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IMF
visits Zimbabwe as worries intensify over $9bn debt
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
ZOLI MANGENA | 22 April,
2012 00:17
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team is expected in
Zimbabwe next
month to assess the country's economic situation amid growing
concerns about
the ballooning debt - now more than $9-billion - and the
chronic liquidity
crunch.
The delegation will be in Harare for its
Article IV consultations at a time
when the economy, which experienced a
major rebound in 2009 following
dollarisation and exchange rate
stabilisation, is slowing down and choking
from a debt
overhang.
Zimbabwe's economy is also dogged by political uncertainty, and
policy
contradictions and inconsistencies, which have seen massive capital
flight
of late due to the controversial indigenisation programme targeting
foreign-owned companies.
Only last month, South Africa's Implats, the
world's second-largest platinum
producer, was forced to surrender 51% of its
shareholding to a state entity
and communities by President Robert Mugabe
and his cronies.
Finance ministers and central bankers from around the
world are in
Washington this week for the semi-annual meetings of the IMF
and World Bank.
Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon
Gono are attending.
The IMF was last in Harare on
June 1 last year. It issued a favourable
report afterwards, saying stronger
policies and a favourable external
environment supported a nascent economic
recovery during the 2009-10 period.
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth
accelerated from 6% in 2009 to 9%
in 2010 before settling at 7.5% last year.
Inflation dramatically fell from
multiple billion percentage points to the
current 4% level.
However, economic growth started from a low base and
was concentrated on
primary commodity sectors in mining and agriculture,
both of which are
sensitive to exogenous shocks.
Structural
impediments weighed heavily on manufacturing and utilities, which
used to be
the drivers of growth and employment creation.
The humanitarian situation
improved. Burgeoning economic recovery, good
harvests, donor off-budget
support and increased provision of government
services halted the
deterioration of human development indicators.
But the IMF expressed
grave concerns about some economic indicators,
including the current account
deficit, which was 23% of GDP in 2010, and was
financed in part by
short-term capital flows, and the country's usable
international reserves,
which amounted to 0.4 months of imports.
It also raised alarm over
Zimbabwe's debt, with a large and unsustainable
external debt stock (118% of
GDP at end-2010), the bulk of which is in
arrears (80% of GDP). The debt has
since worsened and now stands at
$9-billion, 103% of GDP.
The IMF was
also concerned about financial sector vulnerabilities and the
current
liquidity crisis, the unsustainably high wage bill, ghost workers,
indigenisation and an inefficient composition of expenditure, intensifying
vulnerabilities in the financial system.
While Zimbabwe expects a 9%
growth this year, the IMF said this week growth
would be 4.7%.
In its
World Economic Outlook, (WEO) the IMF also anticipated increased GDP
growth
for 2013 to 6.3%, before a slowdown in 2017 to 3.6%.
In January, the IMF
had initially forecast 3.5% growth for 2012.
The IMF said the economic
growth in sub-Saharan Africa would be driven by
high commodity prices, while
South Africa will continue to stumble due to
its strong ties to
Europe.
Growth in the region, according to the WEO, will pick up by 5.4%
this year,
thanks to new mineral and oil production and the growth of export
markets
outside Europe.
South Africa, the continent's biggest
economy, will grow by a modest 2.7%
this year as it struggles with weaker
terms of trade and a decrease in
business confidence.
Zanu-PF
says no to draft constitution
http://www.timeslive.co.za
HARARE CORRESPONDENT | 22 April, 2012
00:17
Zanu-PF refuses to endorse the new draft constitution as it
contains clauses
that could disfavour the party, including the issue of
presidential term
limits.
The party, said to be prepared to launch a
no-vote campaign against the
draft, is also unhappy with the scrapping of
the posts of two
vice-presidents, the appointment of service chiefs by an
independent body
and the devolution of powers.
Sources at the
Committee of Parliament on the New Constitution (Copac) said
late last week
that it was taking too long for a decision to be made on
"minor"
issues.
The committee comprises negotiators from Zanu-PF and both
formations of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The draft
constitution seeks to bar anyone who has been president for more
than 10
years.
Mugabe has been at the helm for 32.
Zanu-PF spokesman
Rugare Gumbo said his party would not agree to a
constitution, which barred
Mugabe from standing in the elections.
Gumbo also revealed that Zanu-PF
would reject the draft if it contained a
clause scrapping the posts of two
vice-presidents.
"We have said that there is no way devolution will come
into play. We have a
central government and it must remain as such. Our
position on the
vice-presidents' posts is that we maintain the two VPs.
Appointment of the
security chiefs is done by the president," said
Gumbo.
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said that it was too late to
tinker with
the draft constitution, adding that the new constitution had
already been
done, with minor issues to be concluded by the management
committee.
"We have written the draft. Only four issues are left. These
will be decided
by the management committee," said Mwonzora.
He cited
these issues as citizenship, devolution, the death penalty and
land.
"The issue of the two VPs is minor and can be settled by giving
discretion
to the sitting president. But the MDC will appoint only one VP,"
said
Mwonzora.
Mwonzora said Zimbabweans had been very clear about
what they wanted and
political parties should respect the wishes of the
people.
He said people had indicated during outreach programmes that they
were in
favour of the devolution of powers.
"Negotiators should
concentrate on the structure of government. On the death
penalty, we should
be guided by international trends. The problem is that
there are some people
in Zanu-PF who do not want to make changes, which will
displease Mugabe,
even if they believe in them," he said.
Mwonzora said bringing SADC
facilitators into the process would be the
height of failure.
Tsvangirai:
Elections in March 2013
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
22/04/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he is pushing for
national elections
to be held in March 2013, setting the stage for what
could be a bitter
showdown with President Robert Mugabe.
The MDC-T
leader told a local weekly newspaper that although the process of
writing a
new constitution is still under way, elections will be possible
less than a
year from now.
"It's just not possible to hold elections this year, there is
no
constitution and no referendum has been held," he said.
