http://www.newzimbabwe.com
31/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
SOME 35 people have so far been killed in road traffic
accidents over the
Easter holiday across the country with a single crash
claiming nine lives in
the Midlands province alone, police confirmed on
Sunday.
11 people were killed in road accidents over the same period last
year.
Police blamed speeding, lack of attention and overtaking errors for
most of
the crashes.
ZRP spokesman superintendent Paul Nyathi said in the
latest accidents, two
people were killed in Harare while other crashes in
Mashonaland East and
Matabeleland South claimed eight lives.
In the
Midlands provide nine people died on the spot when an overloaded
Toyota
Ipsum vehicle collided with a 70-seater bus while in Nyanga five
people were
killed when a the driver of a haulage truck lost control and
crushed into a
bus stop.
“We are concerned that haulage trucks continue carrying
passengers yet they
are not supposed to,” said Nyathi.
“We also have bus
and private vehicle drivers which move late at night to
avoid police
check-points and in the process get involved in accidents. We
urge transport
operators to desist from endangering the lives of
passengers.”
He
said 353 road traffic accidents have been recorded since the start of the
Easter holidays compared to about 152 incidents over the same period last
year.
http://nehandaradio.com/
on March 31, 2013 at 2:11 pm
BULAWAYO –
Zanu PF founding member Enos Nkala was admitted to a private
hospital on
Wednesday evening after suffering kidney and heart-related
complications.
President Robert Mugabe on Friday spoke to Nkala
over a mobile phone during
a visit by Mines and Mining Development Minister
Obert Mpofu.
Nkala could be heard chuckling and addressing Mugabe as
“Sir”. In the brief
conversation, an elated Nkala told the President that
he would “pull out” as
God would hear President Mugabe’s prayers.
“I
know God will hear you. A prayer from you is more important than any
other
prayer,” he said. Nkala, who could not hide his joy, also said to
President
Mugabe: “It is wonderful to hear your voice.”
He was also full of praise
for Mpofu, who facilitated the conversation.
“Obert, I don’t know what to
do. God knows better. Ukuthi ngike ngizwe
inkosi ikhuluma,” he said. Mpofu
told Nkala that it was important that he
visits him in hospital as President
Mugabe always inquired on his health.
“His Excellency always asks me how
you are doing. It is important that I
visit as we get blessings from you,
our elders,” he said.
Nkala jokingly blamed his poor health on his old
age.
“I am now old. Eighty years is not a joke,” he said, adding that he
preferred to receive medical treatment in Bulawayo. I get home sick in
Harare and South Africa. It is better to be here.”
His wife, Mrs
Thandiwe Nkala, said he had been in and out of hospital for
some time. She
also revealed that he was in the intensive care unit last
week.
“He
has not been well for a while. Last week he was in the ICU and this week
he
was admitted on Wednesday night,” she said.
Last year in May, Nkala, a
former Home Affairs and Defence Minister, claimed
that Mugabe wants to
retire but fears his Zanu PF party will disintegrate
and plunge the country
into civil war. Mugabe had met Nkala for over an hour
behind closed doors at
the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo.
Nkala claimed Mugabe
spoke mainly about the heavy infighting within Zanu PF.
“From what we
discussed, Mugabe said he is tired and wants to retire but he
cannot do so
now because Zanu-PF will die. He cannot leave when the party is
in such a
state. What is holding him now is managing and containing Zanu-PF
to prevent
it from disintegrating,” Nkala said.
“My own reading is that if he had
his own way, he could have quit and taken
a rest but circumstances around
him and implications of what might happen
are holding him. My own reading is
that the President is not his own man. He
said he has not yet found a
successor with qualities to hold the party and
the country
together.”
Nkala said “Politics is a dangerous game. It is not a sport
where the
leadership of a party should just exchange hands without proper
grooming and
handling. Mugabe did refer to factions and that they are eating
away the
party. He said ZANU PF is no longer united,” Nkala
said.
“From our discussion, this issue (succession) is very dicey. This
will
produce an ugly situation in the end, if not managed properly. It is
not a
good thing. It can produce chaos, even a civil war and we do not want
that.
“The basic thing is that he is looking for, or grooming someone who
can
handle ZANU PF and contain enemies associated with these factions for
the
sake of the party and the country,” he said.
Asked whether Mugabe
should retire Nkala said for “the sake of peace” Mugabe
should not go
because “Zimbabwe came out of a conflict and not democracy and
this gives a
picture of what to expect if he goes now before the ZANU PF
internal
politics are managed properly.”
In October 2011 Nkala said Zanu PF needed
to “throw away Mugabe if it wants
to win the next election.” He said Mugabe
“has a lot of faults, defaults and
lack of understanding of what we should
do to continue to be a respectable
country.”
“Morgan Tsvangirai will
win against Mugabe no matter what people say about
him. Hate him, insult
him, but he is the only person who has the potential
to win the election if
it is done in a free and fair manner,” he said.
After his meeting with
Mugabe, Nkala was singing a different tune claiming
“We don’t want any civil
war or chaos in this country. We want peace. It’s
easy for people to say
Mugabe must go, Mugabe must go, but most of them do
not know that he is the
glue that has been holding this country together.”
