The Zimbabwe Situation

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
26 April 2013

Zimbabwe looks set to retain its third place position on the list of the
world’s poorest countries, amid a foreign investment ‘free fall’.

This free fall has been indicated by figures supplied by the Zimbabwe
Investment Authority, which show a 76% drop in Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) this year as compared to the same period in 2012. The figures show
that only US$33 million in FDI has been recorded so far this year, whereas
during this period last year over US$130 million was recorded.

Economist Eric Bloch said in an opinion piece that this “horrendous decline
in foreign investor interest in Zimbabwe as an investment destination should
send a very loud message to government, and especially so, as much of Africa
is attaining very considerable FDI growth.”

“Tragically, however, that message is falling on deaf ears, for there are
none so deaf as those who will not hear. That Zimbabwe is not attracting
considerable FDI, in contrast to the substantial extent of such investment
in various other countries in Africa, is not because it does not have
numerous, and diverse, positive resources which provide opportunity for
investment,” Bloch wrote.

Independent Economic analyst John Robertson told SW Radio Africa that last
year’s FDI figures were very low and have continued to fall, because of the
ZANU PF-led indigenisation campaign.

The campaign has targeted foreign owned companies in Zimbabwe and requires
them to cede 51% of their shareholding to Zimbabweans. The Empowerment
Ministry is said to now be taking this campaign one step further by
proposing amendments to the national indigenisation regulations to make it
legal for the government to take the shares without due compensation.

Robertson said Friday that it is this aggressive and damaging policy that
has left Zimbabwe without much hope of attracting new investment.

“We have attracted very little new investment since the announcement of our
indigenisation policy. So I think that is the principle reason why investors
have become very disinterested in bringing new investment capital to the
country,” Robertson said.

The FDI figures paint a gloomy picture for a country that desperately needs
investment to repair years of damage wrought by ZANU PF policies. The
country is facing up to 90% unemployment while more than 70% of the country
reportedly lives in poverty. It is also the third poorest country in the
world according to the International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook
Database.

Robertson said the status quo will not change until there is a political
change.

“The answer is political….ZANU PF started its electioneering campaign some
years back with the statement that under no circumstances should economic
recovery be permitted if it is credited to the MDC,” he said.

He added: “I think ZANU PF chose the indigenisation policies on purpose, to
reduce the prospect of economic recovery taking place before the next
election. Because the only polices that could guarantee economic gains, have
been policies of the MDC party.”

Indigenisation an elitist transfer of wealth: Biti

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

26/04/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

MDC-T secretary general and Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, has dismissed the
indigenisation programme as an “elitist transfer” of wealth which will not
create any “new value” or achieve broad-based economic empowerment.

Under the programme, which is being driven by President Robert Mugabe and
his Zanu PF party, foreign companies must cede control and ownership of at
least 51 percent of their Zimbabwe operations to locals.

Biti’s MDC-T party – which has been in an uneasy coalition with Zanu PF
since 2009 - says while it backs the principle of economic empowerment, it
was opposed to the model being implemented by Zanu PF.

And speaking in London this week as he returned from meetings with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, the Treasury chief said the
approach taken by Zanu PF would not work.

He said: “What method and formula are you using? This is where, from a
purely scientific view, the Indigenisation Act is found wanting … The law
obliges the indigenous entity the duty to buy [51% equity in existing
firms].

“It is a model that is not creating new value. Secondly it is a programme
that is elitist in nature; now, which ordinary person has that kind of
money?

Biti said Zanu PF’s equity transfer approach does not take into account the
fact that Zimbabwe is a small economy with a budget of $4 billion and in
need of capital in the form of foreign direct investment, overseas
development assistance and savings.

“In short, it’s a programme that needs to be revisited. But despite that,
indigenisation on the ground has not been a hindrance to any serious
investor in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“That’s why there’s been no capital flight. In fact, to those that are
adopting a wait and see attitude, the train is moving”.

Meanwhile, Biti also revealed that he had been granted Cabinet approval to
levy new taxes on the mining sector as the government scrambles for cash to
fund elections due this year.

He however, assured miners that he would not be raiding their pockets for
the US$132 million needed for the polls which will elect a successor to the
coalition government.

Zanu PF and the MDC formations have still to reach a deal over the exact
timing of the polls but Biti said working together in the coalition
government had helped ease distrust between the parties and anxieties about
political transition in the country.

“For Zanu PF, they're worried about transitional justice and would want
guarantees that the fate of the Charles Taylors [of this world does not
befall them],” he said, adding that it was also important to ensure that any
resultant new dispensation did not exclude the old order.

‘Zim unlikely to seize mine stakes’

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

April 26 2013 at 04:15pm
By Reuters

London - Fears that Zimbabwe's government will strip foreign mines of half
their assets without compensation are unfounded, according to Kalaa Mpinga,
chief executive of Mwana, which has gold and nickel operations there.

“There is a lot of noise but we're having a good conversation with the
government,” Mpinga said.

A document seen by Reuters this week showed a draft proposal by President
Robert Mugabe's party to amend its “indigenisation” law, by which foreign
companies must be 51 percent owned by local black people, under which
companies would not be compensated for their stakes.

London AIM-listed Mwana runs Zimbabwe's largest producing gold mine - Freda
Rebecca - but Mpinga, interviewed in London, said he doubted the proposal
carried weight.

