The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.

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Mail and Guardian

                  Minister 'deathly silent' on Zim conservation problems

                  Cape Town, South Africa

                  25 April 2005 01:00

                        Reports that up to nine elephants in Zimbabwe were
killed and used as meat for Zimbabwe's recent independence celebrations
should serve as a wake-up call to Minister of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, says the South African official opposition
Democratic Alliance.

                        DA MP Gareth Morgan said that "despite repeated
calls" for the minister to speak up about the state of conservation in
Zimbabwe, "particularly those areas that are due to be integrated with the
Kruger National Park to form the Great Limpopo National Park, he has
remained deathly silent and his own officials have said there is nothing to
worry about".

                        Morgan said the killing of these elephants, "four of
which are reported to have been killed by Zimbabwean National Parks Board
scouts, is not an isolated incident. Over the last five years, Zimbabwe's
national parks have been decimated by poaching."

                        He said in Gonarezhou National Park, due to form
part of the transfrontier park, "there are reports that there are now more
cattle in the park than wild animals, due to the destruction of fences".

                        "Private conservancies around Gonarezhou are
reporting that Zanu-PF strongmen are frequently demanding that land owners
allow Zanu-PF supporters to hunt animals for food. Further, large portions
of these conservancies have been invaded by human settlers.

                        "On March 4 2005, I asked acting environmental
affairs director general, Pam Yako, whether her department had any concerns
about the future of our cross- border conservation initiatives with
Zimbabwe.

                        "She replied curtly that she personally did not have
any reservation about the ability of Zimbabwean officials to manage
conservation.

                        "In light of the killing of these elephants, she may
wish to reconsider her statement. I have already submitted a question to the
minister asking whether he agreed with the acting DG's opinion.

                        "Van Schalkwyk must ask himself whether he really
wants to do business with Zimbabwe at this time. The integration of
Zimbabwean conservation areas into the Kruger park will place South African
conservation at risk."

                        Morgan said: "Unfortunately, the minister will not
even speak about the issue. The minister has joined his comrades in becoming
a Zimbabwe denialist. His silent diplomacy with Zimbabwean officials, if
there is any diplomacy at all, is not dissimilar to the silent diplomacy of
the president [Thabo Mbeki].

                        "As minister of environmental affairs, Van Schalkwyk
is allowing himself to be treated as a junior minister. By doing so, he does
an injustice to our environment." -- I-Net Bridge
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Hi Everyone,
 
I wrote to most of you over a year ago, telling you about  a good Samaritan in Malelane(other side Nelspruit), who works tirelessly & selflessly for the Zim Pensioners' Support Fund. Several times a year Hannes Botha takes a truckload of supplies up to Zim. & the goodies get distributed to pensioners in centres all over the country. He struggles to source the stuff needed, & then the next hurdle is doing battle with the crooked officials at Beit Bridge in order to get the stuff thru'!! But he does it over & over again.
 
This is really SUCH a good cause, because SO many pensioners in Zim.(IN FACT  MOST OF THEM!) are destitute.......specially those whose families have left the country.....mistakenly believing that  pensions would take care of their aged parents. Most of these old folk are just too proud to ask far off relatives for help.   ALL our friends still living in Zim with surviving parents are now totally responsible for their parent's financial welfare.  But there are many unfortunate old people who haven't got a safety net.  A domestic worker in Zim now earns close to Z$1 million.....whilst most pensioners get only a few thousand dollars(some only a few hundred!!!)..because pensions just haven't kept pace with the rocketing cost of loving!!  And because of the unbelievable COL, & the fact that many of them lost their money invested in banks & finance houses which have crashed, the old age homes themselves are in dire financial straits! The 'state' gives absolutely no help at all, & with costs continuing to spiral out of control, most of these institutions now depend on private contributions.....so thank God for the ever generous Zimbabwean  private sector........however, the small remaining pool of faithful donators continues to shrink by the day!
 
Please give these Oldies a thought & contribute to Hannes Botha's worthy cause. He needs medical supplies, toiletries, non-perishable foods, blankets, clothes & jerseys etc etc etc. Cash contributions are also welcome, because Hannes can then simply buy whatever is in greatest demand. Please dig deep & help Hannes to help the pensioners....either in your private capacity or thru' your church or a community service. Phone him on 084-598 3221 or email him on bothah@tsb.co.za.  He leaves for Zim. on May 10th 2005, so time is of the essence.  If you make a cash donation(& every cent counts, no donation is too small!!!) send it to Zimbabwe Pensioners Fund, FNB, Malelane, Br code 270952, a/c nos 62058668230.  Please supply contact details so Hannes can get back to you.
 
Please pass this request on to anyone you think will help.
 
Thanking you in anticipation,
 
Colleen.
CORRECTION
Hi Everyone!
 
When I sent out the request for donations to Hannes Botha's worthy cause, I made an error with his cell nos...the correct nos is 084 5893221(got the 8 & 9 the wrong way around). Also....his land line is 013-7900934.
 
Sorry for the inconvenience.  Remember he leaves on his next trip on 10th  May...so don't delay.  The trip after that will be in August.
 
Thanks,
 
Colleen.
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IOL

Fuel shortage piles pressure on Zim
          April 25 2005 at 08:14PM

      By Stella Mapenzauswa

      Harare - Zimbabwe's fuel crisis worsened on Monday with most garages
in the capital Harare saying their supplies had run dry, adding to the
misery of erratic electricity and water supplies.

      The crisis-ridden southern African state has seen an upsurge in
commodity shortages since soon after March 31 parliamentary elections which
returned President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party to power amid opposition
cries of rigging.

      "We haven't had petrol here for days and the diesel delivery we had
over the weekend ran out within hours," said an attendant at a Harare garage
which gets its supplies from state oil importer NOCZIM.

       The government revoked NOCZIM's previous monopoly on imports a few
years ago, allowing a slew of mostly black-owned new companies to bring in
their own fuel, but these have been stymied by a persistent foreign currency
crunch.

      Residents in the second city of Bulawayo, host later this week to a
week-long international trade fair, also said they struggled for weeks to
fill up their car tanks.

      Zimbabwe has suffered erratic fuel supplies since 1999, when key
donors led by the International Monetary Fund withdrew support over policy
differences with the government.

      Critics say Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980,
has crippled a once-vibrant economy through skewed policy decisions
including the controversial seizure of white-owned commercial farms for
landless blacks, a programme they say has destroyed the mainstay agriculture
sector.

      Foreign cash inflows are a trickle as exporters struggle to stay in
business in a harsh climate, and analysts estimate that foreign exchange
auctions controlled by the central bank are only meeting about 8 percent of
importer demand.

      The foreign currency crisis has also affected electricity supplies, 35
percent of which state power utility ZESA has to import from neighbouring
countries.

      Last Friday ZESA said it was unable to access its electricity imports
from the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a transmission failure, and
that lack of spares for maintenance of some of its generators had also hit
supplies.

      Cash-strapped ZESA has struggled to import enough power from its
neighbours in past years, leading to frequent power cuts that have disrupted
industrial production.

      On Monday the private-owned Daily Mirror newspaper said Zimbabwe's
central city of Kadoma had experienced water supply problems in the past
week due to power cuts by Zesa.

      The paper quoted residents as saying they feared an outbreak of
disease as electricity-powered pumps failed to draw adequate water to the
town.

      Mugabe denies misruling the country over the past 25 years, arguing
the economy has fallen victim to domestic and foreign opponents of his farm
seizures.