"Elections
will be held at the outer limit; that is in March 2013 when the
current term
of the lawmakers would have constitutionally expired."
However, President
Robert Mugabe called for "violence-free" elections before
the year is
out.
Although Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF party passed a resolution in
December
calling for elections to be held in 2012, Tsvangirai stressed the
country is
not ready yet.
He however, said the constitution is coming
along, telling the newspaper,
"There is still a lot of work to be done and
we need to flatten the
political space that at present is dominated by Zanu
PF."
Showdown
looms over funding of crucial elections
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JAMA MAJOLA | 22 April, 2012
00:17
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai are
set to
collide over the funding of the next elections .
Mugabe is
going for broke to ensure elections are held this year, with or
without a
new constitution, while he is still relatively fit to campaign.
His bid
for another five-year term of office is becoming increasingly
precarious due
to a combination of growing infirmity, old age and
intensifying factionalism
in Zanu-PF, fuelled by succession battles.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti,
a key figure in Tsvangirai's MDC-T, said late
this week that he was not
going to fund the elections because there was no
money.
The minister
said if anyone forced him to do impractical things in his job,
he would
rather quit and go back to his law firm than comply.
Biti, who this week
said Mugabe belonged to an "old people's home or in a
wheelchair", is a
lawyer by profession.
The combative minister has been a thorn in the side
of Mugabe for years, but
his remarks this week could create an explosive
situation.
"We didn't budget for elections, so there is no money for
them.
"We can't even pay our civil servants," Biti told a meeting
organised by
Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council on
Thursday.
Tsvangirai is arguing with Mugabe, saying that while elections
should be
held as soon as possible they should only come after full
implementation of
the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the basis of the
unity government, and
an agreed elections roadmap.
The prime minister
said this week that elections should be peaceful and
credible.
"As we
brace for the next election, there must be peace in the land. We
should all
stand united against violence.
"The youth must refuse to be manipulated
and bribed for political gain.
"There must be security of the person,
security of the vote and security of
the people's will.
"This is the
true freedom our liberators fought for," he said on Wednesday.
Biti
warned in Washington that if the current opportunity for successful
elections was wasted, Zimbabwe would slide back to political violence and
instability, as well as economic chaos.
He said the international
community must not allow Mugabe to call for
elections
unilaterally.
Mugabe is demanding elections this year at all
costs.
He has ordered the constitution-making process to be fast-tracked
to meet
his election agenda.
The veteran leader has threatened that
if the constitution-making exercise
dragged on he would call for elections
unilaterally under the current
constitution.
That move would lead to
a showdown, not only with Tsvangirai and his party,
but also with the
Southern African Development Community and the African
Union, guarantors of
the GPA.
Responding to Mugabe's now near-hysterical demand for early
elections, Biti
had harsh words for the leader now plagued by infirmity and
old age.
"If you have a party that is placing its hopes on somebody who
is 88 years
old, I think there is something wrong with that.
"If you
are 88 years, you belong to an [old] people's home, you belong in a
wheelchair," the finance minister said.
"To place the fate of a
country to an 88-year-old, with great respect, is an
insult to present
generations. We need renewal in Zimbabwe," Biti said.
Biti's remarks and
refusal to fund elections are likely to fuel ongoing
power struggles between
Mugabe and Tsvangirai over elections and other
disputes.
Bitter
fight to replace Mugabe
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Written by Gift Phiri, Chief Writer
Sunday, 22
April 2012 11:08
HARARE - Zimbabwe is heading into a “highly
competitive and polarised”
election period amid continuing doubts about
President Mugabe’s health and
an increasingly bitter fight to succeed the
veteran ruler as party and state
president.
Both front-runners in
the in- ternal Zanu PF race to succeed Mugabe have
over the past week gone
into a tactical retreat, making public denials that
they have inten- tions
of challenging the 88-year- old as long as he is
alive.
But several
sources in Zanu PF say the internecine warfare has ac- tually
reached fever
pitch.
Both Joice Mujuru and Emm- erson Mnangagwa chose to issue the
denials in the
heartland of their support bases, Mnangagwa in the Midlands
city of Gweru
and Mu- juru in Mt Darwin.
“Handimbochichemera chigaro
chavo kana varipo. Tinozviziva kuti kune vakuru,
kuti kune order. Hatife
takapanduka isu vamwe nekuti takabikwa tikaibva (I
will never challenge for
the position as long as he is around),” Mujuru, a
former girl-guerilla
fighter, told villagers at Mt Darwin Secondary School
on Friday at an event
also attended by Mugabe.
Meanwhile, her arch-rival in the Zanu PF race,
Mnangagwa also headed off
claims by the Brit- ish Telegraph that the
88-year-old leader is expected
“to hand over power” to the Midlands
political guru or “godfather”.
Under the said plan, denied by Mnangagwa,
Mugabe would stand as a Zanu PF
candidate in elections likely this year or
in 2013 before giving Mnangagwa —
his trusted lieutenant — a run for
power.
Mugabe has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980
and has not
groomed a successor, leaving party members to tear each other
apart.
A new faction dubbed Genera- tion 40, comprising Young Turks has
come out
guns blazing, dis- missing other faction leaders as
“riff-raff”.
And that faction includes poli- ticians, senior civil
servants and generals,
and was said to be setting up parallel structures and
pushing for fresh
polls this year.
A Zanu PF central commit- tee
member said the forthcoming election will tell
whether the key features of
Mugabe’s 32 years in power, “persist and even
deepen or begin to
reverse”.
“There is the emerging Genera- tion 40 comprising ambitious
ele- ments such
as Jonathan (Moyo) and Tyson (Saviour Kasukuwere) which is
really coalescing
around the old man and is seriously con- cerned over the
emerging alliance
between the Mujuru faction and the MDC,” the central
committee member said.
“This is a dangerous faction which has the backing
of the army and is trying
to micromanage the President.”
The
“paranoid” cabal was said to be even “managing” speeches for the
President
at Defence House. Recently, in Bulawayo, Mugabe fumed over a
speech which he
al- leged was shoddily written.