“I've seen cases where you have a white paper which comes out of some
government department and is widely distributed and it's just some guy who
wants to see what the reaction is.”

Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mpinga was
previously a director at Anglo American. With Mwana's other main project
located in DRC, he has longstanding experience working under testing
political circumstances.

Zimbabwe's indigenisation and empowerment minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, told
local media on Wednesday that there were no immediate plans to amend the
law.

But with an election expected this summer the coalition government is eager
to raise funds, having publicly admitted it cannot afford the poll, stoking
fears the government will resort to seizing assets.

Another option is a new tax on the mining sector which the government may
introduce, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said during a visit to London this
week.

GOVERNMENT IS REASONABLE

The indigenisation law has put investors on edge, particularly because the
terms under which stakes are acquired remains vague. Deals tend to be
negotiated on a case by case basis behind closed doors.

Mpinga, who has worked in Zimbabwe through the worst of the turmoil and
hyperinflation, has a simpler view.

“If they don't pay what I want, they won't get it,” he said with a smile.

“From the experience that I've had, the government is very reasonable.”

In January, Impala Platinum, the world's second-largest platinum miner,
agreed to sell a majority stake in its Zimbabwe unit to local black
investors for $971 million, with the local unit lending investors the money.

Political concerns aside, Mwana is ramping up production. Its shares jumped
more than 10 percent on Thursday after an operations update showed a 36.8
percent increase in gold production from Freda Rebecca, despite a failure in
a leach tank where gold is extracted from the ore.

“We have more than delivered on all the things we said we would... If it
hadn't been for the leach tank we would have far exceeded expectations,”
Mpinga said.

With commodity prices falling Mwana has prioritised reducing its costs and
increasing production. A pilot plant to test the feasibility of retreating
left-overs from the main production process, known as tailings, is expected
to be ready in July.

Mpinga also said a plan on developing the refinery and smelter at Mwana's
nickel operations, run through Zimbabwe-listed Bindura Nickel Corporation,
would be in place by the end of the year.

The mine and plant were restarted last year after production was put on hold
in 2008 due to weak nickel prices and challenges posed by hyperinflation.

“At every level the government wanted the mine to start. That's what I see,
the rest is just noise,” Mpinga said. - Reuters

Zuma urged to increase visits as Zim elections draw closer

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Nomalanga Moyo
26 April 2013

As Zimbabwe’s negotiated political arrangement reaches its final stages, the
regional body tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) has called on its chief facilitator to be more
robust in his engagements with Zimbabwe.

Following major disagreements at a meeting held in Zambia in 2011, where SA
President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team presented a scathing report on ZANU
PF’s unwillingness to respect the GPA, SADC resolved that Zuma should
personally visit Zimbabwe, especially ahead of key political events.

At their latest February meeting held in Pretoria, the SADC Troika on
Politics, Defence and Security appealed to Zuma to ensure that he engaged
with all GPA stakeholders, as part of his facilitation role, diplomatic
sources told the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper.

The Troika consists of Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania and they want Zuma to
personally assess progress, or lack of it, regarding the political and
security situation in Zimbabwe.

Seasoned journalist and editor Dumisani Muleya told SW Radio Africa that
SADC is particularly keen to avoid another disputed Zimbabwean election,
hence the renewed pressure on Zuma to check on the implementation of the
GPA.

“In the aftermath of the latest meeting in Pretoria, SADC wants Zuma to
assess the situation himself, and also to hear from all the parties about
the election road map and whether the country is indeed ready to hold
elections.”

Zuma’s facilitation team was in the country last week, where they met
members of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), and
team spokesperson Lindiwe Zulu revealed that they will be returning on April
30th.

“Zuma will definitely come to Zimbabwe because that is part of his
responsibility, but as of when, we are not yet sure,” Zulu told the
Independent.

Muleya said while Zuma’s expected visits may not signify “real movement
towards fully implementing the GPA”, they however symbolise the ratcheting
up of pressure on the political parties to commit to the agreement.

“There are electoral processes that are already under way, especially those
that relate to the new constitution and amending the electoral laws and
these are issues that Zimbabwe needs to make a swift move on.

“So part of Zuma’s task will be hold discussions with all the political
leaders to evaluate progress, and also get a commitment from all concerned
that if free and fair elections are held, the results will not be disputed.

“The country has spent more than a decade on disputed election results and
SADC is anxious to avoid another disputed poll, Muleya told us.

Outstanding issues in the GPA include security sector reforms, but analysts
say it is unlikely that Mugabe will agree to these, regardless of when
elections are held.

“He may agree to media reforms etc, but as ZANU PF ministers have been
indicating of late, no amount of pressure from SADC will make them yield to
security reforms. That is where their strength lies and they will not allow
it,” said Muleya.

The latest visit by Zuma’s facilitation team was to try and resolve a
stand-off between ZANU PF, the MDC parties and itself on whether the team
should attend full JOMIC meetings.

ZANU PF last month blocked Zuma’s team from attending full JOMIC meetings.

It is understood that the team also met MDC leader Welshman Ncube, after he
raised concerns to Zuma and Troika chair, Tanzanian President Jakaya
Kikwete, about being sidelined by Mugabe and Tsvangirai in favour of
Mutambara, in violation of SADC resolutions.