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From The Guardian (UK), 25 April

The tourist trap

Tom de Castella on the risks of being an undercover reporter in Zimbabwe

At Linquenda House, Harare's gloomy immigration department, the official
inspecting my visa extension form asks me what I do. "I'm a wineseller," I
lie. "You're not a news seller?" he shoots back, his eyes watching me
mischievously. "What's that?" I say, trying to be innocent, but taken aback
by his apparent mind-reading. "A journalist," he answers. "Oh, no, I'm not
one of them" I say, trying to laugh. He chuckles and explains that "some of
your fellow countrymen are attempting to come in and make trouble," before
stamping my passport. That was in 2002, but on subsequent trips I have been
a birdwatcher, architect and cricket fan. Such is life for the "tourist" in
Zimbabwe, where lying to strangers and suspicion of others becomes second
nature. You know that you could be jailed for up to two years, but you are
also aware that unaccredited journalists caught by the authorities are
usually deported. But now, the trial of two Sunday Telegraph "tourists"
arrested at a polling station during last month's parliamentary election has
changed all that. It is true that Toby Harnden and Julian Simmonds were
acquitted of working without accreditation and are now safe in the UK. But
without a judge who insisted on proper standards of evidence - by no means
certain in Zimbabwe - they could have been spending the next two years in a
crowded, disease-ridden jail cell.

Since Zimbabwe's new media laws came in three years ago, the state has
sought to stop journalists from the BBC, and other news organisations it
terms "agents of imperialism", from entering the country. The British
media's answer has been to send in the "tourists" - an army of men and women
keen to see the elephants, visit Victoria Falls and, of course, write about
Mugabe. It is a peculiar existence, and one that looks increasingly
dangerous. I have spent three periods working in Zimbabwe without
accreditation. Each time you arrive you promise yourself that you will keep
risks to a minimum. There are the obvious steps. Keeping a pile of tourist
guides, birdwatching books and half written postcards about your person, not
talking to strangers about politics, not taking notes in public, ensuring
your emails are not being read over your shoulder, keeping phonecalls short
and discreet, and listening to the advice of locals you trust. But despite
one's good intentions, journalistic instincts are hard to suppress. Casual
questions become more focused, feigned ignorance disappears, your eyes light
up and before you know it, your notebook is out and you are scribbling away.
The bottom line is, if you are going to do the job properly you cannot avoid
taking risks. When deciding whether to interview people you constantly have
to ask yourself: "Do I trust this person?" Not in the traditional sense, but
on whether they will turn you in. It comes down to calculated risks.

A year after the murder of white farmer Terry Ford, I visited his farm to
see what had happened to it and the "war veterans" who had taken over there.
Local farmers warned me the killers were still there and did not welcome
visitors. My heart thumped as I introduced myself as an aid worker and
showed them a business card belonging to someone I had recently interviewed.
But the risk paid off - their desperation meant they wanted to believe me.
They were hungry, the farmhouse was an empty shell. I took notes and photos
but did not hang around when one of them tried to ring their "boss" for me
to interview. At the junction of the dirt track back to the main road I came
across a couple of police Land Rovers, apparently waiting for me. My blood
ran cold. "This is it," I thought, as I saw the box-shaped vehicles parked
at the side of the road. But they ignored me, I turned onto the Harare road,
and slowly my adrenaline levels returned to normal. There are many such
moments in Zimbabwe for the "tourist" hack. In the township of Kuwadzana
during the 2002 election I was followed by plain-clothes police. The most
malevolent-looking officer bade me farewell, succinctly: "If I see your face
again I will shoot you." It was probably just a threat, but in a place like
Kuwadzana, you do not hang around to find out. You can never totally relax
and constantly worry about being followed or whether your phone is tapped.
Ultimately you rely on the goodwill of most Zimbabweans and the incompetence
of Mugabe's police state. So why do we do it? If journalists take the famous
William Randolph Hearst maxim as their creed - "News is what someone does
not want you to print, the rest is just advertising" - then Zimbabwe is the
apotheosis of news. But after the Sunday Telegraph's close shave, it might
be only freelances who are willing to take the risk.
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Business Day

Posted to the web on: 25 April 2005
Plotting the decline of a tyrant
Tim Hughes

TYRANNY is rule by fear. The government of Zimbabwe is a tyranny. Tyrannies
lack legitimacy and popular consent, relying rather on the abuse of state
power to remain in office.

Insofar as the state has a virtual monopoly on the instruments and use of
force, this presents a potent weapon in the hands of a tyrant. Tyrannies
deftly and crudely manipulate the discourse and institutions of democracy
while simultaneously occluding its space.

Under tyrannies, sycophantic parliaments pass immoral legislation; jurists
preside over its application and the police enforce its adherence. For their
duration, tyrannies are in authority, but lack authority, particularly moral
authority on which to draw in times of crisis.

When the fig leaves of democratic legitimacy shrivel, tyrannies rely on
structural violence, state repression and privatised intimidation, such as
hit squads, vigilantes and youth militia, to ensure quiescence. Tyrannies
not only occupy the office of government - such office is subordinated to
vicarious personal whim. Democrats are repulsed by such regimes, thugs are
drawn to them.

Tyrannies are deceptive and ambiguous regimes, however, being at once
forceful and vulnerable. The Mugabe regime is both. After 25 years of rule
by an evil political genius, how much longer can the Zimbabwean tyranny
continue?

Absent the death of its leader, four key characteristics presage the fall of
tyranny. The first is the appearance of fissures, then factions and then
fractures in the ruling oligarchy. This is often preceded by schisms,
inconsistencies and oscillations in governmental language and sloganeering.
Furthermore, tyrannies construct proto-ideologies and justificatory
discourses that simultaneously create, or recreate, perceived external
threats.

Nazism used Zionism, Stalinism used Fascism and apartheid used both African
nationalism and communism. The Zanu (PF) tyranny has used white racism,
neocolonialism, capitalism, farmers, Britain, British Prime Minister Tony
Blair, the church, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and
now the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank structural
adjustment programmes, to blame for the (now officially acknowledged)
economic crisis.

But whereas the symbolism of white settler racist exploitation has been a
potent instrument for galvanising support for Robert Mugabe, the very
extirpation of this threat, inter alia, through land seizures has,
perversely, exhausted its political utility. The external "threat" of Blair,
or indeed the culpability of the IMF or World Bank, simply has little
galvanising currency for Zimbabwe's 40%-60% impoverished and unemployed.

Beyond the rhetoric of crisis, however, the ruling bloc in Zimbabwe is
exhibiting fissures, if not yet signs of fracturing. Mugabe's firing of
previously trusted and prominent cabinet ministers, most notably former
information minister Jonathan Moyo, the marginalisation of former
parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa, pre-election purges within Zanu
(PF) and the increasing reliance on the Zezuru clan elite for appointment to
positions of trust, particularly in the military and intelligence hierarchy,
are all clear indictors of regime weakness, not strength.

That Moyo and Mnangagwa felt confident enough to launch their respective
leadership succession bids before this year's election campaign demonstrates
a confidence derived of a perception of relative Mugabe weakness.

A second portent of tyranny collapse is a deepening crisis of the state.
This has a number of dimensions. The most important is economic: the
Zimbabwean economy, which is now 30% smaller than it was five years ago; its
parlous agricultural production, mine closures, chronic energy shortages;
the world's highest inflation rate and a currency that is practically
untradeable but still overvalued, are the clearest indicators of a
structural, if not terminal, economic crisis that is placing a tourniquet on
the Zimbabwean fiscus and treasury. This fiscal and revenue crisis threatens
the viability of state employee salaries and pensions, most notably those of
the security services.

To date, the Mugabe government has been able to placate the security forces
with massive pension payouts, the distribution of seized farms and the
spoils of war in Democratic Republic of Congo. Against the background of
heavy international debt, the country has reportedly already securitised its
sugar and other agricultural production to Libya and China in recent years.

More visibly, state infrastructure is decaying. This in a country whose
state sector was the envy of all Africa. The regime is running out of
revenue, capital and options.

