FORTY-TWO people were killed in
the early hours of yesterday morning after two trains crashed head-on near
the coal mining town of Hwange, in an accident that exposed the general decay
at a parastatal that has been run down by some corrupt administrators and an
uncaring government over the years.
At
the time of going to press last night, there were fears that the death toll
could rise as 64 people, most of them critically injured, were battling for
their lives at the Wankie Colliery
hospital.
The accident which occurred at
around 3 am about six kilometres from the Dete railway station, when a south
bound freight train collided with a passenger carrier, left the small mining
town of Hwange resembling a funeral parlour as hundreds milled around the
hospital searching for their relatives.
Police spokesman, Andrew Phiri said last night: "We understand that about 42
people died but there are fears that many more may have perished. Both
drivers of the trains and their assistants have also perished in
the accident," he said.
Rescue
operations were still in progress by late yesterday and the medical staff at
Wankie Colliery Hospital where the victims were being detained were working
around the clock to save lives.
NRZ
sources who talked to The Standard last night said the accident exposed the
decay of an ill-equipped and debt ridden parastatal many of whose technicians
had sought greener pastures in the UK and South
Africa.
They said the NRZ which used to be
the preferred mode of transport in the early 80s was now a pale shadow of its
former self, ridden as it is with corruption and maladministration against
the background of a non-existent government financial support
system.
"The story of NRZ is a very sad
one. The parastatal which was a source of pride a few years ago, has been run
down by some corrupt administrators, some of them known Zanu PF cronies, to
the point of it becoming a health hazard. People are not even aware that the
trains are now potential killing machines due to the shortage of spares and
the collapse of the central control system which guides trains the world
over," said the source adding "this was a disaster waiting to
happen".
He further added: " In a normal
set up, trains can derail for some reason or other but they can never collide
head on. The reason why railways have signal systems is to ensure that they
don't collide. What this tragic accident simply did was to expose what we
have known for some years now-that NRZ has virtually collapsed," said one of
the workers.
Another said: "While the
railways used to boast of a modern signalling system which was centrally
controlled, this has collapsed. Now, sadly, NRZ trains move on paper orders.
At each station, train drivers go either to a station or yard master to get a
paper order granting them permission to move to the next station. Suppose the
yard master is drunk or sick,
what happens?"
Yet another NRZ source
said last night: "It was clear that accidents of this nature could be avoided
if corrective measurers were put in place. As for this particular one, how
could officials give the go ahead for a train laden with petrol to go on the
same track as a passenger train full of people? Heads must surely roll
because this shows neglience on the part of the officials," he
said.
Two weeks ago, workers at the NRZ
signalled their intention to go on industrial action over low wages and poor
working conditions.
"While I cannot link
this to the mix up of failing to warn train drivers correctly, it should be
noted that there is a lot of disgruntlement in the parastatal. The time is
long past when workers used to give their best to the parastatal," said a
source.
Of late, the NRZ trains have been
derailing at an alarming rate. This accident is the fourth in the last four
months alone.
Another goods train derailed
in Harare, although the details were not clear at the time of going to
print.
Insp Phiri confirmed the accident
had happened.
"It's true that there has
been a derailment but I am sorry to say the details are not clear at the
moment," he said.
These accidents become
the second railway disaster inside three weeks. Only three weeks ago, a goods
train and a bus collided in the high density suburb of Kambuzuma resulting in
the deaths of four people.
In 2000, in the
Dete area again, there was a derailment in which 16 people
perished.
Tsvangirai says masses
must organise themselves By Chengetai
Zvauya
MORGAN Tsvangirai, the MDC
president, has refused to attach the tag of martyr to his neck as pressure
piles upon him to lead despondent Zimbabweans in mass action to remove the
Zanu PF regime.
Tsvangirai yesterday told
The Standard that it was up to the people to organise themselves first before
his party could take any meaningful action to remove the increasingly
autocratic government of President Mugabe.
Admitting that he was under tremendous pressure to organise some form of mass
action, Tsvangirai said criticism levelled against him mainly in
the independent press, had not been
justified.
"The calls for mass action are
a sign of desperation but it is not like going for a picnic. We are leading
at the front but we do not want something which is uncoordinated and
unstructured. I am not the commander of an army, I am only a leader of an
opposition party. The Zimbabwean crisis is not a Tsvangirai issue but the
concern of all Zimbabweans. People must organise themselves to reclaim their
power. When the people are ready to act, they will do so and we will back
them up," Tsvangirai said.
He added: "What
people must understand is that we are in a struggle which must be long and
which cannot be accomplished 10 months after the disputed elections. People
do not learn from their history. How long did it take us to execute the
liberation struggle against the Ian Smith regime? You can't just say mass
action now, mass action now. It won't
work.
"The economic crisis that the
country is going through was not brought about by the MDC but by Zanu PF and
I don't know what Tsvangirai can do about it. The issue here is about the
legitimacy of the Mugabe regime which has entrenched itself and people need
to understand that you just don't wake up and say we are on a mass
action."
Tsvangirai who goes to court
tomorrow to face treason charges, together with Welshman Ncube, the MDC
secretary-general and Renson Gasela, the shadow secretary of agriculture,
said people were expecting too much
of him.
"The issue is not about
individuals but collective action. When people say Tsvangirai must lead them
in mass action, it doesn't help anyone. It is a sustained programme which
must be coordinated if it is to succeed. It is a shame that people say we
don't have martyrs when we already have 150 people who were killed in
politically motivated violence. Munoda ku-ti ndife here kuti mugutsikane kuti
Tsvangirai anoda kukutungamirai. Some of you reporters practise 'desktop
journalism', where you speak of mass action while you are safe behind your
computers. Some of the criticism is frankly not
justified."
The MDC leader has, in recent
times, come under fire from thousands of Zimbabweans and even his party's
supporters who have accused him of taking a soft stance against Mugabe in the
face of the crippling economic crisis. They say the time is now ripe to take
on the Zanu PF government head on.
Meanwhile, the MDC national executive council met yesterday in Harare to
discuss, amongst many other issues, mass
action.
Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC
spokesman said a number of the executive members felt that the party should
be prepared to engage in mass action.
Added Nyathi: "The economic situation gripping the nation is such
that Zimbabweans should brace themselves for a strategy of national
survival which will involve mass stayaways. The MDC will mobilise the people
of Zimbabwe to take action against the illegitimate government. It will in
due course announce the new course of
action.
"At the meeting, we also discussed
the Kuwadzana by-election whose delay represents the flouting of the
constitution. The Speaker should have informed the president 14 days after
the seat was declared vacant and by now the election date could have been
set.
"As far as the distortion of the
voter's roll in Kuwadzana is concerned, we will consult with our lawyers and
soon announce a form of action," Nyathi said.
AS the nation grapples with
hardships characterised by acute food shortages and skyrocketing prices of
commodities, Zimbabwe's chiefs last week blew millions of dollars in Bulawayo
where President Mugabe promised them vehicles that could cost the taxpayers
up to $4 billion, The Standard can
reveal.
The 266 chiefs who helped Mugabe
win the controversial presidential election by shutting out MDC campaign
teams from their areas, were booked at the Rainbow Hotel together with their
aides, from Wednesday to Friday, while they were attending an annual meeting
of the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs.
Rainbow
is one of the most prestigious hotels in Bulawayo where a single bed and
breakfast costs $16 500 with lunch and dinner going for $9 000. Unimpressed
Bulawayo residents told The Standard that they were surprised that the
custodians of traditional culture were prepared to blow millions of dollars
at an exotic hotel at a time when their subjects were starving in the rural
areas.
"Its a clear case of misplaced
priorities. How can you have chiefs leaving their people starving in the
rural areas and coming to wine and dine in the city? From the way they
conducted their business, it just shows that chiefs have joined the gravy
train," said Thabani Ngwenya, who sells cigarettes close to the hotel, along
Robert Mugabe way.