Sources, however note that the hardliners
were edgy over Mu- juru’s close
connection with the MDC.
Saviour
Kasukuwere is part of Generation 40, which comprises Young Turks and
is
dismissing other faction leaders.
Another top Zanu PF official questioned
Mujuru’s take-over de- nial and its
timing.
He said she was trying to
assure Mugabe of her loyalty despite the rumours
of machinations on her part
to cut a post-Mugabe deal with the MDC.
A politburo member said Mu-
juru’s statement was actually “a declaration of
her own power and position
within the party”, against her real competitors
and knew that Mugabe will
run for the presidency in 2013 and her best bet to
stand any significant
chance in the post- Mugabe era is to remain in the up-
per echelons of the
party.
“For her to do that, she is des- perate for the President’s confi-
dence. As
we speak, Simba Makoni’s Mavambo project is being used as cannon
fodder to
discredit her,” said the politburo member. Like others spoken to,
he
declined to be named.
He said the VP knows her major adversary has
been slowly working his way up,
apparently, regaining President Mugabe’s
confidence.
Constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku said: “It is
legally wrong, but
politically pos- sible (for Mnangagwa to take over in the
event of Mugabe
leaving the scene) because in the current situ- ation it is
Parliament,
which has the power to choose a replacement when a president
resigns.
“So Mugabe can just campaign for Mnangagwa by telling the MPs to
vote for
him, but he can’t just hand over power (to him).”
Another
source said there was “solidification of the dominance of the
hard-line
faction” of the gener- als who believe in the continued ongoing
militarisation of Zimbabwean politics. This cabal is said to be led by the
Joint Operations Command and reportedly wants Mugabe to firmly entrench more
“insular liberation war cadres” of decision makers at the political system’s
core.
In the meantime, the Mujuru faction prefers a more reforming
Zanu PF.
An increasingly ailing Mugabe has now come to increasingly rely
on his
hard-line allies to preserve the status quo.
As reports of the
secret power deal come through, Mnangagwa has also lurched
into another po-
litical storm — from both Zanu PF and the MDC’s — for using
air- force
helicopters on frivolous trips.
About three weeks ago, he flew to Chivi
for a Watungwa Village graduation
party of his close ally Josiah Hungwe’s
daughter.
Although Mnangagwa consid- ers himself a frontrunner, others
see
considerable hurdles, given Mujuru’s respect among Zanu PF supporters
and
other neutrals. To- gether with her late husband Solo- mon, the “modest”
VP
is viewed as a “moderate.”
Analysts not only view Mnangagwa’s use
of state resourc- es as a symbolic
show of anointing and proximity to power,
but that he is a top contender for
the job of Zimbabwean
president.
John Makumbe, a University of Zimbabwe lecturer who has de-
clared
intentions to run on an MDC ticket, said even though Mnangag- wa was
to be
given the baton, the man was so unpopular — even within Zanu PF — for
him to
shore up Zanu PF’s flagging fortunes.
“It is actually unwise
for Mugabe... because he cannot pull Zanu PF from the
current abyss. Mujuru
(Joice) can do a better job, in fact, she can give
Tsvangirai a better run
for his money,” he said.
“Mnangagwa is a shadow figure in his party just
like Kasukuwere (Saviour)
who is not publicly at- tractive and has no
national ap- peal,” Makumbe
added.
Air
Zimbabwe Owes Workers $ 40 Million
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, April 22, 2012 - Air
Zimbabwe has so far failed to pay its workers
close to $ 40 million in
salaries arrears.
The struggling airline owes its workers a staggering
$35, 415, 731.80at the
end of last year.
The figure is rising fast
and might now be around $40 million when the 2012
dues are factored into the
picture. The workers have gone for four months
without pay.
Air
Zimbabwe has about 1000 employees on its books.
A summary of January
2009-December 2011 salary arrears lodged before the
High Court by the
workers as part of their application to have the
struggling airline put
under judicial management shows that Air Zimbabwe owe
all of its workers
varying amounts of money.
According to the summary of worker’s debts -
pilots are owed $3, 043,
406.28, engineers $7,266, 293.28, general staff $
5,161,559.10, executives $
448, 029.40, workers pension contributions $
4,361, 668.12, NSSA
contributions $ 403, 184.78, PAYE $14, 180,411.66,
ZIMDEF contributions $
551, 179.11.
Air Zimbabwe also owes its
workers most of whom are no longer going to work
approximately $ 60 000 in
union dues and subscriptions. This is the money
that the airline deducted
from worker’s salaries but failed to forward the
money to the union in terms
of a standing collective bargaining agreement.
In addition the
respondents have failed to pay all their statutory
obligations to the
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA).
The workers allege that Air Zimbabwe
lacks a proper governance structure
saying the company’s board of directors
is “moribund and a mere stooge.”
“This is regardless of the fact that
things have not been well at the
company, workers are not being paid.
Apparently the employer is not keen to
run his business. The respondents’
board of directors has abdicated all
sense of responsibility in running the
affairs of the company and the
respondents’ bankruptcy has hit rock bottom,”
the workers said in their
application to the High Court.
In addition
the workers said," the company directors are mere window
dressing figures of
the sinking titanic who have woefully failed to avert
the crisis haunting
the respondents. How can a company run without active
and functional
directors who meet regularly to find ways to enhance their
organisations?”
“There has been no meaningful works council meetings
convened since January
2009. As such the workers do not know whether the
respondents books of
accounts have been audited or not. To make matters
worse, the respondents
have literally paralysed the national employment
council for the air
transport industry by cannibalising some of its members
and demonstrating
utter disdain of its structures,” the workers
said.
While arguing that the company should be put under judicial
management, the
workers said the company has become so cash strapped that
management seem to
have given up.
“The companies have many other non
–employee creditors such that credit
worthiness has been damaged and all
their business partners demand cash up
front. Recently one of the
respondents’ aeroplanes was attached at an
overseas airport as a result of
an unpaid debt,” the workers said.