“You need a good
manager like Mugabe to keep these stakeholders together for
the sake of the
country. Small issues have sparked chaos in other countries
and you cannot
tell me that you think life will go on as usual if Mugabe
dies today and
someone takes over without managing such stakeholders,” Nkala
claimed.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Jeffrey Muvundusi, Own Correspondent
Sunday, 31
March 2013 13:18
BULAWAYO - The Welshman Ncube-led MDC says
devolution will not be properly
implemented if Zanu PF wins the forthcoming
general election as the party
does not ideologically believe in the
concept.
The principle of devolution is now entrenched in the new
constitution but
Nhlanhla Dube, the MDC spokesperson, told journalists in
Bulawayo that
devolution as a tool was most effective in the hands of
“believers”.
“Zanu PF has already said they are going to amend the
constitution, Zanu PF
does not want devolution, so obviously they won’t
implement something that
they don’t want,” Dube said.
“It is an
ideological concept and it is not within their ideological frame
work just
like they believe that they must not change a president in their
political
party,” he said.
He said the concept of devolution can be best defined,
implemented,
articulated and defended by only those who believe in it as an
ideology.
But Zanu PF dismissed the accusation as
politicking.
Copac co-chairperson and Zanu PF Chivi legislator,
Munyaradzi Mangwana told
the Daily News that the Welshman Ncube-led party
was simply abusing the
concept of devolution for their petty political
aggrandisement.
“The problem is the devolution we have does not seem to
have same political
connotations which Welshman and his party are giving,”
Mangwana said.
“Zanu PF has always believed in decentralising power to
the people
throughout the country.
“Soon after independence we
brought about rural district councils,
provincial councils among other forms
of spreading power to the people,” he
added.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 31 March 2013 13:18
HARARE -
President Robert Mugabe has demanded an end to harassment of
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) members, a move meant to shield
them from
hawks sharpening swords against the graft busters.
Mugabe took the
decision after meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
last week,
according to sources.
But that has not done much to ease the nerves of
Zacc commissioners, who,
during the same week, told co-Home Affairs minister
Theresa Makone that they
feared for their lives.
In a frank meeting
with Makone, the commissioners told her that even their
families’ lives were
in danger from big guns targeted for investigation by
the
commission.
Makone confirmed the development.
“The Principals of
Government at their Monday afternoon meeting, reiterated
their support of
the commission and exhorted it to carry out its duties
without fear or
favour, but following the established guidelines,” she said
after meeting
the commissioners.
Zacc commissioners told Makone that they were living
in fear as police and
other Zanu PF officials launched a massive onslaught
on them.
Denford Chirindo, the commission’s chairperson, confirmed to the
Daily News
on Sunday that a meeting was held between commissioners and
Makone but said
he could not divulge any details of their meeting, referring
this paper to
the minister.
In the last month, Zacc officials and a
commissioner were arrested by police
while a media onslaught was launched
against them after an attempt to search
offices of Savior Kasukuwere, the
Youth Development, Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment minister as well
as those of powerful Mines and Mining
Development minister Obert
Mpofu.
Gun-toting police officers blocked Zacc investigators who were
armed with a
High Court search warrant.
Issues have escalated since
then, the commissioners told Makone.
Makone said some of those being
investigated by Zacc are too powerful and
have a sense of being
untouchable.
“They (Zacc officials) were telling me that they now fear
for their lives
and those of their families. The hate speech that has come
out of certain
sections of the press confirms the sense of impunity and
entitlement that
some have accorded themselves.
“Where they will make
procedural errors, they should be corrected and not
treated as dangerous
criminals,” said Makone.
After the meeting, Makone said she was concerned
about the welfare of the
commissioners who have a task of eradicating
corruption, a disease that has
contributed to the country’s poor economic
performance.
Makone said government has been neglecting the
commissioners.
“As a matter of fact, they are entitled to SUV vehicles,
accommodation,
personal security, and offices countrywide. They were also
not given a list
of offices that are exempted from scrutiny. Therefore, as
they do their work
of ridding our country of all forms of corruption, they
should be
encouraged, not impeded or hounded,” Makone said.
The
commission was set up in 2009 as part of the power-sharing agreement
between
Zanu PF and the two MDC formations.
But problems have dogged the
commission since commissioners and
investigators began taking up high
profile cases.
Its chief investigations officer Sukai Tongogara went into
hiding before
surrendering herself to the police.
This was at a time
when police were holding the commission’s chief executive
Ngonidzashe Gumbo
on allegations of corruption. Gumbo has since left the
commission and is
currently in custody on corruption charges.
A commissioner Emmanuel
Chimwanda, a former top police commander, has also
been arrested and is
being charged with impersonating police.
Makone said such actions only
served to protect corrupt officials who use
their power to target Zacc
officials. She said Zacc should be allowed to do
its job without
hindrance.
“The commissioners were appointed by His Excellency, the
President, to serve
the people by stamping out corruption which has become a
scourge and an
enemy of development.
They were also not given a list
of offices that are exempted from scrutiny.
“Therefore, as they do their
work of ridding our country of all forms of
corruption, they should be
encouraged, not impeded or hounded,” said Makone.