At the meeting, the
chiefs who demanded, telephones and stockpiles of maize at their homesteads,
fell over each other to praise Mugabe.
Said Chief Serima of Gutu to a round of applause; "Va Mugabe,
rambai muchitonga kusvika madhongi amera
nyanga."
The chiefs, who implored Mugabe
not to retire, pledged to the president a cow from each of the country's nine
provinces as a way of congratulating him for winning last year's presidential
elections.
They also pledged two beasts
for the First Lady Grace Mugabe in recognition of the support she gave to her
husband during the campaign period.
Addressing the chiefs, Mugabe promised that they would each get a vehicle as
per their request and would also have their allowances
reviewed.
"We shall defend you, enhance
your functions and we are happy that you refused to be deviated from the
correct way of protecting your functions. There is a need to review your
allowances, and even those who work in factories, their welfare is being
taken care of. We have not put a full stop to an increase in your allowances,
a comma maybe. We have agreed that you be assisted in getting transport and
the modalities on this are being worked out. It will not be a problem to get
266 vehicles," said Mugabe.
On the market,
a brand new pick up truck costs not less that $15
000 000.
Mugabe also took the chance to
announce that 90% of the chief's homesteads had been
electrified.
Mugabe started wooing chiefs
and traditional leaders to thwart the expansion of the opposition MDC's
support base into the rural areas just before the June 2000 parliamentary
elections.
Chiefs, who were not on the
government payroll until the year 2000, have had periodic reviews of their
salaries and living allowances in return for ensuring that the MDC does not
establish support bases in areas under their
authority.
This is reminiscent of the
strategies Ian Smith used to woo the support of the chiefs in the then
Rhodesia. How history repeats itself!
Gvt meddling in Church
matters-Ncube By our own
Staff
ARCHBISHOP Pius Ncube, the outspoken
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church, this week accused the government of
planting its agents within the church so as to divide it along political
lines.
Refuting reports carried out in the
state-run media alleging that there had emerged a great rift within the
church as a result of his perceived political activities, Ncube challenged
the government to seek ways of halting the suffering of the people rather
than dedicating its energy towards meddling in religious
matters.
Ncube said: "There is no division
within the Catholic Church and we remain focused on breaking the
silence."
Churches have often been accused
of being silent over
government excesses.
Ncube further
stated: "They (the government) have planted state agents in the church in an
attempt to divide us, yet we as church leaders meet every two months to
discuss matters of the church."
Ncube said
constant reports in the state media that the church was divided were nonsense
and that the notion of political involvement was part of everyone's
life.
Church leaders in Bulawayo have held
a series of meetings in the past two weeks where they resolved to take a
stand against the escalating levels of political repression and civil
intimidation. The clergy roundly called for a return to the rule of law and
order.
The meetings held within different
congregations, saw hundreds of Christians from different denominations
conducting a series of prayers for the
nation.
Pastor Ray Motsi of the Baptist
church, told The Standard that the church in Bulawayo had taken a stand on
the mishaps affecting the people and was challenging the government to
address the plight of the people.
"The
church has the right to tell the people the truth, because we are the
critical agents of the society and are responsible for the welfare of the
people and even the government," said
Motsi.
"The church has not been quiet by
choice. But because of the present laws which have refuted the voices of
decency, we were gagged."
AS Zanu PF intensifies efforts to
incapacitate Harare executive mayor Elias Mudzuri, it has emerged that the
government has refused to grant the opposition-led city council borrowing
powers for the sake of a crucial $6,5 billion water treatment plant, among
other projects.
With the water situation
getting worse by the day, Council required the money so as to do an upgrade
of the Morton Jeffrey water works and the sewerage
system.
Mudzuri confirmed to The Standard
that the ministry of local government had failed to grant them borrowing
powers for the crucial projects.
"The
minister knows quite well that there is a pending water shortage and it is
not surprising that he does not want to help us get the money. What he wants
to do is to point fingers at us when there is a crisis,''
said Mudzuri.
He added: "We are in a
crisis now in terms of the water situation and we need a new water treatment
plant for the city considering that the population is a fast-growing
one.''
Currently, Harare is at a
consumption level of 720 million litres a day while its production capacity
stands at around 550 million litres. The situation translates into a
shortfall of 170 million litres of water needed for daily use in both the
domestic and industrial sectors.
Ironically, past councils led by Solomon Tawengwa, and the commission led by
Elijah Chanakira, both Zanu PF apologists, were given borrowing powers by the
same ministry so as to obtain funding for capital
projects.
Mudzuri said without the
approval of government, the Council could not borrow money from financial
institutions.
Last week, Mudzuri announced
that the city was to introduce water rationing for Harare and its dormitory
towns of Chitungwiza, Norton, Ruwa, and Epworth. The rationing is likely to
start in March.
Starving villagers blast
government By Henry
Makiwa
STARVING villagers in Mt Darwin's
Matope area, a Zanu PF stronghold, this week condemned the government for
reneging on its promise to provide enough relief aid in the face of an
imminent famine.
The despondent folk of
Chisora village expressed deep-seated despair over their livelihood in the
face of yet another drought in the
coming season.
Said Amos Chinomhona,
the village headman: "We are dying of hunger in broad daylight and the
government is doing nothing at all to ensure
our survival."
Chinomhona said the
government's relief efforts were so meagre that were it not for the
assistance of the World Vision, the United Nations World Food Programme and
donor non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the situation would have been
catastrophic.
Chinomhona's sentiments were
echoed by Todd Katsande, the ward 24 councillor, who expressed
dissatisfaction with the unavailability of
staple maize.
Meanwhile, the United
Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has come to the rescue of at least 40 000
children in Mt Darwin by providing a supplementary feeding programme for
children under five.
Unicef said similar
programmes are being run in six other districts where children subsist on a
thin yellow porridge daily.
The porridge,
known as Unimix, is a special blend of peanut butter, corn meal, soya beans
and micro-vitamins and it contains a third of the children's daily
requirement of nutrients.
THE Human Rights Trust of Southern
Africa (SAHRIT), has warned the police against committing acts of torture
against suspects as they will risk international trial in the
future.
Philliat Matsheza, the executive
director of SAHRIT, this week expressed concern over the escalating levels of
politically-motivated cases of torture perpetrated by law enforcement
officials.
Matsheza said: "Torture carried
out by police and state officials is a serious crime and ranks on the same
level as other international crimes such as genocide. We have noted with
concern the escalating occurrences in cases of torture of suspects in police
custody.
"If things continue like this, we
may see a repeat of what was happening in Latin America in the 1970s," he
said before drawing similarities with the case of Augusto Pinochet, the
former Chilean dictator who was convicted of human rights
abuses.
SAHRIT monitors the state of human
rights within the Southern African region and frequently trains police within
the Southern Africa Development Community bloc on the international
regulations governing law enforcement.
"We
carried out a three-year training programme for the police from 1998 to 2001,
and it is regrettable from what we have noted that the police do not seem to
have improved their conduct. Instead, the level of police-perpetrated acts of
violence and torture seem to have increased due to the weakening fabric of
the rule of law, state abuse of the people's rights and political
polarisation, " Matsheza said.
"Perpetrators of tor-ture within the police force are, however, warned that
their acts are recorded and they risk conviction on one unfortunate day in
the near future."
Matsheza's statement
comes hard on the heels of the alleged torture of MDC parliamentarian, Job
Sikhala, while in police custody last month. Sikhala and four others have
been charged with burning a Zupco bus
in Harare.
Said Matsheza: "Zimbabweans
are yet to fully utilise the international human rights mechanisms to report
cases of official torture to the United Nations (UN) Committee on Human
Rights. However, according to UN and African Unity conventions, a violator of
human rights is subject to civil arrest anywhere across the
world.
"The police should be wary and
avoid being used by their superiors because torture cases stand by the
individual perpetrator."
