Scotland on Sunday
Zimbabwe ‘veterans’ lay siege to wildlife
treasure
JACQUI GODDARD IN BULAWAYO
RICHARD Pascall never
thought that he would be targeted by Zimbabwe’s war
veterans. He had bought
his land at market rates while Robert Mugabe was in
office, and the land was
no use for farming.
His wildlife park attracted tourists and was a
sanctuary for the endangered
black-horned rhino, yet he is the latest victim
of Mugabe’s "war veterans",
who attacked him and forced him from his land
earlier this month.
Since Mugabe won the presidential elections in March,
150 landowners have
been evicted from their farms and hundreds of opposition
activists forced
into hiding.
"Things have actually escalated since
the election." said Pascall, who has
moved with his wife Carol and teenage
daughter Juliet to a temporary home in
Bulawayo.
"None of us can
actually understand why. What’s the point of crushing this
country and its
people, its wildlife, its economy and its future?"
Under threat from a
group of around 50 so-called ‘war veterans’ and Zanu-PF
youth activists,
whose leader told him he would not rest until they had put
him in a grave,
Pascall fled Gourlays Ranch earlier this month after a
fierce confrontation
in which his attackers came close to succeeding.
Pascall says one man
tried to handcuff him while others attacked him with an
axe, a spear and a
flail. A friend, Johnny Johnson, drove back the attackers
by firing into the
air with his rifle before himself coming under attack
from rocks and metal
bolts.
But when the police arrived, they accused Pascall, Johnson and a
third man,
Tim Lamprecht, of having shot one of the crowd in the
head.
They were taken to the police station, charged with attempted
murder and
spent two nights in the cells before being granted bail. They
appeared in
court again last week.
The 50,000 acres of land at
Gourlays Ranch is a recognised wildlife
conservancy, home to thousands of
animals including elephants, leopards,
sables and kudus. The ranch also has
30 black-horned rhinos, 10% of Zimbabwe
’s population of the
animal.
"We cannot afford to see wildlife like this harmed by politics -
and I don’t
just mean financially," Pascall said.
"What will happen to
these animals now? It is our duty to protect them and I
have done my best,
but in the end it won’t be down to me."
Zim Standard
Shiri accused of harassing MPs
By Chengetai
Zvauya
TWO MDC MPs accused of having held a controversial meeting with
Airforce of
Zimbabwe commander, Perence Shiri, as part of the alleged MDC
plot to
eliminate President Mugabe, are alleging that the air marshal's
subordinates
are planning to assassinate them.
Shortly before the
presidential election in March, Job Sikhala and Tafadzwa
Musekiwa were
alleged to have visited Shiri at his Borrowdale home to court
his support in
the event of the MDC assuming power through unorthodox means.
In a programme
broadcast on national television, Shiri claimed to have been
offered $10
million by the two MPs to pacify the army once the MDC had
eliminated the
president.
In their counter claim, Sikhala and Musekiwa said it was in fact
Shiri who
had approached them to enquire about whether army officers accused
of crimes
against humanity would be granted amnesty by an MDC
government.
In the latest twist in the saga, Sikhala, who is the MDC
secretary for
security, told The Standard on Friday that the two had received
intelligence
reports indicating that they were being targeted for
elimination.
"The intelligence information we have is that other people do
not trust what
we discussed with Shiri. They think we discussed more serious
matters which
we have concealed from public consumption, so some are trying
to play a
hero's role by attacking us to stop us revealing more than has
already been
made public," said Sikhala.
"What we know is that these
people are from the Airforce Security
Intelligence Unit and they are claiming
that they are being sent by Shiri.
Whether they are doing this in order to
tarnish his image is another
matter," added Sikhala.
Last month, Musekiwa
was attacked by unknown armed assailants in the dead of
the night. The MP,
however, spotted the men before they had entered his
house, and escaped naked
through a window.
Following this incident, Sikhala said he had advised
Musekiwa to relocate
from his constituency to a safer haven.
"Musekiwa is
being harassed and threatened everyday and we have advised him
to relocate
because he is no longer safe at his home. We have information
from the
grapevine that they want to eliminate us.
"They think we might have
information on how the elections were rigged by
the army, because Zanu PF
used Manyame Airbase as its command post and
senior military officers helped
with ballot stuffing.
"I have tried to speak to Shiri about what is
happening, but I was told he
was in the Democratic Republic of Congo," added
Sikhala.