She added: “The public
has the right to know if the wealth we tout in front
of them is honestly
earned, especially when it does not match our earning
capacity. The public
has the right to question every move that public
servants make on their
behalf,” she said. - Xolisani Ncube and Bridget
Mananavire
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
Staff Reporter 7 hours 34
minutes ago
HARARE - Western donors feel that they have lost the
battle to remove
President Mugabe from power and they are now interested in
any political
arrangement in Zimbabwe which serves the interests of the
West, National
Constitutional Assembly leader, Professor Lovemore Madhuku
has said.
He attacked the MDC-T leadership for abandoning the people “as
they are
pre-occupied with self enrichment” adding that the party made a
mistake by
failing to make its principles and values clear to the people
over the past
eight to nine years.
Prof Madhuku branded western
donors as liars adding that they are not
interested in any open democratic
dispensation in Zimbabwe.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail last
Friday, Prof Madhuku admitted that
the NCA made mistakes by relying on
western donors for funding adding that
from now onwards his organization
would work with these donors with its eyes
wide open.
“We for example
were entirely donor funded. In other words, we had not made
any steps as an
organization to get resources from our own membership. All
our funding was
depended on us approaching especially western donors and
asking them to
support our cause for a democratic and people driven
constitution.
“The mistake we made was to think that this was going
to continue. That was
a big mistake because many of the Western donors,
don’t mean what they say.
They will tell you today that they are supporting
an open democracy but that
is only if it is in the interests of themselves
and their government. We
have a typical example as the NCA.
“We would
not have thought that the western donors could have rushed to
describe the
referendum as credible when there was not enough time for
voters to read the
draft constitution...
“That kind of a referendum would have been
unacceptable in the West. Every
voter in the West would have been expected
to read the draft and make up
their own mind. But they didn’t care about it
because I think their next
stage is just to get over the Zimbabwean
problem.
“So it was our mistake to have thought that they could have been
part and
parcel of our struggle for an open democracy. They are not
interested in any
open democratic dispensation here. They are interested in
a political
arrangement in Zimbabwe which serves the interests of the
West.
“Now I think that many of them feel that they have strained their
relationship with Zimbabwe, they will be comfortable with any government now
that they have changed their agenda. They just now want to get a normal
relationship with Zimbabwe. They fought at one point against (President)
Mugabe and they think that they have lost that battle.
“So if you
hear this notion that they have left sanctions on about 10
people, it’s just
a face saver. They are too eager to get over those
sanctions. If Robert
Mugabe were to achieve a possibility of getting a very
violent-free
election, you would see that the next thing they will say is it’s
credible.
This is because they now have given up. They think that western
interests
are better served by working with whatever government they can get
in
Zimbabwe in the same way they are working with even worse governments in
other parts of the world.
“This was the NCA confessing that it had
made mistakes to form a movement
with an agenda in the country and then
entirely dependent for funding that
movement from the West. It’s the most
unwise thing.”
Prof Madhuku said the NCA would survive without financial
support from these
western donors adding that during the campaign for the
referendum his
organisation got no cent from the donors who continued to
give “promises and
lies.”
Asked what influence the western donors
have on the country’s politics, Prof
Madhuku said: “Western donors have
influence virtually in every developing
country. So we should not say that
it’s just in Zimbabwe. They have
interests everywhere and people must always
be careful to check what their
interests are.
“So here in Zimbabwe
definitely they have interests, I am not sure to what
extent but clearly at
the moment they would prefer a different government
from that led by
President Mugabe. Its an open secret. If they are to end up
with a
government led by President Mugabe, it would simply be because they
have
failed to achieve a different government. It’s not something
sophisticated
and this is not a discovery to say the western donors always
have an
interest.
“In many developing countries they actually go beyond what they
are doing in
Zimbabwe. Go to what happened in Egypt, in Libya, whats
happening in Syria,
what’s happening in Iraq.
“All over the world,
their interests are always based on a superiority
complex which means that
as western people we are superior to any other
nation. Secondly that
superiority complex then translates into what we call
western interests.
Ensuring that their economies are not threatened. That’s
always the key
driving force for western domination and so on.”
Prof Madhuku said he was
not bitter adding that; “The only feeling I have
about the situation in the
NCA is a feeling of our own lack of understanding
of international politics
which led us to where we are now. They will leave
you at a moment that they
think you are no longer serving, or no longer in
line with their interests.
So I am not bitter. I can only say I have learnt
a lot from that
relationship that we have had as NCA with western donors.
“To have learnt
a lot to the extent that we are wiser, much wiser than
before. As for the
future we will certainly do things differently. Even if
we were to have any
relation with any friendly western donor, we will do
that with our eyes wide
open and with a realisation that we can not put all
our eggs in one basket.
So from now on, whatever we will do whether as NCA
or after the elections as
a new political party, we will always be conscious
of the fact that we can
never rely on the western world.”
Turning to the MDC-T, Prof Madhuku said
there were simmering problems in the
party following a decision to put Mr
Tsvangirai’s face on the party’s
campaign symbol.
“I think that most
of the leaders of the MDC-T no longer look at the
interests of the people.
They are more interested in entrenching their own
positions. And also the
deep values that led to the formation of the party
have been abandoned,”
said Prof Madhuku adding that there was no longer any
relationship between
the MDC-T and the NCA.