Mugabe gives Zuma team the cold shoulder ahead of elections

http://mg.co.za/

26 APR 2013 10:00 - ZIMBABWE CORRESPONDENT

Zanu-PF is frustrating moves by SADC to ensure the country's elections are
free and fair and has made moves to shut out Zuma's facilitation team.

Senior party negotiators representing both the MDC-T and Zanu-PF, a SADC
representative and a government minister and Zanu-PF politburo member, this
week confirmed that Mugabe and Zanu-PF are against Zuma's facilitation team
playing a central role in election preparations as mandated by SADC and have
decided to brush them off during their visits.

Zuma's team includes his spokesperson Mac Maharaj, political adviser Charles
Nqakula and international relations adviser Lindiwe Zulu.

A SADC representative, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the SADC team
had been in and out of Zimbabwe attempting to secure access to joint Zanu-PF
and MDC meetings, without success.

He said they had been told off the record that their presence was
unnecessary and tantamount to interference in the running of government.

At its Livingstone summit in 2011, SADC mandated a team to work with both
parties to ensure a free and fair election.

Last week, Zuma's team was in Harare to meet government principals and party
political leaders but only managed to see Welshman Ncube, the leader of the
smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change. After that meeting,
Ncube, who is also trade and industry minister, said the team had not been
able to meet Mugabe because his office had indicated he would be unavailable
"indefinitely".

Global political agreement
Another government official confirmed that Zuma's team had been snubbed, and
said there is "growing hostility and tension between Mugabe and Zuma".

"That is why Zuma's team was told last week that Mugabe would not be
available to meet them indefinitely. Last month Zuma's team was blocked from
attending meetings with Jomic [the Joint Monitoring and Implementation
Committee] by Zanu-PF representatives on the committee," said the official.
"SADC envoys have also been brushed off by Mugabe and his party. Now it's
the UN."

Jomic is the committee set up by the unity government to ensure
implementation of the global political agreement. It is also meant to ensure
ongoing dialogue between the parties and hears complaints from the parties
relating to the unity agreement. All the parties are represented on the
committee.

Zimbabwe media reported this month that Maharaj, Nqukula and Zulu left
Harare seething with anger after Zanu-PF politburo members Nicholas Goche
and Jonathan Moyo refused to allow them into a Jomic meeting, saying their
presence was not needed as it would be an infringement on Zimbabwe's
sovereignty.

Zulu confirmed this week that Zanu-PF had complained about the terms of
reference regarding the SADC team's involvement, but this had apparently
been resolved after Zanu-PF was reminded that these terms had been set out
at the Livingstone summit.

Security situation
She said it was not true that her team had been denied a meeting with Mugabe
and they were expected to return to Harare on April 30 to meet Jomic as well
as party negotiators to discuss outstanding issues of the global political
agreement.

In moves perceived as attempts to avoid further scrutiny of Zimbabwe's
political and security situation before the elections, Mugabe and Zanu-PF
are also refusing to co-operate with a UN electoral mission that was
recently blocked from entering the country.

According to media reports, the UN team abandoned its mission to Zimbabwe
after it waited in Johannesburg for days as Zimbabwe's government refused to
give the green light for their visit.

The UN team, led by Tadjoudine Ali-Diabacte – a former member of the
Togolese Election Commission who has served as an election observer for the
National Democratic Institute – was going to carry out a needs assessment
mission before deciding whether to chip in for Zimbabwe's elections after
the country requested election funding.

MMPZ condemns firing of journalists over Mugabe origin statements

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Violet Gonda
26 April 2013

Two journalists were last month fired from ZBC and Star FM for allegedly
stating that President Robert Mugabe is of Malawian origin, the Media
Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) said in its latest report on
information rights violations.

The MMPZ said ZBC radio and television presenter Hazvinei Sakarombe
was suspended in early March for allegedly stating that the 89 year old
leader is of
“Malawian origin with his other surname being Matibiri.” This apparently
occurred during a broadcast to celebrate the president’s birthday.

ZBC editor-in-chief Tazzen Mandizvidza is quoted saying Sakarombe was
suspended for broadcasting “wrong information” about Mugabe, in
contravention of “ZBC’s work conduct and policy that does not allow false
information about people to be aired”.

Nonkululeko Vundla was reportedly forced to resign from the Zimpapers owned
Star FM for also stating that Mugabe was of Malawian origin.

The MMPZ said: “The reports highlight the pitfalls of failure to fully
disclose information about public officials resulting in speculation and the
resulting unfair labour practice.”

Political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya says Zimbabwe’s media laws are some of
the worst in Africa but said there is still a need to promote responsible
journalism and differentiate between comedy and factual reporting.

“However if this was a free country, like in other developed countries, you
could make jokes about Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela and about Barack Obama
without necessarily being fired or arrested,” Ngwenya said.

MMPZ noted several worrying cases of harassment and intimidation against
journalists and civil society activists between December 2012 and March
2013, despite the inclusive government’s pledge to promote freedom of
expression.

The media watchdog recorded eight violations against the media during this
period, including the police raid on Radio Dialogue where 180 radio sets
were confiscated and the organisation’s manager, Zenzele Ndebele, was
arrested. They also noted the harassment of Newsday Features and Supplements
editor Ropafadzo Mapimhidze, who was summoned to appear in a Masvingo court
after she was accused of “telephonically abusing Chief Nhema by repeatedly
calling him while following up on leads to reports that the chief allegedly
orchestrated political violence in his area.”