Musekiwa refused to talk about the alleged elimination plot when
approached
for comment.
"Speak to Sikhala-he is the one dealing with the
issue. I don't want to
discuss that issue because munondi-uraisa (you will
get me killed)," said a
visibly shaken Musekiwa.
Shiri, on the other hand,
was not prepared to speak to The Standard when
contacted for comment on
Friday. "I do not want to speak to you. Goodbye,"
he said, before switching
off his cellphone.
Shiri is the former commander of the notorious Fifth
Brigade largely held
responsible for the Gukurahundi genocide in the Midlands
and Matabeleland
provinces during the internal turmoil of the 1982 to 1986
period. As many as
over 20 000 people are estimated to have perished at the
hands of Shiri's
North Korean-trained brigade which has since been
disbanded.
Meanwhile, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai's treason trial for
allegedly
plotting Mugabe's demise, begins on Tuesday. He could face the
death penalty
if convicted.
Zim Standard
Major Vic Falls project abandoned
By Paul
Nyakazeya
CRESTA Hospitality has shelved plans to build a five-star hotel
in Victoria
Falls following the withdrawal of international investors and the
over
capacity of other hotels in the resort area.
Sources within the
industry told Standard Business last week that the
downturn in the tourism
industry due to prevailing insecurity in the country
had deterred
international investors who had previously expressed interest
in financing
the project, which was expected to cost $1 billion when it was
unveiled in
1999.
The project was announced as Cresta was disinvesting from the Best
Western
and Travel Inn brands, and at the same time announced plans to build
a US$30
million ($Z1,14 billion) hotel along the Zambezi River, between the
Elephant
Hills and Mecure A'Zambezi.
Sources also said the existence of
Chobe hotel and the addition of 400 other
rooms by Sun International across
the river in Zambia, and the expansion of
Rainbow Hotel last year resulted in
over capacity of the area.
Contacted for comment, Cresta's group commercial
director, Shingi Munyeza,
confirmed to Standard Business they had abandoned
the building of the
five-star hotel in Victoria Falls.
Said Munyeza:
"Plans came off the rail when the international investors who
had adopted a
wait and see attitude towards the parliamentary and
presidential elections
said they were no longer interested in investing in
the project."
The
up-market hotel was expected to have been opened for business by the
first
quarter of last year. The hotel was expected to transform the face of
the
resort town and create new job opportunities, in a project that was to
be
jointly undertaken with the Victoria Falls town council.
Signs of the Times
Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)
COLUMN
April 28,
2002
Posted to the web April 28, 2002
Shingi Munyeza
THE
recent news about Air Zimbabwe being in danger of losing part of its
fleet is
a true indication that our situation is now more than desperate.
It is
understood that the Export-Import Bank of America has extended the
deadline
for the repayment of the overdue debt. In my opinion, no amount of
extending
deadlines will solve this problem until this debt is either
restructured or
settled.
Firstly, if they are to restructure the debt there is need to
satisfy the
credit rating requirements. This would not be easy based on two
points; a
battered travel industry after September 11 2001, and a battered
and
progressively worsening Zimbabwe economy, never mind the
political
perceptions.
If the board of Air Zimbabwe decides to pay up
the debt, this will also
prove to be very difficult. Simply, where will they
get the money? In the
past, government would have had to jump in to the
rescue, but currently
government is concentrating on food imports, rightfully
so, or else we will
all starve whilst the aeroplane will fly, though
empty!
So you might be asking: what then is the way forward? I propose
that the
current fleet needs to be rationalised to suit the current
conditions of the
industry. The main focus will then have to be servicing of
viable regional
routes, which will mean smaller and cost-efficient aircraft
will have to be
deployed on these routes. Positive signs have already been
experienced with
the Harare/Nairobi route. For the international routes there
is scope to
partner with one of the long haul carriers.
British
Airways would be an obvious choice, but with the current
strained
relationship between the two governments, I do not see this being
feasible.
I also know that the Harare/London route has been viable due to the
movement
of many Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, particularly those in the
United
Kingdom. The other reason being that Air Zimbabwe is the only
carrier
accepting our local currency. This is a commendable gesture, but
most
operating costs are denoted in foreign currency; even the Reserve Bank
has
given up our currency, evidenced by their statement on the tobacco
trade
recently.