The third harbinger of tyranny failure, and one that is distinctly absent
from the current Zimbabwe scenario, is that of external threat.
Historically, tyrannies fail when they have engaged in wars of expansion, or
have been invaded. In the 1990s the elite of the Zimbabwean regime inverted
this thesis by materially benefiting from its military intervention in the
Congolese war. The spoils bolstered the wealth of the senior ranks of the
military and made some politicians and businessmen fabulously rich, but the
invasion also resulted in political sanction from the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) under pressure from SA in particular. Despite
the reported recent purchase of six Chinese fighter aircraft to protect
Zimbabwe from "imperialist aggression", there is no foreign military threat
to the regime.

This outpost of tyranny will not be invaded. Nor will any SADC state permit
antigovernment forces to operate from its soil against Zimbabwe. No, the
only external threat to the regime is sanctions. These may be passive
sanctions in the form of curtailing international finance and credit
facilities, or smart sanctions of the type imposed on the regime and its
leadership by the US and the European Union. In either event, neither form
of sanction will have any telling effect on the ruling bloc in Zimbabwe over
the short to medium term.

The fourth and sharpest weapon in the struggle against tyranny is that of
internal opposition. Yet despite its political dominance in the cities and
overwhelming support in Matabeleland, the MDC shows no signs of effectively
challenging the Mugabe regime at any level. The MDC has failed to maximise
its comparative advantage and mobilise unions, workers and the urban youth
in a concerted campaign of rolling mass action. Nor has it shown the
stomach, or inclination, for armed struggle, yet. The lessons of SA have not
been learnt.

Thus, despite a weakening state and subterranean rumblings from a discordant
Zanu (PF), the terms of the end of tyranny in Zimbabwe lie not with the
ambitious "sleepers" within the oligarchy, and less still with the battered
and bruised comrades of the MDC, but rather, for the time being at least,
with southern Africa's most infamous old tyrant himself.

?Hughes is parliamentary research fellow for the South African Institute of
International Affairs.
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Business Day

Posted to the web on: 25 April 2005
Being Zimbabwean may cost Makoni the African Development Bank presidency
Jonathan Katzenellenbogen

International Affairs Editor

SIMBA Makoni, a former Zimbabwean finance minister, could be a serious
contender to become president of the African Development Bank, but he has a
problem in the campaign - his nationality.

When he was in Washington last week to lobby industrial country treasury
officials, he was told it would be very difficult for them to vote for him
because he comes from Zimbabwe. With "smart sanctions" against some members
of ruling political elite of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF), it would
be politically tricky for European Union members and the US to vote for
Makoni.

Makoni says that, in his talks with treasury officials from around the
world, he made it plain that, "I'm not going to represent Zimbabwe or
Mugabe."

It would be "very sad if I'm not elected for political reasons", Makoni said
in an interview in Johannesburg last week on his way back to Harare from
Washington.

Non-African countries have a stake of 40% in the bank, with the Group of
Seven largest industrial economies owning 28% of that.

SA, with a stake of a little more than 4%, is the bank's fifth-largest
shareholder after Nigeria, the US, Japan and Egypt.

Up until abut a year ago it was widely suggested that Makoni, who is a
fit-looking 55, was the man Pretoria was keen to see succeed Mugabe, but
with speculation that he lacked a widespread support base - something he
denies. That idea has somewhat waned and, with the ascendancy in Zimbabwe of
Mugabe's Zezuru sub-clan, Makoni is not thought to be in the running.

Makoni remains a member of Zanu (PF)'s governing body, the politburo, but he
will not be drawn on recent developments, saying only that change will come
from within the party.

And neither will he be drawn on what he would change at the African
Development Bank. "I'm a strategist and a pragmatist," says Makoni when
asked about development. "I'm not an ideologist. I believe it is important
for families and countries to live within their means."

He also says he is a strong believer in entrepreneurship.

Makoni's academic background is in chemistry, but his senior position at the
Southern African Development Community in the early 1980s, and several
ministerial appointments in Zimbabwe, give him the technical and
international type of experience for running the bank.

Makoni says he was able to speak to Mugabe quite freely and tell him the
truth when he was finance minister in 2000-02, as he could always go back to
his business. At the moment he runs a consulting firm for private companies
and sits on a host of boards.

SA and others in the region nominated Makoni to lead the bank, but he is up
against some tough competition in the poll next month to succeed Moroccan
Omar Kabbaj, who has had the job for 10 years.

Kingsley Amoako, a Ghanaian and a former World Bank staffer who now heads
the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, is well respected among
in treasuries on the continent and abroad.

Negerian Olabisi Ogunjobi has been at the bank for 27 years and, with
backing from his home country and a number of other west African countries,
he could be a safe bet for those countries who want shake-ups at the
institution.

Cameroonian Theodore Nkodo works for the African Development Bank and has
worked at the World Bank. He is the only candidate with his own website for
the campaign. But with backing only from his home country and Burundi, his
chances may not be too strong.

The other candidates are Ismaiel Hassan from Egypt, Casmir Oye-Mya from
Gabon, and Rwandan Donald Keruka.

Makoni's campaign pitch revolves around his policy and business background,
and the bank's failure in its 40 years to become a leader in development
banking on the continent or in generating ideas.

He wants the bank to be "an innovation and ideas bank" so it can be African
countries' "the first port of call for development problems", rather than
the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank.
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Business Report

Zimbabwe runs out of power
April 25, 2005

Zimbabwe's state power utility, Zesa, was unable to access its electricity
imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to a transmission
failure, it said on Friday, and a lack of spares for maintenance of some of
its generators had also hit supplies.

Cash-strapped Zesa has struggled to import enough power from its neighbours
in recent years, leading to frequent power cuts that have disrupted
industrial production as the country battles its worst economic crisis in
decades.

"Due to a transmission failure in the DRC, on the line through which we
import electricity into Zimbabwe, Zesa is unable to access its 100MW power
import from Snel of the DRC," it said .

"At the same time, we have lost generators at Kariba power station ... due
to a shortage of spares for maintenance and overhauls," Zesa said, adding
that the resultant loss of 470MW of electricity had interrupted supplies
throughout the country.

Zesa warned that the southern African region had run out of excess power to
export to net importers like Zimbabwe, a situation likely to worsen in the
coming winter peak period when demand would increase.

Zimbabwe imports 35 percent of its electricity from South Africa,
Mozambique, Zambia and the DRC but has battled to pay for imports as a
result of biting foreign currency shortages.

As a result Zesa has been forced to import 30 percent of its electricity on
a strenuous prepayment scheme.

But on Friday state media reported that Zesa had cleared outstanding debts
to Mozambique and the DRC after sourcing foreign currency from the Reserve
Bank and might now be able to negotiate new supply contracts.

In January, Iran said it would help Zimbabwe to upgrade the Kariba power
station at a cost of $250 million (R1.5 billion) to increase electricity
output under a drive by the government - estranged from the West over
controversial land reforms - to bolster ties with Muslim and Asian nations.

Zesa says it has secured loans from China under $1 billion investment deal
signed last year to upgrade the country's power plants.
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Business Report

Mugabe fails to rescue economy
April 25, 2005

Harare - Deepening foreign currency shortages and spiralling domestic debt
in Zimbabwe threaten President Robert Mugabe's plans to halt a long-running
economic crisis, analysts say.

The Zimbabwean government has increasingly relied on domestic credit to fund
gaping deficits in the budget as foreign currency shortages take their toll
on the economy, which has shrunk by more than a third over the past six
years.

Mugabe set up a "development" cabinet after the March 31 parliamentary polls
that he said would tackle the problems, but analysts said rising domestic
debt and the foreign exchange crunch cast doubt on an expected recovery in
2005.