Asked what he would do differently if the hands of
time could be turned to
the days the MDC was formed, Prof Madhuku said: “I
think there is only one
thing. The only thing that I would do differently if
we were to go back is
to make the principles and values of the party more
clear.
“In other words trying to define exactly the core values of the
movement.
What we have done wrongly with the MDC has been to leave the
agenda of the
party fairly open-ended to the extent that many people that
then came to
join the MDC could take the party in whatever
direction.”
He added: “I think he (Mr Tsvangirai) has been overwhelmed by
the number of
people surrounding him in the party who are clearly not
focussing on the
original agenda of the party.
“I think the number of
people surrounding Tsvangirai at the moment are more
interested in personal
aggrandisement. How much they get out of the
movement, do I get out
richer?
When asked what he meant when he said “we cannot follow such a
person who
thinks the MDC-T is his personal project,” Prof Madhuku explained
saying: “I
was just referring to the name of the party which is MDC
Tsvangirai and also
the symbol that they are deciding to use in the next
elections which will
have an open palm but with the face of
Tsvangirai.
“That is a very wrong approach . . . It creates a very bad
political
culture in the country. Political formations must not be seen as
founded
around individuals. So if it happens with one dominant party, it is
likely
to go around and eventually be seen as a norm. This undermines the
political
culture in the country.
“Many people in the MDC-T itself
are not comfortable with that but they may
not be in a position to say no to
it and I am sure it might be too late for
that.
“So I am very clear
in my mind that this is not something that is popular in
the party. People
might feel it maybe damaging now to start discussing
issues around that
ahead of the election. I think they will all put on brave
faces and go to
the election under those circumstances.” - sundaymail
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Richard Chidza, Staff Writer
Sunday, 31 March
2013 13:18
HARARE - Former Finance minister and Zanu PF politburo member
Simba Makoni’s
political project Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) is falling apart,
the Daily News
can reveal.
Formed by a group of disgruntled Zanu PF
leaders on the eve of the March
2008 elections and fronted by Makoni, MKD
garnered about eight percent of
the presidential vote.
Months before
another election, the movement which came with so much promise
is on the
precipice.
Founder members, former office bearers and supporters are
exchanging words,
amid accusations that Makoni is running down the
party.
Makoni, once touted as a potential successor to Mugabe before
leaving Zanu
PF, is putting up a brave face. But those who have deserted his
project say
Mavambo is as good as stillborn.
Former party
spokesperson Silver Bhebhe claimed that Mavambo is still
controlled by
people within Zanu PF.
“Yes the party is falling apart. He (Makoni) does
not want the party to
grow. I think it is a correct assessment that this
party was a Zanu PF proxy
waiting for its masters in Zanu PF. We would make
a resolution and it seems
Makoni would go back to his principals, these
invisible hands, his handlers
and he is probably told not to action the
resolution,” charged Bhebhe.
“A lot of guys in the national management
committee have resigned, there is
no youth assembly, women’s wing, chairman,
deputy chairman and no vice
president. Basically there is no party. A fish
rots from the head,” Bhebhe
said.
He accused Makoni of being “a
little Mugabe”.
“We needed a compact management team but he wants to
centralise power. He
wants to be president, chair meetings, write minutes
and even wants to be
buyer. The leader wants to do everything,” he
said.
Bhebhe said the party did not even have a constitution, four years
after
formation.
“We have a draft constitution that has not been
ratified. Basically, we did
not have a constitution for four years,” said
Bhebhe.
Makoni seemed unmoved.
“Our resolve and conviction is
unshaken. There is a problem in Zimbabwe that
I think was inculcated into
our people by Zanu PF. People join political
parties expecting something in
return. We are a poor party and some of these
things we cannot afford,” he
told the Daily News on Sunday.
“They gave their reasons for resigning and
we have accepted. MKD is a
voluntary organisation and inasmuch as we are
sorry for their having left we
cannot judge the future of a party on two
people. I would have loved to know
who else is joining them, if any. Their
conviction has changed but we will
move on,” Makoni said.
Another
ex-party stalwart who was secretary for mobilisation, Philip
Chapfunga,
concurred with Bhebhe that Makoni has a tendency to centralise
power.
“If you are in a party in which one man decides who does what
and when then
it becomes a problem. You cannot run a party on a part time
basis.
Zimbabweans do not need that. It shows you are too busy to attend to
the
problems besetting Zimbabweans and you do not take them that seriously,”
said Chapfunga.
He said there were impending mass resignations of
“some very senior people”.
“I am not at liberty to reveal who else is
leaving but I can assure you that
some very senior leaders are going to
leave. They will reveal themselves in
due course,” Chapfunga
said.
“In any political setup you need the mandate of the people and
identify with
the needs of the people you want to represent. You cannot have
a party of
interim structure for four years. There is lack of direction.
Imagine you
are in an army about to go to battle and the commander tells you
to find
your own guns and bullets but fight for the party. You do not disarm
before
a battle,” he said.
Another former Cabinet minister and
politburo member who supported Makoni at
Mavambo’s inception Dumiso Dabengwa
has previously revealed that the project
was set up to protect Mugabe from
outright electoral defeat.