Once Air Zimbabwe rationalises its fleet to smaller
and fewer aircraft, the
disposal of the 767 will result in the settlement of
the outstanding debt.
Another positive effect would be that operating costs
would then be reduced
significantly depending on the aircraft in use. Once
the size and quantity
of the fleet has been reduced, it is worth considering
investing in a
presidential jet to avoid any possible disruptions in the
schedule when the
president has to go somewhere.
I know that there are
many facets to the problems facing Air Zimbabwe but we
cannot do without a
national carrier. The reason being that if the other
airlines stop coming to
Zimbabwe, we can at least continue to fly to the
regional hubs and later on
connect to other destinations. The demise of
Zimbabwe Express Airlines left a
void in the tourism sector. I hope the
routes and frequency being offered by
Airlink Zimbabwe will improve.
Air Zimbabwe ought to be commended even
though noone is flying! A long-term
solution is required urgently, no
quick-fix miracles can happen here. In
South Africa, SAA Airlink has
withdrawn three of its Jetstream 41 aircraft
and laid off 20 pilots in a bid
to cut costs. This could be an opportunity
for Air Zimbabwe to lease the
grounded aircraft by SAA Airlink if they are
available.
In a similar
move, SAA has ended its Johannesburg/Lagos/New York route after
losses of R54
million. Some of us remember how this route was highly
commended two years
ago when SAA and Nigerian Airways launched it, but now
they have humbly bowed
out of the route. SAA has also struck a deal with
Airbus to replace all their
Boeing fleet, which are believed to be more
costly to run. Air Zimbabwe needs
to adopt some of the strategies being used
by other regional airlines. These
are truly signs of the times!
* Shingi Munyeza is the group commercial
director for Cresta Hospitality.
Cresta Hospitality owns and manages 13
hotels in southern Africa.
From The Zimbabwe Standard, 28
April
Winter maize scheme threatens sugar
production
Bulawayo - A cropping exercise started by the government at
Hippo Valley estates and designed to alleviate maize and wheat shortages has the
potential to paralyse the entire sugar production in the Lowveld, agricultural
expects have warned. In separate interviews with The Standard, the experts who
were at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), said the decision to grow
maize and wheat at Hippo Valley was a monumental mistake which would have
disastrous consequences for the nation, already reeling under severe sugar
shortages. "They think they have done a good job by growing maize and wheat in
fields meant for sugar, but sooner rather than later, they will realise they did
the wrong thing," said a crop research specialist who preferred not to be named.
He added: "Sugar, maize and wheat share common pests and by growing these crops
at the same estate means that there will be multiplication of the nagging pests.
They might fool themselves saying they will destroy the pests with chemicals,
but any sane person with basic agriculture knowledge is aware that pests can be
contained up to a certain threshold but beyond that, nothing can be done." The
government, desperate to be seen doing something about the current
self-inflicted food crisis, requested the giant estate to use its fallow land to
grow winter crops under irrigation two months ago. After every six years sugar
fields are left fallow for at least two years so as to rid them of pests. "They
have taken advantage of this fallow land to grow maize, but sadly they have
defeated the whole process of fallowing, meaning the circle for breeding pests
won't be broken," said an agriculture expert. He warned that this could result
in the emergence of streak virus, which is very difficult to eradicate.
From The Zimbabwe Standard, 28
April
Shiri accused of harassing
MPs
Two MDC MPs accused of having held a controversial meeting with
Airforce of Zimbabwe commander, Perence Shiri, as part of the alleged MDC plot
to eliminate President Mugabe, are alleging that the air marshal's subordinates
are planning to assassinate them. Shortly before the presidential election in
March, Job Sikhala and Tafadzwa Musekiwa were alleged to have visited Shiri at
his Borrowdale home to court his support in the event of the MDC assuming power
through unorthodox means. In a programme broadcast on national television, Shiri
claimed to have been offered $10 million by the two MPs to pacify the army once
the MDC had eliminated the president. In their counter claim, Sikhala and
Musekiwa said it was in fact Shiri who had approached them to enquire about
whether army officers accused of crimes against humanity would be granted
amnesty by an MDC government.
In the latest twist in the saga, Sikhala, who is the MDC
secretary for security, told The Standard on Friday that the two had received
intelligence reports indicating that they were being targeted for elimination.