“Failure to pay salaries and union
subscriptions is manifest evidence of
mismanagement. If they were prudently
run, the respondents could generate a
lot of income from both domestic and
international flights.”
The workers say unless the respondents are placed
under provisional judicial
management they will remain financially
hamstrung.
“Given their asset base and the fact that the market is still
available, it
is submitted that if placed under provisional judicial
management they will
be able to pay their debts,” the workers concluded.
Air
Zim eyes planes from Brazil
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Hendricks Chizhanje | 22 April, 2012
00:17
Air Zimbabwe is to explore the viability of leasing aircraft from
Brazilian
manufacturer, Embraer, one of the largest aircraft manufacturers
in the
world.
The engagement follows a recent report in the Sunday
Times disclosing that
Transport, Communications and Infrastructural
Development Minister Nicholas
Goche and Finance Minister Tendai Biti
recently visited Brazil to consider
purchasing or leasing aircraft from
Embraer.
Insiders at the troubled national airline told the Sunday Times
that
officials from Goche's ministry had requested Air Zimbabwe management
to
validate the leasing of Embraer ERJ 145 or ERJ 190 jets from the
company.
"Management was asked to prepare a paper to justify the leasing
of the
Embraer jets following the Brazilian trip by the ministers of
transport and
finance," said one insider.
Goche is leading efforts to
revive the fortunes of Air Zimbabwe, which
suspended domestic, regional and
international flights in January and is
eying a comeback in May.
Corrupt GMB
Officials Blocking Grain Loan Programme: Minister Moyo
http://www.radiovop.com
Bulawayo,
April 22, 2012---Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Seiso Moyo said
some
corrupt Grain Marketing Board (GMB) officials have become a stumbling
block
in the distribution of maize grain to starving villagers countrywide
under
the Grain Loan- Scheme.
Speaking to Radio VOP in Bulawayo on Saturday,
Moyo who also an MDC-T member
admitted that GMB has been rocked by
corruption and that has been derailing
the distribution of maize grain to
areas face deficits this year.
“There have been some reports of some
corrupt officials with the GMB
diverting maize grain meant for people facing
starvation. We are
investigating it as the Ministry. But what I want to say
to those people
failing to access grain from GMB under the grain loan scheme
is that, they
should report this to their local councillors , Members of
Parliament or
members of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee
(JOMIC) who
will help them,” said Moyo
Moyo added: “We want everybody
who failed to get a good harvest this year
to receive maize grain under this
government programme. The maize should not
also be distributed according to
political party lines.”
Last month the government announced that it has
extended the grain loan
scheme to March next year to cushion villagers whose
crops were wiped off by
a dry spell during this cropping season. Under the
scheme, all several
households facing food deficits will get maize from
state owned GMB.
Provinces that are facing food shortages include parts of
Manicaland,
Masvingo, Matabeleland South and North and some parts of
Midlands.
According to the final crop assessment by the government, this
past farming
season 1 600 000hectares of the maize crop was planted but
because of lack
of rain, 500 000hectares is a write off.
This leaves
the country with only 1 100 000 million hectares of the planted
maize crop
against the national grain requirement stands at two million
tonnes of maize
per annum.
The World Food Program (WFP) indicated that more than one
million
Zimbabweans are said to be in need of food aid between now and March
2012
following the continuous dry spell that has been affecting the national
produce.
Teachers
slam schools for increasing fees
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Written by Chengetai Zvauya, Senior
Writer
Sunday, 22 April 2012 12:04
HARARE - Teachers’
representative unions have blasted government schools for
the unilateral
increase in school fees saying the increments are not
justified.
Many
government schools have increased tuition fees for the coming term
which
begins on May 8.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary
general Raymond
Majongwe said his organisation does not support the latest
fees hike as it
will bring an unnecessary burden on parents.
“We do
not support the process that will continue to cause more confusion as
the
children go back to school.
The problem is that salaries of the parents
have not improved and the basic
commodities like clothes, food have remained
stable,” said Majongwe.
“There is nobody who should be allowed to
increase the fees. Cabinet and
the ministry of education and the parents
should put their feet on the
ground and not allow this madness to continue
whereby every term, the school
fees are increased,” said
Majongwe.
Government has not yet announced the new increase in the
fees.
The schools are however increasing the fees without the approval of
government.
Some government schools like Borrowdale Primary School
raised their fees
from $200 per term to $250 while Marondera High School
increased fees from
$460 to $570.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association
(Zimta) chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu
said any increase in school
fees should be done with the approval of
government.
“If there is no
agreement between government and schools the increments
should be stopped.
We have professional headmasters and they should not
increase these fees and
we do not want to have a situation where we wake up
and just learn that the
fees have been increased; this will cause confusion
in the education
sector," said Ndlovu.
Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture
David Coltart was not
available to comment yesterday as he was said to be
out of the country.
SA
newspaper talks tough
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Written by Sharon Muguwu, Staff Writer
Sunday, 22
April 2012 12:06
HARARE - Facing a ban from a regime that loves
wielding the axe, one of
South Africa’s biggest media houses has decided to
take Zimbabwe strongman
President Robert Mugabe, head on.
Avusa
Media, whose title, The Sunday Times circulates widely in Zimbabwe and
has a
local edition says it will not register with the regulatory authority
here
as demanded by government.
Officials from the Zimbabwe Media Commission
(ZMC) have demanded that all
foreign newspapers whose coverage has a major
focus on Zimbabwe register to
be allowed to circulate.
Editor of The
Sunday Times’ Zimbabwean edition, Susan Smuts said the demand
for the paper
to register with ZMC was impractical.
“We sat down, discussed this and
decided not to register,” she told
Zimbabwean reporters visiting South
Africa on a United States sponsored
mentorship programme for female
journalists.
“We do not have an office there (Zimbabwe) and we are a
foreign publication
like Fair lady and any other publication that gets
imported into Zimbabwe,”
she said.
Smuts questioned ZMC’s motives,
suggesting that the authorities wanted to
use the registration requirement
to fish out the newspaper’s Zimbabwean
correspondents.
