http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 23 December 2012 12:42
HARARE -
Retailers hoping for a last-minute festive season buying frenzy
after weeks
of flat sales failed to get the tills ringing after a
presidential decree
declaring Monday a public holiday.
Banks closed for business on Friday
and will re-open on December 27 after
President Robert Mugabe’s proclamation
that Monday is a public holiday. The
arbitrary Monday declaration has
dampened spirits somewhat, with many in a
last-minute rush to access
cash.
Weary Zimbabweans waited in long queues for cash on Friday, hoping
to scrape
together enough to hold whatever celebration they can
afford.
Lengthy queues have been a part of life in Zimbabwe during this
time of the
year.
But on Friday, the queues became longer and the
chaos in the city centre in
Harare was unbearable.
For many, after
waiting for cash at banks, automatic teller machines (ATMs)
repeatedly ran
out of money on Friday and yesterday as workers tried to cash
their annual
bonuses, many people just gave up and went home.
Friday was effectively
the last banking day ahead of the holiday weekend,
which led to queues that
snaked around blocks in downtown Harare as people
hoped to get cash from
ATMs.
The queues were only a problem for people who had money in the
first place.
The average Zimbabwean’s disposable income remains over 50
percent below the
Poverty Datum Line.
The celebratory mood usually
synonymous with this period is conspicuously
absent.
Critics
attributed this gloomy outlook to the economic constraints faced by
the
citizenry in a country fighting to revive an economy shattered by a
decade
of hyperinflation blamed on Mugabe’s previous administration.
But for
some, the abrupt declaration of Monday as a holiday did little to
discourage
people from hopping in their cars or on busses, resulting in
traffic chaos
throughout the city centre.
Those who held off their Christmas shopping
until the last minute in a bid
to bag some bargains were left stranded after
banks complied with the
presidential decree.
And with Christmas
falling on a Tuesday this year, the idea to make Monday a
holiday was meant
to give shoppers benefit from an “extra” weekend to buy
presents, but it
ended in disaster.
“I don’t know what to do now,” said Joice Moyo, a
shopper from Ruwa who was
stranded after finding her bank jam packed on
Friday.
“I thought I would withdraw money today and buy presents for my
three kids,
but I can’t anymore. What do I tell the kids?”
She has no
ATM card, and the bank opens on December 27.
“I thought I would come on
Monday, but I hear its now a holiday.”
James Harris, a manager at a shop
in Harare said: “The sales have been quite
flat and we have people
complaining about banks closing.”
“The run-up to Christmas has been quite
poor and I believe it has a lot to
do with the extra day this year. We are
expecting to see it start picking up
today but sales are just flat right
now.”
Martha Mutopa, a shop attendant in downtown Harare, agreed sales
had been
sluggish but said shopping had picked up considerably, although
people were
spending very little.
“Generally, the economic climate
has been very difficult.”
For many, it will be another bleak festive
season.
While Christmas is usually a time of bustle, full chicken
roasting in the
oven, a Christmas cake, presents to wrap and carols around
the Christmas
tree with children, this year everything about Christmas is an
effort.
Most civil servants who make the majority of the formal work
force in
Zimbabwe say the $300 salary they are on, even with the bonus, is
not enough
to bankroll a merry Christmas.
They say their salaries
remain out of sync with the Poverty Datum Line
(PDL), currently pegged at
$546.
“There are school fees next year to deal with, we can’t afford to be
extravagant,” said a civil servant who declined to be named.
Most
people employed in the formal sector said they got some days off during
the
holiday week, but didn’t have enough money to take their family to visit
relatives in their home village.
During the holidays, many
city-dwellers travel to the villages where their
families
live.
Because of the low demand for transport, bus fares have largely
remained
stagnant and there are enough buses running this year.
But
buses from South Africa have shot up, some three fold, with a trip from
Johannesburg to Harare going for anything up to R1 400. - Staff Writer
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
Staff
Reporter 19 hours 19 minutes ago
JOHANNESBURG - Border
officials at two of the South Africa's border posts
had their hands full
with long queues being the order of the day.
In Musina, traffic heaped up at
the Beitbridge border post in Limpopo as
many Zimbabwean nationals headed
home. At the Lebombo border post in
Mpumalanga it was an equally frustrating
day for many Mozambicans wanting to
go home.
There was growing driver
frustration as vehicles line up for up to 10
kilometres. With heavy loads,
some drivers say they have been on the road
since yesterday. Authorities say
people are being attended to as fast as
possible but out of sheer
frustration some people left their cars on the
road and walked to the
border.
Motorists complained about long queues saying border officials must
work
faster. Police, traffic officials and the army are in the area.
In
Mpumalanga, traffic volumes on the N4 became uncontrollable as traffic to
the Lebombo border post snaked for about 14 kilometres. Mozambicans
returning home spent long hours and in some instances days on the
road.
Some drivers are using the oncoming traffic lane to avoid the long
queue of
cars even while it's illegal and highly dangerous to do so.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 23 December 2012 12:32
HARARE -
Traditional leaders are becoming de facto political commissars for
Zanu PF
in Mount Darwin, Mashonaland Central Province, and are reportedly
spearheading terror in villagers ahead of the general elections President
Robert Mugabe wants next year.
This is despite Article 14 of the
Global Political Agreement (GPA) which
restricts them from engaging in
political activities at national and
community level.
Investigations
carried out by this reporter in Nyamazizi and Karanda, Mount
Darwin East,
approximately 50km from the main town revealed that chief
Dotito, war
veterans and the Zanu PF militia are threatening to kill and
evict suspected
MDC supporters in Nyamazizi and Karanda.
“People must know that this
country came as a result of the liberation
struggle, so giving it away by
the pen is a complete betrayal of Mbuya
Nehanda and those who lost their
lives in the struggle,” said Lovemore
Matasva, a Zanu PF youth.
This
reporter established that youth militia (names supplied) working under
chief
Dotito’s orders, are forcing people to attend nocturnal meetings,
compelling
villagers to vote for Zanu PF.
Calvin Chimwanzure of Ward 12 in Nyamazizi
said in mid-July this year, chief
Dotito and war veterans held a secret
meeting at Border Gezi Youth Training
Centre in Mt Darwin to deliberate over
the disbandment of the District
Coordinating Committee (DCC).
He
added that after the meeting chief Dotito summoned all village heads in
the
area, instructing them to force people to vote for Zanu PF or face
abductions and evictions from the area.
A village head who spoke on
condition of anonymity said they were given
strict orders by the chief to
force people to support and vote for Zanu PF
in the next
elections.
“The chief said we should evict those suspected to be MDC
supporters. He is
under immense pressure from the war veterans and youth
militia to mobilise
support by whatever means necessary,” he
said.
Another villager, Miriam Katsande of Ward 14 in Karanda expressed
concern
over the way the chief and Zanu PF are operating in the area saying
she is
now fearing for her personal security.
“The situation is
getting worse; we are being threatened with abductions and
eviction by
George Manyika and Jongwe from the chief’s home.
“We are now afraid to
express our views in public as we no longer know what
will happen to us
thereafter,” Katsande said.
Joseph Murewa (35) of Nyamazizi village, a
victim of the 2008 political
violence could not hold his tears as he
narrated how his house was torched
by Zanu PF youths.
“It was around
2am when I heard people chanting Zanu PF slogans and
clamouring for my head.
They ordered me to get out of the house before
torching it.
“My wife
and I managed to escape unhurt,” he said, adding nothing had been
done to
address the issue of violence in the area, exposing villagers to
terror
attacks by war veterans.
Further investigations in Karanda and Nyamazizi
village showed militias
distributing the Zanu PF position paper on the
constitution, coaching
villagers and subjecting them to verbal and physical
abuse.
Isaac Gandari, a Nyamazizi village headman said the war veterans
and the
militia have extended orders to punish and evict MDC supporters who
do not
ascribe to the authority of Zanu PF leadership.
“I have just
received orders that I should vacate the throne, but I don’t
know the person
who gave that order. So many people are taking the law into
their hands and
can do anything they please in this area.
“It’s quite unfortunate that
since this violence started in 2008,
perpetrators have been on the loose and
no mechanism has been put in place
to protect people from
victimisation.
