/ZrLscL Zimbabwe Standard, The (ZW): Sunday, 14 April 2013 Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo said on Friday March 12 she recently witnessed soldiers being bussed to register as voters, raising suspicion that the forthcoming elections could be rigged. She said the soldiers were being registered as voters in Umguza and at United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH). "What I don’t understand is why they were brought and registered there as voters. I tried to get an answer from one of the officials at UBH but failed," Khumalo said while addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club. "I happened to meet one of the wives of the army in my constituency to understand what was going on. She told me that they were ordered in no uncertain terms to go and register as voters." 2.1.2 Freedom of association 2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for 2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] 7.5 Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace and security Soldiers offered land to vote for Zanu PF ~ http://bit.ly/YW8Yjz Zimbabwe Standard, The (ZW): Sunday, 14 April 2013 Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and other security agents are set to get residential stands ahead of elections in a move being viewed as an attempt by Zanu PF to buy votes, it has emerged. Officials in the Ministry of Local Government Rural and Urban Development said this week of April 8 they had been instructed to ensure that housing cooperatives and organisations linked to Zanu PF get land to be dolled out to mostly members of the uniformed services."In order to pacify them ahead of elections, hundreds of stands are being allocated to members of the army, police, prison and the intelligence." He said Apostolic and other Independent African Initiated churches were also benefitting from the same programme. Most leaders of these churches have openly shown their allegiance to Zanu PF. Some of the organisations which were distributing land to soldiers include D estiny of Africa Network (DAnet) led by Zanu PF sympathiser Rev Obadiah Msindo. 2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 7.5 Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace and security MDC-T MP asks for permission to hold meeting in police camp ~ http://bit.ly/WJG8As SW Radio Africa (ZW): Friday, March 22 2013 An MDC-T MP this week audaciously applied to have a constituency feedback meeting in a police camp, but was as expected denied permission. Settlement Chikwinya, the MP for Mbizo in KweKwe, lodged his application with the police on Monday 18 March, with the intention of briefing spouses of police officers and their relatives on the outcome of the referendum. He received a reply on Tuesday with a firm ‘No’ but said he will not relent in his efforts to cover the width and breath of his constituency to meet the people who voted him into parliament. The MP told SW Radio Africa on Friday that his decision to embark on this ‘mission impossible’ was based on the fact that Zanu PF has free access to police camps and military barracks. The MP said he will not challenge the decision by the police to block him having access to some of his constituents but would rather concentrate on other ways of getting his word to restricted areas. 2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process 2.1.2 Freedom of association 2.1.3 Political tolerance 2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...] 'War Veterans won't allow Tsvangirai to rule' - Jabu ~ http://bit.ly/17H1ov6 Zimbabwe Mail, The (ZW): Monday, March 25 2013 Robert Mugabe's terror group masquerading as War veterans have declared that they will "not allow" Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC to win harmonised elections expected later this year. Addressing journalists at Gweru Press Club the week of March 18,war veterans’ leader, Jabulani Sibanda accused the MDC leader of betraying the liberation struggle by calling for economic sanctions imposed by Western nations against Zimbabwe. "You ask me what we will do in the event that MDC and Tsvangirai win elections," said Sibanda. "I am a revolutionary and revolutionaries do not live by assumptions. The party must not win the elections." Pressed further to elaborate what he meant when he said war veterans "will not allow any other party other than Zanu PF to win the next plebiscite", Sibanda said they would achieve their goal of preventing Tsvangirai from winning without using political violence. Sibanda however pointed out that in any revolution, the use of arms of war could not totally be ruled out. "If the worst comes to the worst, our weapons will defend our ideas," said Sibanda, without elaborating. 2.1.3 Political tolerance 2.1.9 Acceptance and respect of the election results by political parties proclaimed to have been free and fair by the competent National Electoral Authorities in accordance with the law of the land 4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens 4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections 7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]     We have a fundamental right to freedom of expression!