“We do not
have any permanent staff or structure in Zimbabwe and in order to
register
we have to set up an office there.
And it is not something that is really
practical for us. I think it is the
wrong financial climate."
“At the
moment we do not have an office hence no intention to register
there. We are
a distributor and we pay what we are supposed to pay according
to the law.
What the authorities are trying to do to is to find out who our
freelancers
are,” she said.
It is a big risk the newspaper is taking, given
Zimbabwe’s known hostility
towards foreign media.
Godfrey Majonga,
the ZMC chairperson, has previously said the regulatory
body will use police
to stop the distribution of foreign newspapers that
refuse to comply with
the registration requirement.
But Smuts said Avusa had already notified
ZMC of its intention to defy the
requirement.
“We did seek legal
advice from attorneys in Harare and they have written to
the commission
explaining that we are not sure that we have to register and
we have heard
nothing from them. We wrote to them again, telling them again
that this is
our response but they have not said anything yet."
“When they reply I
think we will take it from there. It is a legal battle
not anything else. It
is not very clear what is happening there but we would
not want to be in a
position where we are caught in the middle of
something,” she
said.
Smuts said The Sunday Times, Zimbabwean edition was established to
plug an
information void in the country.
At least half a dozen
newspapers, including the Daily News and the Daily
News on Sunday, were
forced to shut down under the harsh Access to
Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (Aippa).
“Zimbabweans seem to occupy a bigger part in South
Africa more than our
other neighbours. I think they are part of the big
market. And also when we
started the Daily News had not re-launched so we
felt that there was a gap
in the market. It also increased our readership
market and also makes
commercial sense,” said Smuts.
ZMC says titles
such as The Sunday Times should register for accountability
purposes.
One
dies, 28 injured in bus accident
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Written by Farayi Machamire, Sports
Writer
Sunday, 22 April 2012 12:10
HARARE - One person died and 28
others were left injured when a bus carrying
47 passengers was hit by a
train at a railway crossing in Kadoma.
This comes a day after a fatal
crash in Dzivarasekwa, Harare and five days
after 21 people perished in a
horrific accident near Ngundu along the
Harare-Beitbridge
highway.
Both accidents involved buses. In Kadoma yesterday, the bus
belonging to
Eagle Liner Bus Services was hit by the train between Kadoma
Hotel and
Conference Centre and the Dairiboard complex.
It was on its
way to Bulawayo.
Traffic evaluators were still battling to establish the
cause of the
accident yesterday but Inspector Blessmore Chisaka, officer-in-
charge of
Press and Public Relations confirmed that they would have a full
statement
today.
“The driver stopped in accordance with the laws of
the road but he took off
before the train had passed,” Chisaka told the
Daily News on Sunday
yesterday. Whether the train had hooted or the driver
was somehow distracted
and unexpectedly crossed in the hope of beating the
train is yet to be
established,” Chisaka added.
“We are yet to
establish the cause of the accident because the train hit the
rear part of
the bus and the result was the injury of 28 people whilst one
person died on
the way to Kadoma General Hospital.”
“We will only have a full statement
tomorrow (today) after the traffic
valuators find out what the cause of the
problem was.”
Tinashe Sama who was on board but somehow survived
unharmed narrated to the
Daily News on Sunday what he
witnessed.
“There was confusion in the bus as people were arguing about
the songs that
were being played on the radio, yes we stopped at the
crossing but that’s
the only thing I remember.”
Smart Chimutali, who
said he witnessed the fatal accident as he was walking
close by said the
driver showed negligence by trying to beat the train.
“You can’t beat a
train at a railway crossing,” Chimutali said. “The train
hooted to warn the
bus to stop and the driver complied by stopping,” he
added. “But somehow I
just saw the bus taking off suddenly before the train
had passed and that
resulted in the train smashing into the bus.”
On Monday last week, a
Beitbridge-bound MegaLink bus veered off the road and
rammed into a tree at
the 92-kilometre peg along the Masvingo–Beitbridge
highway, instantly
killing 20 people on the spot, including the driver and
conductor, while one
died on admission at Neshuro Hospital.
Police said 45 were injured, 17 of
them seriously.
The bus was travelling from Harare to Beitbridge when the
driver failed to
negotiate a curve just after Ngundu Growth Point and veered
off the road
around 2am.
It had 66 passengers on-board.
'I'm
Zanu's saviour'
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 22 April, 2012 00:17
Saviour
Kasukuwere, the country's firebrand Youth Development,
Indigenisation and
Empowerment Minister, has vowed to intensify the
indigenisation
programme.
He also said the programme was giving President Robert
Mugabe's beleaguered
Zanu-PF party much-needed political mileage in the
looming election.
In an interview with the Sunday Times at his Mukwati
office in Harare,
Kasukuwere said it would be foolhardy for Zanu-PF not to
use the
indigenisation programme to win votes. "We have changed the country
forever
with the indigenisation programme. Which political party wouldn't
harness
such a programme to push for votes? I am not ashamed of that,
because
indigenisation is the view of my party and it will be a determining
force in
the next election.
"How is it possible that the people would
reject [come election time] a
party that empowers them?"
A raft of
statements made by Kasukuwere in the past two weeks has had the
effect of
stoking more fear among already jittery foreign investors in the
country.
First, Kasukuwere announced that the government had unilaterally
taken over
a 51% controlling stake in all foreign-owned mines that had not
fulfilled
the requirements of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment
Act.
The announcement was followed this week with media reports
quoting
Kasukuwere saying he was "pretty certain" to wrap up empowerment
transactions entered into with Zimplats and Anglo Platinum by the end of
this month. In March, SA's Implats, which owns 87% of Zimplats, was caught
up in a bitter wrangle to cede a 51% stake to locals.
He has,
however, maintained that he would not pay anything for the Zimplats
stake,
which economists value at about $600-million.
His overbearing stance,
political observers say, has been emboldened by his
rising political star,
which is fuelled by the indigenisation programme.