"There is a financial crunch and the government does not have enough to pay
for its needs," said Rongai Chizema, an economist at financial services firm
Intermarket Holdings.

Zimbabwe says the economy has turned the corner after six years of recession
and would grow by up to 5 percent this year on a rebound in agriculture and
mining that is set to boost forex inflows to $3.7 billion (R22.3 billion),
from $1.8 billion last year.
But analysts doubt these forecasts.

"Government forecasts look unattainable because industrial and agriculture
production are lower than forecasts, which should see another gross domestic
product decline this year," said University of Zimbabwe professor Tony
Hawkins.

"I believe the government is already revising its forecasts ... but of
course they will not admit it." Officials did not comment, but a big part of
the problem is rocketing debt.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe says government domestic debt jumped to Z$7.9
trillion (R7.7 billion)) on April 15 from Z$2.3 trillion as of February 18.
In January 2004, domestic debt stood at Z$576 billion.

Analysts say the trend is being driven by government borrowing to plug gaps
in its budget and fund state enterprises as revenues subside on plunging
taxes.
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Xinhua

      Chinese civilian planes exported to Zimbabwe

      www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-25 08:43:59

          BEIJING, April 25 -- Two China-made MA60 aircraft were officially
handed over to Zimbabwe on Saturday in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's
Shaanxi Province, showing the plane has successfully entered the
international market.

          The MA60 is a new turbo-propeller passenger plane, designed and
manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAIC) in accordance with
international standards.

          Using advanced technology, levels of safety, economy and comfort
reach, or nearly reach, standards attained by planes made by foreign
companies, according to Gao Dacheng, president of the firm.

          "However, the price of the MA60 is much lower than similar planes
made by other countries and its running costs are 10 to 20 per cent lower
than those of foreign-made planes. So it is very competitive in the
international market," Gao said.

          Last November, China No 1 Aviation Industry Company signed a
contract with Zimbabwe's Communication Ministry to supply it with two MA60
planes, the first export contract for the Chinese passenger plane, according
to Liu Gaozhuo, the Chinese firm's general manager.

          Besides Zimbabwe, Fiji has signed a lease contract for the MA60,
and Eritrea also wants to buy the planes, the general manager said.

          According to the company's market developing plan, 50 MA60 planes
will be exported by 2007 and 100 are expected to be sold overseas by 2010,
Liu said.

          The firm started to design and manufacture the MA60 in 2000. With
60 seats and weighing 21,800 kilogrammes, the plane can travel 1,600
kilometres, according to Gao Dacheng.

          XAIC is China's largest aircraft research and production firm as
well as the production base of large- and medium-sized military and civilian
planes, Gao said.

          The company started its global operations in 1989 when it
specialized in the production of spare parts for foreign aircraft
manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus.

          In 1995, the company signed a contract with Boeing to produce
1,500 vertical rear fins for the Boeing 737-700 planes. And by 2001, the
company had delivered some 4,000 assorted parts to Boeing and other foreign
aircraft manufacturers, Gao said.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

MDC takes ZEC head on

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

IN ADDITION to challenging about 16 seats in last month's parliamentary
polls, the extremely litigious MDC has also resolved to drag to court the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) over the elections results the
opposition party is viciously disputing.
The Daily Mirror reporter Takunda Maodza reports that the MDC secretary
general Welshman Ncube yesterday said ZEC had not responded to the MDC's
letter in which the opposition sought clarification over alleged
discrepancies in the results initially announced by his commission.
Once again, the MDC says the elections were stolen, a sentiment echoed by
the Americans and the British.
Ncube said the MDC would seek the intervention of the courts to force ZEC to
provide explanation on the alleged discrepancies.
 "They have not responded to our letter in which we were urging them to take
the issue seriously. We will not let this matter rest and will take them to
court for an explanation if they are not prepared to voluntarily give us the
information we want," Ncube said.
He added: "If ZEC is taken to court and asked to explain how they got those
figures, they must respond and I do not see how they would avoid that in a
court of law."
The lawmaker for Bulawayo South repeated allegations of bias against the MDC
by the judiciary saying: "we are painfully aware of the bias in the judicial
system and we know they are against us."
Yesterday, ZEC spokesperson, Utloile Silaigwana said he needed time to look
at the facts of the matter before he could comment.
The MDC approached ZEC-which has since said the results were a true
reflection of voting and the opposition party should not confuse updates
with the final figure- seeking clarification on alleged irregularities.
Zimbabwe's main opposition party has since produced a 56-page dossier dubbed
"Stolen" highlighting alleged rigging of the polls by the ruling party,
sentiment analysts and regional observers have dismissed.
The opposition claims in its heads of arguments that there was flagrant
rigging by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in favour of the status
quo.
It demanded that ZEC, among other things, immediately release the voter's
roll in electronic form and polling station returns for an independent audit
of the election outcome.
The MDC also claims that ZEC had refused to announce total vote figures for
48 of the 120 contested constituencies or to allow the MDC access to the
original polling station returns and was unwilling to cooperate in
addressing the alleged irregularities. It reiterated its claim that the
total voter tallies finalised by ZEC at 7.30 pm on election night did not
match the collective count for the candidates announced on the day following
day.
ZEC chairperson Justice George Chiweshe has since argued that their work was
professional and independent of ant political influence.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Brain drain crippling health sector: Kadenge

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

THE chairman of the Hospitals Association Trust (HAT), Lovemore Kadenge has
said the brain drain that has hit the country's public health institutions
has resulted in a single doctor doing the work normally done by at least
seven doctors.
Commending the medical practitioners
 for handling the situation under trying times Kadenge said: "Although brain
drain has
greatly impacted negatively on our hospitals, people should appreciate the
services offered by the few remaining staff complement.
 Some departments supposed to have
 an establishment of at least seven doctors are only served by a single
doctor showing
that they are doing extremely good work."
He added that lack of drugs and
 equipment at most council clinics has also resulted in people seeking
treatment directly from referral centres resulting in a huge workload
 "These hospitals are supposed to be referral centres but it is no longer
the situation. People are now seeking treatment direct from the referral
centres," Kadenge said.
Giving an example of Chitungwiza Central Hospital, where his
committee together with members of the business community recently toured,
Kadenge said an average of eight doctors and 246 nurses are serving to at
least 250 patients admitted in the hospital wards.
He also said a single doctor was attending to at least 300 patients at both
the casualty and the outpatients departments of the hospital.
Harare Central Hospital was recently reported to be reeling under a serious
shortage of doctors with some having to work overtime to address the issue
of staff shortage.
Kadenge said the administrative
 work at most public hospitals casualty
 and outpatients departments was not
computerised exerting pressure on available despite the fact that
hundreds of patients have to be served
daily.
 "Patients should bear with staff at
hospitals because of the increased workload and the commitment they have
shown by continuing to serve people in Zimbabwe. Some have failed to do so
and fled the country.
"We just hope that the Health Services Bill will come up with a package to
retain our medical practitioners. We have an obligation to make sure that we
assist government when it fails to address some of these challenges," said
Kadenge.
The Zimbabwe Hospitals Association has so far toured two central hospital
namely Harare and Chitungwiza.
Kadenge said they were however looking forward to visit other hospitals in
different provinces in-order to come up with a 'shoplist' of what hospitals
in the country need before they start to implement their projects.
He however, said preference
would be given to referral and provincial centres.
Kadenge also appreciated the move by Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who have
pledged to assist in the health delivery system of the country as a welcome
development.
"There are a group of Zimbabweans who have showed interest in revamping the
health system of the country," he said.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Water woes hit Kadoma

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

THE city of Kadoma has been experiencing water supply problems in the past
week due to power cuts by Zesa Holdings, the city's executive mayor, Fani
Phiri said yesterday.

