Zimbabwe Seeks to Close Indy
Newspaper
ANGUS
SHAW
Associated
Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe - The information
minister told Zimbabwe's Supreme
Court that the country's only independent
daily newspaper is illegal and
should be punished for for flouting stringent
media laws, court officials
said
Thursday.
The Daily News has refused to
register with the government as required
by the laws, the minister, Jonathan
Moyo, said in a sworn statement to the
court, the officials
said.
Moyo is the architect of the media
laws, which critics say are aimed
at stifling criticism of the
government.
The Daily News admits refusing
to register and has asked the court to
strike down the law, saying it
violates rights to free expression and
association. The court has not
scheduled a hearing.
Moyo said until
courts or Parliament repealed the media act it should
be obeyed. He asked the
Supreme Court to dismiss the newspaper's application
and force it to comply
or shut down, the officials said.
Authorities have cracked down on independent journalists in
recent
months.
Police have arrested 14
local independent journalists, including
several from The Daily News, mainly
on charges of publishing "falsehoods"
that carry a penalty of up to two years
in jail. The only journalist to be
tried so far was
acquitted.
The new laws also require
foreign journalists to apply for government
approval before coming to
Zimbabwe. The government routinely denies
the
requests.
No action has been taken
against journalists working for
state-controlled
media.
On Monday, Japanese Ambassador
Tsuneshige Iiyama said he had not made
remarks attributed to him in the state
Herald newspaper criticizing the
leader of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change. The paper is
closely controlled by
Moyo.
Parts of the article were "totally
fabricated," the ambassador said in
a letter to Herald editor Pikirayi
Deketeke. Iiyama also said Moyo had
raised "Zimbabwe's bad
image."
And last week James Morris, the
U.N. special envoy to the southern
African hunger crisis, complained the
Herald fabricated a remark attributed
to him praising Zimbabwe's
often-violent seizures of white-owned
commercial
farms.
Morris protested a
second time after claiming his first protest letter
was published in the
paper with key words edited out to change the
meaning.
Three journalists, two of them
Americans with government press
accreditation, were detained by police for
seven hours Tuesday and denied
telephone calls and access to a
lawyer.
On Wednesday, five foreign
Lutheran church workers were deported after
being accused of being undercover
journalists trying to gather information
on aid projects to help the Lutheran
World Federation raise funds.
Cricket365
Minutes of ICC
teleconference 30/01/03
Who said what about
what
The ICC Executive Board held a
teleconference on Thursday to discuss
concerns that any members had about the
scheduling of any match during the
ICC Cricket World Cup
2003.
ICC President
Malcolm Gray said, "The ICC board recognises that the
safety and security of
players and official is its first
priority.
"It recognises that cricket is
played in dangerous places and cities
throughout the world and that
comprehensive security plans are essential in
order to manage these
risks.
"Today the board met by telephone
to consider the safety and security
issues in relation to matches in Zimbabwe
and Kenya."
Zimbabwe
The issue of matches scheduled in
Zimbabwe was raised but no member
sought to have any of the games moved. It
was highlighted that some of the
members do have concerns about the safety
and security of their players
and
officials.
In light of these
concerns, the ICC has offered to provide a detailed
briefing on the security
arrangements for the matches concerned to board
officials and players
representatives as soon as possible.
Mr
Gray said, "In relation to Zimbabwe, no country sought to have its
games
relocated and accordingly, no decision was
required.
"However, the cricket boards
from England and Wales, Australia and
Holland did express concern, and in
particular concern raised by their
players, over their scheduled matches in
Zimbabwe."
Kenya
New Zealand Cricket requested to have
their match scheduled for
February 21st in Nairobi to be moved on the grounds
of safety and security.
The ICC Board saw no compelling reason to move the
match from Kenya.
All reports received by
the Board in relation to the safety and
security situation in Kenya will be
forwarded to the ICC Cricket World Cup
Security Directorate for it to ensure
that the appropriate steps are taken
to address the concerns
expressed.
Mr Gray added, "In relation to
Kenya, New Zealand Cricket sought to
have its game relocated. This was
opposed by Kenya.
"In light of the
extensive reports it had received, the ICC executive
board determined that
there were not sufficient reasons to move the
games.
"In seeking to have the games
relocated, New Zealand Cricket provided
a security report in support of its
position and the ICC Executive Board
referred this report and the reports
provided by its own advisers to the
Security Directorate to ensure that they
were properly considered in the
security planning for this
match.
"New Zealand also suggested that
any of the countries in its side of
the draw that was comfortable with
matches being played in Kenya, could swap
with New
Zealand."
The decision-making
process
The ICC's Executive Board has used the
following experts to assist in
making its
decisions:
1. The ICC Cricket World Cup
Organising Committee Security Directorate
The
Security Directorate is accountable and responsible for the
security at all
ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 matches. It is lead by senior
serving members of
the South African Police Services who provided the
security for the recent
Earth Summit and by senior members of the security
industry in South
Africa.
The Directorate has developed an
extensive plan to deal with the
security threats for the tournament based on
the security arrangements used
for the Sydney Olympic
Games.
2. Discussions with diplomatic
staff from member countries in
southern
Africa
The ICC has sent Safety and
Security Delegations to Zimbabwe and Kenya
to meet with relevant stakeholders
including senior diplomats based in the
country that represent all the teams
scheduled to play there.
The meetings in
Zimbabwe were followed up during a recent visit by ICC
Chief Executive,
Malcolm Speed.
These diplomats in Zimbabwe
and Kenya provided an up to date picture
of the safety and security situation
on the ground for nationals of
various
countries.
3. The world's
foremost independent security firm, Kroll
The
ICC recently commissioned an independent report by a leading
international
security firm to assess the safety and security risks in
Zimbabwe and Kenya.
This report provided the Board with an independent
assessment of the threats
to player and official safety and security.
theherald.co.uk
Cricket politicians lack moral
fibre
DOUG GILLON
THE decision yesterday by the International
Cricket Council to take
absolutely no decision at all on England's concerns
over the forthcoming
World Cup in Zimbabwe reveals cricket's politicians to
be as lacking in
moral fibre as those of the British Government.
Not
for the first time, money has taken sporting precedence over decency.
Now the
ball is nipping at the feet of Nasser Hussain and his men, and the
England
captain is the man to whom everyone looks now.
The Government have made
it clear they want the players to boycott next
month's match in Harare, to
deliver a message to Robert Mugabe's regime, yet
have not asked any of the
300 British companies doing business there to
cease trading.
The ICC
could have chosen to listen to the concerns of players, not just
from
England, but from Holland, Australia, and New Zealand. Kenya, where
New
Zealand are due to play, is also perceived as unsafe. But only if
security
concerns intensify will the situation be reviewed by the
ICC.
The 34-year-old Hussain now faces the most testing ball of his life.
When
one stands up to a fast bowler, one reacts by instinct. Moral courage is
a
more considered quality. "Play up and play the game" is the players'
credo.
Considering the implications is the realm of the moral
philosopher.