Meanwhile, the
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, recently published a damning report which
held the Zimbabwean government accountable for cases of political
violence.
In its report entitled: Are They
Accountable?-Examining alleged violators and their violations, Pre and Post
Presidential Election March 2002, the human rights watchdog noted the
prevalent occurrences of organised violence of political origin in
Zimbabwe.
It recorded that at least 900
cases of political violence were carried out in the year 2002, the majority
of which were perpetrated against opposition
supporters.
'Parliamentary
committee's rescue plan futile'
Kumbirai Mafunda
ECONOMIC analysts have
described as futile the last minute attempts by the parliamentary portfolio
committee on foreign affairs, industry and international trade to craft a
"rescue plan" for the economy which the parliamentarians watched when the
country was degenerating into an
economic abyss.
Led by Philip
Chiyangwa, the Zanu PF member of parliament for Chinhoyi, the committe
recently announced in a statement that it will start taking suggestions and
ideas from various stakeholders in Harare on
Tuesday.
The committee also comprises
MDC's shadow minister of foreign affairs Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, Willas
Madzimure, Zanu PF's Ambrose Mutinhiri and Lazarus
Dokora.
However, economic commentators say
it is a case of too little too late as irreparable damage has already been
done to the economy which is in the intensive
care.
"The effectiveness of those hearings
is questionable. In fact, they are a waste of time and effort. They will hear
those concerns but to implement them is the problem. The person who gives the
nod is President Mugabe and his politburo. This reminds us of the Simba
Makoni who had a sound Millenium and Economic Recovery Programme but later
lost his job," said Witness Chinyama, an analyst with Kingdom Financial
Holdings.
Zimbabwe is entrenched in its
fourth year of economic recession and political turmoil which have largely
been attributed to President Robert Mugabe's 23-year rule during which he has
ruined the country.
One committee member
who refused identity questioned the late timing in consulting stakeholders.
"Why start now when the crush has already taken place? You debate and debate
and at the end of the day nothing
is implemented."
Year- on-year
inflation soared to 198,9% as the hyperinflationary trend reached
unprecedented levels in Zimbabwean
history.
Government has rebuffed rationale
and constructive criticisms at the expense of political expediency. But of
late, sanity seems to be creeping into some government ministers' heads,
given the gravity of the precipitous economic
haemorrhage.
"There is now an intention to
rationalise the land reform and economic reforms. All it shows is that
government is making a u-turn from pursuing suicidal policies which are
detrimental to the economy," said
one commentator.
But it remains to be
seen whether words will be translated into concrete
action.
Prospects for 2003
agricultural season BY Rongai Chizema
Intermarket Research
ZIMBABWE has an
agro-based economy, hence the significance of the agricultural sector in the
economy's development. According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
statistics, agriculture accounts for 15,9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
an average of 40% to export earnings and 26,3% of formal
employment.
Performance of the sector also
has a direct bearing on manufacturing sector output, accounting for at least
60% of the sector's input requirements given strong backward and forward
linkages. The agricultural sector has recently gone through radical
transformation through land reform, making available at least 11 million
hectares of former commercial agricultural land to indigenous farmers. The
2003, national budget prioritised the sector as an anchor for the turnaround
of the economy.
Recent
performance
The sector's performance has
recently come under threat owing to drought, which saw the sector shrinking
by 20,8% in 2002, necessitating imports in excess of 1,5 million tonnes of
cereal to cover to feed 6,7 million people. There was a reverse in the
sector's growth in 2001 after averaging 5% per annum in the five years to the
year 2000. The sector still has to ward off the transitional costs of land
reforms, which will take some time to absorb. Prospects for the sector's
performance this year have been hampered by the unfolding drought, and
escalating costs of inputs which have severely compromised cropping
arrangements.
Outlook for 2002-2003
season
According to the SADC Regional
Early Warning Unit, by early November Zimbabwe had received more than 80% of
normal rainfall following significant and well distributed rains since late
October. However as the rainy season progresses, signs of drought have
emerged.
In the first half of 2002-2003
rainy season moderate to poor rainfall was received in most parts of the
country. According to the FEWSNET Report for the season to 16 December,
rainfall received countrywide during the period October to December has
ranged from 40 to 60% of normal. Hot and dry weather was recorded throughout
the country during the second half of November and the first week of
December, resulting in the wilting of the early
crop.
Severe crop wilting has been
recorded in the districts of Chivi, with 30% of the maize crop planted in
October reaching permanent wilting, casting doubts on the potential yields
from these regions. These developments point to the effects of the moderate
El Nino phenomenon which had been projected to take effect during the last
quarter of 2002 and early 2003.
The
current drought signals have also been alluded to by the SADC Drought
Monitoring Centre's report for the period October to March 2003. The centre
submitted that the northern part of the SADC region is expected to receive
normal to above normal rainfall for the period October to December 2002,
while the rest (Zimbabwe included) of the region is likely to experience
normal to below normal rainfall. During the period January to March 2003, the
Centre reported that there were high possibilities of normal conditions
across much of Southern Africa. However, there is a chance of the rainfall
sliding into the below normal category over the southern part of the region.
The countries to be affected are Zimbabwe, Botswana, Southern Zambia,
Southern Malawi, Central and southern Mozambique, Southern Namibia and much
of South Africa.
The period from October
to December 2002 had a high possibility of normal rainfall (40%) for the
Northern part of Zimbabwe. However, for Southern Zimbabwe, there was a 35%
chance of below normal rainfall this season in comparison with the 25% chance
of the same rainfall pattern in the Northern region of the country. This
rainfall pattern has been proved by the inconsistent rainfall received by
most parts of the country.
Land
utilisation
Land preparation and planting
during the current season was constrained by state tillage bottlenecks and
shortages of essential inputs such as seed and fertiliser. High input costs,
particularly for maize seed whose prices have risen by 200%, have resulted in
significant cost escalations for newly resettled
farmers.
The country has experienced a
persistent shortage of inputs, particularly seed and fertiliser. As a result,
most farmers had to plant without any basal fertiliser. This, together with
the erratic pattern of rainfall and the uncertainty surrounding land
redistribution, is likely to see the country harvesting insufficient grain
this season.
Uptake for A2 plots has been
below 50% at most, casting doubts on the agricultural sector's capacity to
expand this season. The agriculture sector's financing woes have been
worsened by confidence problems, which have seen the Agribills floated
through Syfrets Merchant raising $7,2 billion against a target of $25
billion. The facility would have lessened government's financing requirements
for agriculture, hence the outcome may exert pressure on the domestic banking
sector.
FEWSNET estimates for the period
to 4 December reveal that 37% of the average area planted in the 1990s had
been planted, with more planting expected in the same month. The statistic
implies a significant underutilisation of capacity in the agro-sector, with
negative effects on the sector's earnings capacity. However, given the poor
rainfall pattern, not much planting activity was expected in December.
Compared to the 1990s figures for area under planted maize, sorghum, rapoko
and pearl millet are 38, 13, 49 and 15% respectively. Hectarage for major
cash crops ranges from 25 to 56% of the 1990s level. Cotton planted is at
least 56% of the average area, groundnuts 49% and tobacco
25%.
The statistics point to a major
strain in the sector which has impeded land utilisation this season. There is
no doubt that these production bottlenecks will imply raw material supply
bottlenecks to the manufacturing sector, which draws 60% of its inputs from
agriculture. Preliminary estimates by the CFU point to a significant
reduction in national agro output this year, with maize estimated at 30% of
annual output, groundnuts 35%,and soyabeans
87,4%.
It will therefore not be surprising
that a supplementary budget to cover the sector's deficit will be tabled this
year. A severe drought will put pressure on inflation, the budget and the
exchange rate in 2003. Commodity stock outs will therefore become inevitable,
depending on the severity of the
drought.