Concerned residents of the city phoned The Daily Mirror yesterday
complaining that the erratic water supply was going to result in an outbreak
of diseases.
"The whole of this week, we have been experiencing water problems and we
have gone in some instances for the whole day without water," said Oscar
Kavhu, a resident in the city's Waverley high-density suburb.
Another resident from Rimuka, one of the oldest suburbs in the country, said
he feared the situation would result in an health endemic.
Phiri acknowledged the existence of the problem saying the power the city
has been experiencing in the past week had resulted in pumps at their water
works failing to operate at full capacity.
"The problem is due to power cuts we have been experiencing and this has
resulted in the pumps failing to operate at normal capacity. There was no
electricity for the greater part of yesterday (Wednesday) and as we speak
there is no electricity," he said.
An official at Zesa Holdings office who could not be named for professional
reasons confirmed that there were disruptions in the power supply due to
routine maintenance work.
"We have been carrying out routine maintenance work at our sub-stations and
we expect to complete the exercise before the end of the week," he said.
Last year the city also experienced water problems due to old age of its
equipment and early this year the city authorities purchased a new water
pump to replace the old one.

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From: Zimbabwe Vigil
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 7:25 AM
Subject: ZIMBABWE VIGIL – STOLEN ELECTIONS DEMONSTRATION – 30TH APRIL

Press Advisory

 

25th April 2005

 

 

ZIMBABWE VIGIL – STOLEN ELECTIONS DEMONSTRATION – 30TH APRIL

 

Zimbabweans in the UK are to stage a demonstration outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London from 14.00 – 18.00 on Saturday, 30th April in protest at the stolen parliamentary elections on 31st March.  Reports indicate massive vote rigging but Zimbabwe’s neighbours have, nevertheless, approved the elections. 

 

The demonstration will mark the launch of a campaign by Zimbabweans in the diaspora – estimated at a quarter of the population – to join forces to achieve change in Zimbabwe.

 

Support will be canvassed for a new petition:

 

“NO SHAKING HANDS WITH MUGABE - The latest elections in Zimbabwe were once again stolen by the Mugabe regime with the connivance of its neighbours.  Retaliation is now being meted out to people who supported the opposition.   We urge the British government to end Mugabe’s reign of terror and halt his drive for legitimacy: 1) bring the matter to the UN Security Council, 2) make it a priority during term as President of the EU and G8 (group of leading industrial nations), 3) put pressure on South Africa to allow democracy in Zimbabwe, 4) extend targeted sanctions against Mugabe’s cronies.”  

 

POTO OPPORTUNITIES:                Dancing demonstrators with posters, flags and drums

 

INTERVIEWS:                                   Arranged with demonstrators and torture victims

 

 

 

Contact details

 

Rose Benton, 07970 996 003

 

Email: zimbabwevigil@yahoo.co.uk

 

Website: www.zimvigil.co.uk



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 by the current regime 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
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Xinhua

      Chinese civilian planes exported to Zimbabwe

      www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-25 08:43:59

          BEIJING, April 25 -- Two China-made MA60 aircraft were officially
handed over to Zimbabwe on Saturday in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's
Shaanxi Province, showing the plane has successfully entered the
international market.

          The MA60 is a new turbo-propeller passenger plane, designed and
manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAIC) in accordance with
international standards.

          Using advanced technology, levels of safety, economy and comfort
reach, or nearly reach, standards attained by planes made by foreign
companies, according to Gao Dacheng, president of the firm.

          "However, the price of the MA60 is much lower than similar planes
made by other countries and its running costs are 10 to 20 per cent lower
than those of foreign-made planes. So it is very competitive in the
international market," Gao said.

          Last November, China No 1 Aviation Industry Company signed a
contract with Zimbabwe's Communication Ministry to supply it with two MA60
planes, the first export contract for the Chinese passenger plane, according
to Liu Gaozhuo, the Chinese firm's general manager.

          Besides Zimbabwe, Fiji has signed a lease contract for the MA60,
and Eritrea also wants to buy the planes, the general manager said.

          According to the company's market developing plan, 50 MA60 planes
will be exported by 2007 and 100 are expected to be sold overseas by 2010,
Liu said.

          The firm started to design and manufacture the MA60 in 2000. With
60 seats and weighing 21,800 kilogrammes, the plane can travel 1,600
kilometres, according to Gao Dacheng.

          XAIC is China's largest aircraft research and production firm as
well as the production base of large- and medium-sized military and civilian
planes, Gao said.

          The company started its global operations in 1989 when it
specialized in the production of spare parts for foreign aircraft
manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus.

          In 1995, the company signed a contract with Boeing to produce
1,500 vertical rear fins for the Boeing 737-700 planes. And by 2001, the
company had delivered some 4,000 assorted parts to Boeing and other foreign
aircraft manufacturers, Gao said.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

MDC takes ZEC head on

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

IN ADDITION to challenging about 16 seats in last month's parliamentary
polls, the extremely litigious MDC has also resolved to drag to court the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) over the elections results the
opposition party is viciously disputing.
The Daily Mirror reporter Takunda Maodza reports that the MDC secretary
general Welshman Ncube yesterday said ZEC had not responded to the MDC's
letter in which the opposition sought clarification over alleged
discrepancies in the results initially announced by his commission.
Once again, the MDC says the elections were stolen, a sentiment echoed by
the Americans and the British.
Ncube said the MDC would seek the intervention of the courts to force ZEC to
provide explanation on the alleged discrepancies.
 "They have not responded to our letter in which we were urging them to take
the issue seriously. We will not let this matter rest and will take them to
court for an explanation if they are not prepared to voluntarily give us the
information we want," Ncube said.
He added: "If ZEC is taken to court and asked to explain how they got those
figures, they must respond and I do not see how they would avoid that in a
court of law."
The lawmaker for Bulawayo South repeated allegations of bias against the MDC
by the judiciary saying: "we are painfully aware of the bias in the judicial
system and we know they are against us."
Yesterday, ZEC spokesperson, Utloile Silaigwana said he needed time to look
at the facts of the matter before he could comment.
The MDC approached ZEC-which has since said the results were a true
reflection of voting and the opposition party should not confuse updates
with the final figure- seeking clarification on alleged irregularities.
Zimbabwe's main opposition party has since produced a 56-page dossier dubbed
"Stolen" highlighting alleged rigging of the polls by the ruling party,
sentiment analysts and regional observers have dismissed.
The opposition claims in its heads of arguments that there was flagrant
rigging by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in favour of the status
quo.
It demanded that ZEC, among other things, immediately release the voter's
roll in electronic form and polling station returns for an independent audit
of the election outcome.
The MDC also claims that ZEC had refused to announce total vote figures for
48 of the 120 contested constituencies or to allow the MDC access to the
original polling station returns and was unwilling to cooperate in
addressing the alleged irregularities. It reiterated its claim that the
total voter tallies finalised by ZEC at 7.30 pm on election night did not
match the collective count for the candidates announced on the day following
day.
ZEC chairperson Justice George Chiweshe has since argued that their work was
professional and independent of ant political influence.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Brain drain crippling health sector: Kadenge