“We are now living in perpetual fear as we are
continuously being threatened
with abductions and death,” said
Gandari.
ZimRights director, Okay Machisa said cases of war veterans and
chiefs
terrorising villagers are a huge cause for concern in
Zimbabwe.
“People have the right to cultural practices of their choice,
the right to
choose a political party of their choice and the right to
choose a soccer
team to support so the chiefs must respect those rights,”
said Machisa.
Heal Zimbabwe Trust director, Rashid Mahiya said
traditional institutions
should stick to their national mandate of guiding
the communities under
their jurisdictions.
Mahiya added: “If the
state allows institutions especially those that are
supposed to provide
protection to the people to harass them then it means
something is
wrong.
“We therefore call upon the government to intervene and ensure
that such
cases are stopped and the security of the people is guaranteed,”
said
Mahiya.
MDC spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that cases
of victimisation of
people by chiefs, war veterans and the police were rife
in Mashonaland
Central province.
“We are aware that chiefs and war
veterans are harassing people in Mt Darwin
and the harassing is widespread
in Mashonaland Central Province, but
unfortunately there is no protection
from the state,” Mwonzora said.
He said his party is working with Jomic
to make sure that political violence
is stopped in the country.
However,
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo refuted claims that chiefs in
Mashonaland
Central Province were terrorising villagers on behalf of his
party.
He said: “The people making those claims are just bent on
tarnishing the
image of the party. If they have genuine cases, why don’t
they report to the
police than rushing to the papers,” he
said.
National police spokesperson, assistant commissioner Charity
Charamba said
such developments have not been brought to her attention. -
David Chidende
http://nehandaradio.com
on December 23, 2012 at 12:36
am
By Talent Bhachi
HURUNGWE- The word Jochomondo brings
fear to villagers under Mudzimu
Village, Hurungwe. Translated “pounce like
an eagle,” in local language
Jochomondo was formed in early 2000 and
blossomed in 2008, terrorise, loot
and extort money from motorists at
self-made tollgates.
The militia group is linked to ZANU PF Magunje
Member of Parliament Franco
Ndambakuwa.
A victim of military outfit,
Albert Chitiyo (63) looks like an able bodied
man and as he goes about doing
his business of carving hoe handles seated,
no one will be able to guess
that Chitiyo had a twisted leg that makes him
want clutches for aid in
walking.
“I am now a permanently disabled person thanks to 2008 election,
I was
attacked by a group of youths aligned to Ndambakuwa (Franco Ndambakuwa
is
the Member of Parliament for Magunje) and they razed my houses and my leg
was permanently deformed.
“Chinhere clinic was closed because of
shortage of nurses and drugs. I went
to Kapfunde clinic and was told them
same story, I had to Hurungwe District
hospital where they took time to
attend me and I and end developing an
infection,” he narrated.
Asked
if he wanted election soon, Chitiyo has this to say: “I hate
elections, it’s
better to live forever under these circumstances because it’s
relatively
peaceful. Elections bring anguish, suspense and violence,
politicians make
empty promises, they don’t keep until a time when those
that attacked me are
behind bars, then I will want an election,” he said.
Hurungwe is a
political hot-bed because it falls under Mashonaland West
Province, where
President Mugabe comes and in most cases, ZANU PF loyalists
make it
virtually impossible for other parties to campaign.
Villagers under Chief
Mudzimu said the call for elections by the country’s
leaders sends shivers
in their spines because of the notorious militia
group.
A police
officer at Kapfunde Police station in Hurungwe acknowledged
fighting running
battles with the notorious militia group unsuccessfully,
but referred
further questions to Mashonaland West Provincial police
spokesperson,
Inspector Clemence Mabweadziva.
But Mabweadziva professed ignorance about
the existence of the militia
group, saying police have not yet received such
a report.
“We can’t allow that to happen, we have not yet received the
report. If a
person loses money to a person who is not a police officer at a
roadblock,
he or she must report to the nearest police station. We will
definitely
investigate that case after getting a police report from
complainants,” said
Mabweadziva.
The group was aligned to Magunje
Member of Parliament Franco Ndambakuwa
during the 2008 elections and now
operates in Mahwada Village, frog-
marching villagers to its night
vigils.
This reporter witnessed an incident where the militia group was
intimidating
a truck which was delivering beer. “You don’t know who we are,
tipe mashake
shake ayo (give us the beers),” shouted one member.
A
rural councilor who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of
victimisation said the group was now a menace to communities around Hurungwe
as it posed a threat to investors and developers.
“We had a case
where buses at one time threatened to pull out from plying
Harare-Batanai
route because this menacing group mounted illegal toll gates,
extorting
money from drivers,” said the councilor.
Previous Chimusimbe from Chigara
Village in Hurungwe said he was made to
sing ‘revolutionary’ songs as he was
being larruped with knobkerries by the
group.
“I was made to sing a
song ‘Muri Nhume,’ (Zanu Pf jingle) whilst the
Goromondo militia flogged me
with logs, my only crime was that I had
disappeared during election time,”
claimed Chimusimbe.
Teachers at a local Mahwada Primary school in the
district said the militia
group threatened to pounce on them, accusing them
of being ‘opposition
activists. The villagers said the intra-party violence
that is rocking the
province is a testimony that Zimbabwe was not ready for
any election.
MDC MP for Hurungwe West Severino Tall Chambati was
suspended in June this
year by his party following intra-party violence
which left several members
injured in Zvipani district in Mashonaland West
last weekend.
Chambati who is the chairperson of MDC Zvipani district was
suspended and
barred from doing any political activities in his constituency
on behalf of
the party until investigations into the matter were
concluded.
The decision to suspend Chambati was passed by MDC Mashonaland
West Province
during the provincial executive committee meeting held in
Chinhoyi. Japhet
Karemba, chairperson of the MDC Mashonaland West Province
confirmed the
suspension.
“We have suspended him for inciting public
violence in breach of the party’s
code of conduct. He is suspended from
conducting any political activity in
the constituency. We are going to
inform the national executive of the
decision we have reached as a committee
on Chambati,” said Karemba.
After noticing the level of intimidation in
the area, Centre for Youth
Empowerment and Development Trust engaged young
people from all six
districts in Mashonaland West province to advocate for
the elimination of
all forms of violence, including political
violence.
The campaign titled Love peace, Love Zimbabwe, was aimed at
looking at
practical ways of curbing violence in the Province by bringing
together
young people from various political parties as well stakeholders
from other
institutions such as Joint Operation Monitoring and
Implementation Committee
(JOMIC).
The advocacy programme started with
a training to equip youth leaders with
advocacy skills followed by a peace
campaign that involved young people from
different political parties dressed
in their political party regalia taking
part in a march to denounce
political violence and promoting peace and
tolerance on the second
day.
The result was a clear demonstration of tolerance as young people
interacted
peacefully and conducted themselves in a harmonious
manner.
“During the workshop we paired them (the young people) and this
eliminated
the spirit of rebellion, while, after the march they demonstrated
a spirit
of tolerance as they refused to have the lunch individually
insisting to
have lunch seated together in one restaurant”, said Henry
Muwungani the
CYEDT Coordinator.
At the end of the campaign, youth
leaders in the province were able to
identify their common issues of concern
as well as facilitate a plan of
implementation for the Peace Advocacy
Campaign. However, participants
concluded that sustainability of the project
can be enhanced through
livelihood projects so as to economically empower
them to reduce chances of
exploitation. Nehanda Radio
http://nehandaradio.com
on December 22, 2012 at 8:25 pm
By
Bernard Chiketo
Physically, the boundaries are glaring, though
justification for their exact
placements is less so. Socio-cultural
distinctions between the people are
even more blurred, where they exist.
Along the Zimbabwe – Mozambique border,
most differences have always been
superficial as the two nations essentially
fade into each
other.
Along the Rusitu River, at the end of the picturesque
Chimanimani mountain
range, Mozambican children carry Zimbabwean identity
documents and attended
Zimbabwean schools. Sharing the same beliefs,
attitudes and behaviour and
speaking the same language, all evidence points
to a united people divided
only by Europe’s apportionment, among itself, of
these lands.