"The intelligence information we have is that other people do not trust what we
discussed with Shiri. They think we discussed more serious matters which we have
concealed from public consumption, so some are trying to play a hero's role by
attacking us to stop us revealing more than has already been made public," said
Sikhala. "What we know is that these people are from the Airforce Security
Intelligence Unit and they are claiming that they are being sent by Shiri.
Whether they are doing this in order to tarnish his image is another matter,"
added Sikhala.
Last month, Musekiwa was attacked by unknown armed assailants
in the dead of the night. The MP, however, spotted the men before they had
entered his house, and escaped naked through a window. Following this incident,
Sikhala said he had advised Musekiwa to relocate from his constituency to a
safer haven. "Musekiwa is being harassed and threatened everyday and we have
advised him to relocate because he is no longer safe at his home. We have
information from the grapevine that they want to eliminate us. They think we
might have information on how the elections were rigged by the army, because
Zanu PF used Manyame Airbase as its command post and senior military officers
helped with ballot stuffing. I have tried to speak to Shiri about what is
happening, but I was told he was in the Democratic Republic of Congo," added
Sikhala.
Musekiwa refused to talk about the alleged elimination plot
when approached for comment. "Speak to Sikhala – he is the one dealing with the
issue. I don't want to discuss that issue because munondi-uraisa (you will get
me killed)," said a visibly shaken Musekiwa. Shiri, on the other hand, was not
prepared to speak to The Standard when contacted for comment on Friday. "I do
not want to speak to you. Goodbye," he said, before switching off his cellphone.
Shiri is the former commander of the notorious Fifth Brigade largely held
responsible for the Gukurahundi genocide in the Midlands and Matabeleland
provinces during the internal turmoil of the 1982 to 1986 period. As many as
over 20 000 people are estimated to have perished at the hands of Shiri's North
Korean-trained brigade which has since been disbanded. Meanwhile, MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai's treason trial for allegedly plotting Mugabe's demise, begins
on Tuesday. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Workers Forced to Join Trade Unions
Zimbabwe Standard
(Harare)
April 28, 2002
Posted to the web April 28, 2002
Trevor
Muhonde
THE vice-president of the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions
(ZFTU), Joseph
Brown Chinotimba, has intensified raids on firms suspected of
having links
with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, The Standard
has learnt.
Sources within ZFTU told The Standard last week that the
trade union,
believed to be an affiliate of Zanu PF, was forcing workers to
obtain stop
order forms so they could pay subscriptions to the union ahead of
the May
Day celebrations.
For an excerpt from the Africa 2002
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here.
Said the sources: "The ZFTU is targeting companies
affiliated to the
Zimbabwe Chemicals and Plastics and Allied Workers Union.
The ZFTU has so
far stormed more than five companies, which include Barco
Chemicals in
Mutare, Plastic Industries, Marine Center, Surgimed Trading and
Omni
Fertilizers. They harassed anyone not complying with their demand to
sign
stop order forms for affiliation with the ZFTU," said one worker from
Marine
Centre who refused to be named.
Workers from other affected
companies also confirmed that they had been
harassed by officials of the
ZFTU.
Contacted for comment on Friday, Chinotimba confirmed that his
union was
forcing the signing of stop orders by those workers who were
"failing to
understand that the ZFTU is now the only trade union capable of
representing
them".
Added Chinotimba: "We were given the mandate to do
so by government. I want
to tell you, we are the current government. We have
to talk to the workers
but if they stand in our way we will be forced to make
them dance to our
tune. If they want to remain with the ZCTU then they should
go to other
countries and not stay in Zimbabwe. They should wake up and
realise that we
are the only recognised trade union in this
country."
The MDC was borne out of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions,
whose
secretary-general was MDC president, Morgan Tsvangirai.
Sources
close to the union told The Standard last week that the ZFTU, widely
believed
to be an off-shoot of Zanu PF, had been attacking mostly
privately-owned
companies .
An executive with the Zimbabwe Chemicals and Papers Allied
Workers Union
also confirmed recent visits by ZFTU.
"I can confirm
that we have been receiving complaints from our workers. They
are going
around with stop order forms and threatening to beat anyone not
wanting to
sign," said the official who declined to be named for fear
of
victimisation.
Sunday Times (UK)
April 28, 2002
Farm family defies Zimbabwe
siege
Jacqui Goddard, West Nicholson, Zimbabwe
IN THE
flickering light of a candle, the Wheeler family sit among wooden
packing
crates, listening to drums beating incessantly in the citrus and
mango
orchards around their home.