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

THE chairman of the Hospitals Association Trust (HAT), Lovemore Kadenge has
said the brain drain that has hit the country's public health institutions
has resulted in a single doctor doing the work normally done by at least
seven doctors.
Commending the medical practitioners
 for handling the situation under trying times Kadenge said: "Although brain
drain has
greatly impacted negatively on our hospitals, people should appreciate the
services offered by the few remaining staff complement.
 Some departments supposed to have
 an establishment of at least seven doctors are only served by a single
doctor showing
that they are doing extremely good work."
He added that lack of drugs and
 equipment at most council clinics has also resulted in people seeking
treatment directly from referral centres resulting in a huge workload
 "These hospitals are supposed to be referral centres but it is no longer
the situation. People are now seeking treatment direct from the referral
centres," Kadenge said.
Giving an example of Chitungwiza Central Hospital, where his
committee together with members of the business community recently toured,
Kadenge said an average of eight doctors and 246 nurses are serving to at
least 250 patients admitted in the hospital wards.
He also said a single doctor was attending to at least 300 patients at both
the casualty and the outpatients departments of the hospital.
Harare Central Hospital was recently reported to be reeling under a serious
shortage of doctors with some having to work overtime to address the issue
of staff shortage.
Kadenge said the administrative
 work at most public hospitals casualty
 and outpatients departments was not
computerised exerting pressure on available despite the fact that
hundreds of patients have to be served
daily.
 "Patients should bear with staff at
hospitals because of the increased workload and the commitment they have
shown by continuing to serve people in Zimbabwe. Some have failed to do so
and fled the country.
"We just hope that the Health Services Bill will come up with a package to
retain our medical practitioners. We have an obligation to make sure that we
assist government when it fails to address some of these challenges," said
Kadenge.
The Zimbabwe Hospitals Association has so far toured two central hospital
namely Harare and Chitungwiza.
Kadenge said they were however looking forward to visit other hospitals in
different provinces in-order to come up with a 'shoplist' of what hospitals
in the country need before they start to implement their projects.
He however, said preference
would be given to referral and provincial centres.
Kadenge also appreciated the move by Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who have
pledged to assist in the health delivery system of the country as a welcome
development.
"There are a group of Zimbabweans who have showed interest in revamping the
health system of the country," he said.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Water woes hit Kadoma

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-25

THE city of Kadoma has been experiencing water supply problems in the past
week due to power cuts by Zesa Holdings, the city's executive mayor, Fani
Phiri said yesterday.

Concerned residents of the city phoned The Daily Mirror yesterday
complaining that the erratic water supply was going to result in an outbreak
of diseases.
"The whole of this week, we have been experiencing water problems and we
have gone in some instances for the whole day without water," said Oscar
Kavhu, a resident in the city's Waverley high-density suburb.
Another resident from Rimuka, one of the oldest suburbs in the country, said
he feared the situation would result in an health endemic.
Phiri acknowledged the existence of the problem saying the power the city
has been experiencing in the past week had resulted in pumps at their water
works failing to operate at full capacity.
"The problem is due to power cuts we have been experiencing and this has
resulted in the pumps failing to operate at normal capacity. There was no
electricity for the greater part of yesterday (Wednesday) and as we speak
there is no electricity," he said.
An official at Zesa Holdings office who could not be named for professional
reasons confirmed that there were disruptions in the power supply due to
routine maintenance work.
"We have been carrying out routine maintenance work at our sub-stations and
we expect to complete the exercise before the end of the week," he said.
Last year the city also experienced water problems due to old age of its
equipment and early this year the city authorities purchased a new water
pump to replace the old one.
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Daily News online edition

      Gwanda mayor assaulted by deputy minister

      Date: 25-Apr, 2005

      GWANDA - The Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Andrew Langa,
allegedly assaulted Gwanda's Mayor Thandeko Mkandla, saying he had belittled
him.

      According to Mkandla, he was assaulted after he called the Deputy
Minister "jaha", which means young man in SiNdebele. Mkandla, the former
Gwanda Secondary School headmaster who beat Zanu PF's Rido Mpofu for the
mayorship on an MDC ticket, alleged that the incident occurred last week on
Sunday at the provincial governor's hall.

      He said Matabeleland South Governor and Resident Minister Angeline
Masuku could have heard the "altercation" as she was chairing a committee
meeting on Zimbabwe's Silver Jubilee festivities when the incident happened.

      Mkandla said he was taken aback by Langa's alleged "hooliganism" after
he greeted him.

      The mayor said he suspected that the deputy minister, who is also the
Member of Parliament for Insiza, felt offended by his greeting him as "jaha".

      "He (Langa) was in the company of the Provincial Administrator, David
Mpofu, and District Administrator Adam Mbango Dube. I greeted him in
Ndebele - "Unjani jaha" (How are you young man?) -- but he became angry
because I had called him a young man. In full view of everyone who was at
the hall, he held me by my upper left hand and shoved me away," narrated
Mkandla.

      The mayor of the provincial capital of Matabeleland South questioned
Langa's credibility as a public figure, since the deputy minister had
behaved "like a bull in a China shop, bulldozing and paying no due regard to
society". He called for justice to take its course against Langa for the
alleged assault.

      Langa, however, has dismissed Mkandla's charges as cheap lies.

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Daily News online edition

      Chilly winter looms as ZESA power fails

      Date: 25-Apr, 2005

      HARARE - Zimbabweans should brace for a chillier than normal winter
season as the country's power utility, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority (ZESA), might fail to supply enough electricity due to a
transmission failure and lack of spares for the maintenance of some of its
generators.

      In the past few days, the cash-strapped ZESA has failed to import
enough power from neighbouring countries, leading to frequent power cuts
that have disrupted industrial production as the country battles its worst
economic crisis in decades.

      This resulted in Harare, the capital, going without electricity for 12
hours on Friday, bringing work to a standstill.

      "Due to a transmission failure in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on
the line through which we import electricity into Zimbabwe, ZESA is unable
to access its 100 MW power import from SNEL of the DRC," ZESA said in a
statement.

      "At the same time, we have lost generators at Kariba power station due
to the critical shortage of spares for maintenance and overhauls," it added,
saying the resultant loss of 470 megawatts of electricity had interrupted
supplies throughout the country.

      ZESA also warned that the Southern Africa power pool, from where it
buys its electricity, had run out of excess power to export to net importers
like Zimbabwe, a situation likely to worsen in the coming winter peak period
when demand for power would increase.

      Zimbabwe imports 35 percent of its electricity from South Africa,
Mozambique, Zambia and DRC but has battled to pay for imports as a result of
biting foreign currency shortages. As a result, ZESA has been forced to
import 30 percent of its electricity on a strenuous pre-payment scheme.

      On Friday last week, state media reported that ZESA had managed to
clear outstanding debts to Mozambique and DRC after sourcing foreign
currency from the Reserve Bank and might now be able to negotiate new supply
contracts.

      In January, Iran said it would help Zimbabwe to upgrade one of its
Kariba power station units at a cost of US $250 million to increase
electricity output.

      ZESA says it has secured loans from China under a US$2,4 billion
investment deal signed last year to upgrade the country's power plants.

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Daily News online edition

      Jokonya wants better relations with media

      Date: 25-Apr, 2005

      HARARE - Expectations are high for a positive revamp of the Zimbabwean
media after the appointment of a new Minister of Information and Publicity,
who has promised that the government will be more tolerant to domestic and
foreign media and consider protests at draconian controls imposed through
the media laws.

      Tichaona Jokonya, a career diplomat, was appointed minister to replace
Prof. Jonathan Moyo, who had turned the Zimbabwean media into a minefield
and his private playground, which saw the closure of four newspapers in the
past two years.

      Jokonya, who summoned all editors from the private and public sector
to a meeting on Friday last week, told them that his ministry would work
toward inculcating a culture of trust between all media houses and the
government.

      But he said the draconian Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (AIPPA) media laws would remain and warned journalists against
demonizing President Robert Mugabe, who he said was often unfairly blamed
for all of Zimbabwe's problems.

      Jokonya's deputy, Bright Matonga, a one time columnist for the
state-controlled Herald newspaper and later chief executive officer of a
state-owned bus company, ZUPCO, also attended the meeting. He said the
government would stop harassing the international media and allow it to
operate freely in Zimbabwe.