The England and Wales Cricket Board, who failed to request
the match be
moved, have failed the players. Now, a power-crazed tyrant with
no regard
for life, liberty, or democracy, is poised to make capital. It is
debatable
whether security should have been made the only issue in deciding
whether to
switch fixtures.
South Africa is a better place for the
decision to ostracise them from
international sport until they ended
apartheid.
British athletes, faced with acknowledging Hitler at the 1936
Olympics, did
not understand the dilemma then. Nor, assuredly, did Sir
Stanley Matthews,
who with the England football team, gave the Nazi salute.
But he regretted
doing so for the rest of his life.
God grant Hussain
the courage to do the right thing, even if his masters
lack it. No decent
human being will criticise him or his colleagues if they
refuse to
go.
-Jan 31st
BBC
PCA criticises Zimbabwe decision
Bevan plans further talks on security and safety
issues |
The
Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) has expressed its "significant
disappointment" that the International Cricket Council (ICC) are allowing
Zimbabwe to host World Cup games as planned.
PCA chief Richard Bevan now plans further talks with senior cricket bosses as
he seeks to get England's fixture in Zimbabwe moved.
The ICC discussed the matter on Thursday and announced that England's match
on 13 February, and five others in the tournament, would go ahead.
England's players said on Monday they wanted the game moved, but England
cricket chief David Morgan did not submit a formal request on their behalf.
"The announcement that all fixtures in the 2003 World Cup are to proceed as
scheduled has led to significant disappointment from the PCA," a statement read.
 There are a number of questions to be asked
regarding the Kroll report  PCA statement |
"Richard Bevan will be discussing the security and safety issues that have
been raised with the Team England players, representatives of the English and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB), ICC World Cup Security advisors and the Federation of
International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) Chief Executive Tim May.
"The Team England players' legal advisors will also be involved in
discussions.
"There are a number of questions to be asked regarding the Kroll report,
commissioned by the ICC, which the PCA have yet to receive a copy of."
New York Times
U.N. Sees Zimbabwe Famine
Rising
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 30 - The
United Nations says the number of hungry people
is rising in Zimbabwe even as
food shortages ease in other parts of southern
Africa.
A huge food
distribution program in this region battered by drought and
floods has
prevented mass starvation, the United Nations says. Bad weather
has reduced
hopes for a quick recovery in Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho,
but
officials predict good harvests in Malawi and Zambia in coming months.
The
World Food Program believes the worst is over for most countries and
plans to
start reducing its presence here in June.
Officials remain disheartened,
however, by the worsening situation in
Zimbabwe, where inadequate rainfall
and poor government policies have left
growing numbers hungry. This month the
United Nations reported that the
number of people in need of emergency food
aid in Zimbabwe had jumped to 7.2
million in December, an increase of 500,000
over last August.
"A serious humanitarian disaster has been averted,"
James Morris, head of
the World Food Program, said this week after touring
the region for seven
days. "Food has been put in place over the last several
months in such a way
that mass starvation and death has not
occurred.
"We're seeing significant progress in Malawi and Zambia," Mr.
Morris
continued at a news conference here. "We don't have that same optimism
in
Zimbabwe."
Zimbabwe's government has evicted almost all of the
country's white
commercial farmers and handed their land to blacks in an
effort to win
popular support and to rectify historic inequalities in land
ownership. A
tiny white minority owned more than half of the fertile land,
the legacy of
British colonialism.
But the combination of severe
drought and a chaotic and violent land
redistribution program has devastated
agricultural production. The
production of corn - the country's staple food -
plunged by nearly 70
percent last year, the United Nations says.
These
days, people wait in long lines for bread and cornmeal. And the
hungry
include nearly a million current and former commercial farm workers
who are
struggling to survive without jobs.
Western governments have
accused officials of using food as a weapon.
Official say the government is
allowing only its supporters to buy cheap
government grain, while the
opposition remains hungry. A few incidents of
politicalization occurred last
year in the distribution of relief aid, but
the United Nations says those
problems as rare and isolated.
Problems with the government's own supply
of food are believed to be more
widespread. The United Nations has offered to
monitor the government's
distribution of its own food to verify the
government's claims that it is
impartial.
Most political analysts
doubt that President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe will
agree to independent
scrutiny, but Mr. Morris said the president did not
reject the
idea.
"I raised this issue with President Mugabe," Mr. Morris said. "It
seemed to
me there was some interest in continuing the conversation. My sense
is that
they're terribly concerned about their image."
Zimbabwe's
government says it is doing all it can to ease food shortages,
which it
blames on drought and treasonous whites who they accuse of hoarding
food. But
the government has struggled to import grain because of severe
shortages of
foreign currency in the collapsing economy.
A recent survey conducted by
relief agencies raised questions about the
government's assertion that it is
buying enough food to ease the crisis. The
survey showed that 40 percent of
communities visited for the survey said
that grain was not available or was
rarely available from government
distribution
sites.
The
Times
MPs join campaign to finance Harare
withdrawal
By Matthew
Pryor
ENGLAND must not play cricket in a country heading towards
genocide, a
cross-party group of MPs said yesterday at Westminster. In an
attempt to
remove any financial considerations faced by the ECB for pulling
out of the
game on February 13, they backed the campaign set up by the Aegis
Trustto
raise £1
million.
"The ECB made it clear that their first concern is not to mix
politics and
sport, but this is beyond politics, it's a humanitarian issue
that cannot be
ignored," Michael Ancram, the Shadow Foreign Secretary said.
"What we're
trying to do is help with them with the financial
consequences."
The campaign has been endorsed by Richard Bevan, the managing
director of the
Professional Cricketers' Association, and celebrities
including Bob Geldof
and Yann Martel, the Booker Prize
winner.
"We want England to get behind the team because it doesn't
belong to the ICC
or the GCC (Global Cricket Corporation, the rights holders
to the World Cup)
or anyone else, it's our team," Dr James Smith, who set up
the Aegis Trust,
which investigates allegations of genocide, said. "We don't
want games to
take place in our name when mass death is going to occur.
Genocide happens
because of ideology and often because the outside world
allows it
happen.
"Zimbabwe's Government has ideas to reduce the population by
half - putting
six million people's lives at risk. They are under threat of
starvation not
just because there is a drought and famine but because they
are being
deliberately
starved."
Should the money not be needed, Smith said that it would be
distributed to
Zimbabwean people through non-governmental
organisations.
Ancram said that he was shocked by what he saw after he smuggled
himself into
Zimbabwe in July. "I saw black farmworkers hiding in the
forests outside
Harare harassed by Mugabe's thugs and being told they were
not Zimbabwean and
they would have to leave. In my book, that's ethnic
cleansing," he
said.
In light of the decision by John Howard, the Australian Prime
Minister, to
offer a blank cheque to the Australian Cricket Board should it
have to pay
compensation for withdrawing from its fixture, there was
criticism from the
meeting for the Government's refusal to back the ECB
financially and
disappointment with the outcome of the ICC tele- conference.
"I'm a little
disappointed that there was so little emphasis on the
humanitarian issue," Dr
Smith said.