Shannon and Rachel Wheeler, daughter Vilanda, 16,
son Eric, 13, and their
farm manager, Sammy Mahzvo, have been besieged in the
lonely Twin River
Ranch in West Nicholson, Zimbabwe, for 10 days. Their water
supply is
running as low as their spirits, and “war veterans” have blocked
the track
to the farm.
The veterans have sabotaged the generator,
killed 11 cattle, fired the 30
workers, armed themselves with cane-cutting
knives and ordered the Wheelers
to leave the land they bought with the
government’s permission in 1986. Some
700 tons of fruit worth £50,000 are at
risk, along with 600 cattle.
“They have taken our life, everything we
worked for,” says Rachel, peeling
potatoes in the gloom. “Why should we
leave, where would we go, what would
we do?”
Before the March 9
elections that confirmed President Robert Mugabe in power
for another six
years, evictions were running at a handful a week. Since
polling day 200
farmers have been thrown off their land, with 20,000 black
workers and their
families, says the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) and
opposition Movement
for Democratic Change. The crisis seems to have been
exacerbated by a letter
warning all white farmers to leave “with immediate
effect”, issued last month
by Andrew Ndlovu of the Zimbabwean National
Liberation War Veterans
Association. “Ndlovu’s letter has emboldened local
war vets to take matters
into their own hands,” said Jenni Williams, a CFU
official.
The
agriculture minister, Joseph Made, has sanctioned the seizure of
privately
owned farming equipment and barred those who may want to move
elsewhere
(Mozambique has welcomed fleeing Zimbabwean farmers) from taking
it out of
the country.
Reaching the Wheelers’ homestead means driving fast along a
15-mile dirt
track, hopping from the car to push down the veterans’ log
barriers and
ignoring their whistles to stop.
Shannon’s father, Eric,
who lives half a mile away, drove in through a back
route on Wednesday to
bring supplies and six security guards who now man the
gates, armed with
batons and pepper spray.
The stress of the siege is tormenting the
family’s bulldogs. Distressed by
the drumming, Saffala, who gave birth to
eight pups a week ago, has
accidentally killed six of them.
The
Wheelers’ misery began on April 16, when a 50-strong mob warned
Shannon,
whose Irish ancestors arrived in Zimbabwe in the 19th century, that
he must
leave. Two days later the workers were told the local Zanu-PF MP,
Kembo
Mohadi, had instructed that all moveable assets and cattle now belonged
to
them.
A small generator provides power for one light bulb and the
two freezers,
though only one can be plugged in at a time. But fuel supplies
are running
low and ultimately a lack of water could be the deciding
factor.
Rachel has been packing crates but the family gathered around a
bonfire to
get rid of items such as the children’s old toys that would have
to be left
behind. “We all had a lump in our throats,” said Vilanda, who
saved three
teddy bears.
If the Wheelers are driven out, they will go
knowing they did their best.
“If we leave the farm, we may never get back,”
said Shannon. “There is just
going to be hatred all the way. But we had to
take a stand.”
Zanu PF Crusade Threatens Monuments
Zimbabwe Standard
(Harare)
April 28, 2002
Posted to the web April 28, 2002
John
Makura
A crusade by Zanu PF to whip up anti-colonial sentiment has
put in grave
danger historical monuments that are a key part of Zimbabwe's
history, borne
out of a bitter struggle against
colonialism.
Historians fear that if this anti-colonial passion, preached
by President
Robert Mugabe, is embraced by some irresponsible people,
Zimbabwe could soon
experienced widespread destruction of monuments that are
integral to this
southern African country's past.
The monuments,
considered by the majority of Zimbabweans proud of their true
history as
priceless, were even given due respect by the freedom fighters
when they
waged a bitter struggle to liberate the country from the Ian Smith
regime in
the 1970s.
Now Zanu PF, which controversially won the presidential
election last month,
is stirring up emotions over the colonial symbols in
what analysts say is a
vain attempt to divert people's attention from the
mounting problems facing
the nation.
Zimbabwe is confronted by its
worst economic crisis since independence,
characterised by high inflation and
acute foreign currency shortages. Basis
commodities such as sugar, cooking
oil and mealie-meal are very hard to come
by, condemning the once better-off
Zimbabweans to long and winding queues
for basic commodities.