Zim broadcasting authority mum on radio applications

http://mg.co.za/

26 APR 2013 00:00 - FARAI SHOKO

Commercial stations in Zimbabwe may remain silenced until after the
elections to suppress free speech.

The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation may well retain its dominance of the
airways as the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) remains silent on
applications for provincial commercial radio licences.

BAZ, which is headed by Tafataona Mahoso, who is also the chief executive of
the Zimbabwe Media Commission, called for licence applications for 14
provincial commercial radio licences towards the end of 2011.

This was part of media reforms agreed upon by the coalition government in an
attempt to break the monopoly of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation,
which is largely seen as a Zanu-PF propaganda machine.

But it has emerged that BAZ is mum on the adjudication process, with media
activists and pressure groups contemplating court action to force the
licensing body to speed up the licensing process.

In its call for applications, the corporation had said it would allocate a
single-frequency licence each for Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo,
Chinhoyi, Bindura, Gwanda, Marondera, Lupane, Plumtree, Kariba, Victoria
Falls and Beitbridge.

The call for applications came after the controversial licensing of two
commercial stations, Star FM in June 2012 and ZiFM Stereo September 2012.

Star FM is wholly owned by Zimbabwe Newspapers Limited, in which Zanu-PF has
a majority shareholding, and ZiFM Stereo is owned by journalist-turned
businessman Supa Mandiwanzira who has indicated his interest
in representing Zanu-PF in Nyanga in Manicaland in the upcoming general
elections.

The deadline for the submission of applications for the provincial
commercial radio stations was initially December 2011, but was later
extended to January 2012 and then to February 2012.

Six applications were submitted – two from Harare, one from Bulawayo, one
from Matabeleland North's Lupane district, one from Manicaland and another
from Midlands.

BAZ chief executive Obert Muganyura did not respond to queries left with his
secretary seeking clarification from his office about why there was silence
surrounding the applications.

Zanu-PF
Players in the broadcasting industry told the Mail & Guardian that they
strongly believe BAZ's silence is meant to ensure that the airwaves remained
in the firm control of Zanu-PF until after the elections later this year.

Vivienne Marara, the director of the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio
Stations, said the deafening silence gave credence to assertions that the
call for the 14 free-to-air provincial commercial licence applications was a
facade to hoodwink citizens into believing that the regulatory authority was
committed to diversifying the broadcasting arena.

"It would seem the call for licences was a tactic to pacify restive
individuals, among them freedom of expression lobby groups that have been
agitating for alternative voices," she said.

Nhlanhla Ngwenya, the director of the Media Institute of Southern
Africa-Zimbabwe Chapter, said private stakeholders in the broadcasting
sector were alarmed by BAZ's silence.

"It is patently clear that there is no desire or will to genuinely
liberalise the airwaves to allow for the proliferation of diverse
independent players ahead of elections so long as those charged with
superintending over our airwaves feel threatened by free-flowing
information.

"If ever there will be any changes to the status quo, these will be
piecemeal and deceitfully implemented in such a manner that those aligned or
sympathetic to Zanu-PF will get the licences. The past two years are
testimony to this charade."

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has for the past two years demanded the
reconstitution of the BAZ board, which, his party says, is packed with
Zanu-PF loyalists.

In 2010, Cabinet gave Information Minister Webster Shamu a directive to
regularise the appointment of the BAZ board, but nothing has come of the
order.

Shamu, who is also the Zanu-PF national political commissar, was not
immediately available to clarify why there has been no movement.

But in May last year he told the parliamentary portfolio committee on media,
information and communication technology that he could not reconstitute BAZ
and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings boards along political lines because
of the principals' directive, but would follow what was stipulated in the
Broadcasting Services Act.

.

Factionalism in President Robert Mugabe's Party Blamed For Delay In Re-Opening of US$600 Million Ethanol Plant

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

26.04.2013

HARARE — The long-awaited re-opening of the US$ 600-million Chisumbanje
Ethanol Plant in Manicaland is now being blamed on factionalism within
Rresident Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. The plant employs more than 5000
people.

After more than a year’s delay in opening the plant, cabinet directed an
inter-ministerrial committee to finalize negotiations before the end of the
month.

But cabinet ministers, who attended the meeting Monday, said factions
aligned to defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and vice president Joice
Mujuru were major stummbling blocks.The two have for long been said of
harbouring plans to succeed the ageing president Mugabe.

Mnangagwa is a close ally of plant owner business tycoon Billy Rautenbach
and is pushing for the re-opening of the plant. He’s pushing a law to compel
the blending of ethanol and petrol.

But those alligned to joyce mujuru say they want government to take a 51%
stake in the company.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change formation
ministers are also saying they are against government being forced into
backing the creation of a fuel monopoly for private gain. The firm is said
to have lost close to US38 million during this closure.

Chisumbanje manager Raphael Zuze told VOA he could not comment on the
latest situation because he has just come back from leave.

Deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara said it was premature to comment. But
one of the residents’ representatives and Director of Platform for Youth
Development Claris Madhuku says people are tired of the political games.