Tobacco crop
drops
Tobacco contributes at least 30% of
national export earnings and a swing in output implies a significant shock on
national foreign currency reserves. According to the Zimbabwe Tobacco
Association (ZTA), provisional statistics point to a total of 528 commercial
farmers who have planted for the season on 21 000 hectares, of which 7 800
hectares is irrigated. This crop hectarage implies a potential crop of 55-60
million kgs of which 22 million kgs would be from the irrigated crop. The
total crop is however expected to be slightly higher due to an additional 50
new commercial farmers who are still to be
surveyed.
Smallholder farmers encompassing
both existing and newly resettled farmers are estimated to have planted 30
000 hectares, with an estimated yield potential of 25 million kgs this
season. This year's crop is at least 48,7% lower than the preceding season's
which totalled 165,5 million kilograms, and was 58% lower than that for the
2000/2001 season. The current crop size points to a significant decline in
volumes, implying a critical drop in foreign currency earnings. Zimbabwe will
this year lose its third position on the world tobacco producers chart to
Brazil which has been upping production in recent years. Brazil expects to
produce 540 million kilograms in the forthcoming marketing
season.
Tobacco grower base
increase
The biggest impact of land
reforms has been a steep rise in the participation of small scale growers in
the tobacco sector as shown by
the graph.
According to the ZTA, the
number of small growers was 1264 in 1996, rising to 12 000 in 2002 while at
the same time the number of large scale growers has dropped significantly
from 1 653 to an estimated 1 400 in 2002. Yields per hectare for small scale
growers has been static at an average of 821,57 kg/ ha over the period. The
steep rise in the number of small scale growers does not necessarily imply a
large yield, unless sufficient productivity growth is registered. The need to
increase productivity can therefore not be overstated if competitive and
sustainable yield levels are to be guaranteed in the
sector.
Challenges
The biggest threat to viability
for the sector would be macroeconomic instability which has caused huge input
supply bottlenecks during the current season. Price controls have also dented
confidence in agro-based business, and hence a relook at this policy will
have an impact on the role of agriculture in
Zimbabwe.
Another glaring challenge is the
capacity of the resettled farmers to sustain the productivity levels of
previous tenants, as well as safeguard the sector's contribution to national
export earnings.
It is also imperative
to ensure that the sector moves away from producing commodity based output
towards value added production, or products which are less susceptible to
international price fluctuations. Although agricultural output may grow, what
is more desirable is the quality of the output and on farm processes that may
transform the value chain. The foreign currency earnings capacity of the
sector will therefore be enhanced. Currently, producer prices are set
primarily on social accounting parameters, which have hampered viability. It
is therefore important that producer prices are reviewed periodically to
reflect the cost of production, in order to stimulate investment in the
sector. Government also needs to quickly audit the signals of the looming
drought and engage in forward arrangements to minimise effects of the looming
cereals deficit on societal welfare.
Signing of turnaround
plan imminent By Kumbirai
Mafunda
ZIMBABWE is poised for a major
economic policy shift that could see the country back on the recovery path
after wallowing in economic recession for nearly five
years.
Sources close to the ongoing
Tripartite Negotiating Forum comprising government, labour and business, said
the signing of the long awaited turnaround plan entitled 'Proposals on
Stimulating Economic Activity', which was recommended to the technical
committee of the TNF by the TNF sub-committee on economic stabilisation
measures, is scheduled for Thursday.
This
follows the signing of a Prices and Incomes Stabilisation protocol last
Thursday by the three social partners, which is intended to stimulate the
recovery and sustainable socio-economic development of
the country.
The signing ceremony was
attended by finance and economic development minister, Herbert Murerwa, the
minister of industry and international trade, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, energy
and power development minister, Amos Midzi, and environment and tourism
minister, Francis Nhema.
The Kadoma
Declaration, which demands a return to the rule of law and good governance,
was also discussed at yesterday's meeting and is ready for signing on
Thursday.
"We have reached an agreement on
the immediate recovery of the economy and I don't see them refusing to sign
the immediate measures to stabilise the economy. Yesterday, we signed a
Prices and Incomes Stabilisation Protocol. There seems to be a climb-down on
the part of government. We have talked the government out of price freezes.
We are now deliberating on management of prices and wages," said one
source.
High on the proposals on
stimulating economic activity is the implementation of stabilisation measures
which will enable the economy to expand exports and
employment.
Implementation of measures
such as those meant to stimulate exports could be
immediate.
Besides establishing
appropriate legal mechanisms and an enabling environment for fuel procurement
by other market players besides Noczim, government will immediately review
fuel prices in order to reflect the full economic
costs.
To guarantee adequate supply of
electricity, exporting companies will pay electricity bills in foreign
currency with provision for discounts for companies who opt for
this.
Multiple exchange rates for various
sectors, ie an export support rate of $1 350 to the US dollar for the mining
industry and $1 200 to the horticultural sector, were rejected. Instead, in
order to forestall the expected inflationary impact of multiple support
rates, the social partners agreed on a uniform support rate which would keep
the exchange rate constant at $55 to the US dollar at 2000 prices, but a
nominal support rate will be pegged at $800 to the US
dollar.
For government and official
transactions, the exchange rate will remain constant at $55 to the US
dollar.
Analysts contend that the $800 to
the US dollar rate will improve the competitiveness and viability of exports
and would result in increased inflows into the official foreign exchange
market, which dried up on the eve of the announcement of the 2003
budget.
Bureaux de change which were shut
down on 1 December, will reopen under a new regulatory regime which will
enable them to operate as special agencies closely supervised by the Reserve
Bank.
The number of bureaux de change are
likely to be trimmed through higher capital requirement. Currently, they are
capitalised to the tune of US$150 000.
The imperative of undertaking measures which will enhance confidence in
domestic and foreign investors, including international development partners,
is principal in the proposal and government is expected to ease its hard line
stance on the IMF which visits Zimbabwe this month.
Who will monitor the
partisan police? What's on air By
Peter Moyo
RESPONDING to comments from
police chief, Augustine Chihuri three weeks ago, we said that the only
political group that needed to be monitored during the Cricket World Cup is
the Zimbabwe Republic Police. Events are already proving how correct we
were.
A few weeks ago they stormed a
Mabvuku hall to arrest Harare mayor, Elias Mudzuri on frivolous grounds. They
claimed he was holding a political meeting because residents from other areas
outside Mabvuku were present!
Again, last
Wednesday the same political group masquerading as a national police force,
gleefully fired tear gas in all directions at Town House in an attempt to
stop the mayor from holding a meeting. How is the mayor expected to perform
his duties when he cannot hold meetings with councillors, politicians and
residents?
The partisan police force's
efforts, coupled with those of Dead BC's rambling municipal decampaigner,
'Freedom' Moyo, are not having the desired effect of painting Mudzuri as a
corrupt and incompetent MDC activist. Efforts to intimidate him and soil his
image have instead shown him to be a hero standing up to the ruling party's
bullying tactics.
'Freedom'-a man who has
failed dismally to practise what his name implies-should be commended for
channelling his limited abilities as a broadcaster to trying to rubbish
Mudzuri for he is so inept that the mayor comes across a brave
man.
While the consensus is that
propaganda should be for free, those who spew it should be paid-or so it
seems. Last week, Dead BC's reporters-turned-propagandists and other workers
downed tools to press for higher wages, only to be
suspended.
Those who go on strike are
branded by Dead BC as members of the opposition. Does this mean the workers
have now joined the opposition MDC? Whatever the case, all Dead BC workers
deserve rest from the relentless propaganda they have been forced to spread
for the past three years.
So
agriculture minister, Joseph Made, has finally realised the importance of
maintaining production on farms during his fast-track land reform. The man
never ceases to amaze. When the rainy season is more than half way through
and drought and more famine beckons, he starts making overtures to the white
farmers he confiscated land from.