      Since 2002, six foreign correspondents have been expelled and many
news organizations refused permission to send representatives to Zimbabwe to
cover key events, such as the recent parliamentary elections.

      .

      The meeting was attended by the editors of three surviving
privately-owned weekly newspapers as well as Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980)
Limited, the large state-owned media group which includes two daily papers,
and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, which runs the national ZBC radio and
television broadcasting service.

      A senior executive of one of the independent media houses, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said Jokonya's message had been that the government
would in future enforce the information act less ruthlessly where necessary
but it would be more open to foreign reporters.

      During the March 31 voting for a new parliament, two British
journalists were detained near a polling station at Norton, about 40km west
of the capital, and held without bail for two weeks before being deported.
They were deported after a court had acquitted them on charges of operating
without accreditation and overstaying.

      Zimbabwe's major independent daily newspaper, The Daily News, remains
banned but a meeting of the licensing authority is due to consider its fate
this week.

      Last Thursday, the editor and a reporter of the privately-owned
Standard were charged with publishing falsehoods and trying to incite public
violence over their post-election coverage.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

GMB boss fired

Clemence Manyukwe
issue date :2005-Apr-26

THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Midlands regional manager based in Gweru,
Goodwill Shiri, has been fired for allegedly politicising food aid in the
run-up to the ruling Zanu PF's highly emotional and potentially divisive
primary election.

Shiri lost the right to stand in Mberengwa East to newly appointed Economic
Development Minister Rugare Gumbo.
At the time, Gumbo was Minister of State for State Enterprises and
Parastatals.
Shiri was accused of abusing the GMB's grain and trucks in an effort to win
the party primary polls and possible entry into the sixth Parliament of
Zimbabwe which was sworn in about a fortnight ago.
GMB chief executive Retired Colonel Samuel Muvuti yesterday confirmed Shiri
had indeed been sacked from the parastatal.
"As far as I know he was fired for corruption. We take such allegations
seriously (politicising food aid). The GMB does not use food for partisan
political gains," said Muvuti.
He said statistics show that the southern provinces where the MDC hold sway
had received more grain from the GMB than elsewhere.
Initially, Shiri was declared winner of the poll, but the outcome was later
overturned after Gumbo appealed, arguing counting had not been conducted at
one polling centre.
Shiri then unsuccessfully challenged Gumbo as an independent in the March 31
parliamentary polls.
In February, GMB investigators visited Mberengwa and concluded that Shiri
had a case to answer.
Shiri could not be reached for comment yesterday, but he recently told The
Daily Mirror that Gumbo was the architect of his woes as a punishment for
challenging him in the primaries.
Gumbo has vehemently denied those charges, while at the same time
maintaining that Shiri had a case to answer.
 "In Mberengwa, it is there in black and white that he (Shiri) committed a
crime, so should I ignore it because I fought him in the primaries? Not only
Shiri, but anyone else who abuses government property must be punished,
because we cannot accept that kind of corruption," Gumbo said then.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Exchange rate fails to bolster fuel inflows

Business Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-26

CONCESSIONARY importation exchange rates that have been worked out by the
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) to boost the inflows of petroleum
products have failed to trigger sufficient inflows of the product, with the
country enduring erratic shipments in the past month.
The official rate for the local currency against the main currency, the
United States dollar, is benchmarked at $6 200.
However government has prioritised the petroleum sector and for about five
months, Zimra had been computing the exchange rate for fuel importers at $3
875 to minimise their burden.
As of Friday last week, the local currency was trading at $1 003 against the
South African rand but petroleum-importing firms were accessing the rand at
the rate of $584.60.
The Botswana pula was officially trading at $1 350 to the local currency on
Friday but this has also been deliberately slashed to $802.90 for fuel
importation.
Petroleum importing companies have, despite the concessions, struggled to
import sufficient stocks to power both industrial and domestic consumption,
especially in the period preceding the March 31 general elections.
In what analysts described as a deliberate ploy by the companies to inflict
further economic damage in protest of the results of the plebiscite won by
the ruling Zanu PF, winding fuel queues suddenly sprung in major cities
after the elections.
This came amid rumours that government had failed to pay a cumulative US$2.5
million to importers, a condition that has affected the companies'
creditworthiness.
Petroleum companies argued that although their importation rates had been
deliberately controlled, demand for foreign currency at the central bank's
foreign currency auction floors was outstripping supply.
A survey carried out by The Business Mirror over the weekend revealed that
motorists in Harare were battling to fuel their engines.
Reports said the situation remained the same even at most entry points like
Beitbridge where officials at Zimra said operations were further crippled by
power cuts and telecommunication interruptions.
The crisis has also plagued other urban centres such as Kadoma, Gweru,
Mutare, Bulawayo and Chegutu.
Commuter operators responded by hiking fares with some routes in Harare
costing up to $5 000 while fuel prices were at black market levels.
  Most commuter omnibuses were last week grounded and this affected workers
commuting to work daily.
Newly appointed Industry and International Trade Minister, Obert Mpofu was
quoted at the weekend as saying government was working towards improving
supplies.
"All stakeholders are working towards arresting the fuel problem," he told a
weekly newspaper.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Governor apologises to Gwanda mayor

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-26

THE Resident Minister and Governor for Matabeleland South, Angeline Masuku,
has reportedly apologised to Gwanda executive mayor Thandeko Mkandla who was
assaulted by Environment and Tourism deputy minister Andrew Langa recently.
Mkandla, who was assaulted on the eve of Zimbabwe's Silver Jubilee
festivities, told The Daily Mirror the Governor had officially apologised to
him over Langa's conduct.
Langa is the legislator for Insiza constituency.
He said by phone from Gwanda on Saturday that he met Masuku on Friday over
the matter and that the Governor apologised to the mayor on behalf of her
office and province.
Mkandla said: "I met Governor Masuku on Friday and she apologised on behalf
her office as she was the one who had organised the meeting. (The Silver
Jubilee preparations meeting). Masuku acknowledged Langa's behaviour was
unbecoming. She also said that State functions knew no religion, tribe or
political party."
Masuku, would neither deny nor confirm meeting Mkandla instead referring all
relevant questions to the deputy minister and the mayor.
 "Ask bona abatshayanayo (Ask the culprits), I was not there," she said
before her phone went dead.
Mkandla, a former headmaster in the area, maintains that Langa assaulted him
for belittling him when he referred to him as ijaha (young man).
The alleged incident occurred on April 17 2005 at the governor's hall and
was reportedly eye-witnessed by many.
The mayor Governor Masuku could have heard the "altercation" as she was
chairing a committee meeting on the 25th celebrations when tensions
heightened.
 Narrating his ordeal last week the mayor said: "He (Langa) was in the
company of the provincial administrator, David Mpofu, and district
administrator Adam Mbango Dube. I greeted him in Ndebele -Unjani Jaha (How
are you young man?) but he was angry because I had called him young man.
"In full view of everyone who was at the hall, he held me by my upper left
hand and shoved me away."
Langa, who reportedly also threatened the Gwanda Town Clerk with unspecified
action, is denying the charges.
Langa confirmed attending the jubilee meeting, but denied ever assaulting
the mayor.
"He is lying. There is nothing like that which happened. We met, we talked
and we parted ways and those who were there can tell you that. There was
never such an incident. He knows the law and should have gone to the
 police."
But Mkandla opted to approach Masuku instead of the police.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Blood bank still below minimum level

Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Apr-26

ZIMBABWE's blood bank is still below the required optimum level of 3 000
units although the current level has greatly improved compared to the same
period last year, the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) has said.
NBTS spokesperson Emmanuel Masvikeni attributed the increase to a new
strategy - donor follow-up. This is involves the institution following up
former high school regular donors at universities and tertiary colleges as
well as the annual ladies galas, which promote blood donation.
Said Masvikeni: "This (donor follow- up) was helpful, considering the fact
that most of the same students were donors at high school. University blood
donors would (as they did) help increase collections during school holidays
since they would be open then." So far, NBTS has collected safe blood from
five universities namely: Catholic, Chinhoyi, University of Zimbabwe, and
Masvingo and Midlands State Universities.
Masvikeni said in pursuance of a similar scheme, plans are underway to
follow-up on voluntary school leaver blood donors now serving in the
uniformed forces if permission is granted.
He said this year's ladies galas in Bulawayo, Gweru, Harare and Masvingo
contributed greatly to blood level increases which had lowered because major
donors, pupils, where on
holiday.
"This strategy, if well promoted is likely to offer a solution to shortages
during school holidays," he said.
He said the major challenge faced by NBTS was reluctance by adults to donate
blood.
Masvikeni said plans were underway to intensify adult donor recruitment
drives with particular emphasis on tertiary institutions and industries.
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Call to boycott elections

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

JOHANNESBURG, 25 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - A Zimbabwean NGO, the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA), has urged political parties to boycott
elections until the country gets a new and democratic constitution.