He told a local newspaper that senior Zanu PF
officials worked with Makoni
to avoid an electoral win by Tsvangirai by
splitting votes and forcing a
coalition government.
Dabengwa said
Mavambo had achieved this goal, given that Mugabe is still in
power after
Tsvangirai failed to garner an outright first round victory in
2008.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
31/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai helped save President Robert
Mugabe from
possible contempt of court charges by seeking to become a
respondent in the
case compelling the veteran leader to name by-election
dates before March
31, a Zanu PF official has said.
Mugabe has
approached the High Court seeking to be excused from an earlier
court order
compelling him to name dates for three by-elections before the
end of March
in a case that was, last Thursday, delayed to April 3 after the
premier
sought to be included among the respondents.
But Zanu PF politburo
member, Jonathan Moyo, said Tsvangirai’s “misplaced”
court application had
effectively rendered “irrelevant” a case that was, at
best,
“academic”.
“Thanks to Tsvangirai’s ill-advised court application filed
last Thursday
which caused the matter to be postponed to Wednesday (April
3), it is no
longer possible for President Mugabe to be in contempt of court
for failure
to fix the date of elections by (March 31). That is how mindless
Tsvangirai
is. He is his own worst enemy,” Moyo wrote in the Sunday
Mail.
Mugabe wants the courts to allow him to call by-elections in Nkayi
South,
Bulilima East and Lupane East constituencies at the same time as
general
elections which are expected this later this year.
The three
constituencies became vacant after the respective MPs were sacked
from the
MDC party but successfully petitioned the courts for fresh votes
resulting
in Mugabe being ordered to name a date for the polls by March 31
this
year.
In his application to be excused from the requirement, Mugabe
argued that it
would be uneconomic for the country to hold the three votes
shortly before
general elections which he said must be held by June
29.
Tsvangirai however, asked to be included in the court action, arguing
Mugabe
was effectively naming dates for elections to choose a new government
without consulting him, a requirement, he claims, of the GPA deal the pair
agreed after the inconclusive 2008 vote.
“It came as a surprise for
me at the Applicant (Mugabe) has neither
conferred nor consulted me,” the
MDC-T leader said through his attorney,
Chris Mhike.
“In terms of the
current constitutional dispensation, the applicant
(Mugabe), in the main
matter, has to consult me in my official capacity
before he makes a
proclamation relating to the dissolution of Parliament.”
But Moyo
said: “one does not have to be a lawyer to understand that
Tsvangirai has no
… legal standing in the case which explains … why he has
not, until now,
declared a nebulous or obscure interest in the matter but
has now done so
only as an afterthought.
“Where has Tsvangirai been all along in a case
that started in 2011? Is it
because he has been too busy with his open zip
or is it because he has had a
lot of scripts to deal with as the main
actor?”
Zimbabwe held a referendum on the country’s draft new charter on
March 16
and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told the High Court that the
constitutional reform process would be concluded at the beginning of May,
enabling Mugabe to name a date for new elections the same
month.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF party want the new elections held by June
29, a
proposal bitterly opposed by the MDC formations which say the
time-frame
does not allow enough time for further reforms to ensure a
credible vote.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
31/03/2013 00:00:00
by Roman
Moyo
THE People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB) posted US$2,5 million in
profits after
tax last year a 40 percent decline from US$4,1 million the
previous twelve
months.
Acting board chairman Israel Ndlovu said the
bank’s revenues for the year
increased by a marginal 10 percent compared to
last year.
“This performance was however not enough to counter the growth
in
expenditure which was 23 percent. This resulted in a bottom line of
US$2,47
million which was 40 percent below last year’s profit,” said
Ndlovu.
Ndlovu said capital adequacy ratio of 14,51 percent exceeded the
prescribed
minimum regulatory ration of 12 percent and it enabled the bank
to meet its
prudential lending guidelines.
The bank’s cost-to-income
ratio deteriorated from 80 percent in 2011 to 89
percent in 2012, Ndlovu
added.
Total assets and deposits grew by 24 percent - from US$65,1
million to $80,6
million - and 23 percent (from US$52 million to US$63,8
million)
respectively.
The loan-to-deposit ratio dropped from 76
percent in 2011 to 59 percent in
2012 and this was attributed to a
“constrained capital base which did not
allow the bank to underwrite
significant business”.
Ndlovu said Zimpost which handled an average of 6
percent of the bank’s
business continued to be a key strategic partner in
its expansion drive.
POSB is headed for a fresh start after the
government recently approved
restructuring proposals that will transform its
shareholding structure and
lead to the possible listing of the bank on the
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, a
cabinet official said.
State Enterprises
and Parastatals minister Gorden Moyo said government
approval had been
granted for a restructuring of the bank and its listing.
“Three key
issues that need to be addressed are firstly that the POSB’s
original
mandate of serving the grassroots people needs to be retained.
There is need
for the country to have a bank that specifically caters for
the marginalised
sectors of the economy, particularly the rural-based
population. POSB’s
infrastructure and distribution network has that reach.
And that needs to be
preserved,” Moyo said.
“Secondly, there was a proposal to introduce a
commercial unit within POSB
that will very be competitive. This unit will
aggressively engage with other
big banks in competing in the same space with
them. To this end, POSB will
need to capacitated through an injection of
capital and additional skills.”