It is no
secret that much of the land was taken by the chefs and many of the acquired
farms lie idle. We hope the land audit report will be made public so that
everyone knows what exactly transpired.
Joseph Made's antics have a lot to do with the forthcoming Commonwealth
Troika Meeting, we suspect. Otherwise how do we explain the regime's
sensitivity now-a regime which has not been known for this kind
of sensitivity before.
DRC foreign
minister, Kikaya Bin Karubi, was in Zimbabwe last week to thank the country
for helping his country in its war. The Dead BC reporter who interviewed him
should have asked if the DRC was going to pay four our effort and when.
Zimbabwe sunk in scores of billions of dollars into the war at great expense
to national development and a mere thank you will not help this country which
faces its greatest ever economic
crisis.
One viewer from Bulawayo
phoned last week to ask when the Hondo Yeminda adverts would stop. We have
bad news for him and all other viewers as Munyaradzi Hwengwere, the CEO of
Dead BC, categorically stated that as long as the adverts were being paid for
by the government, they would
be flighted.
He even said they had
managed to pay workers' bonuses from the adverts which where paid for in
advance. We wonder where the money to screen the propaganda adverts is coming
from since government is bankrupt. Talk of wasting taxpayers'
money!
Barmy farmers believe
bull overthetop By Brian
Latham
THE government of a troubled
central African country says it is considering giving farms back to the
farmers it has been beating, murdering, intimidating and evicting for the
last three years.
The surprising move was
met with considerable scepticism by cynical ex-farmers, but with brave smiles
from one of the organisations representing the handful of farmers still on
their land.
Others pointed out that the
offer to give farms back came just weeks before controversial sports matches
were scheduled to take place in the troubled central African nation. The
surprise offer also preceded, by a few weeks, the impending visit of a
nattily dressed gent from a corrupt West African power, a visit by the most
equal of all comrades to Gay Paris and a meeting of the Commonwealth
Troika.
Over The Top can dispel rumours
that the French government has changed its national motto to 'Hypocrisie,
Hypocrisie, Hypocrisie.'
"It goes without
saying that we're hypocritical," said a French government spokesman. "There's
no need to change our national motto because we believe in liberty for
Frenchmen and you're not French."
Still,
that's a digression, so back to the point.
Talks between the troubled central African country's government and a farming
organisation have set gossip mongers in a flurry of animation. OTT can reveal
that the talks are just one more piece of the farce that is politics in the
central African nation.
More than that, no
good can come of them.The timing is hardly coincidental, still less is the
fact that over half the population is scrabbling for food while 2 500 people
die each week.
Besides, while it is
unclear who is behind the talks-someone is always behind talks in the
troubled central African country-it appears there may be an oleaginous
presence lurking in the shadowy corridors of tenuous
power.
Of course, it may be no more
complicated than the fact that the slow-thinking chefs who are running the
troubled central African nation's crisis have suddenly realised that there's
no food, and no prospect of buying food (or anything else) because there's no
tobacco either.
OTT does not believe this
is the case because the troubled central African nation's chefs are not
slow-thinking. Many of them hold doctorates from reputable universities,
indicating at least passable intelligence.
That means that someone with, as they say now, "an agenda", would like to see
farmers return to their homes and get on with the business of growing food
for the people and tobacco forS that same oily presence lurking in
the background.
Over The Top would like
to caution farmers tempted by this offer that they should be suspicious of
Greeks bearing gifts-and to be especially aware of accepting offers from the
person who last week, last month or even last year, trashed your family home,
broke your arms or herded cattle into your maize crop. The same maize crop,
incidentally, might now be feeding thousands of people who are now standing
in a queue waiting for maize that isn't
there.
Of course, all this may be very
wide off the mark. It could simply be that the troubled central African
nation's ruling Zany Party is in a flat spin panic, doesn't know where it is,
where it's going or what to do. It might be that, faced with an unprecedented
crisis (of its own making), it has awoken to the fact that plans need to be
made if the party isn't to disappear up its own
fundament.
The problem is that it's all
too little, too late. The Zany Party's fundament is substantial and ravenous
and it is eating itself.
Murder victim's son bewildered by MSP's stance on land
reform, writes WILLIAM TINNING THE killing last March of Terry Ford by
self-styled war veterans seeking to regain land from white farmers in
Zimbabwe is still raw in the mind of his son, Mark.
Under the orders
of Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, the veterans broke into the
Fords' farmhouse, near Norton, one week after the country's alleged rigged
elections were held.
Mr Ford's killers used his revolver to shoot him
before making off with his alcohol, firearms and TV set. His death shocked
the world. Pictures of Squeak, his Jack Russell dog, standing guard over the
blue blanket which covered his corpse became a poignant symbol of the tragedy
being played out across rural Zimbabwe.
His son, Mark, who was told to
leave the farm or face the same fate as his father, was forced to flee to
Johannesburg.
Comparisons drawn by Bill Aitken, the Tory list MSP for
Glasgow, of new land reform legislation in Scotland with the violent farm
seizures in Zimbabwe, have not helped him get over his father's
death.
The legislation, passed last month, gives rural communities the
power to buy the land they live on, ending centuries of the landlord system
in Scotland.
After the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was approved, Mr
Aitken said: "This bill has nothing to do with land reform and everything to
do with the other parties in this parliament being obsessed by replaying the
class wars of 200 years ago.
"This type of legislation has no place in
modern Scotland. It will have a dreadful effect not only on those living in
rural areas, but on city dwellers whose hard-earned tax will be used to pay
for this Mugabe-style land grab."
Mark Ford believes the MSP's
argument ignores the different political context for the two countries' land
reform programmes.
"In Zimbabwe, farmers aren't being compensated . . .
farms are basically being stolen," he said. "I don't see that happening in
Scotland. It's a democracy and things will be done fairly and monitored by
independent people."
He said he could not understand the MSP's
decision to link Scotland with Zimbabwe. "I don't understand where he's
coming from. All he's doing is giving Mugabe a platform."
Last week,
the pro-Mugabe Herald newspaper in Zimbabwe quoted Mr Aitken, together with
an analysis piece, which carried the headline: "Scottish Bill proves land is
vital resource the world over."
The article said Scotland's legislation
would send "shockwaves" to the British government which had sternly opposed
Zimbabwe's land reform programme.
It argued that Scotland and Zimbabwe
were now pursuing similar schemes.
The newspaper drew parallels between
the Highland Clearances and the evictions carried out by British colonisers
in Zimbabwe, and argued that both countries were righting the wrongs of the
past.
However, John Worswick, vice-chairman of Justice for Agriculture,
an organisation set up to defend the rights of farmers in Zimbabwe, said
the government was using Scotland's land bill to legitimise its own land
reform programme.
"There's no comparison between the two countries,"
Mr Worswick said.
"In Scotland the scheme will involve independent
valuation of land, compensation will be paid and land will be allocated to
the most deserving, like the crofters. Here government officials, army,
airforce and police officers are receiving the best farms."
According
to the World Food Programme, 7.2 million people are now reliant on food aid
in Zimbabwe.
Mr Aitken last night insisted his views on the new
legislation had not changed.
The MSP said: "Mr Ford is entitled to his
opinion. My view remains firmly that the Scottish Executive is simply
facilitating land being taken by owners without their consent which is quite
contrary to any democratic principle and is totally inappropriate in a modern
democracy such as Scotland.
"The fact that Robert Mugabe's spokesman
in London has commented that Scotland and Zimbabwe appear to have a lot in
common with regard to land reform is eloquent testimony to the
appropriateness of this analogy."
Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's
opposition leader, and two party colleagues are scheduled to go on trial
today on charges of treason for allegedly plotting to kill President
Mugabe.
What the Zimbabwe Herald said The recent passing of the Land
Reform Bill in Scotland aimed at overhauling land ownership in that country
is likely to have sent shockwaves to the British government that has been
vehemently opposed to Zimbabwe's land reform programme.