Mutsekwa meets with top military brass

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
26 April 2013

Giles Mutsekwa, the MDC-T’ secretary for Defence and Security, has said his
exchange of views with the country’s top military brass in recent meetings
have been very productive.

Mutsekwa, a retired army major, confirmed meeting the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Police Commissioner-General
Augustine Chihuri and leading military securocrats, Major-General Martin
Chedondo and chief of staff and quartermaster Major-General, Douglas
Nyikayaramba.

He told SW Radio Africa on Friday that his meetings had been planned for
months and were tied to the holding of harmonized elections in the near
future.

‘I have met some of the military chiefs but not all of them. This is a
process and I’m hopeful that very soon, I will be able to meet with the rest
of the service chiefs,’ he said.

The military brass has a long history of involvement in the country’s
politics. Before each election in the last decade the self-appointed
defenders of Robert Mugabe have said they will not allow the ZANU PF leader
to be defeated in a poll.

Solomon Chikohwero, a retired airforce officer and former intelligence chief
of the MDC-T, told us that with an election looming the generals are not
certain or convinced Mugabe will retain power. Such meetings are inevitable
as the military brass look at the possibility of ZANU PF losing an election
and what that would mean for their future.

‘Even the most hard-core defenders of ZANU PF will want to sit down and
discuss their concerns should there be a change of government. What is
certain however is that if Tsvangirai wins the poll, the generals will have
a choice to make? Its either they salute and agree to work under him or
resign.

‘Also while the majority of the generals might not agree to work under
Tsvangirai, I don’t think they lose anything by listening to what they may
offer in case the MDC wins the elections.

Chikohwero said these worrying times for the service chiefs who have so
loyally saved Mugabe and ZANU PF for over three decades. Suddenly they
realise things may be different in the future.

No vote before July – Biti

http://blogs.ft.com/

Apr 26, 2013 2:48pm by Eleanor Whitehead

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s plan to hold a general election by June
29, when the current parliament will be dissolved, looks increasingly like a
pipe dream. Do the maths and you’ll see that it is impossible for the
country to hold a vote before the end of July at the earliest, the country’s
finance minister Tendai Biti said.
“It’s a processing issue which will determine the date of the election,” he
told beyondbrics from the sidelines of a talk at Chatham House, the think
tank. “It is not possible to have elections before at least the end of July”.
Here’s why: Zimbabwe’s new constitution, which was approved by referendum in
March, must be introduced for debate when parliament reconvenes on May 7.
Because the constitution had bipartisan support, it could receive
parliamentary approval by about May 15, Biti thinks.
Then comes a 30-day period of intensive voter registration. That’s followed
by voter inspection, which is aimed to reduce flaws including the common
appearance of dead voters on the electoral roll, but will take roughly
another month. “That would take us to about the July 15,” he explained.
Election dates must then be proclaimed, followed – a minimum of two weeks
later – by candidate nominations. “The law itself states that the election
must be held within 30 days of the nominations,” Biti said, making late July
the earliest possible date an election could be held.
All of that is based on best-case scenario, as well as the fact that the
near-bankrupt country actually finds the money to finance its vote.
“The fact of the matter is that the Zimbabwean government does not have the
resources to fund the election,” Biti said.
Zimbabwe needs $132m to pay for its vote, but withdrew a request for UN
support last week after refusing to accept its conditions over media freedom
and security issues. Biti, who has ruled out borrowing on debt markets, is
in discussions with South Africa for a $100m alternative loan.
In a bid to meet the shortfall, Zimbabwe’s cabinet has also approved the
introduction of new taxes, including on the mining sector.
In 2012, $800m worth of diamonds were mined and exported from Zimbabwe but
only $45m was paid to the Treasury. According to a report by Partnership
Africa Canada, a group campaigning against blood diamonds, at least $2bn in
diamond revenues has failed to make it to Zimbabwean coffers since 2008.
“If we had proper and full transparency around diamond revenues we should
not have any problem funding the elections,” Biti said.
Any new legislation would affect the platinum giants Anglo American and
Impala Platinum, although Biti stated that, despite approval, he was “not
going to do it”.
Biti – who is secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change, which
forged a tense power-sharing deal with Mugabe’s ZANU-PF after violent
elections in 2008 – said that another five years of coalition would be a
“disaster” for Zimbabwe.
“Coalition governments are painful and Zimbabwe can’t afford the
bureaucracy, the in-fighting and the pain of a coalition government,” he
said. “We need an election to give mandate to an undisputed leader.”

Tsvangirai seeks SADC help over stalled reforms

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

25/04/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

MDC-T Leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Thursday he would approach regional
leaders to help press President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party over the
full implementation reforms needed to ensure credible elections.

Tsvangirai told a press conference in Harare Thursday that elections cannot
be held until reforms he says were agreed as part of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) are fully implemented.

“There shall be no elections until reforms are implemented in terms of SADC
and AU principles. We are not going to have an election whose result will be
contested,” he said.

“We want elections as soon as possible but I am saying let’s implement what
we agreed; until those reforms are implemented then we go for elections.”

Zimbabwe completed work on a new constitution in March but the MDC-T leader
said other parts of the reform agenda had stalled.
“The major stumbling block to the implementation to the … agreed reforms
remains a palpable deficit of political will to implement agreed issues,
without which we are likely to reproduce electoral contestations and a
disputed outcome,” he said.