Financial Times
Portugal
blocks Harare sanctions
By Judy
Dempsey
Published: January 31 2003 4:00 | Last
Updated: January 31 2003 4:00
Europe's
plans to extend sanctions against Zimbabwe were blocked again
yesterday after
Portugal demanded an exemption allowing President Robert
Mugabe to attend a
European Union-Africa summit in Lisbon. Britain was only
ready to accept Mr
Mugabe attending a Franco-African summit in Paris
next
month.
Fourteen of the 15 EU
countries agreed to extend the sanctions for a
year once they expire on
February 18, two days before the Franco-African
summit. Portugal, however,
blocked consensus, fearing that no other African
leader would attend without
Mr Mugabe's presence. Judy Dempsey, Brussels
The
Star
Dying with money in their
pockets
January 31,
2003
By Jovial
Rantao
'No one trusts it - No one wants
it," said a headline on page 2 of The
Star yesterday. The heart of the story
is that our R5 coin has become
worthless, thanks to the creativity of South
Africa's alternative business
people -
criminals.
Many businesses, taxi drivers,
hawkers and other entrepreneurs won't
accept the silver coin as a legal
tender. The reason is that criminals have
found a way of copying the coins
and have flooded the market with the
fake
coins.
So, if the last money you
have in your pocket is a R5 coin, you cannot
catch that taxi to go home.
You'd have to walk. If you had intended to buy
bread, prepare to go hungry
for a little longer.
If a R5 coin is the
last money you have, you're like someone walking
around with empty
pockets.
While in South Africa we would
worry about the R5 problem, in
Zimbabwe, it does not matter how much you have
in your pocket - money, in
this part of the world, has become totally
worthless.
"In Zimbabwe you die with lots
of money in your pocket," says Giant, a
Zimbabwean working and living in
South Africa.
Giant, who has just returned
from a visit to his family in Zimbabwe,
carries a sad face when he talks
about his country.
He has, he says,
witnessed over the years how the country went from
being the "best place in
the world" to a place of desperation.
"The
shops are empty. There is no bread, there is no oil, there is no
milk. How
can a country run out of salt?" he asks
rhetorically.
Giant left Zimbabwe a couple
of years ago to look for work in South
Africa so that he could support his
wife, two children and mother back home
in
Zimbabwe.
When he couldn't find work he
decided to use his hands to survive.
Every
morning he wakes up and weaves cane baskets, which he then takes
to a spot
along William Nicol Drive and sells to motorists and
other
customers.
On a good day, he
would make over R1 000. On a bad day he would go
back home without making a
single sale.
Every cent he makes is used
carefully. Some of it he uses to survive
in Johannesburg; some of it he uses
to buy groceries and basic foodstuffs to
send to his family in Zimbabwe. That
is how people survive.
The only families
who do not feel the full brunt of poverty are those
with sons or daughters
working in South Africa or elsewhere
outside
Zimbabwe.
After they have
bought their groceries, Giant and his fellow
Zimbabweans give this to an
entrepreneur who has found a way of making money
by transporting goods from
Johannesburg to villages in Zimbabwe.
When
the entrepreneur arrives at Giant's home in Zimbabwe, he delivers
the food
parcels and brings back a note to Giant.
The note has two important points.
The
first, an acknowledgement that the food has reached its intended
destination;
the second, a list of what should be sent on the next
trip.
The plight of Giant's family brings
into sharp focus the desperate
situation that Zimbabweans find themselves in
because of wrong political and
economic policies followed by Zanu-PF and
President Robert Mugabe.
Most people in
Zimbabwe do not have the foreign currency to allow them
to come to
Johannesburg and elsewhere to stock up in basic
foodstuffs.
They have Zimbabwean dollars
but, as Giant says, they could die with
the money in their pockets because,
not only has it become worthless, but
the shelves are empty in local
shops.
Through the lack of leadership from
Mugabe, the Zimbabwean economy has
collapsed, leaving the local currency, the
Zimbabwean dollar, not worth the
paper its printed
on.
While in South Africa there could be
solutions or options to the R5
problems, this is not the case with Zimbabwe.
All the money - coins and
notes - has become
worthless.
The headline "No one trusts it
- No one wants it" could have easily
been on the pages of Zimbabwean
newspapers.
New
Zealand Herald
NZ Cricket refuses to send Black Caps to
Nairobi
31.01.2003
6.00pm
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have
refused to send their team to Nairobi for
their World Cup cricket match
against Kenya on February 21.
NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said in
a statement the security risk for
the players was too great.
The
decision defied today's International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling
that
matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe would continue as planned despite
safety
fears.
"The board has concluded that on the basis of the
information currently
available the safety and security risk for our players
is too high," Snedden
said.
"The New Zealand Cricket board will give
notice to the ICC that it does not
believe that the decision taken by the ICC
last night was reasonable.
"This is a matter which will now be resolved
through legal processes."
Snedden said the safety and security of the
team was the only relevant
consideration for the NZC board.
The
information received by the ICC security delegation to Kenya made it
clear
that there was a tangible terrorist threat in Nairobi, and the board
saw
nothing which changed that, the statement said.
NZC took advice from
independent security consultant Reg Dickason who
visited Kenya earlier this
month with team manager Jeff Crowe.
- NZPA
The
Times
Mugabe barred from meeting
teams
From Richard Hobson in
Johannesburg
EVEN though he rules Zimbabwe with a rod of iron, President
Robert Mugabe
will not be allowed to set foot on the field of play at Harare
and Bulawayo
during the World Cup. Ali Bacher, the tournament director, said
yesterday
that the only time politicians will be allowed to cross the
boundary will be
the opening ceremony, which Mugabe is not
attending.
Effectively, this means that none of the six teams at present
scheduled to
play in Zimbabwe will be placed in a position where they have
to decide
whether to shake hands with the leader and thereby give him a
propaganda
victory.
While the England players - still expected by the ICC to fulfil
the match in
Harare on February 13 - were told several weeks ago by the ECB
that they
should not shake hands with the president, the issue has become a
serious
talking point in Australia during the past 48 hours. The defending
champions,
who arrived in South Africa yesterday, are due to play in
Bulawayo on
February
24.
Adam Gilchrist, the Australia vice-captain, said: "It is a
scenario that
could create difficulties for some people. I am sure the
authorities would
rather it did not come up because the way the public
perceives what a player
does could have all sorts of
political
ramifications."
However, Bacher said that it had been policy "for months" that
politicians
will not be permitted to tread the field. Nor will
administrators be part of
the man-of-the-match ceremonies, with
presentations being made instead by
ambassadors for the event, made up of
leading African sportsmen or famous
former
cricketers.
"We want to depoliticise the tournament," Bacher said. "If the
Zimbabwe
Cricket Union wants to invite him (Mugabe) to a president's box
then that is
a matter for them, but not on to the field of play. Zimbabwe
will have to
comply like everybody
else."
In reality, it is hard to imagine how Mugabe would be prevented
from walking
on to the field given that the security guards are made up from
his own
supporters.