Colonial boundaries however failed to divide chiefdoms as
they scornfully
disregard borders – in Chimanimani and Chipinge. Chiefs
Chikukwa and
Mapungwana’s jurisdictions cross the border deep into
Mozambique. Yet others
have bases in Mozambique reaching back into Zimbabwe.
These are their lands.
Sharing the same leaders, traditional healers and
prophets on either side
belong to both communities and side by side, gold
panners from either side
ravage each other’s lands, albeit peacefully.
Police on either side only
worry about their bribes and are perceived, at
worst, as nuisances.
Since the 1970s these communities have aided and
abated wars – against
colonial governments and banditry. For twenty years
now there has been peace
which however has now been replaced with a tense
apprehension as Resistência
Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO), also known as
Mozambican National Resistance
(MNR), threatens war if its demands are not
met.
At the end of October, its rebel Alfonso Dhlakama, along with 800 of
his
former guerrillas, decamped to his remote former Cassa Banana base near
the
Gorongossa Game Park between Sofala and Manica
provinces.
Zimbabwe has responded by secretly deploying army units along
more than
1,000km of the eastern border as a precaution over the threatened
military
instability, keeping a watchful eye on the political impasse in its
strategic neighbour.
Muchadziya villagers, in the Rusitu valley some
200 km south east of the
eastern border city of Mutare, have been warned by
local traditional leaders
against indiscriminate employment of Mozambicans
as domestic servants for
fear of infiltration by RENAMO
bandits.
Their community, says 62-year old Margaret Mukwendengwe, was
once a victim
of constant raids by RENAMO rebels in search of food and
recruits but often
times committing pure acts of terror either to settle old
grudges especially
by former domestic servants who knew the lands well or
simply to discourage
the Zimbabwean government from supporting its
Mozambican counterpart.
At the pick of the civil war in 1987 Dhlakama’s
men, in one of their most
reprehensible incident, attacked Jersey Tea Estate
plantation school near
Chipinge on November 19 killing five children,
cutting off the ears and
noses of nine more and kidnapping them to
Mozambique. The mutilated children
were released with the warning that more
would follow if Zimbabwe continued
to intervene in Mozambique’s civil
war.
Ken Flower, the former Intelligence Chief in Ian Smith’s Rhodesia,
wrote in
his memoirs, that RENAMO was formed by the Rhodesian Special
Branch, working
together with General Peter Walls, the Rhodesian army
commander.
Renamo was founded in the wake of Mozambique’s independence,
in 1975, as an
anti-Communist political organization and allegedly to
prevent the FRELIMO
government from providing a safe haven for Zimbabwe
African National Union
militants seeking to overthrow the Rhodesian
government as well as South
African liberation movements operating from
there.
Essentially, RENAMO is said to have, in its formation and
leadership, also
comprised of South Africans and Portuguese settlers in
South Africa,
Mozambique and Rhodesia. Among its prominent leaders were
Orlando Cristiano,
Evo Fernandes, and Casimiro Monteiro, a professional
assassin.
In earnest, from 1976 RENAMO began crippling Mozambique through
various acts
of sabotage upgrading its actions to violent opposition of the
leadership of
the ruling Front for Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO)
government from 1977
plunging the nation into a bitter civil war that sucked
in Zimbabwe for ten
years between 1982 and 1992 with the signing of the Rome
Peace Accord in
1992.
André Matsangaissa, an ex-FRELIMO army
commander, was RENAMO’s first
official leader who was killed by government
soldiers on 17 October 1979 in
the Sofala Province and following a violent
succession struggle, Alfonso
Dhlakama took over leadership.
Between
1977 and the Rome Peace Accord about one million people died in
fighting and
from starvation, five million civilians were displaced, many
were made
amputees by landmines, a legacy from the war that continues to
plague
Mozambique.
To sustain their troops, the rebels also ran an infamous
system of ‘Gandira’,
which saw civilians in RENAMO-controlled zones forced
to produce food and
courier goods and ammunition with women press-ganged to
become sex-slaves.
To spruce up its image in the devastating war RENAMO
operated an
anti-FRELIMO radio station, Voz da Africa Livre, which
broadcasted from
Transvaal in South Africa. It is thus no wonder the same
people it was
terrorising ended up supporting it in an electoral
contest.
The 1992 peace deal brought in a unity government in which
political leaders
were to share government posts equitably, while all former
combatants who
were not demobilised were to be integrated into the police
and the armed
forces, with the country’s first multi-party elections being
held two years
later in October 1994.
In these first ever multiparty
elections FRELIMO, led by Joachim Chissano,
won 53 per cent and RENAMO won
33 per cent of the votes. In parliamentary
elections, FRELIMO got 44 per
cent and RENAMO won 38 per cent.
Today, Dhlakama and his RENAMO insist
that the FRELIMO government has not
ever tried to honour this agreement and
its members say they have lost out
on the peace dividend and now also want a
bigger share of Mozambique’s
expected coal, diamond, gold and gas profits,
in addition to an overhaul of
the electoral system to prevent alleged
fraud.
But not so long ago, one of its senior officials, Davis Simango,
who
participated in the negotiations leading to the Rome Peace Accord broke
away
and formed his own party, the Democratic Movement of Mozambique which
now
has 8 seats in the 250-seat house of parliament. This left Dhlakama with
only 29 seats.
Critics argue that Dhlakama’s decision to move out of
government could also
be linked to his waning electoral appeal. His actions
are thus a veiled
attempt to subvert the democracy that is increasingly
side-lining him.
After the fall of the Smith Regime in Rhodesia in 1980,
RENAMO was handed
over to the South African Defence Force (SADF) which
allegedly recruited as
many from the Rhodesian army, including an entire
unit of the Selous Scouts
escalating the war in both Mozambique and
Zimbabwe.
Other soldiers were recruited in rural areas tempted by
promises of a better
life or by force, conscripting children who ended up
comprising up to a
third of its army. With SADF support, its troop grew to
more than 7,000 men
which tripled within the decade.
In 1982,
Zimbabwe directly intervened in the civil war in order to secure
its Mutare
– Beira and Nyamapanda – Zobue trade routes through Mozambique
which were
under RENAMO attack and also to stop cross-border RENAMO raids
apart from
helping its old ally, FRELIMO.
Its involvement was however only formally
invited in 1985 together with that
of Malawi and Tanzania through the then
Southern African Development
Coordination Conference (SADCC).
Being a
landlocked country Zimbabwe was being denied access to the sea by
the white
South African government to the south and by sabotage of its
routes in the
east by RENAMO bandits taking orders from their South African
handlers.
Without either South Africa or Mozambique, Zimbabwe’s economy was
doomed –
even for Rhodesia.
When Ian Smith unilaterally declared Southern
Rhodesia’s independence from
Britain (UDI), in 1965, the United Nations (UN)
responded by slapping his
regime with sanctions. Mozambique’s Fascist
Portuguese ruler and apartheid
South Africa’s white minority leaders refused
to enforce them. Smith thus
continued to use the shorter and cheaper
Mozambican trade routes.
However, as it became obvious that Mozambique
was gaining independence,
there was a fear that the new Mozambican
government would impose the UN
sanctions and close the country’s trading
routes. This would leave only the
South African routes open, triggering
concerted efforts to reinforce the
South African routes which saw, in 1974,
a 93 day construction of a 2,066
kilometre railway line from Harare to
Durban via Beit Bridge.
When Mozambique became independent, and as
predicted, in 1976 closed its
border with Rhodesia, and all Rhodesia’s trade
had to go through South
Africa.
However when Rhodesia became
independent as Zimbabwe in 1980, it was only
logical for it to revert to
shorter and cheaper Mozambican routes. It was
then that RENAMO was also
being strengthened to sabotage the two countries
which were now under
liberation war parties to undermine their ability to
support their comrades
protesting the colonialists’ remaining outpost.
As punishment for its
outspoken position against apartheid, by November
1980, more than 50 000
tonnes of Zimbabwean goods were being deliberately
held at South African
ports. In 1981 there was a fertiliser shortage in
Zimbabwe while 300 000
tonnes of the country’s freight was being held in
South Africa, including
three shipments of fertiliser.