Recent
developments in Scotland demonstrate the contagious effect of Zimbabwe's land
reform exercise.
The skewed land ownership in Scotland was similar to
that of Zimbabwe before the government embarked on the fast-track land reform
programme in July 2000.
We can draw several similarities on the
origins of the land issue both in Zimbabwe and Scotland.
Like in
Zimbabwe, the grand estates of Scotland were owned almost exclusively by rich
and often absent foreigners.
A major part of the Scottish land issue
dates from the Highland clearances in the 1780s through the
1850s.
These were characterised by the evictions of the poor from their
farms when large owners discovered their holdings were worth more when used
for hunting or sheep ranching than growing crops.
This resulted in the
ruthless eviction of hundreds of thousands of tenants. Some historians
likened it to modern ethnic cleansing.
The same situation prevailed in
Zimbabwe, where the British evicted thousands of black people from their
fertile land during the colonial era.
FOR years his position as
the figurehead of Zimbabwe's opposition has gone unchallenged. But as Morgan
Tsvangirai enters court today to fight treason charges his political position
is looking increasingly weak.
Mr Tsvangirai's enormous popularity appears
to be on the wane amid increasing frustration at the slow pace of change in
the country.
Today's trial will be one of the biggest legal cases
Zimbabwe has seen since independence more than 20 years ago. The leader of
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will argue that he did not plot to
assassinate president Robert Mugabe before elections last year, a charge that
could see him facing the death penalty.
Mr Tsvangirai says he was set
up by government agents, after a video broadcast on Australian television
just before Zimbabwe's presidential elections appeared to show the opposition
leader discussing the possible "elimination" of Mr Mugabe.
The
opposition says the video was doctored and that party members did not know
that the political lobbyist they had hired, former Mossad agent Ari
Ben Menashe, was a "friend" of Mr Mugabe.
The party believes Mr Mugabe
wants to get rid of the troublesome Mr Tsvangirai, who has proved the
fiercest challenger yet to the president's 23-year grip on
power.
However, even as he fights in court to prove his innocence, in his
urban strongholds, Mr Tsvangirai's support appears to be ebbing
away.
"He has not lived up to our expectations," Zimbabwe's top civic
leader Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) said
this week. "I feel let down by Tsvangirai."
The NCA has been one of
the MDC's closest allies. Opposition supporters appear to have been
disappointed by Mr Tsvangirai's failure to lead demonstrations against the
increasingly repressive government.
He came under fierce criticism last
week at an MDC meeting in northern Harare, at which party members said they
had "very low expectations" of their leadership.
Independent papers -
normally staunch supporters of the MDC - have carried comment unusually
critical of the opposition leader.
"He has failed to even do anything to
change things," one young MDC supporter wrote in the Daily News this week.
"Tsvangirai is more concerned about the welfare of his family and his way
into the state house at the expense of the starving
population."
Stung, top opposition officials have hit back. "He's doing
the best he can under the circumstances," spokesman William Bango said last
week, pointing out that Mr Tsvangirai has had to report to police twice a
week since the treason charges were filed last year.
In a clear
attempt to raise his public profile the opposition leader went walkabout in
several low-income suburbs of Harare last week, ostensibly to discuss
problems facing commuters.
Apparently still reeling from the criticism,
Mr Tsvangirai complained yesterday he was not the commander of an army. "I am
only the leader of an opposition party. The Zimbabwe crisis is not a
Tsvangirai issue but the concern of all Zimbabweans," he told the Standard
newspaper.
Mr Mugabe's government has seized with glee upon reports Mr
Tsvangirai is fighting to retain support. "Very soon he will be wallowing in
the political dustbin," a state-run newspaper said.
However, the
opposition hopes his trial could restore his fortunes.
"For the image of
the MDC locally, it will be very useful, because it will put [Mr Tsvangirai]
in the limelight," local political analyst Dr John Makumbe said last night.
"It will enable him to have a platform to project himself in a better light
than has been happening of late."
The death toll in Saturday's Zimbabwe
rail crash rose to 46. The government blamed human error for the
collision.
Hussain says players will bow
to public opinion on boycott From Richard Hobson in Port
Elizabeth
NASSER HUSSAIN has given the clearest hint yet that his England
squad will boycott the World Cup match against Zimbabwe if the authorities
fail to move the venue from Harare. The England captain also admitted that
players will be guided by public opinion back home before deciding an
ultimate course of action. The players have requested that the game, due
to take place on February 13, be switched to South Africa and Hussain, asked
yesterday what the party will do if their wishes are not met, said: "If
nobody has made a decision for us then we will have to make that
decision." In Cape Town on Friday, the 15-man squad, management and senior
ECB officials will meet Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC,
and Patrick Ronan, the head of security at the World Cup. Meanwhile,
the management board of the ECB is expected to convene for talks today. A
further clue to Hussain's intentions is his reference to public
opinion, which he knows is overwhelmingly against fulfilling a fixture that
could hand a propaganda victory to Robert Mugabe. "We want to know what
people think," he said. "There is no point playing in Zimbabwe if people do
not want us to." Although the ICC has so far shown no inclination to move
the game to South Africa, any decision will be taken from now on by a
technical committee, instead of the full executive with its in-built majority
supporting the Asian bloc. The ECB hopes that it will receive a more
sympathetic hearing from the new body which comprises Ali Bacher, the
tournament director, Speed, former players Michael Holding and Sunil
Gavaskar, Brian Basson, an experienced South African administrator, and
Campbell Jamieson, the ICC commercial manager. The ICC has said that the
game cannot be moved after February 9 for logistical reasons. A switch will
only be made if it is felt that players would be at risk. Last Thursday,
after studying a report from Kroll, an American security firm, the ICC
confirmed that it did not think safety would be jeopardised. Since then,
New Zealand Cricket has said that its players will not go to Nairobi even if
it means conceding four points to Kenya, their opponents. The Professional
Cricketers' Association, which represents the England players, is unhappy
that it has not been allowed to see the Kroll report. During the closing days
of the Australia tour, Hussain told each player individually to say nothing
about the Zimbabwe issue and to stick to a party line, that the squad had
"gone into a bubble" and was concentrating on the World Cup. His own
newspaper column yesterday explained why the squad will be refraining from
further comment. Hussain said that players had moral concerns even before
they received letters from a Zimbabwe pressure group in Sydney last month. He
added: "The matter is delicate, to say the least, and there is always the
danger that we may say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or be reported to
have done." England trained yesterday for the first time since arriving in
South Africa and attended a civic reception in Port Elizabeth. All of the
squad bar Ronnie Irani and Steve Harmison had spent the previous three days
at Sun City where the emphasis was on golf and team bonding. Irani, not much
of a golfer, had opted to spend the time practising in Port Elizabeth with
Ian Pont, his personal coach. Ever resourceful, Irani even managed to borrow
a speed tracking device from the local police force - usually employed to
keep a check on motorists - to monitor the pace of his bowling. Harmison
is back with the party, having been allowed to return home on compassionate
grounds to see his daughter, who was born in December. One of his first tasks
today will be to prove his fitness after turning an ankle in a one-day game
in Adelaide. Having received a warm reception when they arrived at Port
Elizabeth airport on Saturday, the squad was again well supported yesterday
when a crowd of more than 100 turned out to watch a light, enthusiastic
session at St George 's Park, cheering every time a player hit the stumps
during fielding drills. "Those people have given the whole team a bit of a
lift," Hussain said. "We are enjoying ourselves as a group again. The team
had been torn apart with injuries in Australia, we did not know if we were
coming or going. We needed those three days away."