Zimbabwe was the subject of at least half the questions directed
at Ricky
Ponting, the Australia captain, and Steve Bernard, the manager, at
a press
conference on landing in Johannesburg. Ponting said: "We are not
worried
about the politics - the only issue is player safety and I am happy
to go
along with what our board tells us."
courier.co.uk
Morgan wants
Zimbabwe situation scrutinised
05:06 - 31 January 2003
England cricket
chief David Morgan has urged the International Cricket
Council to review the
staging of World Cup matches in Zimbabwe if the
situation in that country
deteriorates.
The ICC ruled on Thursday
that the controversial World Cup match
against Zimbabwe in Harare on February
13 will take place.
Morgan did not ask the
ICC to move England's game to South Africa when
he took part in a
teleconference with the other board members, but he has
expressed concern
over the situation in the co-host country for the World
Cup following
concerns expressed by the England players through the
Professional Cricketers
Association.
He said: "If, in the next few
days/weeks, there is a discernible
deterioration in safety and security
surrounding particular matches then
decisions must be urgently reviewed and,
if necessary, matches moved.
"We must all
reserve our right for this to happen."
The
two-hour teleconference of the 16 members of the ICC's board of
directors
agreed the game should go ahead despite the unrest in the country
and the
threats of demonstration - and also revealed there was not
sufficient reason
for New Zealand's match against Kenya to be moved to
South
Africa.
ICC chief executive
Malcolm Speed said: "It won't be like backpackers
going into countries on
their own. These are cricketers who are used to the
highest levels of
security and that will happen.
"There are
very few safe places in the world. The risk of a terrorist
attack also is not
sufficient reason to move the match away from
Zimbabwe."
During the teleconference
Morgan did not put a formal resolution to
the ICC board to move England's
match - but he did make a strong case about
the broad issues of security and
safety at all matches.
Morgan said: "If
there are demonstrations and rioting in Harare during
England v Zimbabwe
match this is not just an issue for the two countries
directly concerned. It
is an issue for all the countries taking part in the
World
Cup."
ABC
Australia
Friday, January 31, 2003. Posted: 12:38:07
(AEDT)
Safety at Zimbabwe games cannot be guaranteed: former
player
A former Zimbabwe cricketer has warned safety at World
Cup cricket games in
his country cannot be guaranteed.
Darrell
Goodwin, who lives in Harare, has told The West Australian newspaper
of
potential threats to Cup matches by political splinter groups in
the
strife-torn country.
Goodwin, elder brother of Perth-based former
Zimbabwe Test cricketer Murray
Goodwin, issued his warning the day after the
International Cricket Council
(ICC) ruled in London that matches in Zimbabwe
and Kenya would go ahead as
planned.
England players had called on the
ICC to switch their match scheduled for
Harare to South Africa, where the
bulk of games in the February 8-March 23
tournament are scheduled to be
played.
Darrell Goodwin spoke out about potential threats in Zimbabwe
after
Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden said he would not shake hands
with
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe, also the patron of the Zimbabwe
Cricket
Union.
Darrell Goodwin told the paper he had watched as close
friends were forced
off their farms and out of the country recently, and said
the mood was tense
in the Cup lead-up.
He believes there are political
splinter groups which pose serious threats
to the security of fixtures,
including Australia's match against Zimbabwe in
Bulawayo February
24.
"I don't have a crystal ball, but I am worried these groups will make
some
form of protest, so you can't guarantee the total safety of the games,"
he
said.
"The political situation is very tense and it hasn't been a
nice couple of
years. I can't colour the place up as a paradise because there
are hungry
people here.
"At this point, in this country as a civilian
I don't feel threatened, but
the Australians are taking a risk by
coming."
Murray Goodwin, 30, was a prominent Zimbabwe batsman from 1998
to 2000 who
also played for his native country in the 1999 World Cup in
England.
He returned to Western Australia, where he lived from the age of
13, because
of Zimbabwe's economic problems. He is a current member of the
Western
Australian team.
He said he had mixed emotions in relation to
the World Cup controversy
because he had close friends in the Zimbabwe and
Australia sides.
"It's a great country, but it is sad to see what is
happening there," he
said.
"As a cricketer, I want the Australian team
to go. I just hope for their
sake nothing erupts."
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Open Letter Forum <justice@telco.co.zw>
JAG OPEN LETTER
FORUM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
1: Jenni Williams
Dear Fellow Zimbabweans,
I have observed
developments in the media regarding the 'dialogue' between
the Commercial
Farmers Union (CFU) and Government ministers. I have also
had sight of CFU
statements in this regard. As I no longer represent
farmers, I have remained
a silent observer. However after watching the ZBC
News tonight (Tuesday 28th
Jan) I feel compelled to comment.
The misdirected Land reform programme
has resulted in Zimbabwe moving from
bread basket to basket case. The
cherry-picking of prime farms in Zimbabwe
by government fat cats has reduced
many innocent souls to berry-picking to
stay alive.
Is this the Land
reform programme that the CFU members now suddenly
support?
Whilst I
do not stand in judgement of farmers seeking compensation, many
have lost
everything, I do appeal to them to ensure that the issue of
compensation is
not used for political gain. Let it be known that current
propaganda trends
are tantamount to attempting to administer a cardiac
arrest to a regime whose
soul is long gone.
Zimbabweans, pure of heart and soul will have their
day of reckoning.
Farmers who insist that they are loyal Zimbabweans would do
well to
remember that their allegiance is better served assisting those
living on
berries than fattening up the obese.
I made this appeal to
farmers in a communiqué on 18th October 2002 and the
cautions still
hold:
Meanwhile, they (farmers) must commit themselves to focusing their
energy
on the core issues enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution.
The
constitutional issues and human rights are a solid basis to envelope
the
agricultural plight and communicate through the quagmire. If we are
to
resolve this impasse, which plays itself out under the guise of land
or
agrarian reforms, we must couch our message in pressing for a return to
a
democratic Zimbabwe with all its characteristics: good governance,
the
rule of law, the respect for human and property rights allowing
dignity,
and where the freedom of expression is canonised.
They should
take stock of their position and fully recognise and draw
unlimited strength
from the fact that it is their God-given and democratic
right to own property
and earn a living and their right to call themselves
Zimbabweans or investors
to Zimbabwe that has been eroded. To do this
effectively they must take their
place amongst civic society and with
other Zimbabweans to defend their human
rights. It is not a crime to
demand justice, peace and
freedom.
Dialogue has been exhaustively conducted by many. It is however,
not being
carried out on a fair and democratic negotiating platform so it
will not
yield the desired results. No amount of dealing or signing of
sub-division
forms will provide honour where there is none, and just serves
to feed the
appeasement crocodile. We can only resolve the conflict if we
have a fair
and equal negotiating platform and equally important and
communicated
views.
Calls to acceptance of foreign compensation under
these conditions will be
selling out Zimbabweans right to a Democratic
win-win solution.
Jenni Williams
Bulawayo, 28th January
2003
**************************************************
Letter 2:
Sheila Jarvis
Its critical that a line be drawn between backing land
reform and backing
Mugabe et al on Land reform.