In April the same year, the South African
Railways (SAR) announced the end
of its trade agreement with the National
Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), and
demanded the return of 24 diesel locomotives
leased to the NRZ. A transport
crisis ensued and by the end of the year,
more than Z$100 million worth of
exports was being held up inside Zimbabwe
for lack of transport to the
ports.
A maize consignment later
referred to as the ‘Maize train’ was the first
major freight to be re-routed
via the Beira Corridor, but the line came
under immediate attack from
RENAMO. On 29 October 1981, the railway and road
bridges over the Pungwe
River were blown up together with Zimbabwe’s oil
pipeline, which runs under
the road bridge. Soon thereafter, in December
1982, the oil storage depot at
Maforga was also blown up.
With this direct economic assault at one point
there was only a day’s supply
of petrol and two days’ supply of diesel for
the whole country. A national
disaster was only averted by a clandestine
movement of fuel by rail from
Maputo via Komatipoort in South Africa to Beit
Bridge.
This line had also been used as a sanctions-busting route for
Rhodesia
during the UDI era. When apartheid South Africa cut off that
connection as
well, NRZ also blocked South African cargo to and from Zambia
and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. It was only then that South Africa
released
Zimbabwe’s freight.
This gave Zimbabwe the impetus to join
on the side of the Mozambican
government and ended up involving at least 30
000 troops in military
operations against RENAMO throughout the length and
breadth of its neighbour
in a bid to protect its interests. While some of
these operations were
conducted jointly with the Mozambican army they were
often times done alone.
The operations led to the capture the RENAMO
Headquarters at Cassa Banana in
1985 and 1986 but Zimbabwe’s army lost 320
soldiers with 640 being injured.
In spite of a heavy military commitment,
Zimbabwe’s Defence Forces (ZDF)
failed to destroy RENAMO as the Mozambican
army failed to hold any of the
bases captured by the ZDF for any length of
time.
Mozambique’s failures were also because RENAMO had also
economically ruined
the country. As a result, a reluctant Mozambican
President, Samora Machel,
signed a non-aggression pact with South Africa,
known as the Nkomati Accord.
The treaty was a promise not to support
hostile acts against each other’s
governments. While Machel kept his promise
by closing African National
Congress bases, denying it sanctuary in its
campaign to overthrow white
minority rule in South Africa in return for
Pretoria’s promise to sever
economic assistance to RENAMO.
But
documents discovered during the capture of the RENAMO headquarters in
August
1985 revealed continuing South African government communications and
military support. The Rome agreement of October 1992 made possible the
withdrawal of Zimbabwean forces from Mozambique, which had started in
November 1990 and ended on the 14th of April 1993.
But with all these
actors in the conflict a huge part of the Mozambican
population never found
out what the war was really all about, and who was
responsible for what!
Newstime Africa
http://ewn.co.za
Zimbabwe could receive a loan of up to $100
million from their neighbours
SA.
Eyewitness News | 8 hours
ago
HARARE - Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti says he has almost
concluded a deal for a $100 million loan from South Africa.
Biti
asked for the money in September, but this is the first indication the
deal
is really on.
Biti says he is in constant contact with his South African
counterpart
Pravin Gordhan regarding the loan.
He says South Africa
is agreeable to the loan but there are few issues that
have to be ironed out
first.
According to state media, the money will not be used for
elections.
It reports it will go to help Zimbabwe achieve its millennium
development
goals and it will be used for infrastructure projects.
In
November, former finance minister Trevor Manuel stressed that South
Africa
did not want to throw money at bad policies in Zimbabwe.
http://www.zimdiaspora.com
SUNDAY, 23 DECEMBER 2012
15:20
LATEST findings by police that 2 405 children were raped in
10 months have
sent shivers among women in the country as the cases seem to
be soaring to
an unbelievable level.
Officer Commanding the Victim
Friendly Unit Commissioner Isabella Sergio,
speaking at the launch of ZRP’s
Crime Awareness Campaign in the capital
recently, said the force was worried
about the abuse of children.
“As an organisation, we are obviously
worried by the fact that children
continue to bear the brunt of sexual
offences.
“The majority of reported cases have been perpetrated against
children under
the age of 18 years,” she said.
This is not about
juveniles only, but women in general are being victimised
by
rapists.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstats)
Quarterly
Digest of Statistics, a total of 2 195 cases of rape were reported
in the
first five months of 2012.
The recent findings by Zimstats and
the United Nations Children’s
Educational Fund (Unicef) that one in three
girls is raped or sexually
assaulted before she reaches the age of 18, is a
clear sign of the girl
child living in fear of the known.
According
to police, rape cases are being fuelled by a number of reasons,
one being
carelessness of parents and other custodians.
Sergio said rapists seemed
to take advantage of children’s naïveté,
vulnerability and inability to
protect themselves.
“Parents leave minors in the custody of male
relatives or their neighbours
as they go about their activities. This
exposes them to sexual abuse,” she
said.
Sergio said during school
days, some children go to and from school
unaccompanied, with some of them
using shortcuts such as secluded areas,
thereby exposing themselves to
danger.
“What has become more worrisome now is that boys under the age of
18 years
have developed a habit of sexually abusing young girls below 12
years.
“These teenage boys take advantage of unaccompanied minors left in
their
custody or waylay them in secluded footpaths, bushy areas and maize
fields,
as well as along the distances between schools and homesteads,
especially in
rural areas,” she said.
Zimstats and Unicef found out
that of all the child sexual abuse cases,
females accounted for over 90% of
child survivors of sexual abuse. Most of
the girls aged 12 and above were
sexually abused in the homes of their peers
and boyfriends.
Girls
below 12 were mostly abused at their homes. Children aged 13 to 16
years old
made up close to 50% of the cases with over 70% of all abuses
happening in
urban areas.
Over 90% of child sexual abuse perpetrators were males and
the average
perpetrator age was 22.
Survivors reported that they had
a pre-existing relationship with the
perpetrators in most of the
cases.
Children reported that the sexual abuse occurred more than once in
over 40%
of the cases.
Of the abused children, only 2,4% received
support and care with 97,6% not
receiving any form of
treatment.
People interviewed bemoaned lack of stringent laws in dealing
with
perpetrators of rape.
“The continuing rise of rape cases is
something that needs to be dealt with
and if no tangible measures are taken,
then we are living in hell.
“Statistics must guide policymakers in coming
up with solutions to clamp
down on sexual abuse of the girl child,” said
Patrick Mheta, a Harare
resident.
Radical feminist Betty Makoni is
always saying not enough is being done by
policymakers to stop rapists from
victimising innocent girls.
“Many times I took little girls to police
stations where the rapist was
right there with us and we did not need any
parade of the rapist to identify
him at all. But the next day we saw him
walking scot free on bail which
lasted forever,” she said.
David
Chidende, programmes officer for lobby group Youth Information
Education for
Behavioural Change said there was need for stringent laws to
protect the
girl child.
“The ever-increasing number on rape cases is worrisome. We
really don’t know
what policymakers are thinking of, but we will advocate
for redressing of
the law on sexual abuse,” he said.
Sociologist
Darlington Nyabiko said sexual abuse of girls was extreme
because a good
number of girls who suffered from sexual abuse did not raise
any
alarm.
“The disturbing statistics that only a percentage of victims of
sexual abuse
received support clearly reveals that many victims do not
report.
“Many girls are being sexually abused and in some cases, they are
even being
raped. But they tend to keep quite,” he said.
Nyabiko
added that most girls lacked knowledge on what sexual abuse was.
“A
number of girls seem not to know what sexual abuse is and hence most of
them
are silent victims of sexual abuse.”
There are fears that the number
could be higher as some cases go unreported.
But it is in May where the
statistics were gory, as 470 women were subjected
to sexual assaults. This
translated to 15 women being raped daily or an
equivalent of one woman being
abused every 90 minutes.
The statistics revealed that in January, 427
women were raped, while in
February 428 were abused.
In March, 425
women were abused, with the number rising to 445 the following
month and
peaking at 470 in May.
However, this could be a slight improvement from
2011 figures, where a total
of 5 449 cases were recorded — easily the
highest figure compared to the two
preceding years.
In 2010, 4 450
cases where reported while in 2009, 3 481 cases were
recorded.
During
the first five months of the year, 940 cases of indecent assault were
recorded, as compared to 472 in the corresponding period in 2011.