By the rules: Thabo Mbeki says that if
Britain wanted a sports boycott of Zimbabwe it should not have allowed it to
come to the Commonwealth Games
Cricket and war leaves old
allies divided by Magnus Linklater and Richard
Beeston
President Mbeki discusses Zimbabwe, Iraq and
Aids
PRESIDENT MBEKI of South Africa has described the
proposed cancellation of the England World Cup cricket match in Zimbabwe as
hypocritical and unethical and has urged Tony Blair to engage with President
Mugabe rather than isolate his regime with sanctions. In a wide-ranging
interview with The Times after his meeting with Tony Blair at Chequers, Mr
Mbeki also sought to distance himself from Nelson Mandela's criticism of
British and US policy on Iraq, but welcomed Washington's pledge to contribute
$15 billion towards fighting Africa's Aids epidemic. Zimbabwe: Mr Mbeki, long
regarded as Britain's closest ally in Africa, revealed deep splits over
Zimbabwe, a problem that he insisted should be dealt with by the Africans
rather than by their former colonial masters in Europe. Some of his
strongest criticism was directed at government calls for the England cricket
team to boycott the World Cup match due to be played in Harare on February 13
in protest at Zimbabwe's land seizures and cycle of political
violence. "They should play," he told The Times. "You see if this country had
wanted to raise the matter of a sports boycott, they should have said
Zimbabwe should not have come to Manchester for the Commonwealth Games. They
did not. "It is not right (to call for a boycott now). It does not have an
ethical basis." He added that Australia had invited Zimbabwe to the Olympic
Games but wanted to pull out of its World Cup match in Bulawayo. The
cricket issue exposed a widening rift with Britain over Zimbabwe, which is
suspended by the Commonwealth and whose leadership is banned from travelling
to Europe, after the regime seized white-owned farms and used violence to
silence the Opposition and hold on to power in last year's elections. Mr
Mbeki said that, unlike Europe, South Africa was Zimbabwe's neighbour
and that he had no alternative but to engage with the regime. Punitive
sanctions served only to harden attitudes in Harare. "There is a strong
sense among Zimbabweans that issues like the land question constitute part of
an uncompleted process of decolonisation," he said. "So when a demand comes
out of Europe to impose sanctions . . . it does not produce a result that 'we
must change'. It produces a result that 'we cannot be dictated to by a
colonial power'." Mr Mbeki, whose country provides Zimbabwe with electricity
and most of its imports, said that if he tried to intervene in this climate
he would be denounced as "an agent of Blair" in the state-owned Herald
newspaper in Harare. Instead, he urged Britain and the EU to "back off",
to re-engage with Zimbabwe's leadership and to leave the matter to African
nations to deal with. He said that if Britain said "we are ready to work with
you" to resolve the question of land reform, of anti-democratic legislation
and other concerns, Zimbabwe "would say welcome, let us act together on
this". He dismissed reports that Mr Mugabe may be considering stepping down
and going into exile. "I do not think this is a realistic proposition," he
said. "Any speculation about exile is a waste of time." Iraq: Thabo Mbeki
is also the chairman of the Organisation of Non-Aligned States. He emerged
from his four-hour meeting with Mr Blair convinced that last-minute
negotiations could still prevent war and that the Prime Minister agreed with
his plan to continue a dialogue with the Iraqis. He denied that he wanted to
act as a mediator: "It's not mediation. It is really to encourage the Iraqis
to co-operate." He believes that although the Iraqis have allowed the
inspectors access to weapons sites, they have not been "pro-active" in
providing information about weapons of mass destruction. "We have to engage
the Iraqis so that they respond seriously," he said. "Mr Blair's view was:
'If you can do that, we would all appreciate it.' " Mr Mbeki sought to
distance himself from last week's outspoken attack on the American and
British stance by Mr Mandela, in which he accused them of racism and called
Mr Blair America's "Foreign Minister". "Unlike Nelson Mandela, we are
engaging with governments," he said. "And they respond. There isn't anybody
who has said 'we don't want to talk to you '. I haven't had any sense from
any of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to whom we have
spoken, that our intervention has no meaning. If that were to happen, we
might indeed ourselves say 'Here are the warmongers', and denounce them in
the strongest terms." Asked whether South Africa would endorse war if a
Security Council resolution supports intervention, he said that it would
depend on the strength of the evidence against Iraq. "Given the position of
the Security Council, it would have to be on the basis of very strong
evidence that there is a real actual threat to international security that
has to be addressed by means of war. We would be against weapons of mass
destruction and that would have to be stopped, but it is difficult to imagine
a situation where we would get to this actual point with Iraq." Aids: Mr
Mbeki appears to have softened his position on the Aids epidemic that has
engulfed southern Africa. He has been attacked in the past for refusing to
endorse the Western drugs that, health organisations have argued, would have
helped to save thousands of lives. He said that he welcomed the US
Government's offer of a $15 billion (£9.1 billion) aid package for South
Africa, whose specific objective is to build a comprehensive system for
diagnosing, preventing and treating Aids. He said. "We have a bilateral
health agreement with the US, and their Health Secretary has been in South
Africa, and we have worked together on these matters." But he insists that
drugs are not the whole answer and that the priority is to tackle the
underlying problems of South Africa's health infrastructure - the lack of
clean water and sanitation that are, in his view, as responsible for
spreading disease as Aids itself. "The drugs may be cheap and affordable but
unusable because you don't have the infrastructure. You can't just talk about
health as drugs and medicines. Where people are going to drink untreated
water they are going to fall sick. So you've got to have a comprehensive
approach to health matters." A programme to test the use of anti-retroviral
drugs, one of the main weapons in treating patients infected by HIV-Aids, is
still being undertaken in South Africa. Mr Mbeki pointed out that one of the
principal brands that South Africa had been urged to adopt - Nevirapine - had
been withdrawn in the US after an adverse report from the Food and Drugs
Administration.
MDC criticism wide off
the mark sundayopinion By Paul Themba
Nyathi
THE week ending 26 January 2003,
was a difficult one in the press for the Movement for Democratic Change. The
state-owned press had its usual flurry of puerile anti-MDC stories that no
one takes seriously.
The independent
press, for its part, weighed in with articles that in the majority of cases
exhorted the MDC to do something about the fast-deteriorating situation in
Zimbabwe.
Of all the articles that were
critical of the MDC, The Standard of 26 January 2003 outdid the rest. What is
puzzling and disturbing about The Standard's editorial is its virulent
language. The MDC accepts criticism and is of the strong opinion that those
who offer critical opinions do so either to build or destroy. In the case of
the state-sponsored media, our opinion is that it seeks to destroy the
opposition. It has all the incentives in doing
so.
As for the independent press, it seeks
to build and we are convinced it has a constructive national interest to do
so.
You must be aware Mr Editor that a
comparison of the present situation in Zimbabwe to that of South Africa in
the 90s is too simplistic. For starters, the South African struggle had a
civic society that gave birth to the likes of UDF, Umkhonto We Sizwe and
other externally based forces and did not have an overbearing relationship
with the internal democratic movement.
In Zimbabwe, the bulk of the struggle was initiated from outside with limited
internal organisation. The externally based liberation forces had
a predominant relationship with the internal political formations. The
culture of mass struggle, civil disobedience if you like, has to be
cultivated in Zimbabwe.
Be that as it
may, we in the MDC are humbled by those Zimbabweans who, at considerable risk
to themselves, continue to demonstrate their opposition to Mugabe's
tyranny.
We are at a loss to understand
what you meant when you said in your editorial: "Zimbabweans... need heroes.
They have neither for heroes are buried..." I suspect that you do not
consider the members of the MDC who have been killed since the formation of
the MDC as heroes of the struggle for freedom. If that is what you mean, then
you are being insensitive to those gallant fighters who sacrificed so
much.
As for focused leadership, you need
only to go through the MDC's policies to appreciate how focused the
leadership is. The MDC's structures in all urban areas are intact and
vibrant. The frequent brutal assaults that urban folk receive from both the
police and army explain the vibrancy of these structures. Zanu PF is trying
to crush them through violence.