What of rumours that he
is a contender to succeed Mugabe? At 41,Kasukuwere
is the youngest Zanu-PF
minister. He ruled out any succession ambitions and
said his focus was to
work with young people. He said that was what excited
him and caused him to
have sleepless nights.
WikiLeaks disclosures in 2010 placed Kasukuwere as
a frontrunner of the
"Young Turks" and "Generation 40" - a cabal of young
leaders in Zanu-PF.
"All this succession talk is nonsense, the focus must be
to work with
people," he said.
"I have been given a mandate by
President Mugabe to empower the people. I
won't waste my energy and time
being caught up in succession chatter. It's
all just crazy."
Earlier
this week, he told a Reuters Africa Investment Conference in
Johannesburg
that he was quite happy to serve in his capacity as a minister
and "I do not
have an ambition to go beyond my call of duty right now".
Kasukuwere has
not only clashed with foreign-owned mines, which he has
repeatedly accused
of dragging their feet to avoid adhering to the
indigenisation laws, but
sharp rhetoric and clashes have also been exchanged
with Tendai Biti, the
finance minister and Gideon Gono, the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe governor -
over hi s next target for indigenisation - the banking
sector.
Kasukuwere insisted this week that his recent public spats
with Biti and
Gono stemmed from the "misinterpretation" of the law by his
peers in
government.
"The problem is that people are personalising
issues. This is not about
personal ego and ambition and must never be
allowed to be. It's not about
what Kasukuwere wants, but about respecting
the country's laws and doing
what is right.
"Barclays and Standard
Chartered Bank have already submitted themselves to
the indigenisation
programme. How would they have done so if they [Barclays
and Standard
Chartered] felt they were exempt from the process, as some
certain quarters
have claimed?" he said.
Zimbabwean Activists Protest From
Outside
April 21, 2012
Photo: VOA - N. Colombant
Zimbabwean opposition activists in the United States
chose the South African embassy in Washington as the target of their latest
protest demanding reforms in their home country.
Opposition
activists in the Zimbabwean diaspora are pursuing a year-long worldwide protest
movement demanding reforms that have already been agreed to, but have yet to be
implemented. Saturday's demonstration came just a few days after Zimbabwe
celebrated 32 years of independence with President Robert Mugabe in power the
entire time.
Protesters sang opposition songs and beat drums outside the
South African embassy in Washington on a warm spring day.
They called for
the full implementation of a power-sharing deal reached in 2008. The so-called
Global Political Agreement, or GPA, did help set up a national unity government,
but has yet to bring about promised changes in many areas, including media,
security, political and election reforms.
Protest organizer Den Moyo,
from the Movement for Democratic Change-USA, had a direct message for South
African President Jacob Zuma, the main mediator. "We are saying Mr. Zuma, we do
not have time. You have asked us to be patient but it has been four years since
the GPA has been signed. Let me remind you Mr. Zuma it has been 32 years that
our people have been suffering, have been tormented, have been killed, have been
murdered, have been maimed, and we are saying we have run out of patience.
Patience is no longer with us," he said.
This week, a spokeswoman for
Mr. Zuma promised that Mr. Zuma would go to Zimbabwe's capital Harare
soon.
Protesters also called for the estimated five million Zimbabweans
living outside the country the right to vote in upcoming elections, even though
they said they doubted they would get this opportunity.
A Zimbabwean
living in the southern U.S. state of Florida, Chris Kwangwari, said that would
make it impossible for President Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to win elections.
"Most of the youngsters here they understand what freedom means. They understand
what choice is and the people back home are not very open to new ideas and
change so the diaspora is definitely a threat to them," he said.
Many of
the protesters travelled from across the United States to celebrate Zimbabwe's
independence together.
But for Maggie Bonda, who came from Dallas, Texas,
celebrations are bittersweet. "I am in solidarity with my brothers and sisters
to demonstrate against what we see as an endless road to nothing. We need
independence, real independence in Zimbabwe," she said.
Zimbabwean
protesters in major capitals around the world have been holding demonstrations
every 21st of every month this year, hoping these will help make the yet to be
scheduled upcoming elections free and fair. While many of the protesters said
they wanted to return to Zimbabwe one day, they said if they held similar
protests in their home country they could be beaten, jailed or even killed.
Mr. Mugabe says he needs to stay in power to continue correcting the
wrongs that still need to be overcome from the time of what was then white
minority rule in Rhodesia. Previous elections have been marred by violence,
fraud, intimidation and opposition boycotts.
Vigil presents petition – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 21st April 2012
1. Khuluza and Emma Mlotshwa on
their wedding day 2. Outside South Africa
House
3. The Vigil
Petition 4. Outside 10
Downing Street
The Vigil joined with the MDC
Diaspora to mark Independence Day by calling on South Africa to pressure Mugabe
to honour the GPA and to appeal to the United Nations to supervise the coming
elections.
The day began auspiciously with the
arrival at the Vigil of an historic red double-decker ‘Routemaster’ bus carrying
Vigil supporter Khuluza Mlotshwa and his bride Emma, together with the bridal
party. Khuluza had promised he would join us even on his big day. The bus had a
banner on the front: ‘Zimbabwe colonised by Britain, Destroyed by
Mugabe.’
After gathering forces at the Vigil
about 200 people moved on to the nearby South African High Commission in
Trafalgar Square to continue the MDC Diaspora’s campaign to get President Zuma
to call Mugabe to account. A sample of the posters: Mugabe must go now, Zuma
stop Mugabe B4 it’s too late, Zuma wake-up call, MDC wants free and fair
elections, Stop looting Marange diamonds, Follow SADC road map to democracy, and
No more violent elections.
People then
moved on to Whitehall to present the Vigil’s petition to the British Prime
Minister, David Cameron, at his official residence. The petition reads
‘We call on the
Security Council to ensure that the next elections in Zimbabwe are free and
fair. We look to the United Nations to supervise the electoral process and the
handover of power to a new government and believe peace-keeping troops will need
to be in place before, during and after the polling.’