He said this would necessitate the
creation of a joint venture with an
appropriate local, regional or
international partner.
“To this end, the agreed position is that
government is prepared to
relinquish 49% shareholding in POSB to such an
identified partner,” Moyo
said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 31 March 2013
13:06
HARARE - A wailing sound of a woman in pain rings in the ears of
those in
nearby rooms, closely followed by silence, and then a thinly first
time cry
from the newly-born baby follows suit.
For the crying woman,
the delivery of a healthy bouncy baby turns into a big
sigh of relief,
particularly in a country where thousands of women die
giving
birth.
Maternal mortality rate in Zimbabwe still remains a problem with
960 out of
100 000 women dying during delivery.
Though there is a
global initiative to fight the rate at which mothers die
during childbirth,
Zimbabwe lacks the resources to ensure all expecting
mothers have access to
adequate health care.
According to Millennium Development Goals four and
five, child and maternal
mortality rates should be reduced by two-thirds and
three-quarters by 2015
respectively.
Zimbabwe seems still a long way
to go such that the pain of giving birth has
proved to be nothing compared
to the joy that comes with a mother holding
the baby in her arms.
But
it is the drama that encompasses the last minutes of pregnancy that are
all
telling and stories abound as the pregnant women wiggle, climb on the
bed or
cling to anything in sight — all to fight the last pain — the last
kicks as
the baby fights its way into the world.
It is interesting that all this
drama might be over immediately after the
woman delivers.
After
delivery, for the woman, this is usually the happiest moment and a
celebration of womanhood.
At one of the maternity wards in Harare, a
woman sweats after coming from
labour and proudly holds her baby in
admiration.
But she is just the lucky one. Many others are paying the
ultimate price
because of Zimbabwe’s poor health delivery system. - Bridget
Mananavire
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
31/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) faces the prospect
of costly
lawsuits from players and officials sanctioned under the Asiagate
scandal
after, FIFA, the game’s global governing body refused to endorse the
penalties.
Nearly 100 players and officials had faced a premature end
to their careers
after ZIFA imposed bans of between six months and five
years for their role
in the alleged fixing of Warriors friendly matches on
tours to Asia between
2007 and 2010.
Some 66 of that number later had
their bans either wholly suspended or
replaced with fines although there was
no reprieve for 15 officials and
players banned for life over their central
role in the affair, including
former ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya, former
Zimbabwe coach Sunday Chidzambwa
and ex-captain Method
Mwanjali.
However, the cash-strapped ZIFA – which is understood to have
pocketed a
tidy US$100,000 from fines imposed on those found 'guilty' -
suffered a blow
when it emerged last week that FIFA had refused to endorse
the sanctions.
ZIFA were last week advised that they had not done enough
to convince FIFA
to give the sanctions a global effect.
And Zimbabwe
Footballers Union secretary general, Paul Gundani, said players
implicated
in the alleged scandal would approach ZIFA to be reimbursed fines
ranging
between US$1,000 and US$6,000.
“First and foremost Fifa have made it
clear that the whole thing was wrong.
So the honourable thing to do for Zifa
is just to refund those monies as
early as is possible. We will be engaging
them like we have always done and
hopefully they will respect Fifa and just
pay up,” Gundani told the Sunday
Mail.
“In the event that they
refuse, we will take up the matter with FIFPro and
Fifa. We will not take
the criminal court route but exhaust all football
channels at our disposal
to deal with this matter. We also have the issue of
image damage on the part
of our players, which we will also want to be
considered.”
In
addition, ZIFA – already reeling a US$4 million debt – would likely face
claims for reputational damages from those implicated in the
allegations.
1.
Outside
the donor meeting
2.
Silver
soldier guards Vigil from Chinamasa
Britain’s
conciliatory overture to Zanu PF was rudely rejected by Justice Minister
Chinamasa on his visit to London for talks with the international donor group
known as the Friends of Zimbabwe.
People were stunned
when Chinamasa lunged at Kate Hoey, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary
Committee on Zimbabwe, at a Foreign Office reception on Monday for the visiting
ministerial delegation. The blustering bully had to be restrained by Zimbabwean
Ambassador Machinga, who apologised profusely to the British MP. ‘Entirely in
keeping with what I would expect from Zanu PF’, said Hoey.
If donor countries
thought that by lifting most sanctions (including the exclusion of Chinamasa) it
would be reciprocated by Zanu PF concessions their illusions were dispelled by
Chinamasa’s intransigence. Despite the Friends of Zimbabwe donating $2.6 billion
to Zimbabwe in the last four years they are still the enemy, as Chinamasa made
clear in a communique after the talks on Tuesday.
He said there was
nothing to show for this aid ‘in terms of development at grass roots level
except high rise and expensive houses for staff of the NGOS’ and insisted the
aid should go direct to the government. He said the donors in any case would not
be allowed to observe the elections as they were not ‘objective’ and that there
would be no security sector reforms as this would just be a means of ‘effecting
regime change’. Chinamasa added that the international community must understand
that SADC’s role was just to facilitate and not supervise or impose a solution
in Zimbabwe and that foreign radio broadcasts to Zimbabwe must be stopped (see:
Zim-Britain talks Full Communique – http://www.zbc.co.zw/news-categories/top-stories/30043-zim-britain-talks-communique.html).