A
total of 1 610 cases of indecent assault were recorded in 2011, with 2 484
and 1 124 in 2010 and 2009 respectively.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
22/12/2012
00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS fared strongly at the
recent Africa Leadership Awards in
Mauritius winning six awards, with three
of them going to Tourism Minister
Walter Mzembi.
The minister
received the Personal Brand Award, the Mark of Excellence Award
and the
Africa Leadership and Initiative Awards.
Zimbabwe as a nation was awarded
the Leading Future Destination Award, a
psychological booster for a country
emerging from isolation by foreign
visitors and a decade of deep economic
decline.
Other winners were heads of two academic institutions, Dr.
Quinton
Kanhukamwe of the Harare Institute of Technology and the Zimbabwe
Open
University (ZOU)’s Dr. Primrose Kurasha.
The two were awarded
for leading institutions that have contributed
immensely in national
development.
In his address, Mzembi urged African countries to follow
democratic
principles and weed out corruption, saying this was the only
pathway to the
achievement of the continent’s economic
development.
He lamented current developments in Egypt, Mali and the
Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) saying the unrest in these countries
negated economic growth
and development.
Mzembi, who has also won
several national and international awards
previously, took the opportunity
to position and market the next UNWTO
General Assembly set for August 2013
in Victoria Falls.
Co-sponsored by the World Corporate Social
Responsibility and the Stars of
Industry Group, the awards are intended
amongst other objectives, to
encourage good leadership.
The Stars of
Industry Awards was created more than 40 years ago by the
American Hotel and
Lodging Association, and it gives hoteliers the
opportunity to recognize
employees, managers and legislators who best
represent the service and
spirit of the lodging industry.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
Staff Reporter 18 hours
17 minutes ago
HARARE - Controversial Harare business mogul Mr
Philip Chiyangwa has been
conferred with an honorary doctorate by St Linus
International University,
which is head-quartered in the Dominican
Republic.
Chiyangwa, who is now officially known as Dr Chiyangwa, was
accorded the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Leadership in
recognition of his
business acumen and sterling contribution to
society.
The doctorate was conferred through the university’s Harare office
on
December 12.
In its citation, the higher learning institution said:
“Whereas in
recognition of the invaluable and selfless contributions of the
Honoree
Philip Chiyangwa in the field of his applied expertise, the
university does
hereby confer the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Business
Leadership (Honoris Causa) with all the rights, privileges and
honors
thereunto appertaining here and elsewhere.
“In witness, whereof,
we have hereunto set our hands and seal this 12th day
of December 12,
2012.”
In an interview yesterday, an elated Dr Chiyangwa said he was
humbled.
“I am very humbled at receiving this recognition. It has given me
scope to
reflect on the achievements that I have made starting from my
humble
beginnings to become the man that I am today,” he said.
“I owe all
this success to the strong support I get from my wife and
children.”
Dr
Chiyangwa said the award should inspire other Zimbabweans to attain
greater
success.
“My message to Zimbabweans is that they can be anyone and can
achieve
anything that they seek to achieve.
“I started out as a poor
young man from Chegutu, but I have climbed the
ladder to become a wealthy
businessman because of perseverance. If you
persevere you will achieve
success one way or the other.”
St Linus is a renowned international
university that offers various degree
programmes and is licenced to operate
abroad as a transnational education
provider.
Recognised worldwide, its
operations are guided by international protocols
that include The Hague
Apostille Convention of 1961 as well as the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic
Relations.
The institution also collaborates with the United Nations and the
Commonwealth.
It is also affiliated to several other international
non-governmental
organisations.
http://nehandaradio.com
on December 23, 2012 at 1:01
am
Gweru City Council has threatened to sue residents owing over US$280
000 in
unpaid rates but residents have vowed not to pay their bills claiming
they
had not received the services.
According to statements
obtained from the department of finance, as of 6
September 2012, Mkoba 19 a
suburb in Zimbabwe’s third largest city,
residents’ owed council US$273
989.55′including-metered water charges.
Excluding water charges the
residents owed 190 645. 52. Mkoba 19 has about
772 households and residents
are accusing council of billing for services
that are not being provided.
Mkoba 19 residents said they have not received
water for almost four years
yet council is billing them.
City council has failed to provide services
especially water. Mkoba 19 is on
high ground and is one of the areas that
have erratic supply of water
because Gwenhoro where Gweru draws water has
only three functional pumps
instead of 11.
The pumps at Gwenhoro,
which were installed in 1971, have become obsolete
and constantly break down
hence the water problems in the city.
Despite a directive by the Minister
of Local Government and Urban
Development that councils spent only 30% of
their revenue on salaries and
70% on service delivery, Director of Finance
Edgar Mwedzi said low revenue
inflows has forced council to spend more than
the required percentage.
Investigations have revealed that salaries eat
up most of the revenue
collected by council. In August council collected
$809 865 and 60% went to
salaries while in July 42% was used for salaries.
In June out of the$ 1 092
831 collected, 45% was gobbled by
salaries.
Despite failure to provide the services, Onwell Masimba
Assistant Director
of finance in the city council insisted that council is
justified to bill
residents.
Masimba told this reporter that while
they appreciate council has been
struggling to provide water to the
residents; the statements sent to
residents do not carry water charges
only.
“The problem that we have encountered as council is that residents
have an
assumption that the money that will be on their statements is only
water
charges,” he explained.
“The council statements have the
metered water charges which is the amount
of water used per a specific
period, then the water fixed charge paid
whether one has access to water or
does not have. There are also the
sewerage and refuse removal charges. Then
there is the supplementary
charges, which is tax on property, which in most
cases is more than any
other charge,” Masimba added.
The
supplementary charges are a result of the Urban Council’s Act. According
to
the Act in section 269, council for the payment of tax should rate all
property within a council area. Masimba said Supplementary charges include
the tax as prescribed by the Urban Council’s Act.
However residents
argued that when the Act was put in place, councils then
were providing the
services and said things have since changed as councils
are failing in
service delivery.
Masimba explained that while it could be reasonable for
the Mkoba 19
residents to refuse to pay for the water charges, there is no
justification
for refusing to pay other charges that are on their
bills.
He also showed the reporter that water is charged according to
usage and
said when there is no water the residents are not charged under
the water
metered charge. Masimba admitted that while some households had
gone for
years without water, the situation has since improved as they are
now
getting water albeit at odd hours.
Masimba explained that between
December last year and March this year,
council offered a 20% discount to
all those that owed council. “We even
invited them to come and make payment
plans of their own will and they
ignored. We are now handing over debtors to
lawyers and Mkoba 19 residents
should pay up their bills or risk being
handed over to lawyers,” Masimba
warned.
Masimba said unlike private
companies that have shareholders who inject
capital then a service is
provided; councils rely on residents to inject the
capital for councils to
provide services. Masimba however admitted council
officials have failed to
go to residents and explain to them that statements
from council are not
solely water charges.
Isaiah Maradze, the Chairperson of Mkoba 19
Residents Association a
brainchild of the Gweru United Residents Association
(GURA) the biggest
residents association in Gweru said council has to
provide service if they
need money from residents.
“The times that
other residents in Mkoba 19 got water, it was dirty and we
cannot pay for
unclean water. Council has a duty to provide clean water to
its residents.
Even the supplementary charges which are meant to develop the
roads and for
council to give us bins, we shall not pay because we are not
getting the
required services,” Maradze said.
“They lie to us that they only charge
water when it comes. Sometimes we get
water-metered charges even without
getting water. On the statements there is
a water fixed charge which they
say is to maintain the pipes, why should we
pay for it when the use of the
pipes does not benefit us,” Luke Kudita the
secretary of the residents
association said.
“The council is insensitive, imagine you go and fetch
water from a borehole
like you are in rural areas and then you are asked to
pay for′a service that
you are not getting. It’s actually unbelievable that
they are threatening to
take legal action. We shall not pay their bills and
we shall wait to be
taken to court,” Molly Sibanda another resident
queried.
Sandra Nhatarikwa who has a house at the end of the village said
they were
the most affected. “We do not get water hence people use the
bushes and
maize fields. As a family we can no longer sit in our yard while
outdoors
because of the stench that comes behind the house,” Nhatarikwa
complained.