NCA chairman Lovemore Madhuku made the call after the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) issued a press statement calling on voters to check their
names on the voters' roll as the country prepares for by-elections in 17
districts and urban centres.

Madhuku alleged that any election held under the present constitution would
allow the ruling ZANU-PF party to subvert the will of the people.

"The NCA still believes that any elections held under the current
constitution should be boycotted - the next by-elections will be as much of
a fraud as all those held in Zimbabwe since independence. The country needs
a new, all-inclusive constitution and independent electoral management
bodies," Madhuku said.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has already filed papers
challenging ZANU-PF victories in 13 constituencies in the March
parliamentary elections, based on alleged disparities in the voters' roll
and irregularities in the vote count.

Brian Kagoro, chairman of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said
constitutional change was vital to holding free and fair elections, and any
election using the current voters' roll would produce the same results - a
victory for ZANU-PF.

"ZANU-PF will win any election under the present constitution, and as long
as the Zimbabwe Electoral Act stays. Without an independent electoral
commission, we can expect ZANU-PF to claim more discredited victories - it
is up to Zimbabweans to stop the elections and demand a new constitutional
order before any fresh election is held," Kagoro commented.

Daniel Molokela, a Zimbabwean political analyst based in Johannesburg, told
IRIN that nothing new would come from elections held under the current
constitution.

"The constitution is the centre of all the problems in Zimbabwe: it
virtually surrenders the people to the wishes of one party and its
president. Anything done under the current order will only serve the
interests of the president and the ruling elite," said Molokela.

MDC spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said the party's position was that there
were enough glaring irregularities on the voters' roll to discredit it. He
could not say whether the party would participate in the by-elections, the
dates of which are yet to be announced.

However, Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said the voters' roll was in good
order. Complaining about the voters' roll had become a post-election
occupation for the opposition, and a boycott would not stop the upcoming
by-elections.

"As far as we are concerned, the voters' roll is in good order. We have
relied on it to hold democratic elections since 1980; we shall be using it
as it is for the by-elections as advertised. The MDC complain when they lose
elections, but hold victory celebrations when they win others under the same
conditions," Mudede noted.

"Is that not funny enough to show there is something hollow with their
complaints? Are they suggesting that there was a different roll in the
constituencies they won than where ZANU-PF won?" he asked.

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Health Hazard Looms At School

The Herald (Harare)

April 23, 2005
Posted to the web April 25, 2005

Harare

A HEALTH hazard looms at Chitate Primary School in Murehwa where toilets
were extensively damaged by heavy rains which fell in the area last
February.

The toilets curved in and collapsed after strong winds and an accompanying
heavy downpour hit the area.

Staff and pupils have had to switch over to use an old and disused toilet to
ensure lessons continue.

In an interview the headmaster, Mr Denis Kasawaya, said at least $30 million
was needed to reconstruct the sanitary facilities and ensure public health
is not threatened.

He made an appeal for assistance to build a Blair toilet for the more than
400 pupils enrolled there.

"We are appealing for at least $30 million to build a 20-squat hole Blair
toilet to replace the cracked and collapsed toilet," he said.

He said the community would provide the bricks, dig the 20 spiral holes and
hire builders and painters.

The $30 million, he said, was for cement, asbestos, paint and fly screens
for the vents.
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LANDMINE EXPLOSION KILLS 2 ZIMBABWEAN CLEARING EXPERTS ON KINMEN
      2005-04-25 20:20:39

          Taipei, April 25 (CNA) Two landmine clearing experts from Zimbabwe
were killed Monday when they accidentally triggered a powerful explosion
while removing landmines on the Republic of China-held Kinmen Island,
according to police.

          The police report also listed another technician, also a
Zimbabwean, who was seriously injured in the accident.

          Initial investigations show that the accident happened when the
demining experts were handling landmines being removed, police said, adding
that it remained unclear what triggered the explosion.

          A British firm has sent 12 experts, all from Zimbabwe, to clear
landmines at the site near Liaoluo Bay, where a reservoir is to be built.

          Kinmen, which is controlled by the Republic of China but lies
closer to Taiwan than to China, was heavily mined in the 1950s to fend off
communist Chinese attempts to seize Taiwan.

          With tension easing between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait,
the Ministry of National Defense has demined 16 areas of Kinmen since 1998
in response to demands from Kinmen residents.

          The ministry has also decided to demine 12 additional areas on
Kinmen in the next few years. A British firm has won the contract to clear
landmines at the Kinmen Waterworks' new reservoir construction site.

          Police said an investigation into the cause of the explosion was
continuing.

      (By Sofia Wu)

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Cops Bust Fake Money Ring

The Herald (Harare)

April 23, 2005
Posted to the web April 25, 2005

Freeman Razemba
Harare

POLICE yesterday bust a drug trafficking and counterfeit money syndicate in
Harare and recovered mbanje, a pistol, fake bearer cheques and genuine
travellers' cheques - all worth billions of dollars.

In a pre-dawn raid, police officers, acting on a tip-off, arrested four
suspects and recovered 375 kilogrammes of mbanje, counterfeit bearer cheques
with a face value of $38,5 million and fake notes amounting to US$200.

They also recovered genuine travellers' cheques worth 10,6 million rand, 700
euros and 2 200 British pounds. At least $1,1 million in genuine cash was
also recovered.

Investigating officers believe that some of the travellers' cheques were
stolen at a local freight company sometime last year.

Assistant Commissioner Elliot Simbi yesterday confirmed the arrest and said
detectives have intensified investigations into the origins of, especially,
the fake bearer cheques.

"We can confirm that the four suspects were arrested, but we are further
investigating the case to establish the extent of its depth," he said.

The Herald understands that the suspects had - over a long period - been
using fake bearer cheques to buy foreign currency at the busy Roadport
International Bus Terminus along Fifth Street where thousands of
cross-border travellers arrive and depart on a daily basis.

The four are believed to have duped several illegal dealers who have
established their base at the teeming terminus to buy and sell foreign
currency. Money exchanges hands quickly to avoid detection by the police, a
state of affairs the suspects took advantage of.

They, however, ran out of luck this time when they used fake bearer cheques
to buy R20 000 from an unsuspecting illegal dealer.

As soon as the dealer noticed that he had been swindled, they sped off in a
car.

The enraged man gave chase in his own car but lost control of the vehicle at
the intersection of Mazowe Street and Cork Road, where he rammed into a
prefabricated wall and broke both legs.

Still determined to recover his money, the man alerted police who then rang
the mobile phone numbers the gang had used in communicating with their
victim about the foreign currency transaction.

A trap was subsequently set resulting in the arrest of the four men
yesterday morning.

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