Not many concessions
there – not that the Vigil expected anything but North Korean-type paranoia. Our
supporters, gathered outside the Tuesday meeting in the bitter cold, shouted
‘thief’ and ‘murderer’ when Chinamasa emerged from the talks.
Thanks to the valiant Vigil activists who gathered at short notice for the demonstration. They were: Cephas Moswoswa, Ishmael
Makina, David Takundwa, Kelvin Kamupira, Peter Sidindi, Jonathan Kariwoh and
Rose Benton. Behind the Vigil banner reading’ End
Murder, Rape and Torture in Zimbabwe’ they displayed posters such as: ‘Britain don’t give in to Mugabe’, ‘No
money unless rule of law’, ‘International observers for free and fair
elections’, ‘EU bought by diamonds’, and ‘Restore rule of law in
Zimbabwe’.
We took photos of a suspected CIO
agent who was photographing us. He didn’t like it. Present at the talks was
Wayne Ives, Head of the Foreign Office’s Zimbabwe Desk, who suggested a meeting
to discuss our concerns, which we welcome.
The Friends of
Zimbabwe in their communique on the talks insisted on the implementation of the
GPA reforms ahead of elections and said a wide range of international observers
would enhance the credibility of the poll (see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/173020/UNCLA_20130322_Friends_of_Zimbabwe_Communique.pdf
– Friends of Zimbabwe 2013 Communique).
One of the Vigil
founders, Patson Muzuwa, managed to smuggle himself into the Zimbabwe Embassy
for a meeting on Friday attended by the three person Zimbabwe delegation
representing the GNU partners. Patson said that by allowing Chinamasa into the
country the UK had done us a favour: the whole world would now see at first-hand
what a bigoted thug he is. Patson said it was clear that the delegation only
wanted to meet selected members of the diaspora and people had tried to shut him
up when he insisted on asking questions. When Chinamasa asked whether people had
been ill-treated by Zanu PF, Patson dismayed everyone by standing up and saying
‘Yes, I have been tortured’. Patson added that Chinamasa made racist remarks,
saying Zimbabweans didn’t want whites, and also made it clear that he didn’t
want Zimbabweans returning home.
It was another
bitterly cold Vigil with flurries of snow but we were protected against
Chinamasa by a silver soldier: a ‘living statue’ performance artist, standing
immobile covered in silver paint.
It was good to be
joined by so many of our own old soldiers. Apart from Patson, they included:
Tawanda Spicer, Moses Kandiyawo, Bee Tapa and Lovemore
Mukeyani.
For latest Vigil
pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 41 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
Zimbabwe Action Forum
(ZAF). Saturday
6th April from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first
floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. The Strand is the same road as the
Vigil. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from
Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the
Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The
entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a sign for its famous Indian
restaurant at street level. It's next to a newsagent. Nearest underground:
Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn. Next ZAF: Saturday
20nd April at which ROHR President Ephraim Tapa, recently back from
Southern Africa, will talk to us about his trip.
·
Launch of ROHR Leeds
Branch. Saturday
6th April.
·
Official Launch of
Betty Makoni story: Never again, not to any woman or girl again.
Saturday
13th April from 5 pm – 12 midnight. Venue: Thurrock
Hotel, Ship Lane, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1YN. For more information check:
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/2958066657/?ref=enivtefor001&utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=inviteformalv2&utm_term=readmore&invite=null#,
email: gcnworldwide@gmail.com, or
phone: 07427 774 415 / 07951 522 790.
·
Round 16 of the Free
Zimbabwe Global Campaign (FZGC). Saturday
20th April when we will also mark Zimbabwe’s Independence Day.
·
Zimbabwe Vigil
Highlights 2012 can be viewed on this
link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/467-vigil-highlights-2012.
Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2012 Highlights
page.
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other
website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the
views and opinions of ROHR.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil...
·
Useful websites:
www.zanupfcrime.com which reports on Zanu
PF abuses and www.ipaidabribe.org.zw where people can
report corruption in Zimbabwe.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
Scott Barber | 13/03/30 | Last Updated: 13/03/30 3:52 PM ET
For more than 20 years, Beatrice Mtetwa has fought for freedom in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
It’s a battle that has pitched the human rights lawyer against the aging leader and his state-wide apparatus of terror and intimidation.
Like the politicians, journalists and activists she often defends, Ms. Mtetwa has been the target of intimidation, beatings and now imprisonment.
This week, she emerged from eight days in custody after she tried to prevent police from illegally searching the offices of the Movement for Democratic Change Party (MDC). The officers claimed she had shouted at them and detained her.
“[Beatrice Mtetwa] has felt the physical, mental and emotional consequences of being engaged in Zimbabwe’s perverse legal system,” said Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association in London.
“Her profound commitment to the rule of law in such difficult circumstances is incredibly inspiring.”
The battle for justice in Zimbabwe has become increasingly dangerous, as Mr. Mugabe’s Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) struggles to hang on to power.
With Mr. Mugabe now 89, they know their days are numbered, so are working to shore up support.
Observers see Ms. Mtetwa’s arrest as the first shot in the party’s campaign of intimidation before general elections in July.