“We cannot even pay for the sewage fees because sewer does
not move where
there is no water. Actually we should be compensated for the
stench of human
waste that has been caused by the failure of council to
provide water rather
than us paying council,’ she added.
Gweru
Residents and Ratepayers Association (GURA) said council had to
provide the
services and residents resist being forced to pay for services
they do not
get. “Council is not providing the services that they are
required to give
to residents. Residents cannot continue to pay for non
existent services,”
Nyasha Mpofu a member said.
In May the Mkoba 19 residents demonstrated
against council over the letters
of final demands to the residents. The
council had given residents a March
due date either to make payments or
payment plans.
Contacted for comment over the issue, Councilor for the
ward, Clemence Kwaru
who was emotional shouted at this reporter.
“The
problem of water has nothing to do with me as a councilor. The area is
on a
highland and the pumps cannot pump water,” Kwaru said before hurling
insults
accusing the media of having an agenda to taint his image.
Vimbai
Nhutsve, Midlands Regional Coordinator for National Association of
Non
Governmental Organizations said they have engaged with council over the
water issue especially concerning Mkoba 19 residents’ and service
delivery.
“The local authority promised they will improve the water
situation and
service delivery but as Nango we feel it’s unfair for people
to be made to
pay for services that they do not get. We feel Gweru is also
sitting on a
health time bomb as people have resorted to use of unsafe water
and bushes
as toilets.”
Sibusisiwe Sanya the secretary for the
Midlands Chapter of the Women
Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) urged council to
decisively deal with water
issue and said water was a basic need.
“As
women we are worried if council fails to deliver the services that they
are
supposed to give especially water. The unavailability of water is a
major
concern for women as they are the most affected.
“We condemn the
situation where there are areas where city council is not
providing water
and other areas where water comes at midnight,”′Mrs. Sanya
said it was sad
to note that while most people had migrated to urban areas
to get water from
taps and electricity they have been driven to live the
rural life again
while they are in towns.
Deputy Mayor Taurai Demo said that the council
position was that the
residents should pay.
“Some of them have now
understood that even without water you pay for other
fixed charges and some
of them have already made payment plans. For those
that are still resisting
we urge then to pay as they will be paying for
other fixed
charges.
“If water has not been used the meter does not move hence
council cannot
charge them for water that they are not getting.” Nehanda
Radio
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
Staff Reporter 18 hours 31 minutes
ago
MDC leader Professor Welshman Ncube has poured out his
admiration for
President Mugabe, saying he has far more superior leadership
qualities
compared to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
He also said a
new constitution is not a prerequisite for the 2013
harmonised elections,
which can be held in terms of the existing law.
Speaking to journalists after
a rally in Gweru, Prof Ncube described
President Mugabe as a principled
person who exhibited remarkable leadership
qualities while Mr Tsvangirai
flip-flopped.
He said handing the presidency to the MDC-T leader was similar
to “giving a
cyclist the responsibility of driving a bus”.
“There are
those who say we should remove (President) Mugabe and replace him
with (Mr)
Tsvangirai. There is a lot of work to be done in Government,” he
said.
“Imagine what would happen if he got into office. He would probably
open a
file and fail to understand what it is all about. Driving a bus
requires a
class one driver’s licence. You cannot say so and so has
experience in
cycling, let us give him a bus to drive! He lacks principles.
One day he
says this and the next morning he says something
different.”
Prof Ncube vowed to continue representing the interests of the
grassroots.
“He (Prime Minister Tsvangirai) has called me a village
politician. Yes, I
am a villager who represents the wishes of his fellow
villagers.
“If Prime Minister Tsvangirai thinks he belongs to royalty then
let him go
to England and stay there.”
Prof Ncube also concurred with
Zanu-PF that a new constitution was not a
precondition for holding
harmonised elections next year.
He added that it would be undemocratic to
suppress the will of the
electorate by delaying polls in order to push for a
new constitution.
“We are ready for elections next year with or without a new
constitution.
The point we are making is that if it is not possible to come
up with a new
constitution then let us not have a constitution at
all.
“We hold elections under the old constitution and then continue to fight
for
a new constitution after the elections. We, of course, prefer the
constitution, which was signed on July 18. However, if the country runs out
of time before we have a new constitution we must go for an election and we
are ready for that.” - SM
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 23 December 2012
12:42
BULAWAYO - Zanu PF heavyweights have clashed over the party’s
refusal to
confer Adam Ndlovu with national hero status.
Adam,
together with a female passenger Nomqhele Tshili, perished in a fatal
car
crash last weekend that also critically injured Ndlovu’s younger
brother,
Peter.
The 39-year-old Peter, a Zimbabwe international soccer player
boasting over
400 appearances for Coventry City, Birmingham City,
Huddersfield and
Sheffield United.
Addressing mourners at Adam’s home
on Friday night, Zanu PF politburo
member, resident minister and governor
for Matabeleland South, Angeline
Masuku, dismissed the party‘s secretary for
administration Didymus Mutasa’s
sentiments early this week that the soccer
legend was not a hero.
“Anybody who is saying Adam is not a hero does not
know what he is talking
about,” Masuku said.
“He is not in his right
senses. Adam was the cream in our football
fraternity. I would like to thank
the Bulawayo City Council for allowing
Adam to be buried where great heroes
like Lookout Masuku are buried.”
Masuku is a former Zipra commander who
served as the deputy commander of the
Zimbabwe National Army until his
arrest in 1982 for allegedly plotting to
overthrow President Robert
Mugabe.
Police detained him under emergency regulations and was
incarcerated. The
government released Masuku because of poor health and he
died soon after in
1986 of meningitis.
Mutasa early this week said
Adam cannot be accorded hero status because
Zimbabwe has never given the
status to any sportsperson ever.
House of Assembly speaker Lovemore Moyo
told mourners: “You do not need an
Oxford dictionary to describe Adam as a
hero. He is better than many of us
who claimed to have served the country.
All Zimbabweans are equal. We should
emulate what he did.”
Adam and
his brother Peter were on their way to Victoria Falls for a social
soccer
match when Peter’s BMW X5 vehicle burst a tyre and veered off the
road. It
uprooted three trees. The tragic accident occurred near the
Victoria Falls
Airport. Adam died on his way to hospital while Tshili died
on the
spot.
Adam was buried yesterday at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo.
Earlier on
Friday, his casket was paraded in the city.
The former
Highlanders player, was a member of the popular Zimbabwe Dream
Team coached
in the 1990s by the late Reinhard Fabisch.
During his heyday, he played
for FC Zurich in Switzerland, Moroka Swallows
and Free State Stars in South
Africa.
He is survived by his two daughters. At the time of his death,
Adam was the
coach of Bulawayo-based Premier League side, Chicken Inn. -
Pindai Dube
http://www.timesofoman.com
byAFP
DECEMBER 23,
2012
Britain: Displaced from his home country of Zimbabwe to
Britain because of
his political beliefs, James would like nothing better
than to focus on
buying Christmas presents for his sick young
son.
But after waiting two and a half years to hear whether he can stay,
James --
not his real name -- remains in limbo: legally unable to work,
reliant on
handouts, and struggling even to raise the bus fare to visit his
son in
hospital.
"I want to provide everything for my family, to have
a normal life, to give
people Christmas presents," said James, 46, who has
an electronics degree.
Instead, having endured two winters of
homelessness, he waits.
James is among a huge backlog of asylum seekers in
Britain waiting years to
hear if their applications have succeeded -- a
situation blasted in a report
last month by the British parliament's
influential home affairs committee.
The report said the UK Border Agency
had shelved the cases of 74,000 asylum
seekers by saying it had lost touch
with them; of the rest, 30 percent must
wait more than three years for a
decision.
Britain accepts asylum applications under UN and EU agreements,
and receives
about 17,000 a year, below the European average per head of
population.
Yet the backlog is still growing. At one point more than 150
boxes of post,
including letters from applicants and lawyers, lay unopened
in a room, the
report found.
James's journey to Britain began in
2001, with a visit to his Harare home
from a group of men he immediately
recognised as bad news.