Zanu PF however, dismissed Tsvangirai’s claims, with party spokesman Rugare
Gumbo saying: “It is clear that the MDC-T is afraid of losing the elections.

“The MDC - T has no clear policies to sell to the electorate and are now
clutching on straws…a drowning man can even cling to a serpent.”

Gumbo said, as far as Zanu PF was concerned, the only outstanding GPA issue
was the complete removal of sanctions imposed by the West.

“The only outstanding issue that has remained to us is that of sanctions and
the pirate radio stations that continue to beam hate messages into the
country,” he said.

“He (Tsvangirai) should be going to his masters to call for the removal of
sanctions that have caused so much suffering for our people.”

Tsvangirai listed up to eight key issues which he said must be addressed
before new elections can be held.
He said his party wants to see media reforms completed, the secretariat of
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) reconstituted and “repressive”
legislation such as AIPPA and POSA amended.

“The role of the security sector in this election must be clearly defined in
line with international best practice,” he added.

“The security sector must be professional, impartial, and non-partisan and
desist from overtly making partisan political statements and abusing State
resources to further the narrow partisan interests.

“Security forces are a national asset belonging to the people of Zimbabwe
for peace and tranquillity and not the opposite.
“As the MDC, we want to state and restate that there shall be no credible
election without the implementation of (these) minimum reforms.

“In a short while, I will be visiting players within SADC and the AU to
ensure that the people of Zimbabwe are guaranteed of a free and fair
election that will usher in a new dispensation.”

Mudede and ZEC frustrating mobile voter registration exercise

http://www.mdc.co.zw

Friday 26 April 2013

The MDC is dismayed at the news that The Registrar General and ZEC have
refused to comply with the cabinet directive that the mobile voter
registration exercise commences on Monday the 29th of April 2013. Their
excuse this time is that they are not ready for the exercise. This is
despite the fact that they have now been given the money by the ministry of
finance.

The mobile voter registration exercise was scheduled to commence on the 3rd
of January 2013 meaning that it is four months behind schedule. It is
inexcusable that ZEC and Mudede should claim that they could not arrange the
logistics for the mobile voter registration exercise for four months.

The actual position is that the Registrar General, Mudede wants to frustrate
this exercise because it will destroy the Zanu PF strategy of using the
Registrar General's office for selective registration of Zanu PF supporters
as voters. This strategy was designed to ensure a systematic exclusion of
perceived MDC supporters from registering as voters.

We demand that the mobile voter registration exercise be commenced
immediately with absolutely no bottlenecks. For example, the residence
requirement must be scrapped away totally as it is being abused by the Zanu
PF machinery to stop other people from registering. We demand the
unconditional registration of the so called aliens so that they can vote in
the watershed elections.

Mudede and the ZEC secretariat must comply with the cabinet directive or
resign. The MDC is on record as saying that the ZEC secretariat, who rigged
the 2008 presidential election are incapable of presiding over a fair
electoral process and must be removed.

Statement by the United States Embassy on the suspension of sanctions on two Zimbabwean banks

Harare, April 26, 2013: In consultation with the Department of State, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a general license for two Zimbabwean banks: Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe (Agribank) and Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).

This general license covers both entities (the two banks) and effectively represents a suspension of sanctions on those banks. It permits American individuals and companies to engage in financial transactions with these two banks. Americans have been prohibited from doing this since 2008 when the banks were placed on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) sanctions list.

The United States regularly reviews all of our targeted sanctions programs, including the Zimbabwe program. The United States has made clear our policy of meeting “action for action” in response to progress on the goals Zimbabweans set for themselves in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). We commend as a positive action the recent peaceful constitutional referendum in Zimbabwe. Our policies reflect a continuing commitment to help the people of Zimbabwe restore the stable, peaceful, democratic country they rightly deserve and seek to support democratic institutions, rule of law, and human rights in Zimbabwe. We are prepared to consider further rolling back sanctions in response to positive progress on Zimbabwe’s part in meeting its reform commitments under the GPA and SADC Roadmap.

Comments and queries should be addressed to Sharon Hudson-Dean, Counselor for Public Affairs. E-mail: hararepas@state.gov Tel. +263 4 758800-1, Fax: 758802.

Zanu PF church courtship 'despicable': Tsvangirai

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

25/04/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

ZANU PF’S open courtship of churches ahead of key elections appears to have
disturbed MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who called the party of President
Robert Mugabe “despicable” on Thursday.

“The pulpit is not a platform for politics but for the word of God,”
Tsvangirai said, days after the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe
(ACCZ) appeared to dismiss his chances of defeating the veteran leader.

Mugabe, his deputy Joyce Mujuru and the Zanu PF’s political commissar
Webster Shamu have crisscrossed ACCZ conventions around the country in
recent months, confirming that the party covets the vote of the church which
claims nine million followers in Zimbabwe.

Not only did the ACCZ – grouping over 100 apostolic sects including the
African Apostolic Church, Zion Apostolic Church, Johanne Marange and Johanne
Masowe – rule out Tsvangirai’s chances citing the prophecies of 100
prophets, its leaders have publicly pledged loyalty to Zanu PF.