Five delegates from
the Vigil were allowed into Downing Street to hand over the petition to an
official. They were: Louisa Musaerenge, Mary Muteyerwa, Kelvin Kamupira,
Wellington Muringai and Rose Benton.
The Vigil is grateful
to Jonathan Kariwoh, Sue Toft, Margaret Dlamini (from the Swazi Vigil) and
others who remained behind to maintain the Vigil while all the exciting things
were happening elsewhere.
Other
points
·
A Zimbabwean Darryl
Smith visited us and paid respect to the memory of a former colleague who had
worked with him at ZESA Kariba, who was listed among the victims on our ‘Mugabe
wanted for Murder’ poster.
·
It was also good to
have with us the respected rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
·
We are sorry to
report that, despite our campaign for him, David Moyo has been sent back to
Zimbabwe. His mother Angela will keep us informed of what happens to him. There
is better news on Nancy Makawa. She is no longer facing immediate deportation
and her solicitor is applying for her to be released from detention.
·
The Vigil notices
that Tendai Biti has been in Washington looking for Western financial aid and
complaining of sanctions. We wonder whether he has ever thought of an
alternative: how about indigenising the diamond mines? Or asking for a loan
from Mines Minister Mpofu?
· The Chickenshed
Theatre is putting on a second run of ‘The Rain that Washes’. A group from the
Vigil went last year and found it excellent. It is a one-man show
based on a true story. “Following the
dream of majority rule, one man sees Ian Smith's Rhodesia become Robert Mugabe's
Zimbabwe. From refugee camps in Botswana to air strikes in Zambia via Marxism in
Bulgaria, he returns to Zimbabwe, only to witness the greatest betrayal of all .
. .” See ‘Events and Notices’ for further details.
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: 148 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
ROHR
Leicester Meeting. Saturday
28th April from 1.30 – 4 pm. Venue: ‘The Homemade Hamburger’,
Highcross, Leicester. This is near the Showcase Cinema. This meeting will be
attended by members of the National Executive.
· Taking Transitional Justice
to the Diaspora. Monday 30th April from 5 – 6 pm. Venue: Chatham
House, 10 St James’s
Square, London SW1Y 4LE. Participants: Moses Mzila Ndlovu, Co-Chair of
the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, and Primrose
Matambanadzo, Chair of Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/182736).
·
‘The Rain that
Washes’ – Zimbabwean theatre production. From 2nd –
19th May at 7.30 pm –
matinees 10th May at 1 pm and 19th May at 3.30 pm. Venue:
Studio Theatre, Chickenshed Theatre, Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE.
Running time: 60 minutes. Tickets £8 (£6). To book,
call 020 8292 9222, email bookings@chickenshed.org.uk
or book
online at www.chickenshed.org.uk.
Chickenshed
is between Oakwood and Cockfosters tube stations, and on bus routes 298, 299,
307 and N91. Free parking is also available.
·
Next Swaziland
Vigil. Saturday
5th May from 10 am – 1 pm. Venue: Swazi High Commission, 20
Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB. Please support our Swazi friends. Nearest
stations: St James’s Park and Victoria. www.swazilandvigil.co.uk.
·
Zimbabwe Action
Forum. Saturday
5th May from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first
floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. Directions: 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.
·
Two Gentlemen of
Verona Shona Production at the Globe
Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. Dates /
Times: Wednesday 9
May, 2.30pm. Thursday 10 May, 7.30pm. Tickets available from 020 7401 9919 and
www.shakespearesglobe.com. A
two-man Zimbabwean riot of love, friendship and betrayal. From Verona to Milan,
via Harare and Bulawayo, two great friends, Valentine and Proteus, vie for the
love of the same woman. In a triumphantly energetic ‘township’ style, Denton
Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu slip into all of the play’s fifteen characters –
from amorous suitors to sullen daughters, depressed servants and even a dog – in
this new, specially commissioned translation.
·
Zimbabwe Vigil
Highlights 2011 can be viewed on this
link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/363-vigil-highlights-2011.
Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2011 Highlights
page.
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation 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.
·
ZBN
News. The Vigil
management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The Zim Vigil
band
(Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our
Vigil)’ to raise awareness through music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the
video check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com. To watch
other Zim Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
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
Asiagate
probe clears 30 players
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
22/04/2012 00:00:00
by Sports
Reporter
THE Justice Ahmed Ibrahim independent committee has cleared
30 players
alleged to have been involved in match fixing during exhibition
with the
national side after failing to find evidence against
them.
The committee would not reveal the names of the players during a
press
conference Sunday before reporting to the Zimbabwe Football
Association by
Wednesday.
Ibrahim said their investigations had
failed to gather any evidence against
the players and resolved to exonerate
them.
"We have exonerated at least 30 players from the match fixing
scandal
because we could not gather evidence against them. We will be
presenting the
names of these players to ZIFA by Wednesday,” he
said.
The committee chair however, said their investigations into the
scandal were
still far from being completed adding it was also a very
expensive exercise
which needed a lot of time.
"It's a costly
exercise that requires a lot of time. We have experienced
members in this
committee but this exercise can not be completed over
night,” he
said.
The probe is also being pegged back by players not responding to
calls to
come for interviews, particularly those playing in South
Africa.
Justice Ibrahim said they were still to speak to at least 15
players who are
in South Africa adding the committee had resolved to
interview them after
their football season ends.
Over 100 players and
officials were suspended from national duty by Zifa
including following a
long-standing investigation into match-fixing.
Notable senior national
team players who have been banned until further
notice include Method
Mwanjali, Daniel Vheremu, Benjamin Marere, Thomas
Sweswe, Nyasha Mushekwi,
Khama Billiat, and Ovidy Karuru
The
unlikely climate change ambassadors
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
SIMPLICIUS CHIRINDA | 22 April, 2012
00:17
For Talent Mabika, collecting trash is part of his life. At first
he was so
ashamed of this job that he always left home under the cover of
darkness and
returned after sunset, with bags of plastic
bottles.