"There were four or five men. Three of them were
wearing smart-casual type
clothes with ties. They didn't have any documents,
and the car they were
travelling in -- I knew it was the type the CIO use,"
James said, referring
to Zimbabwe's feared Central Intelligence
Organisation.
"They tried to abduct me and my friend but they wouldn't
even say why they
wanted to question us. So an argument started and we ended
up in a scuffle.
I was hit on the forehead with a hard object."
James
managed to escape, but he knew the men would likely return, because he
and
his friend had been distributing membership cards for the
then-opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Opponents of the government of
Robert Mugabe, 88 and in power since 1980,
have faced disappearances,
torture and killings, according to Amnesty
International.
Two of
James's brothers were in Britain, and fearing for his future, they
helped
him move there as a student. James went on to earn his degree from a
London
university.
He married a fellow Zimbabwean and joined the MDC's British
branch.
But he was no longer able to extend his student visa and did not feel
safe
returning to Zimbabwe to lodge a new application from
there.
"The CIO are at the airport. The moment you get there, they want
to know who
you are, where you are coming from, why were you away for such a
long time?"
he said.
"I know what it's like. I have friends who have
been taken away. Some have
come back beaten up, others don't come back. The
last time I tried calling
one friend, he
wasn't answering, and I
don't know what's happened to him."
MDC chief Morgan Tsvangirai became
premier in 2009 under a unity government,
but human rights groups say
oppression continued.
Zimbabwe, Iran and Afghanistan are the most common
countries from which
people seek asylum in Britain, and in 2010 James
decided his only option was
to join the queue.
Like many others, he
received an initial refusal citing a lack of evidence.
But he appealed on
advice from a lawyer, remaining in the country legally.
In the meantime
James was not allowed to work and the couple were destitute.
His wife stayed
with a friend, while James was homeless, staying in shelters
if he was
lucky.
"All of the winter in 2010 and 2011 I had no place to live," he
said.
"It's been a really, really tough time."
James's wife gave birth
to twins in 2011; one died, while the surviving son
has a chronic lung
condition.
Eventually, helped by charity Refugee Action, the family
accessed state
benefits including vouchers and basic accommodation in the
northwestern city
of Manchester.
But James still struggles to raise bus
fares and has heard nothing on his
asylum claim for two years.
He
longs to work and start a normal family life.
"The legal limbo that (James)
is in, like so many others in this country
waiting for a decision on their
asylum claim, is unacceptable," said Dave
Garratt, chief executive of
Refugee Action.
Asylum applications in Europe have fallen sharply from a
peak 10 years ago,
but many governments continue to keep applicants waiting.
In Germany they
wait an average of more than 21 months, according to an
EU-sponsored
education project.
In Britain, Prime Minister David
Cameron's Conservative-led coalition
government, which has promised a
clampdown on immigration, places emphasis
on deporting illegal immigrants
rather than resolving asylum cases.
But a UK Border Agency spokesperson
said: "We are resolving asylum cases
more quickly. Last year 63 percent of
cases were dealt with within 12
months... Protection is always given where
there is a well-founded fear of
persecution."
Garratt of Refugee
Action added: "Whilst the number of unresolved cases can
be counted, the
human cost of wasted potential is beyond measure."
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Sunday, 23 December 2012 12:42
HARARE -
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai speaks on wide ranging issues from
politics, Government, the MDC and his personal life.
Q: Prime
Minister how do you rate Government performance in 2012?
PM: A major
milestone this Government has achieved is the
constitution-making
process.
The second All stakeholders conference we had made the process
irreversible.
We also launched the Medium Term Plan (MTP) and other
various social
interventions we did as Government in health, education and
water.
By the end of the year we look back and say we have succeeded in
dealing
with the water situation in most urban centres.
The Mtshabezi
pipeline has started supplying water to residents in Bulawayo
and this is
another milestone we are happy about.
We had a very good engagement drive
with the international community.
We went to the Asian-Pacific, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand and I think
Zimbabwe’s position was well received in
so far as the inclusive Government
was concerned.
For the first time
we were invited to China and the general impression was
that we were making
progress and that the country was not deteriorating
further to a failed
State.
We were making progress on the economic front but one thing that
has become
an international concern is the indigenisation law but generally
the
interest in the country was greatly enhanced.
If we are able to
resolve some of these hygiene issues this country will be
on a very strong
positive trajectory.
Q: Other positives...?
PM: With a narrow
budget and very restricted fiscal space, the Ministry of
Finance
demonstrated that with the little means that we had we managed to
sustain
Government operations.
I think the issue of the relaxation of
restrictions on technical assistance
to Zimbabwe by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), debt restructuring and
the continued consolidation of
the macro-economic situation were positive
developments.
We
implemented the ICT policy, which saw the whole country being wired up
with
mobile access.
In the health sector we saw the setting up of cancer
centres in Harare and
Bulawayo.
In education, we had Grade 7 results
announced way before Christmas and it
is an achievement.
On roads
under the Government Work Programme (GWP) there is the resurfacing
of the
Plumtree-Mutare road.
A lot of major activities are taking place. If you
go to other critical
interventions, the ministry of Energy has made efforts
to find a solution to
the Chisumbanje ethanol plant dispute, the issue of
Government intervening
to protect the Save conservancy against what maybe
concluded as a bad-boy
image for the country.
Internationally the
diamond issue seems to be near resolution and what is
required now is
greater transparency in accounting for the proceeds to the
fiscus.
Q:What were some of the challenges in 2012?
PM: The
challenges we faced largely arose from policy discord especially
around
indigenisation.
It would appear the Government was split with Zanu PF going
with its
so-called indigenisation plan which scared away
investors.
The policy discord affected investor confidence in the country
because of
the manner the indigenisation plan was implemented. It created so
much
discord.
We hope the nation will be able to set the real
priorities when we come to
economic empowerment, which we all subscribe
to.
In the MDC we have always not been happy about the selective
application of
the law mirrored by the Glen View activist arrests and denial
of bail.
The perception that there is the selective application of the
law does not
bode well for a government that is trying to instill a sense of
rule of law.
Q: What is in store for 2013?
PM: I think the country
can only go from strength to strength if we are able
to deal with our
hygiene issues of politics.
I am sure our country will be on a very
positive trajectory economically and
that is the growth we are all looking
for, increasing the cake in order for
us to share it.
My focus is to
increase the cake, increase the potential economic growth
that is there and
that will enhance internal distribution of wealth.
Q: Is this cake only
confined to the economic issues?
PM: No. It involves even the democratic
cake.
It means the people are freer and enjoy the same rights
countrywide.
The constitution will, for the first time, provide greater
freedom and space
for people to pursue their own individual dreams and
opportunities.
It is a positive thing for the country.
Q: How far
have you gone with other issues such as security sector
realignment?
PM: We are going to have a meeting of the National
Security council before
the end of year.
As you know we have not been
able to meet for the past six months for
various reasons.
We will
receive reports of what has happened over the last six months and
also
define in clear terms what is the role of the security sector in the
forth-coming election.
We need to have an agreement because first and
foremost we have the GPA,
which defines how State organs should
behave.
We also have the Constitution, the Defence Act and the Police Act
which
define specifically how these institutions should behave and above all
we
need to comply with the Sadc guidelines on how to conduct free and fair
elections.
These are matters that we should be in a position to
discuss without
acrimony because there sometimes is a tendency, given what
statements have
been issued, to be negative but definitely everyone should
try to find a
positive solution to have these institutions behave as
expected at law.
Q: How are you going to deal with violence?
PM:
Firstly, I want to state the commitment of the Principals to ending
violence.
Judging by what I discussed with the President and what he
said to Cabinet,
its basically to say we do not want violence.
I
think this has become a consistent message. Do people believe the
President,
I do not know.
Given the characteristics of our previous elections that
have been
characterised by violence, I think people have a justifiable
reason to be
afraid of the forthcoming elections.
We need to embark
on a reassuring agenda. We will be addressing the press
before end of year
about the same thing, about how we have to conduct
ourselves, that we need
free campaigning.
Let the people of Zimbabwe choose, why should we always
be under scrutiny by
the international community on how we behave during
elections.
It is time we demonstrated the political maturity that has
been put on a
test by working together in the inclusive Government. Let us
set those
standards.