There has always been
an accepted need for land reform and land available
& funds available for
it. Any government accountable to the people of
Zimbabwe will have to satisfy
them in its handling of the land issue or be
replaced by those who will.
Robert Mugabe did so little in the 90's only
because he had established such
control over the country he did not
believe he would be held answerable to
it.
His view of land - that it can be seized without payment if you're
white,
irrespective of when you bought it - and that this 'redressing of
colonial
imbalances' must be done regardless of consequences - was peculairly
his,
with his constituional commission finding no real support for
it.
It was not just the violence with which it was done, but his whole
racist
reversionary approach that was not accepted.
In the words of
his own official press he was a lone voice. In his own
words (in Shona at
Chinhoyi 7 April 2000, televised) he was not supported
by the majority of
Zimbabweans or his colleagues and was grateful for the
power and fists of the
war veterans causing fear even amongst his own
parliamentarians to let him do
what he wanted.
After saying this, he went on in English to demand that
Zimbabwe's white
farmers must not support MDC but remain neutral in the
parliamentary
election campaign or he would deal with them as he would deal
with MDC -
they would be enemies and he would fight them to the finish. The
next
weekend, Chiminya (Tsvangirai's campaign manager) and Stevens and Olds
(2
farmers openly supporting MDC) were assassinated.
Remember he'd
received pounds from the British for land acquisitions and
persuaded most
farmers to take Zimbabwe dollars instead and stay in the
80s; and he'd
continued inviting foreign investments in farmland through
the
90s.
Why should the British be obliged to pay for this or the
improvements?
Sheila
**************************************************
Letter
3: J.L.Robinson
The Director,CFU,
Marlborough.
Dear
Sir,
Further to my letter to you asking the CFU Council for a policy
document, I
have discovered a document dated 29.08.2002. from the President
of the CFU,
Mr. C.B. Cloete.
I now quote:
"As you are aware,
Council has taken the decision to work with Government
on the land reform
issue and not confront it. It is my personal policy to
build bridges wherever
I can, and to keep doors open for communication, for
without being able to
dialogue with those in Government, I can be of little
help to my members. I
have been criticized for this policy, but remain
convinced it offers the only
way forward and we will persist with that
policy."
I apologize for
asking you to supply a Policy Document, when I actually
have it right here
from the President. It seems that it is not completely
out of line with what
I read in the Herald the other day.
Should you feel that I have taken it
out of context, or that there is a new
policy that I missed out on, I would
be most grateful if you could fill me
in on it.
Yours
faithfully,
J.L.
Robinson.
31.01.2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not necessarily represent the official viewpoint
of
Justice for
Agriculture.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice
for Agriculture mailing list
To subscribe/unsubscribe: Please write to
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Updated 30th January
2003
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this
newsletter to:
JAG Job Opportunities <justice@telco.co.zw>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
ZIMBABWE
(ad inserted 30th Jan 03)
Retired Farming couple required to
live and work on a farm 60 km from
Harare.Husband to carry out Sourcing and
Procurement of farm supplies
aswell as run Stores and Arrange movements of
farm Transport fleet.Wife to
Run Farm Store and Tuckshop. Unsual farm perks
are offered.Contact 011 403
558 or 091 218 822 or email timjack@zol.co.zw.
*************************************************
2.
HARARE
(ad inserted 30th Jan 03) The following job is available in the Msasa
area.
Must be computer literate and knowledge of Pastel 5.2 an
added
advantage.Must also have some working experience with Debtors &
Creditors.
Must be able to work Saturday mornings - Wednesday afternoons
off.
Contact: Lindsay on
486715/7
*************************************************
3.
MIDLANDS
SAFARI CAMP FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER. We have have an opening in
our busy
safari camp in the Zimbabwe midlands for a food and beverage
manager. For
this position we need someone who has extensive experience
in running a
busy and expanding resort kitchen. The job would
involve:
Day to day running of the kitchen and dining room. Organizing
functions.
Supervising a large staff compliment. Training staff. Procurement
of
supplies. The possibility of setting up a take-away outlet and
also
starting an upmarket restaurant.
IN RETURN WE OFFER: A salary in
commensurate with experience. Accommodation
and all meals.
PLEASE SEND
FULL C.V. TO: The Managing Director PO Box 1218 Gweru
Zimbabwe
*************************************************
4.HARARE
(inserted
22nd Jan 03)
Transport Manager
A leading private security
contractor is seeking the services of a
mechanically minded Transport Manager
to run a large workshop comprising of
both panel-beating and mechanical
repairs of heavy and light diesel and
petrol motor vehicles and motor cycles.
Applicants need not be qualified
motor mechanics but must have sound
man-management and administrative
qualities. Applications, including a
current resume must be forwarded for
the attention of The Regional
Manager
(Transport Manager Applications) P O Box ST 130 Southerton
Harare.
Also:
Qualified Panel-beater Journeyman
A leading
private security contractor is seeking the services of a
qualified
Panel-beater/Journeyman to run their panel-beating workshop.
Extensive
knowledge in the application of 2K paints, accurate estimation of
damage,
administration, man-management and general workshop floor practices
would be
a distinct advantage. Applications, including a current resume
must be
forwarded for the attention of The Regional Manager
(Panel-beater) P O Box ST
130 Southerton
Harare
*************************************************
5.
TRELAWNEY
(ad inserted 8th Jan 03)
Trelawney Farm manager required for
mixed farming operation - 30 ha
tobacco, 50 ha maize, & 85 head beef
breeding herd, to start immediately.
Owner resident on the property, no
"invader" problems at this stage, stable
labour force. Favourable
remuneration package offered, plus usual farm
perks, and a negotiable share
profit percentage. Contact The Advertiser, on
069 - 8223, for more
information, or the JAG
office.
*************************************************
6.
HARARE:
COLBRO TRANSPORT - VARIOUS VACANCIES Transport Investment Opportunity
TO
ANY INTERESTED FARMERS Opportunity for Business Investment in
Transport
Industry with Colbro Transport: There exists an opportunity of
investing in
transport by purchasing sections of 10 to 20 complete rigs along
with a
franchise to run for Procon RSA, on all routes run by
Colbro.
Advantages being you walk into 100% organised fleet, drivers,
maintenance,
fuel, tyres, contracts etc. Any interest: Please contact Bob
Collett on 091
200 519
Transport Controller Vacancy exists with Colbro
Transport for less
qualified energetic transport controller to handle daily
operations and
drivers, certain "out of town" travelling
needed.
*************************************************
7.
HARARE:
A possibility for couple to run a procurement business in Harare for
Kariba
and surrounding areas - preferably a farmer who has a 7 ton truck to
enter
into a partnership. Any interested party to contact: Bob Collett - 091
200
519 Bernice Wilde - 091 314 353 or
757295.
*************************************************
8.
KARIBA:
Vacancy exists for couple in Kariba - lady to run books with
other
management responsibilities at Kariba Marina. Gent to manage and
maintain
boats, big and small as well as other management
duties.
*************************************************
9.