Mabika describes himself as a wanderer: "I just walk around town
picking up
empty plastic bottles. Now I am no longer ashamed because it's
giving me
enough money to look after my family."
Mabika, a father of
three, is one of a multitude of Zimbabweans who have
emerged as unlikely
climate change ambassadors.
"We were just doing this for the money when
we started, and were wondering
why people were interested in buying plastic
bottles and cardboard boxes
until we were told what happens once the plastic
is bought from us."
The plastic is recycled and used in the packaging of
juices, peanut butter,
cooking oil, vehicle oil and engine
cleaners.
Mabika and his colleagues started by collecting plastic bottles
and
companies started paying more for their plastic.
The companies
reduced packaging costs by recycling the plastic.
Mabika is now teaching
households in parts of Harare about environmental
awareness. The more people
embrace his idea, the easier his job becomes and
the more money he
earns.
"I ask them to separate plastic bottles from the waste that they
put in
their rubbish bins. At first they were hostile to the idea but with
time
when they got familiar with me and understood why I was asking them to
do
it, it became easy," said Mabika who targets flats in Harare's city
centre
and nearby Eastlea.
He has since befriendedhousemaids who help
him collect the plastic bottles.
Caretakers are also helping to spread the
word.
"They help me a lot and that makes my job easy," said Mabika as he
pointed
to a notice encouraging residents to separate plastic from the rest
of their
waste.
He said it was not always easy to explain things, but
he was slowly building
a network of environmentally conscious
households.
He tells them that while they are helping him to feed his
family the
benefits are mutual as they help preserve the environment as
well.
At St Tropez Flats in Eastlea, housemaids Idah Ndadziyira and
Tatenda
Munjoma are now reliable friends in this business.
"I have
heard about climate change but did not know what it was about. In
fact I
thought it can only happen in other countries and not in Zimbabwe -
until
the plastic collectors educated me about it," said Ndadziyira.
"I now
understand that things like cutting down trees can cause climate
change and
affect the rainfall patterns, so I am sharing the information
with other
people."
Munjoma said: "They collect two- and five-litre plastic bottles
and they ask
us to separate the plastic waste and other waste. Sometimes
they rummage
through the bins in search of the plastics ."
Zvaremwa
Nyamasoka, the St Tropez Flats caretaker, said he put up the
notices to
spread environment messages.
Many Zimbabweans are not aware of climate
change issues because the country
has no policy on it. The country is in the
process of formulating one with
the Climate Change Development Knowledge
Network, which brings together
Ministry of Environment officials and climate
change experts.
Washington Zhakata, the national climate change
coordinator in the ministry,
recently told the local media that the country
needed to do more to educate
locals about climate change issues at household
level.
"People need to be trained on climate change issues, starting with
simple
issues, such as recycling at home," Zhakata said.
The rubbish
collectors take their loot to the Mbare Musika trash market for
sale. A
kilogram of plastic trash collected earns anything between $7 and
$10.
Apart from making money for the trash collectors, the market is
growing into
an industry which is helping to change lives.
The house that
Bob built?
http://www.iol.co.za/
April 22 2012 at 01:41pm
By MATTHEW
SAVIDES
It might not belong to Robert Mugabe, but the
controversial
multimillion-rand property on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast
could very well
belong to one of his allies – a diamond-dealing Zimbabwean
who shares the
same first name.
It is believed the property may
belong to Robert Mhlanga, a former Air
Vice-Marshal and apparently once
Mugabe’s personal pilot. Mhlanga was a
prosecution witness in the 2003
treason trial of MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Rumours that it was
Mugabe’s house resurfaced last week.
A nearby property owner, who asked
not to be named, confirmed that the owner
was Zimbabwean. He said the man
was “pleasant” but “very private”.
He knew that “Dr Mhlanga” made his
money through dealing in commodities. He
had lived there for about eight
months. This tallied with information
provided by others in
Ballito.
It appears Mhlanga has the money to fund the massive
development, estimated
to be worth R200 million to R300m. He is chairman of
Mbada Diamonds, a
Zimbabwe-based company that was awarded mining rights at
Chiadzwa by Mugabe’s
government. It has been reported that first lady Grace
Mugabe had a
substantial interest in Mbada and had met Mhlanga several
times.
Mhlanga has interests in an SA firm, Liparm Construction, whose
website
indicates it is involved in commodities including
diamonds.
It has been previously reported that a study released by
British watchdog
NGO Global Witness raised concerns about diamond mining in
Zimbabwe. It
named Mbada Diamonds as one of the companies it was concerned
about.
The grounds of the house are bordered to the south by the luxury
Zimbali
Estate and to the north by the old Pottery Gallery and Hilltop
Estate. The
property starts just 100m from the M4, but security is tight. A
large fence
circles the entire piece of land, and the entrance is guarded
around the
clock. A thick barrier of trees makes it impossible to see
inside.
Aerial pictures show a main house that fronts on to a swimming
pool and a
man-made lake, with views of a second man-made lake and the sea.
There is
construction on the first lake, but it’s unclear what it might be.
Towards
the sea, at the second lake, another big building is going up,
smaller than
the main house.
Sister newspaper the Sunday Tribune
contacted former owner Martin Sherwood,
the main contractor on the
developments, sub-contractors and property agents
in the area. All would not
speak or didn’t know who the owner was.
Sherwood said: “I can’t disclose
who the owners are. One of the conditions
of sale was that I sign a
confidentiality agreement.”
He said he could not confirm or deny the
rumours about ownership of the
land.
Stefannuti Stocks, the main
contractor on the project, would not comment.
Director Graham Carver said:
“I am not at liberty to divulge any information
at all. I don’t want to
discuss the project.”
He said a confidentiality agreement had been signed
and that the company won
the work on a private tender. At first he said he
would provide the name of
the developer, but later said he was not allowed
to do so.
A realtor said: “Nobody knows who it is. There is a huge amount
of
speculation.”
It was also rumoured that Hollywood stars Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie had
made the property one of their homes. - Sunday Argus