Secondly, we have Jomic that monitors and acts
on violence.
We are hoping to expand Jomic so that we have all the
political actors that
will be involved in the election so that we all agree
on what standards to
set.
Thirdly, the police have an obligation to
maintain and restore law and order
without fear or favour.
From now
on we have to categorically state that whoever violates the rights
of the
people must be prosecuted.
The violence perpetrated in the last election
is totally unacceptable and we
want the police to do their work
professionally.
We believe the church also has an obligation to ensure
that there is peace
in the country.
Going around the country for
prayer meetings this year gave me the feeling
that we should not only talk
about peace but we should act peacefully.
The church has an obligation to
ensure peace. Incidents of violence violate
not only the physical beings but
also the people’s spirits.
Q: How do you rate your party going into the
watershed elections?
PM: The MDC is in a very good shape.
I saw it
for myself when I went around the 12 provinces. The party has very
serious
momentum.
People are determined to complete the struggle they started 13
years ago.
I am happy with the state of the party and the commitment is
there.
We always emphasise that power is institutional and not for an
individual.
We do not put forward the individual but the collective will
of the party
and I am happy with that.
The leadership is united. We
are working as a team and even the people are
happy that the leadership is
united.
Q: What is your thrust going forward?
PM: The coming
election will be issue based. It is about who is going to
provide a clear
vision for the future.
For me the challenge is not about President Mugabe
and Zanu PF failures
which are well known and well documented but it is
about the MDC talking
about its specific plans, and its vision.
What
are the policies and programmes of the MDC to take this country
forward?
Q: Do you have that clear vision?
PM: We do have a
clear vision. We are very clear to build a modern,
democratic and
developmental State that respects the people’s wishes, not to
cover up for
the failures of the State but to ensure that the administration
facilitates
for people to achieve their dreams.
We recently launched, the Jobs,
Upliftment, Investment, Capital and
Environment (Juice).
Juice is a
comprehensive jobs plan because we believe that the critical
social question
we face is unemployment.
People are being educated and yet there is no
industry to absorb them. This
is very frustrating for the young
population.
They are disillusioned and we need to come up with a response
mechanism
which focuses on the creation of jobs, revival of industries,
infrastructure
rehabilitation, agriculture, foreign direct investment,
ensuring that the
skills level we have in the country are enhanced and that
will create a
absorption capacity for the unemployed in this
country.
Q: Are structures ready for elections and to
govern?
PM: The resounding conviction is that we are ready not only for
elections
but to govern. They are ready and I am happy too. — PM Newsletter
On the
shortest Saturday of the year, with darkness falling before 4 pm, and floods
reported from many parts of the UK, we gathered in the rain to sing and dance
outside the South African High Commission to petition President Zuma for tough
action against Mugabe.
The
demonstration was part of the 21st Movement Global Protest launched
in January which has seen monthly demonstrations by the diaspora under the
banner ‘Reclaim Zimbabwe’.
The
coloured lights on our portable Christmas tree illuminated posters such
as
‘Festivities here – bleak Christmas for Zimbabweans’ and ‘Deploy UN, AU and SADC
election monitors right away to prevent further bloodshed’.
The petition had been
signed by 5,000 people who have stopped at the Vigil outside the Zimbabwe
Embassy in recent months. A glance at one page of the petition showed people
from Norway, Azerbaijan, Canada, USA, Italy, Slovenia etc; we are spreading the
word about Zimbabwe.
The petition was
accompanied by a letter congratulating President Zuma on his re-election as ANC
leader and appealing to him to intervene to force Zanu PF to comply with the
Global Political Agreement that they signed up to in 2008. The letter warned:
‘More than three million Zimbabweans have been forced from our country. Many of
them are in South Africa. We long to return home but can do so only after free
and fair elections have freed us from bondage. To go to elections without
reforms will be a disaster for Zimbabwe and South Africa and the region as a
whole. We will end up another Equatorial Guinea.’
The Vigil notes that
Mugabe has been in Equatorial Guinea this month for talks with his fellow
dictator Teodoro Obiang. Mugabe said the two countries were working together and
were very close. Zimbabwe was even training ‘security officials’ from Equatorial
Guinea (see: Zimbabwe's Cordial Relations with
Equatorial Guinea Grows – http://panafricannews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/zimbabwe-cordial-relations-with.html).
The two
dictators certainly have a lot in common: both have been in
power for more than 30 years and they rule countries which are potentially very
rich while the people live in abject poverty. Yes, Presidents Mugabe and Obiang
have a lot to discuss -- mainly how to stay in power.
The BBC carried an
interesting programme the other day on Equatorial Guinea, which it described as
‘one of the fastest growing economies in the world but dogged by endemic poverty, corruption and political
repression (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pygy5/HARDtalk_Teodoro_Obiang_President_Equatorial_Guinea/).
The French
authorities this year seized property there owned by Obiang’s son (who like many
of the family is a minister in the Equatorial Guinea government) on the grounds
that state money had been embezzled. Among the property seized was a $2 million
wine collection in a vast Paris house thought to be worth as much as $180
million. The building has 101 rooms, a Turkish bath, a hair salon, two gym
clubs, a night club and a cinema. It had furniture worth as much as $50 million
and an art collection including pieces by Degas and Rodin and cars including a
Rolls-Royce, a Maserati and various Ferraris . . . the average income in
Equatorial Guinea is similar to that in Zimbabwe, little more than one dollar a
day (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/world/europe/for-obiangs-son-high-life-in-paris-is-over.html?_r=0
– A French Shift on Africa Strips a Dictator’s Son of His
Treasures).
Other
points
·
The
Vigil was disturbed by voices in Zimbabwe who say elections should be set back
to 2015 or so. The plight of the miserable people of Equatorial Guinea should be
warning that the situation will not improve by postponing change.
·
Vigil
supporters were sorry to learn of the death of Vigil management team member
Fungay Mabhunu’s sister in a freak accident in Zimbabwe. She was on the pavement
outside her home when an elderly lady learning to drive hit her and two others.
Fungayi expressed gratitude to Vigil supporters who contributed to help his
family back home.
·
The
Vigil has begun selling the Vigil Band’s new CD of protest songs sung at the
Vigil. One of them goes: ‘Diamonds are a dictator’s best friend. Zimbabwean
diamonds are supposed to be a blessing but they are a
curse’.
·
Martin
Chinyanga asked Vigil supporters to help him lay flowers in the doorway of the
Zimbabwe Embassy in memory of the Zimbabwean lady who recently died in a Kenyan
prison after being deported from the UK (see: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/dec21_2012.html#Z19
– Mystery surrounds
death of Zimbabwean woman in Kenya).
·
Thanks
to Grace Nyaumwe and Iline Manhunzi from ROHR Slough branch who sold sadza and
nyama to raise funds for ROHR. Thanks also to Jonathan Kariwoh and Cephas
Maswoswa who brought Christmas goodies to share at the Vigil.
·
We wish
all our supporters a blessed Christmas and hope for a better new year for
Zimbabwe.
For
latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 35
signed the register.
EVENTS
AND NOTICES:
·
Next
Swaziland Vigil.
Saturday 29th December from 10 am – 1 pm. Venue: Swazi High
Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB. Please support our Swazi
friends. Nearest stations: St James’s Park and Victoria. www.swazilandvigil.co.uk.
·
Zimbabwe
Vigil Highlights 2011 can be
viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/363-vigil-highlights-2011.
Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2011 Highlights
page.
·
The
Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the
Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for
the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the
Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises
through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of
ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website
claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the views and
opinions of ROHR.
·
ZBN
News. The
Vigil management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The Zim
Vigil band (Farai
Marema and Dumi Tutani). To download the band’s theme song Vigil Yedu visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the video
check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com. To watch other Zim
Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.
·
Vigil
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil
Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
To
sponsor the Mike Campbell Foundation expedition ‘Sailing across the Makgadikgadi
Pans’ which will raise money for the work of the Foundation, go to www.justgiving.com/Mike-Campbell-Foundation.
·
Useful
websites: www.zanupfcrime.com which reports on Zanu PF
abuses and www.ipaidabribe.org.zw where people can report
corruption in Zimbabwe.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The
Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every
Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights
in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.