The MDC
takes Zanu PF head on at every turn. The numbers who have been arrested and
tortured testify to that. I hope that by taking Zanu PF head on, you are not
inviting the MDC to engage Zanu PF in its violent agenda. We will not go toe
to toe in violence with Zanu PF because violence contaminates the victim as
well as the perpetrator.
We share The
Standard's recognition of Madhuku's courage. We are together with the NCA's
quest for a new constitution. In fact, the MDC is a member of the
NCA.
You allege that the MDC has
halfheartedly sought to take its struggle abroad. In fact, you characterise
the MDC's international lobby work as "amateurish", "incoherent" and
"embarrassing" but the truth of the matter is that the MDC's international
work has been extremely successful.
In
fact, the MDC detractors usually accuse it of concentrating all its work
internationally thus neglecting the home
turf.
Despite public posturing in support
of Zanu PF, Africa is supportive of the MDC's position. Our delegations have
been received at the highest levels of leadership and given Africa's
sensitivity to opposition parties, we have done exceedingly well in Africa.
It is Mugabe's forays into Africa that have been an embarrassment to his
hosts.
It is untrue to suggest that the
MDC is sitting back waiting for events to unfold. The Editor of The Standard
should send his reporters to the MDC offices to collect a calendar of MDC
events throughout the country. We do not know which Zimbabweans will be made
to conclude that "the MDC leadership is either lazy, cowardly or both". Those
who follow closely the activities of the MDC on the ground know
differently.
As for the remark that the
MDC might win by default, I leave it to the electorate to judge the unfair
comment which dares question their right to make a choice of their
liking.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is to introduce
legislation to increase press and political freedoms in his
country.
This is the message President Thabo Mbeki gave British Prime
Minister Tony Blair during a six-hour meeting on Saturday at Chequers,
Blair's weekend residence outside London.
It is not known how Blair
responded to the information.
Mbeki told journalists after the meeting
that he believed Mugabe would announce legislative changes in the next few
weeks. These would increase freedom of political activity and soften the
controversial media law which came into effect last year, and which gives
Mugabe's government almost total control over the
media.
Mbeki said he was unhappy about the
role Britain had played in the Iraqi standoff The law forces all
journalists to register with the government, allowing it to refuse to
register media critics.
Mbeki told Blair that SA cabinet ministers who
have visited Harare recently learnt of Mugabe's plans to ease the political
restrictions.
However, some observers believe Mugabe's moves will merely
be a ploy to pre-empt the reimposition of Commonwealth and European Union
sanctions when these come up for renewal in the next few weeks.
It is
understood that apart from these expected legislative changes, no plan to
resolve the Zimbabwe crisis was discussed.
There had been some
speculation that the two leaders might discuss a plan for Mugabe to step down
in favour of a government of national unity.
However, as Mbeki and Blair
mostly met without advisers or notetakers, it is not certain exactly what
they talked about. The two met for four hours alone and were then joined by
their closest advisers for two hours of lunch.
Iraq was also prominent in
the discussions, especially as Blair had just returned from intense
consultations in Washington with US President George W Bush.
Mbeki
told journalists that he had told Blair he believed a war in Iraq could still
be avoided. To this end he would soon be sending Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz
Pahad to Baghdad to urge the Iraqi government to comply more pro-actively
with the UN weapons inspectors looking for weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq.
In a Sky News interview, Mbeki said he was unhappy about the role
Britain had played in the Iraqi standoff, noting that many in SA shared "a
concern about an approach which seems to say there must be a
war".
Mbeki's spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said the weapons inspectors
had complained last week of a lack of pro-active co-operation from the
Iraqi government, and so getting them to provide such co-operation was a key
to preventing war. Mbeki also told journalists he believed Blair was
committed to international peace and that he recognised that a war against
Iraq would need international support.
Mbeki was meeting Blair not
only as SA president but also as chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement,
representing most of the developing world, and as chair of the African Union
which represents the 53 nations of Africa.
British officials had also
stressed before the meeting that Blair would want to reach these
constituencies through Mbeki, as part of his effort to drum up international
support for military action against Iraq if it did not co-operate with the
weapons inspectors.
It is understood that Blair had stressed to Mbeki
that he believed that the UN security council would need to pass another
resolution to approve war against Iraq. This is a major point of
difference between Blair and Bush, who believes that another security council
resolution is not absolutely necessary.
Blair and Mbeki also discussed
other conflict areas in Africa where SA is involved in peacemaking efforts,
such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Ivory
Coast.
They also discussed the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(Nepad), which Blair has enthusiastically supported, and agreed that concrete
action to implement Nepad's development agenda was needed at the next G8
summit in France in June. - Independent Foreign Service
..
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on 03 February
2003
A major obstacle to
Australia boycotting its World Cup match against Zimbabwe has been passed
after Foreign Minister Alexander Downer revealed the Federal Government was
prepared to help pay compensation costs.
The International Cricket
Council (ICC) will demand a six-figure sum from the Australian Cricket Board
(ACB) if the defending World Cup champions withdraw from the game at Bulawayo
on February 24 because of safety concerns.
Massive sponsorship deals
signed by the ICC for the World Cup are dependent on all matches being run to
schedule.
"Our answer to that is, well, if compensation has to be paid,
we'll have a look at making a contribution ourselves to that compensation,"
said Mr Downer, adding Australian diplomats were preparing to give
updated information on security risks to the ACB and ICC.
Opponents to
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's regime have threatened riots to disrupt
the game and the players fear they will be caught up in
the trouble.
Reports have also emerged about possible terrorist
activity in Zimbabwe if the US declares war on Iraq.
ACB chief
executive James Sutherland, general manager Michael Brown and players'
representative Tim May flew out of Australia yesterday for Johannesburg as
opposition leader Simon Crean urged the Government to put pressure on the
ICC.
The High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, Jonathon Brown, had previously
sent Mr Downer a "disturbing report" warning of widespread protests likely to
turn violent.
Mr Downer called on the ICC to reverse its decision to
support matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya but Mr Crean, seemingly unaware that
Australia's game was scheduled for Bulawayo, demanded firmer
action.
"If the travel warnings have been upgraded, the government has
only one choice," said Mr Crean.
"It's got to use every diplomatic
pressure it can to ensure that the game is not played in Harare."
He
said it was ridiculous to warn people against attending a cricket
game because there could be fears for their safety, but then allow the
cricketers to play.
"If it's dangerous for spectators, it's got to be
dangerous for players," said Mr Crean.
"And if that's the case, then
the government should be insisting no games are played there."
ICC
chief executive Malcolm Speed said the protests would have nothing to do with
cricket and plans were in place to keep them away from the
ground.
"They're not demonstrating against us holding cricket matches,
they're demonstrating about economic and political issues," he told reporters
in Cape Town.
"They're using the presence of the international media
in Zimbabwe as an opportunity to get their message through.
"If it is
an illegal demonstration the local authorities, under their law, are able to
deal with that.
"We don't want to see innocent people, who have come to
the cricket, caught up in a demonstration."
Emphasising he was not
making a political comment, Speed added: "If there is something that comes
out of this it is that a lot of people are now aware of the political
situation in Zimbabwe who may not previously have been aware of
it."
All decisions relating to the World Cup will be made from today by a
six-man technical committee headed by Speed and including World Cup
executive director Ali Bacher plus ex-Test layers Sunil Gavaskar and Michael
Holding.
The committee will have the power to change venues if the
security situation worsens.
Its first job will be to find a resolution
to the problem caused by New Zealand's withdrawal from a match in Kenya on
February 21. The Kiwis are expected to apply to the committee to have the
game staged in South Africa.
Sutherland, May and ACB general manager
Michael Brown will address Australia's players over the next few days, but an
immediate final decision on a possible boycott is highly
unlikely.
High Commissioner Brown was to address the ACB and players here
later today.