HARARE:
My name is Rick Summers and I am the Chairman of the Harare
SPCA. We are
try to find a suitable person to fill the post of General
Manager which has
been vacant for some time and to date have not been able to
find the right
person. This is a permanent position. It is a very
challenging position
but also most rewarding. It is not for the faint
hearted and is not an 8
to 5, 5 days a week job. This is a busy position, the
core of which is the
promotion of Animal Welfare in the Harare/Chitungwiza
area for a radius of
50 kms.
The job principally involves:
1.
responding to reports about animal neglect, abuse and cruelty.
2.
supervising Animal Welfare Inspectors, Veterinary Surgeons and
kennel-hands
caring for the animals in SPCA custody
3. controlling the Society's
finances and assets
4. promoting the work of the SPCA to the public,
both local and
international
5. co-ordinating the contributions of
the stakeholders many of whom are
subscribing members of the Harare
Society
These are very broad parameters. The person:
1. likes
animals, abhors cruelty
2 has a basic grasp of legal issues pertaining to
animal
welfare(advantage).
3. well versed in managing
labour
4. is tactful and level headed. There are times when you will be
dealing
with very emotional people and disturbing situations. If you feel you
have
what it takes then please: e-mail me on summersr@paprika.co.zw phone
04
487637 mobile 091 232 223 for further information. If you need
more
information re the position please do not hesitate to contact
me.
*************************************************
10.
UKRAINE:
(ad inserted 22nd Jan 03) telephone: 00380-44-491-5133
We are
an American company in the agriculture business in Ukraine for 6
years.
Unlimited quality land, excellent weather, wonderful people!!!
Currently
we are farming 4,000 HA and servicing over 13,000.We are looking
to expand
farming to over 15,000 HA. with quality partners/farmers. If
anyone is
interested in the real last agriculture frontier, please contact
me. Regards,
Roman Fedorowycz email: roman_omni@yahoo.com
*************************************************
11. UNITED
KINGDOM
(ad inserted 7th Jan 03)
Subject: List of Caring Jobs in
England. Hi there, thought that you might
be interested in the following
address's as you have a "Jobs" section now?
The address's are for those
people who are looking for Caring work, which
are well paid, "live-in" jobs.
If anyone would like some information, I can
try and help them, as I worked
three months this year, in England, caring
for peole with the Consultus
Agency? So, here is a list of Agencys which I
have:-
info@consultuscarers.co.uk Consultus,
17, London Road, Tonbridge, KENT
TN103AB Telephone: 00 44 1732
355231
info@country-cousins.co.uk
(Sorry, no telephone number at the moment!)
Quality Carers Ltd.
e-mail:- qualitycarers@hotmail.com Telephone:-
00 44
2076 330796
Patricia White Care Agency, Speer House,
40-44
The Parade, SURREY KT 10 ONU Telephone:- 00 44 1372 461100 Fax:-
00 44 1372
461155
All good wishes for 2003! Louise MacIlwaine. Tel:- 023 896
950
*************************************************
12.
TANZANIA:
(ad inserted 7th Jan 03) On an estate, 20 kilometres from the
triving
little town Arusha, with view onto Kilimanjaro, we do seek an all
round
FARM MANAGER.
The estate is an old sisal plantation and requires
development. This year
we will start building 40 ha of greenhouses for export
roses. We also do
develop a vegetable export section and a centre pivot for
arable crops. In
future the largest part of the estate (1,200 ha already
fenced) will be
game farm, containing holiday houses, horse trials and a polo
field.
The person applying for the job has to be a proved farm manager
with
excessive experience in: horticulture: export vegetables; growing,
packing
and exporting, record keeping as per supermarket requirements, (main
crops
mangetout peas, fine beans, sugar snaps, baby corn, passion fruit
etc.)
arable farming: centre pivot; maize, soya, wheat and paprika
growing,
knowledge of mechanics is a must, willing to assist during building
of
greenhouses, building holiday houses, developing polo field, have an
'open
mind' capable to start afresh in a different country, A young
couple,
preferably polo minded, with interest and/or experience in game
farming, is
kindly invited to apply for this job.
Please do sent your
motivated application letter, with CV and a list of
references to the
following email address: pschulte@worldonline.nl
The successful applicant will be employed by the largest rose growers
in
the country and they will look after you well.
In Arusha we find
basic medical facilities, main hospitals in Nairobi at 4
hrs drive, Shoprite
supermarket, and a high standard international school
available in
town.
*************************************************
13.
AFRICA:
(ad inserted 22nd Jan 03)
Managing Amnesty International's human
rights work in Africa
Send reply to: AFFORD-Jobs-owner@yahoogroups.com
MANAGING AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S HUMAN RIGHTS WORK IN
AFRICA
Amnesty International is seeking a Program Director and two Deputy
Program
Directors to manage the Africa Program of its International
Secretariat,
responsible for research and campaigning on human rights issues
in Africa.
The Africa Program has around 50 staff based in London, Kampala,
Dakar,
Paris and Pretoria.
Amnesty International is a worldwide
organization campaigning on human
rights issues. The International
Secretariat is the movement's centre for
international research, campaign
action and policy making. It employs over
400 staff, a majority of whom are
based in the Secretariat's London office
although around half of the Africa
Program's staff are now based outside
London. Recently the
International Secretariat has been reorganized and
the management system
restructured to strengthen leadership, delivery and
accountability of all
staff.
Each of these positions requires an experienced manager with a
proven track
record in motivation of staff and in the provision of the
direction,
support and systems to enable them to perform to their full
potential. You
should bring astute political judgement, a clear vision of how
the human
rights agenda can be taken forward in Africa and the ability to
communicate
this persuasively to individuals and groups at all
levels.
Fluent written and spoken English and French are essential for
all three
posts; knowledge of one other main language of the region is
desirable.
PROGRAM DIRECTORS Salary scale 388 - 674 Program Director
Africa Ref no ?
AFR/03/1 As Program Director you will be responsible for
directing and
overseeing provision of political and strategic advice on human
rights
challenges in Africa; representing the work of the organization to
key
target audiences; leading the development of regional and
country
strategies and effectively managing the staff and resources of
your
program.
Your vision, leadership and dedication must be
complemented by personal
confidence and professional expertise. You
will be recognized as a leader
in your field; bringing commitment and energy
to match the weight of your
responsibilities; and offering demonstrated
capacity to motivate and
empower others. You must be able to work
collaboratively, making decisions
swiftly, effecting strong delivery whilst
meeting the highest standards of
professional ethics.
DEPUTY PROGRAM
DIRECTORS Salary scale 836 - 812
2 Deputy Program Directors Africa Ref no -
AFR/03/2
One Deputy Program Director post will be responsible for
managing the teams
working on Eastern and Central Africa and will be based in
Kampala from
April 2004 following an initial period in London. The other
Deputy Program
Director post will be responsible for managing the team
working on West
Africa (and for the first year also the team working on
Southern Africa)
and is currently based in London.
As a deputy program
director, you will bring many of the qualities expected
of program
directors. In particular, you will offer experience in team
management,
a developed commitment to collaborative work practices and
demonstrated
success in the creation of effective and supportive
work
environments.