“Her arrest has nothing to do with any violation of the law,” said Pedzisai Ruhanya, director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute in Harare.
“It is a clear message to defenders of democratic principles that if they can arrest this icon, you could be next.”
Ironically, Ms. Mtetwa was charged with obstruction of justice for demanding to see a search warrant when police ransacked the MDC offices.
After her release, she said police were trying to make her an example.
“There will be more arrests to follow as we near elections,” she said. “The police were out to get me. They wanted me to feel their might and power because I call myself a human rights lawyer and I felt it.”
Mr. Mugabe and ZANU-PF have “absolutely no chance at winning a free and fair election,” Mr. Ruhanya said. So they are “stepping up their violence and threats.”
The last national elections in 2008 were marked by “horrendous violence” and vote-tampering by state agencies loyal to Mr. Mugabe.
As a result, the South African Development Community stepped in, forcing Mr. Mugabe to negotiate with Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader.
Eventually, a compromise was reached, which saw Mr. Mugabe remain president, while Mr. Tsvangirai became prime minster.
Predictably, it has been an uneasy and unsatisfactory partnership.
“The so-called unity government, whose partners are anything but united, consisting of the former ruling ZANU-PF and the two MDC factions, has failed to hold accountable those responsible for past human rights abuses, including during the 2008 electoral violence,” said a Human Rights Watch report released in January.
“It has also failed to reform key state institutions responsible for the administration of justice, which remain highly politicized and extremely partisan towards ZANU-PF.”
This month, Zimbabweans turned out to vote in a referendum on a new constitution. This features a bill of rights and limits on presidential terms.
But observers are wary of the impact it will have, noting the term limits will not apply retroactively. This means Mr. Mugabe, who has ruled since 1980, could stay in power for another 10 years.
“Some people assume it will help guarantee a freer and fairer election, but we won’t know for sure until things play out this summer,” said Blair Rutherford, director of the Institute for African Studies at Carleton University.
Early signals indicate it will be business as usual for ZANU-PF.
“There are accounts of [ZANU-PF] youth gangs being mobilized and the army being sent out to different rural areas under questionable pretexts, but ostensibly to intimidate people,” Mr. Rutherford said.
“There are also newspaper reports that the chief of police has been telling police officials to make sure that no one votes for the MDC.”
Ms. Mtetwa came by her sense of justice early. She was born in Swaziland, the eldest daughter of a polygamous father, who went on to sire more than 50 other children.
“Her passion for using the law to make a difference is her personal ethos,” said Lorie Conway, an American independent filmmaker who directed a new documentary, Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law.
“I think it has very much been informed by where she came from and how she has always been fighting for her brothers’ and sisters’ well-being since she was a young child.
“She had a very stern father and she had to toe the line, and yet she stood up against him from very early on.”
Ms. Mtetwa, who studied law at the University of Botswana & Swaziland, worked as a prosecutor, first in her native Swaziland and then in Zimbabwe. But she became disillusioned by the system and in 1989 decided to open a private practice specializing in human rights law.
Since, she has established an international reputation as a brilliant lawyer and a brave defender of vulnerable Zimbabweans caught up in a cruel and unfair system.
“Her religion is the law, it is truly what she lives by and for,” Ms. Conway said.
“Even during the most difficult of times, she stays engaged in the fight with an uncompromising principle of justice and support for the victims of the Mugabe government,” Mr. Ellis said.
Friends and colleagues speak of Ms. Mtetwa with admiration.
“She loves her work and she really has fun on many days because she is so smart and she enjoys the strategic thinking that it requires to outsmart the prosecutors and judges she is up against, who are bought and paid for by the [Mugabe] regime,” Ms. Conway said.
While her practice keeps “her plate full,” Ms. Mtetwa lives a balanced life with a “loving partner and two kids that mean everything to her.”
“When she gets home from work, she quickly changes out of her suit and puts an apron on,” said Ms. Conway, who spent several weeks living with the Mtetwas last year.
“She loves to cook, so she’ll be at the stove stirring some wonderful curry while she has a phone balanced between her ear and shoulder. She is never totally free from her work, yet she is able to relax and find support from her family when she’s at home.”
Ms. Mtetwa also loves to dance, adds Ms. Conway recalling a visit to a New Orleans night club, while the Zimbabwean lawyer was in town to speak to the American Bar Association.
“She was sitting at the table with her drink tapping her fingers to the music. So I said, ‘Beatrice, let’s dance!’ So we danced and danced and had a great time,” Ms. Conway said.
But times are much more serious now, since Ms. Mtetwa has become a powerful symbol for the democratic movement.
“The stakes are very high,” Ms. Conway said. “There are many in that government who want to hold on to the power and wealth they have accumulated by pillaging that country. Beatrice represents everything they are not and that scares them.”
Supporters hope her arrest will be the tipping point to end Mr. Mugabe’s three-decades-long rule, though they understand it will not be easy.
“When I asked Beatrice if she thought the rule of law would be adhered to in Zimbabwe during her lifetime, she said yes without a moment of hesitation,” Ms. Conway said.
“She is very realistic about the price that is going to be paid before that happens, including more fixed elections, more arrests and more torture. But she believes deeply that it will come.”
National Post
sbarber@nationalpost.com