“I have seen some politicians attending churches, not to encourage the
church to pray for the nation but campaigning for their parties and chanting
slogans,” Tsvangirai said on Thursday, speaking at the close of a four-day
training programme for choral music choir masters hosted by the Zimbabwe
College of Music and attended by several pastors.

“That is despicable and should not happen,” the MDC- leader said.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai urged the church to pray for peace during elections as
the country aims to avoid a repeat of the 2008 presidential election run-off
marred by targeted political killings, mainly against MDC-T supporters.

“You must continue to pray for peace in the homes, peace in the parties,
peace among the national leaders, peace on the farms and peace in the
villages,” Tsvangirai said.

“There should be no death or injuries caused by one Zimbabwean attacking the
other for political reasons. We have spoken on the need for peace in the
country but please pray for the country so that words of peace are
translated into true and practical peace on the ground.”

Minister Theresa Makone faces arrest

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

Friday, 26 April 2013 11:12
HARARE - Co-Home Affairs minister Theresa Makone faces arrest for allegedly
shouting at the Borrowdale Police Station officer-in-charge after 19 MDC
campaigners on a door-to-door voter registration campaign in Hatcliffe were
detained.

Police say the arrested activists were wearing T-shirts inscribed ministry
of Home Affairs and pretended to be government officials while on MDC party
business.

Makone is accused of phoning and pressuring police to release the 19 MDC
campaigners.

National police spokesperson Charity Charamba told the Daily News yesterday
that police were probing the case.

“We are investigating the matter in which one cabinet minister phoned the
officer-in-charge for Borrowdale Police Station shouting at him, saying all
sorts of threats demanding that he releases 19 MDC supporters arrested for
purporting to be officials from Home Affairs,” Charamba said.

“This is unprocedural and tantamount to obstructing the course of justice.”

Although Charamba declined to name the minister, Makone confirmed to the
Daily News yesterday that indeed she telephoned Borrowdale Police Station
seeking the release of the MDC supporters and insisted they had not
committed a crime.

Makone denied that she had overstepped her mandate and also rejected charges
she had attempted to defeat the course of justice as alleged by police.

“I never shouted at him because I know that those people would be recording
every conversion you make with them,” Makone said.

“I only said to him it would be justified to arrest me because I was
responsible for the distribution of those T-shirts.

“In any case, I will be surprised if they don’t charge me with that because
they have tried it on many occasions before.”

Makone maintained that there was nothing wrong with her campaign and said
even her counterpart at the ministry, Kembo Mohadi, was given the T-shirts
to distribute to his supporters in Beitbridge. - Xolisani Ncube

Joyce Banda: Mugabe's charmed new ally

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

Getting along well ... Banda with Mugabe and his wife Grace in Mazowe on Thursday

25/04/2013 00:00:00

by Staff Reporter

SHE was cast as the new poster girl for western imperialism in the region by Zimbabwe’s state-run media, but Malawian President Joyce Banda – on a five-day state visit to Zimbabwe – is facing anything but hostility from her hosts.

Banda arrived on Tuesday to a royal welcome with not just President Robert Mugabe at the Harare International Airport to meet her but Vice President Joice Mujuru too.

The entire security services top brass was also there as Banda was treated to a 21-gun salute and a 21-gun salute and asked to inspect a guard of honour.

Her elevation to President of Malawi was a major inconvenience for Mugabe, who had in Banda’s late predecessor, the late Bingu wa Mutharika, a staunch ally against what both men saw as western encroachment into their countries’ internal affairs and manipulation of political processes to prop up puppet opposition leaders.

Since assuming the presidency on April 12 last year following Mutharika’s sudden death, Banda has implemented a raft of reforms and pursued a different economic course to his predecessor, principally a massive devaluation of the kwacha and the removal of major subsidies on fuel and other commodities, all in the name of attracting foreign investment.

In her first contact with Zimbabwe, she demanded the immediate full settlement of a 2007 US$23 million loan granted in the form of maize.

The immediate prize for her actions was a three-year loan of $157 million from the International Monetary Fund which is back in Malawi pursuing its long-running project of structural adjustment. These funds had been withheld from the recalcitrant Mutharika, along with an $80 million credit facility.

Western nations increased aid to Malawi, led by former colonial power Britain which remains locked in a diplomatic spat with Mugabe, who was slapped with European Union sanctions since 2000.

The US-based international NGO World Justice Project (WJP) praised Banda as a bright spark for democracy in Africa.

“If we are to see change in the region and the rest of the developing world, it is time to highlight and support the work of countries that are committed to forging ahead,” the WJP said about Malawi.

Banda’s open line to the West – Mugabe’s pet enemy – unnerved those in the Zimbabwean leader’s inner circle who began to see Banda as a Trojan Horse in the regional solidarity against the alleged Western interference.

The state-run Herald newspaper said in an editorial that “Malawi is a good example of why we should never sell our nations to the donor community. President Joyce Banda is today a darling of the donor community because she is dancing to their tune.”

Caesar Zvayi, one of the newspaper’s senior editors, suggested that Banda “does not have a mind of her own” while calling her a “Western appeaser”.

But Mugabe, demonstrating the enigma that has kept him in power for 33 years, then pulled a surprise move, inviting the Malawian leader to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Friday.