Under the authority of the Africa Program Director,
and as a member of the
program's management team, you will also be
responsible for development and
implementation of specific country
strategies, provision of political
advice on the human rights concerns in the
sub- region, and will share
responsibility for the management of the
program's staff and resources.
Closing date - 7 February
2003
Interview date From 10 March - 21 March 2003
For further
information and to apply online please visit our website at:
www.amnesty.org/aboutai/jobs or write
to Human Resources Program, Amnesty
International, International Secretariat,
1 Easton Street, London WC1X
ODW
*************************************************
14. SOUTH
AFRICA:
(ad inserted 7th Jan 03)
A vacancy exists for an Estate
Manager at Uplands Prep School, White River.
Uplands is an independent co-ed
boarding and day school, situated some 3
kms from White River in Mpumalanga.
An Estate Manager is required to
maintain the spacious grounds, numerous
buildings and mechanical equipment
of the school. Accommodation is included
in a generous package for the
successful applicant. Starting date: 1st
February, or later by arrangement.
Applications to: Uplands Prep School, Box
244, White River 1240. Fax: 013
751 2765. Email: secretary@uplands.co.za Many thanks
Gavin
Sinclair
Headmaster
*************************************************
15.
SOUTH AFRICA
(ad inserted 7th Jan 03) I have recently received your
publication "Job
Opportunities" and was wondering whether my company could be
of assistance
to any of the disposed folk up there. Agricultural Placements
is a
recruiting company/personnel agency specialising in the agricultural
sector
through Africa and in particular Southern Africa. We have a large
database
that we draw most of our candidates from and would like to make
this
facility known to farmers from your country. Most of South Africa
requires
that the person be able to speak English with Afrikaans being an
advantage.
However in KwaZulu Natal the requeat is that the person is fluent
in Zulu.
Ndebele is so similar to Zulu that this is acceptable.
At
present we are looking for Citrus Production Managers in the Louis
Trichardt
area as well as Maize, Soya, Wheat and Cattle in the
Natal
Midlands.
Should any person wish to make use of our services
they can e-mail their
CV's to me at robbuchanan@yebo.co.za or fax them to
us at +27 33 343 1106.
Their CV's will then be placed on the database for any
future positions
that may become available. There is no charge for this
service. Kind
regards Rob
Buchanan
*************************************************
16.
SOUTH AFRICA Farm Manager required for Export Crops to be grown east
of
Johannesburg. Aid assisted project. Commission on production. Very
good
terms. Contact Tel/Fax 263 4 303182
cork@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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submit a job listing or for further details on a given listing, send an
email
headed "JAG Job Listing" to justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
This is a service provided free of charge. Job listings are by request,
and
are not vetted prior to addition to the list, other than for
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for Agriculture mailing list
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Daily
News
Deadline for DRC
looters
1/31/2003 3:32:05 PM (GMT
+2)
By Luke Tamborinyoka Political
Editor
THE United Nations Security Council
last week unanimously resolved
that all individuals and companies implicated
in the criminal plunder of
natural resources in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) must respond
by 31 March this
year.
Top officials in the Zimbabwean
government and the army were
implicated in the trading of "blood diamonds"
and benefiting illegally from
the DRC civil war, which sucked in six African
countries including Zimbabwe.
The
Zimbabwean officials, including the Speaker of Parliament,
Emmerson
Mnangagwa, and the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces,
General Vitalis
Zvinavashe, are among the 54 people a UN panel recommended
for travel bans
and financial restrictions for their alleged shady deals in
the
DRC.
Resolution 1457, adopted unanimously
by the Security Council last
week, extended the terms of the investigating
panel by a further six months.
The panel
will be required to further review its findings and the
action taken by
governments in response to previous recommendations and that
all those
implicated be required to send their reactions to the UN
secretariat by 31
March.
Mnangagwa, Defence Minister Sydney
Sekeramayi, Zvinavashe and others
in the military top brass were alleged to
have illegally exploited diamond
resources during Zimbabwe's four-year
intervention in the DRC.
The government
has outrightly dismissed the allegations. At a parade
to welcome back the
troops from the DRC, held in Harare in December,
President Mugabe rejected
reports of illegal activities by his
government.
He described the accusations
of looting as "malicious, puerile and
libellous", saying Zimbabwe was solely
driven by the desire to protect the
territorial integrity of the
DRC.
It remains to be seen whether the
government will respond to the
latest calls by the
UN.
But while the Zimbabwean government
was dithering over the damning
looting report, President Joseph Kabila of the
DRC fired several of his
ministers and recalled his envoy in Harare, who had
been implicated in the
report.
The UN
resolution says all states implicated in looting should take
immediate steps
to end the illegal exploitation, which had worsened the
living conditions of
the suffering people of the DRC.
The UN
panel was given the mandate to review its previous report. The
resolution
gives the panel the mandate to collect information on the
"actions taken by
the governments in response to the panel's
recommendations" and to
"assess the actions taken by all those implicated
in the
reports".
The resolution reads in part:
"In the interests of transparency, the
Council invited individuals, companies
and states named in the panel's last
report to send their reactions to the
secretariat by 31 March."
Companies
alleged in the UN report to be involved in underhand deals
include Oryx
Natural Resources and OSLEG, a company with links to the
Zimbabwe National
Army.
Oryx Natural Resources jointly owns
a diamond mining concession in
Mbuji-Mayi with the governments of Zimbabwe
and the DRC. The company's chief
executive, until recently, was Thamer Said
Al Shanfari, the playboy son of
an Omani oil
minister.
Recent media reports alleged
Mnangagwa and Shanfari were the key
players in the illegal transfer of money
and the purchase of "blood
diamonds" in the former war zones of the
DRC.
Daily
News
Witness identifies police
assailants
1/31/2003 3:33:47 PM
(GMT +2)
Court
Reporter
A State witness in the murder
trial of six men accused of killing war
veteran Cain Nkala yesterday
identified two of the three detectives who
allegedly assaulted her during
interrogation at Nkulumane Police Station.
Thembelani Mkandla, a finance officer at the MDC's Bulawayo
office,
identified her assailants during an identification parade ordered by
Justice
Sandra Mungwira following an application by defence lawyer, Advocate
Deepak
Mehta.
Mkandla picked out two
police officers who later identified themselves
as Assistant Inspector
Masunda and Detective Sergeant George Levison Ngwenya
of CID Law and Order,
from 11 detectives who were lined up before the
court.
She said the third police officer
was not among the 11 although she
had seen him earlier outside the
court.
Mkandla said the three detectives
were part of a group of eight men
who indiscriminately assaulted her
following her arrest at the MDC offices
on 14 November
2001.
"One of them took off a wig that I
was putting on and pulled me by my
hair," Mkandla told the
court.
The detectives allegedly seized
various items including cash books,
receipts and bank deposit
slips.
Ngwenya conceded during his
testimony that he and his colleagues did
not have a search warrant when they
ransacked the MDC offices. "I was
assigned by my boss," said Ngwenya, led by
State counsel Charles Kandemiri.