Zanu
PF's agents-mainly war veterans and the militia-are urging people to
destroy
colonial monuments, claiming their mere presence is causing the
nation's
untold problems. They firmly believe, much to the surprise of
other
nationals, that these monuments cause some Zimbabweans to sell out
the
country to the whites.
High on the list of unwanted monuments is
the grave of the architect of
colonialism, Cecil John Rhodes, which is lying
on top of a shrine at
Matopos, some 40km south west of the city of
Bulawayo.
The grave is blamed, among other things, for unleashing a
supposed colonial
demon that is responsible for turning people's hearts away
from President
Robert Mugabe, who has apparently embarked on what he calls
the 'Third
Chimurenga'.
War veterans secretary for projects, Andrew
Ndlovu, aptly summed the
feelings of his compatriots when he was in Bulawayo
last month: "We cannot
find peace when we are keeping a white demon in our
midst. It is the very
core of our problems. His grave should be returned to
the British or we will
just destroy it."
From nowhere, unidentified
'elders' in Matabeleland have started to see the
grave, a foreign currency
spinner which has put the region on the
international tourism map, as an
anathema that should be removed from the
Matopos and the remains "sent back
wherever they came from".
They have also started complaining that the
grave of king Mzilikazi, the
founder of the Ndebele nation, which is a few
kilometres away from Rhodes'
grave, is neglected because too much attention
is paid to that of the
British imperialist.
Pressure groups, such as
the Bulawayo based Anti-British Group, which last
week gave the British
government a 60 day ultimatum to exhume Rhodes'
remains from the Matopos,
have also emerged and quickly gained prominence in
state-owned newspapers.
These groups, analysts warn, are laying the ground
for what could turn out to
be an indiscriminate destruction of monuments
that have any link to
Zimbabwe's colonial past, as President Mugabe seeks to
hurt the ego of the
British who have openly told him that he stole the the
March 9-11
election.
The European Union has banned Mugabe from visiting any of the
European
countries, hitting him where it will hurt the most. When the sun
shone on
him a few years ago, Mugabe could not spend a week without
travelling to a
foreign country where red carpets were rolled out for
him.
Now this is a thing of the past as the former leading southern
African
statesman is now an isolated leader, who is treated by his
contemporaries at
best with suspicion, and at worst with contempt. Many of
these, especially
Europeans, do not even want him to set his foot on their
soils, let alone
deposit his allegedly ill-gotten wealth into their financial
institutions.
His children are also barred from studying there.
Only
removing Rhodes' grave from the Matopos, analysts warn, would not
satisfy
Mugabe's quest for revenge against Britain, the country he blames
for all the
woes facing this once breadbasket of southern Africa. More
revenge is likely
to be vented on monuments which cannot retaliate.
War veterans, who are
an integral part of Zanu PF's machinery, have already
indicated they want the
320-hectare Rhodes Matopos farm to be designated,
effectively disrupting
tourism-related activities that have flourished there
over the years. The
farm encompasses Matopos National Park and Matopos
Research Station. The
government has already said it will not stop people
from getting land on this
farm if they so wish. The Matabeleland South land
acquisition committee is
simply waiting for a go-head to parcel out the
estate to peasants.
The
campaign to rid the the country of colonial monuments has also spread
to
Victoria Falls, where war veterans are eager to destroy the statue of
David
Livingstone, the Scottish explorer who claimed to have discovered the
falls
in 1855.
Last year, a plaque on the statue was vandalised by
some war veterans who
were attending the Zanu PF conference held in Victoria
Falls. They charged
that it was an insult to Zimbabweans, but were prevented
from destroying the
statue.
This new kind of war against colonialism
has also started in Bulawayo where
focus is centred on the city's main post
office garden, where there is a
memorial tombstone and plaques in memory of
the Rhodesians who perished in
the Second World War.
Inscriptions, one
of which reads: "In everlasting memory of Rhodesians of
the King's Royal
Rifle Corps who fell in the war 1939-1945," have started
angering people who
have been seeing them since Zimbabwe gained independence
in 1980. The garden
is a favourite meeting place for city residents who like
the post office's
central location. All these years, no one had raised a
finger about the
tombstone and plaques until after the condemned
presidential
elections.
"It only exposes that this crusade against colonial monuments
is not coming
from real concerned people but is part of well drafted
programme designed to
divert people's attention from the real issues," said a
travel consultant
whose business has nose dived in the past 12
months.