Mugabe’s motivations are many, not least the fact that Malawi is an important neighbour and traditional ally for Zimbabwe with a shared colonial past. But the Zanu PF leader would also have had one eye on elections expected within months in the immediate aftermath of which he will need endorsement by regional leaders, should he emerge victorious.

On Wednesday, Banda visited the Boka Tobacco Auction Floors where she witnessed firsthand how black farmers, most of them beneficiaries of land reforms championed by Mugabe in the face of international condemnation, are thriving.

“I am impressed by your programmes in the agricultural sector and I have already planned to go back and send a group of our experts to come and learn from our brothers and sisters,” she said.

On Thursday, President Mugabe and the First Lady Grace Mugabe took Banda on the road to Mazowe where she was given a tour of the couple’s Gushungo Dairy Estate; the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home for orphans and the Amai Mugabe Junior School.

“Throughout my adulthood, I have been running a lot, including mobilising underprivileged children, but what I saw today makes me feel small,” gushed Banda, who was accompanied by her husband, Retired Chief Justice Richard Banda.

On Friday, Banda officially opens the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, the final official engagement of her first visit to Malawi’s southern neighbour as President.

Whether her trip will lift any mistrust remains to be seen but the old fox Mugabe will hope he has recruited a new ally, even a passive one.

Man Friday

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

April 26 2013 at 02:00pm

AND there goes another bit of wonderful old Africa. We reported yesterday
that the legendary, and notorious, Kazungula Ferry linking Botswana and
Zambia near Kasane will be replaced by a $248 million, one kilometre long
road and rail bridge by 2018.

Progress, I know, and the bridge will make a huge difference to the flow of
trade between the two countries and to the lives of the locals. But I am a
real nostalgic, and there is something truly magical and quintessentially
African about crossing our continent’s great rivers – the Zambezi in this
case – on a rickety old ferry.

Nerve-wracking too, especially in the case of Kazungula. This was where 19
people died through drowning and being taken by crocodiles when the ferry
sank in September, 2003 after an overloaded South African cobalt truck lost
control while loading, and capsized the pontoon.

When we crossed from Botswana to Zambia in June 2008, it was the first time
my two kids had done a major ferry crossing. Only two of the three ferries
were operating and each can only take one big truck and four smaller
vehicles at a time.

We queued for about an hour: the line of heavy duty, long-distance trucks
waiting to cross stretched for three kilometres up the hill. One truck,
driven by a Zimbabwean, got onto our ferry. I chatted to the driver.

“How long have you been waiting to cross?” I asked. He added up the days and
then said: “It wasn’t too bad this time. I have only been waiting five days.
Other times I have waited six or seven days.”

I asked why, if he is Zimbabwean, he doesn’t drive through Zimbabwe. “Are
you mad? Nobody drives through Zimbabwe anymore. There’s no fuel, the
militias, the police, the military, they all steal part of your load, you
have to pay bribes, and you could lose your truck. All the trucks now come
through Zambia or Namibia.”

But he didn’t mind the wait too much – he was being paid by the day, and a
sprawling informal settlement had sprung up along the approach road, with
shebeens and brothels and nyama choma meat braai stands catering to the
truckers’ three most immediate needs.

Mindful of the 2003 disaster, I gave my kids strict instructions on how we
had to stand close to the railing at a high point, ready to jump into the
Zambezi and swim like hell if there was even the remotest chance of us
capsizing. Luckily this time it all went smoothly.

There is something magical about crossing an international border, or even a
major river, on a ferry. It all seems like complete chaos, but once you’ve
trained your eye to the workings of the ferry, you realise that everyone
shouting and running about knows exactly what they are doing: the man
lowering and raising the approach ramps, the skipper laboriously manoeuvring
the ponderous pontoons with small power inputs into the big Perkins diesel
engines, the loadmaster carefully balancing the weights of the smaller
vehicles against the bigger trucks, the skippers of the small boat taxis
that expertly tuck into the lee of the ferry to escape the current.

In June, 2010, we crossed the Zambezi where it bisects southern and northern
Mozambique at the spanking brand new President Armando Emilio Guebuza
Bridge, 2 376 metres of two-lane highway. The bridge replaced the rickety,
unreliable, scary ferries bridging the river between Caia in Sofala
province, and Chimuara on the northern, Zambezia province bank.

I had previously crossed on those ferries, and it always felt like I was
crossing into another country, a slow, dreamy transition with plenty of time
to admire the view and watch the Zambezi drift below us. With the new
bridge, it was almost clinical: we filled up with fuel at the brand new
Petromoc station in Caia, drew cash at the brand new Standard Bank ATM, paid
our toll fee and a few minutes later we were across the Zambezi. The spirit
of adventure was gone.

The Zambezi is 3 540km from source to mouth, and until the Mozambican bridge
was built, there were only nine bridges across it, only five of which could
carry motor vehicles. Now there are six, with Kazungula there will be seven,
and with a new bridge also being built linking Mongu and Senanga in western
Zambia with Sesheke on the Namibian border, there will be eight.

The African wilderness is being tarred and bridged and mined at a terrifying
rate. I am glad that I have seen it when it was raw, and that my children
have seen much of it unspoilt. I remain a Luddite at heart.

tonyweaver@iafrica.com

ZANU PF indigenisation drive blamed for investment ‘free fall’