"I was empowered by the Criminal Procedure
and Evidence Act. We thought
these documents were urgently needed and would
disappear, that's why we went
without a search
warrant."
Ngwenya denied assaulting
Mkandla.
The trial continues
today.
Daily
News
Reporters
barred
1/31/2003 3:34:30 PM (GMT
+2)
From Our Correspondent in
Bulawayo
STATE security agents yesterday
barred two Daily News reporters from
entering Bulawayo's Rainbow Hotel where
President Mugabe addressed chiefs
from all over the
country.
The reporters were ordered to
move away from the hotel while one of
the security agents went inside to
consult his superiors. He returned a few
minutes later and told them they
were not welcome.
Mugabe arrived at the
hotel at about 11am amid tight security which,
for the first time, featured
heavily-armed riot police perched on the
rooftops of buildings around the
hotel.
Other heavily-armed riot police
patrolled the streets during
the
meeting.
A truckload of Zanu PF
supporters and members of the National Youth
Service, who are derisively
known as the Green Bombers, arrived shortly
after Mugabe, singing and
chanting Zanu PF slogans.
A small
contingent of the Green Bombers stood guard at street corners
near the
hotel.
Mugabe praised the chiefs for
supporting his chaotic and often-violent
land reform
programme.
He said the government had set
aside $5,1 billion for developing
infrastructure in the resettled
areas.
In a veiled admission that there
were irregularities in the land
redistribution exercise, Mugabe said the
government would undertake an
exhaustive land audit to identify and correct
anomalies.
Daily
News
Ex-farmworkers accuse war
veterans of harassment
1/31/2003
3:39:17 PM (GMT +2)
By Precious
Shumba
About 30 former workers at Calgary
Farm in Mazowe say they are being
ill-treated by war veterans who occupied
the property and sub-divided it
into
plots.
The workers said they were being
constantly threatened with eviction
by the ill-tempered ex-freedom fighters
and other newly-resettled farmers.
The former workers said the war veterans
harassed them whenever they went to
do piece-work at other
farms.
But one of the war veterans settled
at Calgary who identified himself
as Chakwanda, denied they were harassing
the former workers.
"We have no problems
with them," he said. "Some of them are not
interested in working for us and
we don't force them to do so." Philip
Milson, 42, a former worker, said the
situation was tense, almost two years
after the eviction of the farm owners,
the Willer Brothers.
Milson, who worked
for the Millers for about 10 years, said all
workers employed by the evicted
white farmers, were targeted for eviction.
He said: "Cde Mapfumo tells us
that we have to leave this place because they
want other people to occupy our
houses."
"We thought they would give us
land here but they left us out. "Now
the people who were distributing the
land during the fast- track programme
want us to work for them for almost
nothing.
"They pay us very little when we
work in their fields and when we look
for jobs elsewhere they threaten us
with all sorts of reprisals."
About 150
000 farmworkers are now homeless and jobless after the
government sanctioned
the eviction of thousands of commercial
farmers.
One woman who refused to be
identified said the war veterans were
hostile to the former
farmworkers.
"They routinely abuse us,
accusing us of being puppets of the British
and MDC supporters," she said.
"Our major problem is that we do not have
land and the new settlers are not
willing to pay competitive wages for us to
be able to support our families. A
number of workers left the farm because
they could not stand the constant
harassment."
Several farmworkers at
Calgary Farm do piece jobs at nearby Oldbury
Farm which is owned by a Comrade
Gumbo, where the wages are attractive. Some
of the disgruntled workers,
however, said they would not leave the farm
despite the threats because they
have nowhere else to go.
Daily
News
Letter
Rerunning
Moyo's pre-Zanu PF writings would be great
fun
1/31/2003 3:51:06 PM (GMT
+2)
I WAS greatly touched by
Washington Munjanga's letter Greatness has
been thrust upon this man (The
Daily News, 24 January 2003). You could do
the generality of Zimbabweans who
are avid readers of your newspaper, a
favour by rerunning Moyo's writings in
your paper before he joined Zanu PF
or before he was brought into Zanu
PF.
Perhaps you could start by the one
headlined Zanu PF politicians talk
with open mouths and closed minds, if my
memory serves me well. I am sure
this will arouse interest since this is the
situation he has got himself
embroiled in since his
"Zanufication".
In the interest of letting
people know that this man's character is
dubious and his political works
mercenary, I greatly believe that the
readers will exempt you from the
volatile and abusive languages they give
ZBC for rerunning every programme,
from Voltron, Tsvangirai's voiceless
file
tapes,
Nausea-hour's main stories
to "Sosinke - Tiritega". Sosinke Tiritega
comes in handy in that people whom
we thought were young cadres of the
struggle to emancipate us from repressive
rule have actually joined hands
with the chief perpetrators - indeed we are
alone.
Hilton
Samuriwo
Mbare
The Australian
Worried Mugabe looks
over his shoulder
By Gavin du Venage in Johannesburg
February 01,
2003
ERRATIC Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has
made his strongest admission yet
that his days may be numbered, warning
ruling party members to be on the
alert for dissidents within their
ranks.
"There may be some even within our party who would want to see
division ...
we must be on the lookout, those of us who are committed to our
program,"
the autocratic strongman told a party meeting in Harare on
Thursday.
The government-owned Sunday Mirror newspaper reported this
month that two of
the most senior members of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party had
opened talks with
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) about
sending their
ageing leader into exile.
The alleged plot has since
been denied by those concerned -- army chief
Vitalis Zvinavashe and
parliamentary Speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as
by Mr Mugabe
himself.
"There is no doubt that a power struggle is under way within the
ranks,"
said a former government official who was fired after being suspected
of
sympathising with the opposition.
"The hard men in the
party can see the writing on the wall. The world wants
Mugabe gone and they
don't want to go down with him."
Analysts say the fact the Sunday Mirror
broke the news of the plan is an
indication of the desire to oust Mr
Mugabe.
Publication of the story would have needed prior approval by
senior Zanu-PF
officials and could have been an attempt to test public
reaction.
"This was a very tentative approach -- we need a bold move by
members of the
ruling party," Paul Nyati, official spokesman for the MDC,
said.
Most Zimbabweans want Mr Mugabe to go, according to the results of
a recent
survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute, an Harare-based
think-tank. The
survey found that two-thirds of respondents in a random
survey wanted Mr
Mugabe to immediately announce his
retirement.
International pressure is also increasing. Australia and
Britain are
demanding punitive sanctions and the US has threatened economic
reprisals
unless Mr Mugabe steps down. "However we don't expect Mr Mugabe to
do
anything as helpful as quit his job and save the country from further
ruin,"
Mr Nyati said.
Food riots have broken out in recent weeks,
inflation is close to 175 per
cent and, according to the World Food Program,
6 million Zimbabweans face
starvation.
The Government's ability to buy
off dissenters is diminishing along with its
resources. Many of those
threatened by famine are Zanu-PF party members.
"They are running on
empty," the official said. "We are all waiting now to
see whether Mugabe
walks the plank by himself or if his own people have to
give him a
push."